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S1: Irene Sand
I was very impressed by your stump-the-bookseller page, and hoped that you could help me. My grandmother was a children's book illustrator in the Twenties, Thirties and possibly Forties. I don't know any of the titles of the books or the authors' names. I realize that this is an impossible request, but I would really love to find some of her work. She would have used the name Irene Sand, although the earlier books might be under the name Irene Drelich. I would appreciate any information or suggestions for my search.

I am not sure how this site works but this was a request for information about Irene Sand by her grandchild.  I am Jan Sand and Irene Sand (Irene Drelich) was my mother and I am curious as to what information I can supply. I have a hunch that the requester was Valerie Sand but I am not sure because, by monstrous concidence, there might be two illustrators named Irene Sand, formerly Irene Drelich.


S8: Suzy Pink
Solved: Miss Sniff

S12: Sea Change
Solved: Sea Change

S20: Sleeping Beauty
I'm looking for a Sleeping Beauty picture book, probably published in the 1970s. The thing I remember most about it is that the second last page was cut out in the shape of an arch, looking through to the last page which was a garden (which in my memory is the most beautiful garden ever seen!)

Could this have been a pop-up book? There was a pop-up Sleeping Beauty published in 1975 by Chatto & Windus, with illustrations by Karen Avery.
S20 sleeping beauty: perhaps too old - Sleeping Beauty, a Peepshow Book, illustrated by Ronald Pym, published Houghton Mifflin 1950. When the cover is tied back, the book forms a 6-sided star with the scenes viewed through frames.
S20 sleeping beauty garden: perhaps The Sleeping Beauty, illustrated by Molly B. Thomson, published Collins Clear-Type c. 1940s. octavo, 18 pages, stapled paperback. A "Kiddie Kut" book, referring to the cut-outs in the illustrations. It's kind of early, though. At least one of the "Peepshow" books was reprinted in the 1970s, so they may be a better bet.
I can't believe someone mentioned the Kiddie Kut books, I have several and they are so wonderful, so beautiful.....I got them as a child in the 50's...mine are falling apart and the two that I am missing that I would love to have are The Water Babies and Sleeping Beauty...I currently have Snow White, The House that Jack Built, Fun in the Frozen North, The Bells of London Town, The Three Bears, Nursery Nonsense, and Jack and the Beanstalk....  before today I  had never heard of any one else knowing of these books..I think as a child I probably looked at these more than any other books that I had, they were just magical, so delicately and wondrously wrought.  I still get them out and look at them sometimes and somehow the magic has never faded. Molly B. Thomson was an extremely gifted illustrator!
I've attached the end page of my copy of The Sleeping Beauty, by Molly B. Thomson. It's published in Great Britain, no date given, but it was mine as a child and I was born in 1968. Not sure where it came from - my aunt and uncle lived in England, though. Definitely cherished, and I thought of it when I read the stumper. This page shows what could be the second to last pages referred - the window arch is shown, but the last page isn't a beautiful garden. Her bedroom looks like a beautiful garden, however.



S25: Sailboat on wheels
Solved: Enchanted Voyage

S30: Shapeshifting Bird
Solved: The Land of Happy Days


S33: Sebastian the Magic Cat
Solved: Tim and the Hidden People
S35: Sears and Roebuck

Solved:  Those Plummer Children

S39: Simon the mouse
Solved:  Hurry Up, Slowpoke

S40: Seasons story
Solved: The Sun

S42: Soap flakes in the creek
This book was read to me in middle school.  As I recall some kids were visiting the country and while crossing a creek one of them accidentally dropped a box of soap flakes.  The creek was a mass of
soap bubbles.  Any help will be greatly appreciated.  Thank you.

I can't vouch for this specific incident, but maybe Two and Two are Four by Caroline Haywood, Harcourt 1940, 171 pages "Two children come from a city apartment to live on a farm and two children come from Washington to visit their grandfather, the farmer. Four lively youngsters, two boys and two girls, around six years of age, make this story suitable for boys and girls of five to eight years. Very like B is for Betsy in makeup."
Again, can't vouch for the specific incident, but there's also Puppy Summer, by Meindert DeJong, illustrated by Anita Lobel, published Harper 1966, 128 pages "Two little boys, vacationing at their grandparents' farm, are as carefree - and careless - as the three lovable puppies put in their charge."



S43: Sisters, very different
Hello!  I was just given your web site info from a friend.  I have a long shot-  I can't remember the title or the author...it was a teen book that I read probably in the early 70's.  I think it may have come from a Scholastic book order at school.  It was the story of two sisters, one blond and blue-eyed and her sister, brown-haired and rather plain.  The one sister is popular, cheery and out-going; the plain sister stays home alot, is smarter (very stereotypical) and has a yellow room with brown trim.  The plain sister wins out in something at the end.  What a long shot !!  I remember reading it a zillion times!  Thank you so much!!

Might be Dancing Shoes by Noel Streatfield.
Well, up until the yellow room with brown trim, at any rate.  If you add a snotty cousin to the mix, that comes a bit closer.
Could S43 be Jacob Have I Loved?
S43 - certainly sounds like Katherine Paterson's Jacob Have I Loved
It may be AMY AND LAURA by Marilyn Sachs, 1966. It was definitely a Scholastic book (although 1966 may or may not be the Scholastic pub. date) Amy, the older sister is outgoing and the younger sister, Laura, is more studious and a bookworm. This web address  has a short booktalk about the book. Perhaps the description will help. However, it's been a long time since I read the book, so I can't remember the physical features of the girls or the room.
#S43--Sisters, very different.  There is a book called Second Best, by Barbara Clayton, about rival sisters.  Like Jacob Have I Loved, it is set on the east coast.  Jacob Have I Loved near the sea in Maryland, and Second Best near the sea in Maine.
Thank you so much for all this information!! Jacob Have I Loved can be ruled out...I'll look into the other two.  I thought this book was gone forever!!  I so appreciate this info!
S43 - I'm wondering about Lowry's A Summer to Die, which starts with the two sisters sharing a room, and the  pretty one gets ill while the 'plain' one makes friends all round the new neighbourhood
A little more on Amy and Laura by Marilyn Sachs, illustrated by Tracy Sugarman, published by Doubleday 1966, 192 pages. "The third book about Amy and Laura Stern develops their sisterhood and their individual personalities. The girls are opposites in both physical and emotional attributes, and each responds in her own way to their invalid mother's home-coming after months of hospitalization. ... Amy - outgoing, impulsive, and a self-determined academic failure - must choose a best friend for the subject of a composition assignment. Laura - shy, sensitive, and a newly-appointed school monitor - wrestles with confusing concepts of loyalty and duty. The setting and the school belong only to the Prospect Park area of Brooklyn, but the anxieties and joys experienced by Amy and Laura are known to girls everywhere." (Horn Book Dec/66 p.718)
I remember a book with this plot from that same time frame. Practially Twins.  The girls were step-sisters, the popular girl's dad married the plain girl's mother.  The plain girl was really the main character.  She was jealous of her step-sister's popularity & set a kind of trap for her--the popular sister copied a termpaper written by the plain one & turned it in--got herself in trouble for plagarism.  In the end they worked out their differences . . . I think it might have been a Whitman book.
Viola Rowe, Practically Twins.  In case this is the book you were thinking of, I saw it on ebay. Viola Rowe also wrote Freckled and Fourteen.  I know I enjoyed both of these books way back when . . . (not really so long ago)
Betty Cavanna, The Boy Next Door, 1950's.  I'm sure this is the answer to the "Sister, very different" query.  The older, plain sister was Jane and the younger pretier sister was Linda.  They were rivals for the boy next door, hence the title.  I also recall Linda wore a charm bracelt and at one point, Jane looks out her bedroom window at night and see Linda and the boy together and gets very jealous.
Lois Lowry, A Summer to Die.  Have you tried checking A Summer to Die?  The older, prettier sister ends up dying of leukemia.  The "reward" at the end puts me in mind of the scene where a photo of the plainer sister makes it into a museum show---she ends up finally feeling a little better about herself & is more confident in her abilities.
The Odd One.  This was a book about two teen sisters, but focusing on the "odd one," the sister with the long straight dark hair.  Her blonde sister was always giving her a hard time.  The blonde one was taking voice lessons or something, because she had to concentrate on speaking from her diaphragm so she didn't squeak.  The dark-haired sister felt very out of place until an older woman (aunt, teacher, family friend?) took her shopping for clothes and showed her what colors looked right with her coloring.
I've been trying to find what I believe is the same book and have not been able to remember the title or author, but I do remember a few other details.  The sisters, I'm pretty sure, were named Debra and Dorie Dark, Dorie being the dark-haired "plain" sister.  It's written from Dorie's point of view, and she describes Debra's beauty as pale and silvery, but not "the least bit insipid, because her eyes are so bright and her lips so red".  Dorie herself is described by one of her teachers as "dark by name and dark by nature" when she is feeling gloomy about Debra always seeming to be more acomplished and popular than herself.  Both girls are serious students of ballet and Debra always gets better parts and more attention than Dorie, but in the end Dorie turns out to be in some way more talented than her popular sister. I'd love it if someone figured out what book this is, as it's been bugging me for years. I read it sometime in the mid 70's, about the same time as I read "Ballet Shoes". It may have been published in the UK.
Jean Estoril, We Danced in Bloomsbury Square, 1967.  The last commenter on this thinks she is looking for the same book, but what she describes is _We Danced in Bloombury Square_.  I vividly remember the names of the fraternal twins, Debbie and Dori (Deborah and Doria) Dark.
Sounds a lot like a story I read, about two sisters, one a cheerleader, the other a basketball player. The basketball player is
able to shoot 3 pointers easily, but is considered unattractive by classmates. She has a crush on the cutest guy in school, and when the guy asks her on a date she finds out that he was dared to do it, as a form of initiation into a club. She goes on the date with him, and it turns out he ends up liking her after all. She was called Mike in the story, and I seem to believe that the name of the book was For The Love of Mike. Don't know the author, I seldom do!
Amy & Laura, 1970?  I remember reading this as a preteen & enjoying it quite a bit.  Amy was the bubbly, curly-haired student having problems with her grades, and Laura was shy and withdrawn, but also on the safety patrol.  She had the unfortunate luck of having to turn in one Veronica Ganz (another book by the same author?)  Their mother had been in an accident and was paralyzed and home after a long stay in the hospital.  I remeber something about AMy and a friend going on a long scavenger hunt on Halloween, and Laura and friends going on an even longer bicycle excursion in the park.  At the end the sisters got into a hair-pulling, biting scratching fight in front of their mother over the fact that Laura had helped Amy with a composition and Amy had taken credit for it.  I hope these details help, and I hope you find a copy.  It was a really nice little book.
VIola Rowe, Practically Twins, c.1968.  The book you are looking for is definately Practically Twins.   The story of pretty Jan and new step sister plain Mary Ann. The author Viola Rowe was an editor for Scholastic Books. It was a hardback book with a mostly white cover.
Hi, what a neat site you have.  I'm wondering if S43, Sisters very Different, could be Tempest and Sunshine.  I didn't see that book listed in the suggestions.  Tempest is the darkhaired temperamental one and Sunshine pretty obviously is the sweet one.  What makes me think of this book is that when Sunshine's beloved comes to call, Tempest fakes Sunshine's voice being awful to someone, maybe a servant.  This cools the lover's ardor and turns him toward Tempest but of course in the end, Sunshine does win out.  I don't know the author but do believe the book might be at least 60 years old.
Amelia Elizabeth Walden, My Sister Mike. This is definitely the book you are looking for.  The younger, prettier, sister helps her older sister, 'Mike' (Michelle) become more popular.  Mike sort of sacrifices who she really is to get the guy that she wants. Not a good message for young girls but this was the seventies!!



S52: Susan doll
I'm trying to locate a book title from childhood.  The story was about a doll.  I think her name was Susan. It may have been published around the 1950-1960s.  The book was illustrated with black and white photos of the doll.  Thanks for any information.

There's a famous series of books with black and white photos about a doll named Edith and her bear friends (The Lonely Doll, Dare Wright).
There is the Dare Wright book Take Me Home aka The Little One published by Random House in 1965 and illustrated with photos. However, Susan is the little girl. It's the one with the little naked doll living in the woods. There's also Suzy Goes to Mexico by Mary Carney Thielmann, published by Whitman in 1942, illustrated by photographs. "Suzy is a bisque porcelain doll that two little girls were given by their Aunt Catherine. Each page has real photos of two little girls, Patty and Jo, and their doll Suzy in various costumes they have made for her. Also pictured in real-life photos is Mexico of the 1940s. This book introduces children to Mexico and some of their culture and holiday events near Christmas."
here's another, though less likely because it's English and the photos are colour - Susan and Spotty, by Antonio Colacino, illustrated with 24 colour photographs, published Oxford, Wheaton 1967 24 pages. "Kate sleeps all the more soundly for knowing that her doll Susan and her dog Spotty are safely tucked up in bed with her. Little does she know that her toys have a life of their own, which begins as soon as she is asleep." (JB Oct/67 p.288 pub ad)
Jones, Elizabeth Orton, Big Susan, 1947, copyright.  There is a recent reprint.



S57: Santa daddy
I am looking for a Christmas book (golden book size) from my childhood.  It is about a little boy who wants a pony for Christmas and tells the department store Santa.  Daddy travels all Christmas Eve in search of this pony that he knows that his son asked for.  In the middle of nowhere he finds a open store with a rocking horse in the window.  In the morning the delighted little boy finds his pony and yippee hyees... (or something like that)  :)  I'd love to find this book.  Perhaps someone remembers the title?

I think S57 is A Little Cowboy's Christmas  by Marcia Martin--a Wonder Book.  I have this book and glanced through it tonight.  It's really cute.



S58: Susie and ballet
Solved: The Littlest Star

Hi, This was solved as The Littlest Star.  Are you certain?  There’s a series of Susie books by Lee Wyndham.  Susie and the Ballet Family, On Your Toes Susie, Susie and the Dancing Cat, Susie and the Dancing Horse, A Dance for Susie.  I think that’s all but there may be more.  I know some of them were Scholastic PB favorites.


S62: Silly Nothing Song

Solved: The Silly Book / The Silly Record 

S66: Sea child
Solved: Seademons

S67: Sandals and clogs
Solved: Two For the Price of One 

S68: Spots and stripes
This book was peculiar....it was about two lands...one had spots and one had stripes. I don't remeber the first part of the story, each land is on a big mountain. there is a telephone wire between them.
something happens and somebody steals a stripe from the spot country and everybody in the stripe country wants one. this creates such a problem with envy that both countries get together and try to burn all the spots and stripes. Instead, they explode, and then both countries are covered evenly with spots and stripes. It was a basic book about diversity, I guess. The pics were all line drawings with some filled-in space, all black and white. (no greyscale!!!!) Probably published in the early 80s....I think the cover had a red border. The book itself was about maybe 4x6 inches? hardcover.

Possibly - Black Bear White Bear, by T. Harriott, illustrated by L. Kopper, published London, Evans 1980, 32 pages "May I borrow a black bear, please? says the white bear who was tired of all the whiteness in his homeland. This cautionary tale is about the two travelling salesmen who changed it all by bringing black dots and stripes to the white land, and white stripes and dots to the black land. Quite how they sorted it all out with the help of a "monstrel" is the subject of this amusing and small picture book." (Junior Bookshelf Jun/80 p.118)
Ted Harriott, illus. Lisa Kopper, Black Bear, White Bear, 1979.  The details don't all match, but I think this could be the one you want.  My copy was a little (British) hardback  4x6in. sounds about right, although it didn't have a red border  the cover showed a black-and-white monstrel (sic).  The two lands both contained bears, and, indeed, they were linked by a telephone wire across a mountain.  I don't have my copy of the book with me, but if memory serves, originally one land contained black bears and the other white bears.  Then a pedlar came to each land, one selling spots and the other stripes.  After trying various things with the new spots and stripes, two bears, one from each side, use up all the remaining spots and stripes to make a monstrel.  Unfortunately the monstrel runs wild and starts eating bears.  Eventually it's down to just the two makers, and they manage to pop the monstrel, possibly accidentally, with a pin left over from when they were sewing it together.  The resultant explosion leaves spots and stripes everywhere, as you say, and everyone lives happily ever after.  If the monstrel doesn't ring any bells, this probably isn't it.
Elsa Beskow, Collected Stories?  This is probably not what you want, but your description reminds me of a short story by Elsa Beskow included in a story collection that in the original Swedish was called "Elsa Beskows sagor" (The stories of Elsa Beskow). This collection includes a story about two villages. The people of one village will wear only plaids, and those of the other only stripes. There is a great deal of tension and rivalry between the two villages. At some point, a Queen suggests that maybe dots would be equally pretty, and they start making dotted fabrics instead.



S69: Stone wall holds key to mystery
The next book I'm looking for is a novel, either YA or children's, and I believe it is English. The central character, a boy or girl (but if it is a girl it's a more tomboyish girl), is sent to stay at this old manor. The tone of the book is very somber and dark, especially at first. There are all sorts of places to explore, but what I most remember is that the boy ends up exploring the garden, specifically some ruins he finds there. An old stone wall. There is a rune or some sort of clue or message in the stones, and I think they were covered by moss or vines and he uncovers them. There might have been a key he finds. At this point another character is introduced, I think, but this is also where my memory breaks down. I found the book in an old country library  (think, a couple of rooms in a church basement. This was in early seventies, before 1975, and I thought it was an old book. I don't remember any book jacket, just an old cloth book. The words 'green' and 'stones' seem most familiar, and possibly 'gnome.' I have tried to find this for years and people have mentioned the Green Knowe books, but I've seen a new edition and am almost positive it isn't this book. There was an overall sad, gloomy tmosphere/tone. Any thoughts? Sorry so vague.

Has this poster checked out The Secret Garden by Burnett?  There are many similar elements described.
S69 sounds a bit like T39
Philippa Pearce, Tom's Midnight Garden.  1959.  This could be one of the Green Knowe books by L.M. Boston but sounds more like Tom's Midnight Garden.
I don't really think this is it, but just in case ... The Stone Cottage Mystery by Joan Boyle, Toronto, Macmillan 1958 "16 year old Isobel Anderson moves to the small Ontario town of Farston. A broken ankle lands her in a mystery reaching back to the past which had set one Farston family against another." The students in the town's Historical Club investigate clues from old diaries and heirlooms to find a metal box holding papers and a money pouch hidden behind the 'wishing stone' in a stone wall.  Not much evidence, but maybe Seek There by Eleanor Helme and Nance Paul, illustrated by Frank Wallace, published by Scribner, 1930s "A Scotch manor, long-buried heirlooms, two very real children, their aunt, a neighborly man friend and a villain are woven into an excellent story of hidden treasure."
Similar atmosphere - Dark House on the Moss by Constance Savery, published London, Longmans 1948, 216 pages "The Moss, called a peat bog in this country, is fit setting for this English tale of mystery and will-o'-the-whisps. The story has to do with an orphaned brother and sister when they go to stay with an unknown cousin in the north. Here their curiosity is at once piqued by the strange atmosphere of their cousin's house and the attitude of people toward him. Suspense mounts high before the bog breaks loose and the neighboring hamlets are wrecked by the sunken lake it had contained." Title and setting maybe, but Cubs? Sammy and the Secret of Sevenstones by D.E. Booth, illustrated by Kenneth Brookes, published London, Warne, 1956 "All boys of Wolf-Cub age will find excitement reading how Sammy and his fellow Cubs unravel the mystery which surrounds the old manor close by where they are encamped. Suspicion deepens when two Cubs disappear and there are many adventures in store for the boys. Illustrated in line." (Junior Bookshelf Nov/56 publ ad.) And another, by title and atmosphere The Hobstones by Joy M. Bagshaw, illustrated by Geraldine Spence, published London, Chatto 1966 "Four children, looking through old family letters, find references to some puzzling local landmarks: "the Sentinels of Stone" "the Place of Evil". A quest that starts from church registers, old maps in the library, visits to older villagers, becomes a real archaeological discover - and a race before "the fleet of bulldozers come to rip up the moors"."
Could this be The Casket and the Sword, over on Solved Mysteries? There are some resemblances.
If it was only earlier I'd suggest - Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, by Jane Louise Curry, published 1975.  "When young Rosemary goes to stay with her Aunt Sibby in Maine, she finds a hidden herb garden that the elderly cat Parsley Sage takes her to and shows her the stones marked Sage, Rosemary and Time (not thyme).when she picks a sprig of the time. Time stops for her & she soon ends up back in the 1700s!." "11-year old Rosemary thinks the word "time" cut into a stone in her aunt's old herb garden should be spelled "thyme" until she picks up a sprig of the herb around it and discovers herself back in the 18th century." Young person visiting relative, old house, hidden garden, words cut into stones, these match, but it's a girl, there's magic, and it's too late.
Mabel Esther Allan, Lost Lorrenden, 1956.  Not all the details are right, but shy Phoebe goes to stay with boy cousins at Lorrenden in Bucks.  She's seen a painting of Lorrenden Manor & wants to find it but, when she eventually finds it, it's all in ruins and hidden. She scrapes away the moss from a gravestone in the grounds.  Jay is the cousin who's supposed to look after her, but she makes friends with a local girl called Cathie.
S69 stone wall holds key: This title sounds almost perfect - The Garden of the Lost Key, by Forrestine C. Hooker, published Doubleday Doran 1929. If only it came with a plot description!
Nancy Bond, A String in the Harp, 1976.  I think this might be the book you are looking for. The main character's name is Peter and he finds an ancient tuning key that brings him back in time. Part of the blurb on the back of the book is "...Peter finds an ancient tuning key that must have belonged to the Welsh bard, Taliesin.... Then Peter realizes he's being pulled back in time, forced to intervene to save Taliesin and return the key." It was a Newberry Honor book originally published by Atheneum in 1976. The copy I have is a paperback Puffin edition published in 1987.
Andre Norton, Steel Magic.3 children are sent to live with an eccentric uncle.  They go on a picnic on an island on his property and go explore some ruins.  Passing through a doorway in a stone wall, they enter another land and are involved in a King Arthur/Merlin/ Camelot kind of adventure.  They had taken a picnic basket with silverware and each child is armed with a fork, or a knife, or a spoon because fairy folk don't like iron tools.
S69 stone wall key: could it be The Key, by Joan Penman, illustrated by Michael Charlton, published Chatto 1971, 88 pages. "Matthew is bored and lonely until one afternoon he discovers in his garden a silver key which
lets him into a secret room and leads him on to surprising adventures. Ages 6-8." (Children's Book Review Sep/71)
Is it possible this is the Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett? Some things sound similar to it, ie., garden wall, finding hidden keyhole in garden wall?  The other possibility that comes to mind is Spiderweb for two by Elizabeth Enright. Two children are sent on a scavenger hunt of sort with written clues.  One clue directs them to an old stone wall, where behind some moss, they find yet nother clue.
L M Boston, Treasure of Green Knowe, 1958.  I know the poster doesn't think this is Green Knowe but it sounds very like "Treasure of Green Knowe".  Tolly visits again  with his great grandmother at an old manor in Britain.  He explores the arden and discovers an old ruined tower covered with vines (with the requisite trap door and fugitive).  He meets other characters as he slides between his time and the eighteenth century.  I'd say the overall tone is a little sad and lonely because his great grandmother needs money and his ancestor Susan is blind and has a silly mother and very spoiled brother.
Nancy Bond, The String in the Harp.  I also think that this is The String in the Harp.  I re-read this a few years ago and remember that it has a very dark and dreary tone in the first part of the book--I think the father has moved the family to Wales from the US and the protagonist hates it and bickers with the family about adjusting until he gets pulled into the adventure with the harp key and all.
The Basumtype Treasure.  Some elements sound like "The Basumtype Treasure" - not sure of the spelling.  I read it when I was in middle school in the early 80's.  I remember a young boy visiting relatives he doesn't know well in what seems to be an English mansion with gardens - I don't remember the circumstances of why he is there, but remember the feeling of loneliness/unsureness.  There is some kind of mystery about a hidden family treasure.  There is a rhyme or something that is passed down from older generations to tell the location of the treasure, but the meaning has been lost. The boy solves it in the end.  The rhyme has something to do with a box and a fox and it turns out the treasure is in the boxwood tree in the garden, which is the "box" of the poem.  The boy, I think, has red hair and there is a portrait in the mansion of a previous ancestor who he bears an uncanny resemblance to.  I think there may be some kind of link through time where the boy goes back in time or sees back in time through some connection with this ancestor he resembles and this connection helps him solve the mystery.
Here's a synopsis of a book I read in 1967 or '68 which may be the book you're looking for - though I'm afraid I don't know the title! My memory coincides with poster of 69, i.e. manor, garden, ruins, wall, message and clue. According to an old prophecy, ancient key stones belonging to houses lost in shifting sands have to be located in order to safeguard the existence of the last surviving house, and the key stones from the others have to be set in place above its door. Our hero is on holiday, staying at that house with, I think, his cousins... I remember that the dust jacket featured a drawing/painting of the porch of the ancient house, with the 3 or 4 key stones shown set above the door.  There's another later book by the same author which uses the same characters, set in a village in Scotland where the cousins live, visited by the hero of the first book. Not nearly such a memorable tale as the other, though it might jog somebody's memory: surely someone out there knows more..!
Malcom Saville, The Ambermere Treasure.   English children with a father who needs to get well. They send their father off to recuperate while they look for places to work. They read an ad through the newspaper and apply for the job assisting two older impoverished ladies. They treasure seek while deciphering clues left years ago. The cover has children kneeling at a stone wall looking under the vine cover.

Malcolm Saville, The Secret of the Ambermere Treasure. English Children stay and work with two elderly impoverished ladies. They solve clues about magpies (I think) to find where the treasure is. Book has cover of children kneeling  before a stone wall.



S71: Scottie dog helps girl cope with mom's death
Solved: Underdog

S72: Seagull drops merman
Solved: Lucy and the Merman 
S73: Scarry rabbits?

I recall from my early childhood (mid to late 1960's) a book -- probably a Little Golden Book -- about a brother and sister rabbit who were at some kind of school (I'm pretty sure it was a school - I know they played on playground equipment, and took naps).  All kinds of animal children were there, but I believe the "teacher" was also a rabbit (or bunny).  I can see the brother & sister rabbit / bunny (he in overalls and she in a skirt) on a see-saw, I believe, and also recall the many animal children napping (or sleeping?) in rows of little beds.  It very well may have been illustrated by Richard Scarry; his bunnies are so similar to the ones I'm picturing, but I don't think he or Patricia Scarry wrote it -- my memory of this story is just somehow different than their books tend to be.  Of course, I could be wrong, since I think I was 3 - 5 when I was read this!  Anyway, I would love to find this story to share with my little one.

The Naughty Little Rabbit by Richard Scarry.  Not sure about this but it's a very early (c. 1960) book about rabbits by Scarry. I liked it as a very small child, but don't remember it clearly now but think that it was a more ''typical'' picture-story book in style than his later books.
Scarry, Patsy, The Bunny Book, 1955.  ill. Richard Scarry. Golden Press, 1973.  An Australian Little Golden Book #215
I've never read this book, but i ran across this description of a book on a used book website and remembered your inquiry.  This may fit.  This particular book show is dated 1973 but upon doing further research on google, I found the original copyright date of 1955.
Helen Wing   Illus. by Marjorie Cooper, The Bunny Twins.  A Tip-Top Elf Book.  Twin bunnies (Flipper in red overalls with blue striped shirt, Fluffy in matching shirt and skirt) get dressed, eat breakfast (carrots and peas!), and go to school.  They play on a slide, a wagon, and roller skates.  They also play blindman's bluff with the other rabbit children.  No napping but pictures look very similar the Scarry-type illustrations.  Story is written in rhyme.  Very cute.  Hope this is the one.
DuBose Heyward, The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes. (1939)  I own this book. You mentioned something about lots of little bunnies in beds, and although there isn't a picture with all of the bunnies lined up like that in bed, there are a whole lot of them. It's an Easter story, and their mother takes the place of a an Easter Bunny that's grown too old. It sounds like your description. I hope you find your book. Oh, and the copy I have is yellow and hardcover, although there might've been a dust jacket that I lost over the years.
Virginia Grilley, The Bunny Sitter.  Maybe, if possibly it wasn't a school but a babysitting service?  I do remember illustrations of the various small animal children tucked in their beds, and one bedroom that had a great number of children (and beds).



S75: Sneezing Chinese dragon
The book I am looking for was one I read around the 1st or 2nd grade. The book was rather slim and the cover was red. I don't know the author or the title. But the plot was basically that a Chinese girl and a dragon go to the evil emperor's palace to try to defeat him. The emperor has two servants working for him. One is deaf and the other dumb. The girl learns that the only way the emperor can be defeated is if someone makes him laugh. Every possible trick is tried until finally, the dragon accidentally sneezes and laughs at the same time. The emperor laughs and is destroyed. I don't remember what happend after that. Any help is much appreciated!

Empress not emperor, but this sounds close: The Magical Egg, by Elfrieda Read, illustrated by Alison Green, published New York, Lippincott, 1965 "Ten-year old Kei-lin and a gracious dragon travel through enchanted lands to make a wicked Empress smile and thus save a Prince's life. Ages 8-11." (Horn Book Jan/65 pub ad p.20)
S75 sneezing chinese dragon: And it looked so good, too - found a copy of The Magical Egg, and although it does feature a little Chinese girl and her dragon friend, the villain is an Empress whose heart has been frozen with grief, and Kei-lin makes a dish of phoenix egg to heal her, letting her weep and smile. The dragon is rather comic (his tail falls off) but he doesn't laugh and sneeze, and there are no deaf or mute servants. Well, back to the search.



S77: Strawberry jam
Read this in junior high, so around 82-85. I remember strawberry jam, magic ( alittle magic person, possibly a leprechaun type) , a family getting ready for a country fair at which they were competing with vegetables and strawberry jam. The jam was the big deal. The protagonist was a girl, and I remember the title as some sort of question. Help! Help!

Marilyn Singer, Will you take me to town on Strawberry Day? 1981.  There is also The Country Fair by Tasha Tudor (1968) about a boy and girl entering a calf, gander and strawberry jam at the country fair. They are both picture books, but I have no further details.
You have probably checked Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski, but I thought I'd mention it...



S79: Secret Garden, not Frances Hodgson Burnett
Solved: Magic Elizabeth 

S80: Sandman
This is a book from the 50s about a sandman.  Sorry this is all I remember of a book my mother used to read to me and I would like to find it if possible.

Not sure of 1940s or 1950s but Enid Blyton certianly had a story collection called Sandman Tales - or something similar.
S80 sandman: There is a picture book by R. Strahl, translated from the German and illustrated by Eberhard Binder, published in England by Brockhampton. Sandman in the Lighthouse, 1968, 42 pages "On one of his regular trips to send the lighthouse keeper's son to sleep, the Sandman loses his boat in a storm and until he is rescued from the lighthouse none of the world's children can go to sleep." (JB Jan/68 p.32)



S81: Scottish historical novel
When I was in elementary school or junior high (so we're talking roughly 1965) I read a historical novel (written for young people) whose main characters were a Scottish girl and boy whose father had disappeared.  The story was set in the 18th century (I think) and they lived in a castle.  I think part of the story involved a man claiming to be their father, but that's pretty fuzzy.  I'd like to find this book to buy for my daughter to read.

Some differences, but perhaps: Alison's Kidnapping Adventure by Shiela Stuart, published by Blackie, 1952 "Another fine Alison story in which she and her brothers are up against a new kind of mystery in the Highlands. Who is the visitor to Clarig posing as their big brother Hamish, and what has happened to the real Hamish?" (Junior Bookshelf Dec/52 ad)
Sally Watson, Highland Rebel, early '60's.  Possibly Highland Rebel?  I've forgotten some of the details, like the fathers disappearance (their uncle is taken and hanged), but this book is about Lauren MacDonald and her brother Malcolm, who are active on behalf of Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745.  Lauren is a semi-tomboy, at least for those days. There's also a boy named Murdoch MacLeod helping the cause, who by the end of the book is basically falling in love with Lauren, even though she's only about fourteen.  The story is full of period detail.
Reminds me of a story called "Quest For A Maid"  Scottish setting,  about becoming a bride, going over seas to collect.
Carol Ryrie Brink, Lad with a Whistle. (1941, approximate)  This sounds like Lad with a Whistle by Carol Ryrie Brink. A favorite book when I was a kid, but it's been a while since I read it. It's set in Scotland, where a wandering boy with a whistle (named Rob?) helps out a brother and sister (Annie?). I think they lived in a castle, and their father was definitely missing. Some people who wanted the estate tried to trick the children with an imposter as their father. I believe Rob helped the children escape. I think they might have visited Sir Walter Scott? They all ended up home in the end with their real father.



S83: Shakespearan treasure hunt
Solved:  Surprise House 

S84: SS Midshipman
Solved: Mister Stormalong


S85: Sisters, early 1900's
My memories are vague:  two sisters  small town  took place at the time of the turn of the century - 1920's.  In one chapter the sisters were playing paper dolls with another girl.  She had fancy store-bought dolls, but they had cut theirs out of a catalogue.  I remember that they came home from school for their lunch, and their mother served them chocolate pudding.  I think there was also mention of them playing outside until the street lights came on. Thanks for any suggestions.

I think I've seen this stumper before...
Well, the paper doll part made me think immediately of On the Banks of Plum Creek, by Laura Ingalls Wilder, when Laura and Mary go to visit Nellie Olson but I think the chocolate pudding and street lights probably rule it out. Oh well, its a great book anyway.
This is a long shot, but I wonder if #S85 could be Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace.  There are two pairs of sisters in this story, which takes place in the late 19th century, and the younger girls play with paper dolls cut from magazines. They also invent a dessert (so to speak!) called "Everything Pudding."
This is just a guess, but it could be The Pink Maple House by Christine Noble Govan. It's about two 8-year-old girls and there's a part where they play with paper dolls.
S85 sisters early 1900s: it might be worth looking at All About Marjory, by Marian Cumming, illustrated by David Stone Martin, published Harcourt 1950, 148 pages. "Texas in the early 1900s is the scene of this sensitive story of 8-year-old Marjory and her little sister Nancy. The band concert in the park, the stolen dream and Miss Louisa's wedding are among the highlights of their lives. One delightful chapter tells of Marjory's trip to New Orleans and her disappointment when the much-talked of 'fairy' that is to carry  them across the Mississippi turns out to be a 'ferry.' Interesting and unusual line drawings." (HB Nov/50 p.473)
This immediately made me think of Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace (who were friends, not sisters) who would play elaborate games with paperdoll families cut from the Godey's fashion catalogs. They were allowed, in nice weather, to take their dinner plates outdoors where they would sit on a bench that overlooked a steep hill where they could see much of the town, and Betsy would make up elaborate fancies, including one where the two of them would sit on pink clouds shaped like feathers, then float away into the sunset - by which time their mothers were calling them home.  At the very end of this book, they make a new friend, Tib; hence the title of the next book, Betsy, Tacy and Tib. The pudding episode was so memorable because the two girls, left alone in the kitchen one afternoon, happily sing as they toss, mix and stir, completely carried away, Betsy's idea of the most wonderful dessert imaginable:  Everything pudding!!



S86: Sinbad and Me
Solved: Sinbad and Me

S87: Satin and Silk pigs
My memory of this one is pretty hazy, but here goes.  The book itself was very small, very much like a Beatrix Potter book -but I don''t believe she is the author.  Like the Beatrix Potter books, it is intended to be read to very young children and features a coloured illustration with each page of text. All I really remember is that the story revolves around two pig families, one featuring a big pink sow and the other featuring a big black sow.  I think that one of the mother pigs was named Mrs. Satin, and the other was named Mrs. Silk, but I could be wrong about this. The illustrations were charming, and I especially loved the drawings of the black pig. Any ideas?

S89: Science fair plant project
Solved: Top Secret


S90: Sci-fi 2nd WW submarine crew time-warp
1974. This is sci-fi  a WW2 submarine is sunk and then the crew is revived far into the future where war is unknown but are needed to defeat an alien race on a world 90% water.

Philip E High, The Time Mercenaries, 1968.  Not a WWII-era sub, but a British nuc boat.  It is sunk in a collision with a merchant.  The boat is raised years later and the crew are animated, zombie-style, as a museum exhibit.  They are then fully revived so that they can help defend against the alien attack.



S91: Santa's vacation
Solved: The Year Without a Santa Claus

S92: Sun comes to play
Solved:  When the Sun Rose

S93: Street names
This book was a young-adult mystery, and the only plot device I remember is that the answer to the girl's mystery lies either the layout of the street's in her neighborhood, or the names of the streets. Book was probably from mid 1950's to late 1960's. If you can help, I'll put you in my will!!!

Avi, Who Stole the Wizard of Oz?  Someone is stealing kids' books from the library. Becky and Toby, using
clues from children's books, find the thief.  I remember this book having a lot to do with maps found in children's books and I think that they relate to the layout of the city.
Just to mention the possibility that Y 23 and the old, VERY OLD!! stumper S 93 might be the same book! If so, we now have
more info to go on! I have been working on this one for eons!!
Ellen Raskin, The Westing Game. In this puzzle mystery, the directions North, South, East, and West figure prominently.


S94: Some number of balloons
Solved: Peter Graves

S95: Snow--Sleigh--Old Mansion on cover
Solved:  The Snow Ghosts

S96: Sleeping Bedtime
Solved: Sleep 

S97: See the duck think
Solved: "Monty"


S98: Shakespearean stories

SOLVED: Margaret Christian, Tales from Shakespeare, 1917. 



S99: Seatmates
It's about 2 girls in an Ohio elementary school who share the same desk.

Let's try Seatmates. by Mary K. (Katherine "Kate") Reely, illustrations by Eloise Wilken, published 1949. From the jacket: "Seatmates is a pleasant, easy-to-read story about a long-ago little girl in a small midwestern town, but modern little girls will read about Kate and Lily and Tottie with a cosy, today sense of identification. Kate's story took place fifty years ago, but in her small Wisconsin town she enjoyed many of the things that girls today find fun - May baskets and marbles, paper dolls and picnics, church Christmas trees, skipping rope, and diving out to the country with father." Back flap shows b/w photo of Kate & Lily, the "seatmates" of the book, and explains that Kate based the story on her early life on a farm near Spring Green WI. It also shows a picture of Eloise Wilken with her dog. "Anyone who likes Laura Ingalls Wilder or even Betsy and Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace is sure to adore this book."
S99 seatmates: it's not actually called Seatmates, but Bertie and May, by Andre Norton and Bertha Stemm Norton, illustrated by Fermin Rocker, published World 1970, 175 pages does involve girls (sisters) sharing a  desk and is set in Ohio. "The story of a year in the lives of Berie and May is a leisurely period piece: Their father kept a country flour mill; and the girls, always sharing a desk, learned to read and write in a one-room rural school. But times were changing ... after the family was forced to move to the strange town, Bertie and May felt like country fieldmice; their new home, however, meant more friends, a fine large school, and plenty of books to borrow from the Sunday school library." (HB Feb/70 p.42)



S100: South Seas island adventure
Sailors(Americans, I think) anchor off of a South Seas island, which is inaccessible due to high cliffs. They discover that they can enter an undersea cave, using scuba gear, and climb though a long cave to the top of the island. The island is inhabited by savages, and the explorers antagonize their priest. The inhabitants destroy the sea cave entrance and they have to escape by  rappelling off the cliffs. I have no clue as to the author or title. I think it was a fairly thin paperback with a blue or green cover.

Frank E. Peretti, Escape from the Island of Aquarius, 1990.  Don't know if this is right - not everything matches up.  If I remember correctly, a family accidently sails to an uncharted island.  They find that the natives are being oppressed by some sailors who arrived years before.  They eventually have to escape through an underwater tunnel.  Hope this helps! "When Jay and Lila Cooper travel with their archaeologist father to an exotic South Sea island, they find some mighty strange things going on! Could the arrogant, tyrannical leader of the island colony be the missing person they've been sent to find? If so, why is he acting so strange? As the Coopers attempt to solve the mystery, they encounter deadly perils--vicious poisonous snakes, fierce biting insects, bone-crunching earthquakes. The very foundations of the island seem to be jarring loose. Jay, Lila, and their dad must find a way to overcome the evil that holds the colonists in a death grip. But can they do it before the entire island breaks apart?  A thrilling tale filled with adventure, mystery, and sudden danger that will hold readers' interest through the last exciting page. By the bestselling author of This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness."
No - this isn't even remotely similar to what I remember.  I read the book sometime around 1967, if this helps. The parts about the scuba gear and the cave are very clear in my mind. Thanks for the suggestion, though. 



S101: Strawberry for a princess
Solved:  A Present for the Princess

S102: Sino-Japanese war
Patron remembers reading a book about a Chinese girl which took place during the Sino-Japanese War.  Is sure the title was "Bright April" but we have been able to locate nothing by that title that fits her description. Patron was sure it was a book, not a short story in an anthology. Thanks!

Just possibly - Peachblossom, written and illustrated by Eleanor Frances Lattimore, published Harcourt 1943, 96 pages. "When war came to her home and planes flew over the farm, six-year-old Peachblossom was taken on a long walk to the city, where at last she found school and her aunt and a new home ... Peachblossom, with her doll and the other small treasures she loved, is the same in every essential as little American girls of her age." (Horn Book Sep/43 p.317)
SO FAR FROM THE BAMBOO GROVE is the story of a refugee family fleeing China for Japan.  Very interesting details, but sad. There is a little girl who, early on, has a shrapnel wound to her ear, an older sister and brother, and the mother.  At one point, they are living/sleeping in the railroad station and the mother is quite ill. Any help?



S103: Sequel to Gulliver's Travels?
Solved: Castaways in Lilliput

S104: Scottish mystery
Scottish castle, young teens, mistry moors, and a ghost (which I believe turned out to be fake.)  1960s.  Not much to go on....

#S104--See #s S69, S81, and V1 to see if any of the titles mentioned there sounds like your book.
Rather a lot of possibles ... Camerons at the Castle, by Jane Duncan, illustrated by Victor Ambrus, Macmillan 1964 "The Cameron family go to stay at Castle Vannich, which the owner is hoping to open as a hotel. There is a local superstition that the tower of Vannich will stand as long as the white hind of Vannich does not leave. It is because little brother Iain (a Downs Syndrome child) is so devoted to animals, and follows Tibbie and her kittens, that he finds the lost room in the tower and the mystery of the white hind is solved." (Junior Bookshelf Nov/64 p.308) Also - The Black Loch, by Patricia Leitch, illustrated by J. Duchesne, published London, Collins, 1963, 192 pages "Kay Innes and her cousins Sara and Edgar travel North to the Highlands to stay with Uncle Vincent and his family at Deersmalen, a dilapidated, castle-like house surrounded by rough country. Edgar becomes the villain of the piece, and for filthy lucre betrays the curious Water Horse of the Black Loch to an animal collector. Kay has been accepted by the household as the future guardian of this strange creature, so she and cousin Jamie ride off through the night in pursuit of the thieves. There is an odd character called Fergus who with his attendant wolves and flowing cloak, can call seals from the water or set everyone dancing with his silver pipe." (Junior Bookshelf Jul/63 p.154) Then again, there's Scottish Adventure by Viola Bayley, illustrated by M.L. Foster, published London, Dent 1965, 172 pages. "The young laird of Moray has been forced by lack of money to let his house to some very odd Americans, while he takes in paying guests in one of the island crofts. While Oliver, Sara and Hugh are staying at the croft they realise that something is worrying Iain Macdonald and offer their help. This leads them into a much more exciting holiday than they had expected as they help to solve the mystery of the lost treasure and the ruthless enemy agents." (Junior Bookshelf Oct/65 p.285)
A few more - Auntie Robbo, by Ann Scott-Moncrieff, illustrated by Christopher Brooker, published Viking 1941, 1959 "Tells of 81-year-old Auntie Robbo who in a mad escape-and-pursuit takes to open country in a tinker's cart with her 11-year-old nephew and some other, strangely acquired, child companions. The evocatively created atmosphere of the Scottish Highlands and of her hastily purchased rock heap of a haunted island strongly supports this unorthodox situation." (Horn Book Dec/59 p.483) Also - Highland Fling, by Sybil Burr, published Westminster 1957. "In this suspense-filled adventrue story, three youngters explore the Scottish island of St. Bride and become involved with a secret hidden in an old tower." (HB Apr/57 p.182 ad)
S104 scottish mystery: maybe The Horse on Ben Awe, by Mel Wayne, published Duell, Sloan & Pearce 1962. "Two venturesome brothers who start a pony ranch in the misty Scottish highlands find a marvelous horse, befriend a frightened girl, and solve a mystery. Ages 12-16." L(HB Apr/62 p.127 pub ad)
Hilda Boden, The Mystery of Castle Croome
Phyllis Whitney, Mystery on the Isle of Skye, 1955.  Could this be Phyllis Whitney's Mystery on the Isle of Skye(1955)? I believe there is a lot of Scottish history, McLeods and McDonalds, etc. woven into the mystery.
Enid Blyton, The Castle of Adventure
Mystery of Mordach Castle by William MacKellar (Follett-1970) or one of his other books set in Scotland!
I would check out some titles by William MacKellar- Mysteies set in Scotland. One title comes to mind- Mystery of Mordach Castle. Follett Publishing Company (1970)
Carol Ryrie Brink, Lad with a Whistle, 1941.  One of my very favorite books as a child, I hope it's the one you're looking for! This description is from the Clan Cameron website:   "Guardian for two children of wealth and gentle birth is an unusual responsibility for a young beggar boy who had earned his living by whistling and playing the drums. But strange events which happened fast brought young Bob McFarland into this amazing situation. Since Bob is a lad of convictions and of resourcefulness, as well as of jolly disposition, he not only wins over the children and becomes their lively playmate, but also circumvents a plot and brings the story to an unexpected and happy ending. A lively, "romantic" story of Scotland in the days of Sir Walter Scott, a land of wandering minstrels and high adventure." 



S105: Scottish children phoenetic speech
Set in or published around the 1950's an adventire story with two Scottish children in it ,a scarab beetle set in amber comes into somewhere. The key thing is that the children's speech is printed phoenetically not as it is spelled.

Another possible is Strangers in Carrigmore, by Meta Mayne Reid, illustrated by Richard Kennedy, published London, Faber 1958, 176 pages. "Colly and Kay McKean, their cousin Charlotte and half-cousin Rosa, become involved in a plot to rob the Museum of Carrigmore Castle of its priceless relics in gold and silver. They are instrumental in placing in charge of the hostel part of Carrigmore Mrs. Warlock, a modern type of witch, who proves to be the moving spirit of the plot. Tiffany the magic cat plays his part as usual, so does the swan who responds to the magic of the hazels which the children hold." (Junior Bookshelf Mar/58 p.71) And another, though probably too late, is The Mystery of Island Keep, by Hilda Boden, published David McKay 1968, 152 pages "YOUNG ADULT NOVEL OF A MYSTERY AT A CASTLE IN SCOTLAND BY THE AUTHOR OF FARAWAY FARM; FOXES IN THE VALLEY; HIGHLAND HOLIDAY; AND MANY OTHER FINE STORIES ABOUT SCOTLAND."
More on the suggested, but nothing conclusive - The Magic Squirrel, published Stokes 1934, 143 pages. "How Petrushka the magic squirrel and his comrades brought happiness to Keera, the little Russian boy who was kind to animals and especially to Petrushka." (BRD 1934)
S105 scottish mystery: And here's another - Scottish Treasure Mystery, written and illustrated by Decie Merwin, published Lippincott 1960. "Janet spends an unforgettable, and at moments dangerous, summer with her
grandparents on the Isle of Skye. Ages 9-11." (HB Dec/60 p.541 pub ad)
Kooistra, Mary Ellen, The Luck of the McElroys. (1946)  The speech in this book is written phonetically and the story features a cairngorm brooch. The book is for younger children and is illustrated in color.



S106: Squirrels underground
I am also looking for a book of which I have no author or title, natch, I read in the late 50s about a boy who goes to live with his grandmother and goes underground to live with the squirrels who have a complete city underground.  Thanks for your help in advance and keep up the lovely work.

This sounds like Magic Squirrel by N.G. Grishina-Givago
S106 squirrels underground: some resemblance, but not very definite - The Best of Friends, by Josephine Haskell Aldridge, illustrated by Betty F. Peterson, published Parnassus 1963, 33 pages. "The boy Tad and his friend Squirrel admired each other's houses and decided to exchange. Tad had to enlarge his new home to make it comfortable, and Squirrel had to make his more cozy. With the seasons' changes and the passage of time the landscape absorbed the new houses in which Squirrel and Tad were happy alone or visiting each other. Illusrations blue and rosy red wash with black line." (HB Feb/64 p.47)  More on the other suggested, but not much help - The Magic Squirrel, published Stokes 1934, 143 pages. "How Petrushka the magic squirrel and his comrades brought happiness to Keera, the little Russian boy who was kind to animals and especially to Petrushka." (BRD 1934)



S107: Santa's helpers
Solved: Torten's Christmas Secret 

S108: Scientist's telescope sees through clouds
Solved: Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet

S109: Sci-fi dog
Solved: Star Dog
S110: Satanic mill

Solved: Satanic Mill

S111: Sister is retarded
Solved: Cathy's Secret Kingdom
S112: Searching for a city of gold

Like a few others I have seen on this site, this is not really a children's book, though I found it in my 8th grade homeroom bookshelf. It was a bit racy for that age, but I was mature and LOVED it.  I was mostly about a couple, the husband was searching for some kind of special city, like a city of gold.  It is
set in modern times, I remember a helicopter.  For some reason it is important that the man have a son.  The wife gets pregnant, but has a girl.  They are happy, but there seemed to be some very important life or death reason that a son be concieved. The part that sticks out in my mind, (this was one of the racier parts) the husband must travel again quickly, and it is so important that she try to get pregnant again, they sleep together, even though it is really only days or maybe a couple of weeks at
the most since she gave birth to the daughter.  (Yikes!)  I remember it as being pretty exciting.  There was a male friend, too, I am not sure if he wanted to be a love interest to the woman at one point, but that kind of sticks in my mind. Thanks!

This may be too recent, but there's Secrets of the Wolf, by Saranne Dawson, published Dorchester 1998 "An
artist and the ruler of a lost world find love despite the secrets conspiring to keep them apart. Beautiful Amanda Traynor was being followed. As she embarked on a mission to unearth the lost civilization of the Kassids, the flame-haired beauty was rescued from an attacker by a seductive stranger with ice-blue eyes. Hidden deep in the Kassid fortress, shrouded by the mist of the Dark Mountains, ancient legends threatened to quench their flames of passion and destroy the Kassids forever. Together they could save his people, but only if their love was strong enough to survive the mysteries hidden in his piercing blue eyes." Somewhat older is Enchantment, by Kristen Hannah, published Fawcett 1992, 404 pages. "Emmaline Hatter was a beautiful, brillant, and rich Wall Street
financier in the nineteenth century--until the crash of 1893 wiped her out completely. Without friends, family, or money, she decided to take a wild risk and joined Dr. Larence Digby in his search for the treasure-filled lost city of Cibola. Somehow, in a world of enchantment, each would have to learn to believe--to trust the other with their lives, their secrets, and their hearts."There's also The Takers: River of Gold, by Jerry Ahern, published Worldwide 1984, 387 pages. "Josh Culhane, two-fisted adventurer who'll go anywhere, do anything, teams up with the sexy scholar Mary Mulrooney. They battle halfway across the globe, into the Brazilian rain forest; far upriver, the jungle yields its deepest secret: the lost city of the Amazon warrior-women, to a last stand beneath the Antarctic ice cap, where they find an ancient starbase whose builders had never gotten home." Then there's The Sunbird, by Wilbur Smith, published Heinemann 1974, 500 pages "Like his ancestors before him Louren Sturvesant had spent money wisely. He had the financial muscle to fulfil the dreams of his friend Ben Kazin by funding an expedition to a lost city in the red cliffs of Botswanaland and the treasure it would contain. But it is a city haunted by an ancient evil let loose in the distant mists of pre-history. From the dramatic whirlpool of Africa today - big game hunts, terrorism and intrigue - the protagonists of The Sunbird are swept back in time through the battle, romance and tragedy of their pasts in the savage epoch of ancient Carthage."
S112 searching for city: yet another possible, This Fierce Splendor by Iris Johansen, published Bantam 1988. "Scottish beauty Elspeth MacGregor travels to Hell's Bluff to hire Dominic Delaney to lead her to the magical lost
city of Kantalan, but at first he refuses ... the last thing he needs is to join a virginal scholar on a dangerous quest. But Elspeth's fiery will coupled with her silky hair and milk white skin prove irresistible, and Dominic acts ... first with angry lust, then with a searing yet tender passion that brands her eternal soul and bonds them both to a heated and turbulent future.  Through wonders and tragedy, across the untamed splendors of Arizona and Mexico, Elspeth and Dominic draw closer to their dual destiny: to experience the dark mysteries and magnificent riches of Kantalan ... and to fulfill the promise of lasting love and the birth of a bold family dynasty."


S113: Strawberry thumb
Solved: Strawberry Thumb
S114: Science fiction

Solved:  Orphans of the Sky
S115: Silkworms

Solved: They Loved to Laugh
S116: Stray Kitten

Solved:  Peppermint
S117: Science fiction short story

Solved: Keeper of the Isis Light
S118: Squirrel in my Pocket

Solved:  Nine Fine Gifts 
S119: Seagull struck by car
Solved: The Pearl Bastard

S120: Sam Adam's Pipe
Solved: How Sam Adam's Pipe Became a Pipe! 
S121: Sisters in foster car

Solved:  Toby Lived Here
S122: Scientist invents anti-gravity sphere
Solved: Peter Graves 
S123: Shared Dreams, Suspense

Solved: Into the Dream

S124: Scandanavian old man and little girl
This will be so vague.  I remember a book from 3rd grade (I'm 48) that impressed me, but the memories are very foggy. The book itself was gray in color and the illustrations were of a soft pencil look. The story had something to do with an old man and a young girl. He possibly was her father or grandfather.  For some reason, I feel  like it was Scandinavian in setting or authorship.  I think the  title or author started with s or t.  I want to say it had to do with a ring.  I remember snow in the pictures.  I also think there were three books in a series but I could be  superimposing memories from something else. I know this is a long shot but I have been intending to try to find out what this was for years now.  I got this address when I finally sent a query to Living Books newsletter. I wish I could remember something else.  The only thing I remember is the look of the book itself being rather squarish and thin and gray in color.  And I remember where it was in the library.  Big deal, huh?  If you can possibly figure this out, I will be so relieved.  Thanks so much for trying.

Two things to check right off the bat: Maud and Miska Petersham's Miki series, and the D'Aulaire's Ola.  They're surprisingly similar books in age, artistry, and ethnicity, but of course very different.
Another author to try - Selma Lagerlof
S124 scandinavian old man: this was suggested for another stumper, but perhaps better here - Grandpa's Maria, by Hans-Eric Hellberg, translated by Patricia Crampton, illustrated by Joan Sandin, published Morrow 1974. "An award-winning author tells this sensitive, funny story of a seven-year-old girl left in the care of her grandfather (HB Oct/74 p.204 pub ad)
I suggest this only because it wasn't already mentioned!  Madame Spyri, of course, wrote Heidi, but Charles Tritten eventually produced two sequels, Heidi Grows Up and Heidi's Children -- so a library might possibly have had all three books.
Martha Inez Johnson, Singeli's Silver Slippers, 1951.  This story, translated from the Swedish, is anthologized in The Golden Books Treasury of Elves and Fairies (Jane Werner, editor).  In it, a shoemaker sews a pair of silver slippers for his daughter that protect her from harm and lead her to her prince.
Patricia St John, Treasures of the Snow.  Could this be it? I haven't read this book for a long time, but your description of your book made me think of it. It takes place in the Alps. The main character is a girl named Annette. She lives with her (possibly widowed?) father or grandfather and younger brother.
More on the Heidi Suggestion. I believe Heidi's Children has a big revelation involving a ring that was lost under a stone. One of Heidi's kids finds it and it proves that Heidi's friend is actually her relation (cousin?). I remember the little child keeps saying "Schoen, schoen" or something like that to mean pretty when she finds the ring.



S125: SCW trng wlie
Solved: The Book of Qualities 

S126: Set at a convent where the nun solved the mystery
The mother superior was sent away. someone ate poison fish or something. I just want to know the author. It was set at either a college or a convent. It was a short mystery, but very funny.

S126 set at convent: a couple of possibles - Quiet as a Nun, by Antonia Fraser, Norton 1977, with the detective being Jemima Shore, who is also featured in a short story set in the convent school. If the detective is a nun, there is a short series by Veronica Black, with Sister Joan as the detective.
Dorothy Gilman, Nun in the Closet.  I'm not sure if the plot matches, but a very funny short mystery about two nuns is "The Nun in the Closet" by Dorothy Gilman (author of the Mrs. Pollifax books).
Nunsense.  There's a musical entitled "Nunsense" that has many of the elements you describe.  I don't know if it was originally a book.  If it was, it would certainly not be for children.  It's very funny, and many of the nuns become sick after eating poisoned fish.  I believe the original Mother Superior dies from the fish and has to be replaced.  One of the nuns has Amnesia and cannot remember her name, if that helps.


S127: Story Collection
Solved: Treat Shop


S128: Summer Vacation
Solved: Poplar Street series
S129: Still can't figure out

I have had a librarian at the Strongsville library stumped on this book for many years and we still have no idea what book it is.  It is about an animal, unknown what kind, that wants the other parts of other animals.  It is not the Wingdingdilly or The Mixed-Up Chameleon.  What I do remember is that at some point the animal has the body of an alligator and the wings of a crow.  This is all a bit fuzzy since it was so long ago that I remember reading it.  Thanks so much to anyone that can help.

The Aminal or Zagazoo.  Could this be The Aminal about a little boy who says that he has an "Aminal" and the other children imagine and animal with all these different body parts, and then it turns out to be a turtle? Or could it be Zagazoo by Quentin Blake where a baby that a couple have turns into all these different creatures representing the phases of a child's life?
This sounds like a popular children's book when I was a kid-aprox 1970's. I don't know the title or author but the plot involved a small bird-perhaps a crow? who was not happy with his body and coveted the other animals bodies. He ended up by asking the animals that he met one by one if they would trade with him until he ended up to be very strange looking indeed and could not eat or drink. He then had to give back the body parts and on the last page he was a crow again and happy to be one. Hope this helps.
S129 still can't figure out: perhaps The No-Sort-of-Animal, by Mary B. Palmer, illustrated by Abner Graboff, published Houghton 1964, 48 pages. No plot description available, though.
I don't know the title of the original request (though I can see a picture of an alligator with small wings in my head so we must have the book in our library somewhere), but I think the other book described here is What Kind Of Bird It That? by Mirra Ginsburg, Crown, 1973.  A goose trades with other birds and gets Crow's wings, Crane's legs, Peacock's tail, Rooster's comb & wattle, Pelican's beak, and Swan's neck.  Unfortunately, this makes it difficult to eat, swim, and get away from the fox.  After his geese friends rescue him, he trades back with the other birds, and "He became a goose like all other geese, but now he was wise and kind and never envied anyone again."
S129 still can't: perhaps, Lord Rex, the Lion Who Wished, written and illustrated by David McKee, published Abelard-Schuman 1973. "the story of a lion who wished he had wings like a butterfly, a trunk like an elephant, a parrot's tail, a kangaroo's hind legs and a giraffe's neck - and acquired them all. Lord Rex's appearance becomes more ludicrous on every page until on the last page, after a final look at his hybrid self in the pool, he wishes himself back to lionhood. Deliciously absurd." (Children's Books of the Year 1973 p.22)
S129 Might be You Look Ridiculous, Said the Rhinoceros to the Hippopotamus by Bernard Waber, c1966 Houghton Mifflin...  also reprints '73, '79 and '99. Black, White, Green, Red Hippo was perfectly happy wallowing in some mud until grumpy rhino tells looks ridiculous because no horn. Other jungle animals agree, but because no spots, flappy ears, etc. Cute!
In case you have remembered the animals incorrectly-- In a Dick and Jane reader (New Times and Places) there is a story of three animals (rabbit,cow,dachshund) wishing they could be three other animals (giraffe, owl, duck). THEN, voila: a GIRabbit, a DUCKhund,a COWL). Story taken from a book by Challis Walker called Three by Three (Coward-McCann-1940)
Me Too Iguana. This may be a long shot, but the Me Too Iguana book was part of a series of books featuring animals with stories to teach lessons. Me Too Iguana is about Imitating Iguana, who sees other animals and tries to imitate them till the other animals show her that being herself is most important.  Some of the other animals were Capable Camel, Zany Zebra, Responsible Rabbit and so on.  All the names were alliterative.
The Scroobious Pip.  A book about an animal made of many different parts.  Maybe in rhyme.


S130: Saints in Silhouette
I'm seeking title and author of a small 1930's book of biographies of saints for children, illustrated with graceful black silhouettes. Deep violet-red cardboard cover; black cloth spine.  Includes St. Edmund Campion (Brit. Jesuit); St. Elizabeth (cloak filled with roses); saint who founded Sisters of Charity.

Sister Mary Jean Dorcy was known for her lovely black silhouettes cut from paper. She illustrated some Catholic books with these silhouettes and also was an author (but not might be the author of this particular book). Maybe an online search with her name as the keyword or illustrator will come up with a title. Good luck!
Your suggestion about Sister Mary Jean Dorcy was excellent. Her style and subject area seem like a perfect match, as shown on various web sites discussing her work, but none of the books mentioned was the one I sought. So I wrote to her student and artistic heir Dan Paulos in New Mexico. He kindly responded, but said none of her 26 books matched my description. My only remaining hope, assuming her to be the creator of the silhouettes I recall, is that he may not have known all of the books she illustrated for other authors.  The search continues.  Thanks again for your help.
Joan Windham, Saintsseries, 1930s.  Could it be Joan Windham? I have a reprint of Saints by Request first published in 1937. There were also "Saints specially for boys" "...girls" "...upon a time" "...you have asked for" "six o'clock saints" The illustrations are I think woodcuts but very simple blocky black & white". Publishers Sheed & Ward.
I just included in an order a follow-up to a long ago inquiry to Stump the Bookseller - after which I successfully navigated the site and found my old question (S130) still in place. The last suggestion was about Joan Windham’s British books on saints.  I remember her books well and know that her breezy style and format were not compatible with the book I am still looking for.  I have combed the LC catalog, and even started a poky search of the LC’s microfiched copies of publishers’ annual lists for the period. (I was dismayed to find that “Books in Print” did not begin until the late 1940’s.)  While I did not find my book, I did find some funny long-forgotten titles, including the saccharine “Tom Playfair” and “Percy Wynn” which, along with “Helen’s Babies,” were read aloud to us by old Sr. Remigia when teaching 35 fourth-graders got to be too much to deal with.  The only Catholic publisher I found in that time period was Benziger.  Sheed & Ward came along later.  If you know of any others, including British ones, I’d appreciate any suggestions.  Thank you.
Just a note - St. Edmund Campion was not canonized until 1970.  In the 1930's he would still have been Blessed Edmund Campion so your book title might have something more than just Saints in the title - Heroes, for example.



S131: Silver hidden in gold
Solved: The Great and Terrible Quest

S132: Shrinking boy rides seagull
Solved: The Fabulous Flight
S133: Shh  Mary ann is sleeping

Solved: My Dolly


S134: Sorcerer's Apprentice
Solved: The Satanic Mill 
S135: Scuttlemagon

Ths story is about the "scuttlemagon" I think.  This monster type animal somehow thinks he is eating an apple, and to his surprise, he eats the mother's pincushion full of pins...that is all I remember...this also had lots of pictures...Thank you!

I believe that this is one of the Uncle Wiggle stories. I say that because the description conjures up a very strong image of an illustration of the beast in question biting into a pincushion.  The story was one of many in an anthology I had as a child back in the 1950's or 60's. I think the author is Burgess (Thornton?) -whoever wrote the Uncle Wiggly stories.
It could be one of Thornton Burgess' Uncle Wiggly stories...  there are so many, though...
S135    Maxwell, Arthur Uncle Arthur¹s bedtime stories  Vols 13-16 [or Series 13-16]
Thorton W. Burgess was the author of many animal tales such as the Tale of Reddy Fox, Blackie the Crow or Old Mother West Wind, these were stories meant to impart knowledge of how different animals actually lived.  Uncle Wiggily was written by Howard R. Garis and was clearly a fictional story character.  I don't remember any character with a name like the one you mentioned.



S136: Superstition
Solved: The Mystery of the Haunted Mine
S137: Shaggy doll

Solved: Best Loved Doll

S138: spiders are a girl's pets
spiders are a girl's pets

More information on this stumper is promised, but in the meantime, it does make me think of Margaret Bloy Graham's Be Nice to Spiders (Harper & Row, 1967).  It's a little boy's pet spider who is sent for safekeeping to the zoo, where she quickly saves all the zoo animals from flies and other pests.  The spider's name is Helen, and her original owner's name was Billy.  Might also want to investigate Edward Gorey....
Cresswell, Helen, Meet Posy Bates,illustrated by K. Aldous.  Oxford, Bodley Head, 1990.  This is the only book I've seen yet which has a girl with pet spiders. "Posy longs for a pet, but Daff (Mum) has banned them, so she makes do with Punch and Judy, who are spiders, and Peg the Leg, a stick-insect. Their lives are short, so their names are given to a succession of replacements as the originals die or are swept away in one of Daff's cleaning sessions." Posy gets a magic bobbin (thread spool) from the local "bag lady" which helps her when she organises a "green" pet show in which Punch and Judy and Peg the Leg feature.
Schwartz, Ellen, Starshine. (1995)  A possible, since the original poster hasn't come up with more information to rule it out. "Starshine Bliss Shapiro has a problem: her name. What's worse is that she might not go on the grade four camping trip because of a squabble with her parents. But Starshine has a plan involving her hobby--spiders--and the help of her best friend Julie Wong. Now if only her pesky little sister doesn't foul things up ..." Sequels are Starshine at Camp Crescent Moon, and Starshine on TV. The American Association of Arachnology is featured. Her pet spider in the first book is Goldie, a Nephila spider that accidentally arrives in a box of papayas.



S139: sun slept the day away because of a fly
Looking for a book that might be titled "The day the sun slept" or "The strongest fly".Might have been written in the early 70s. Its about a fly that disturbed a possibly a leaf making it fall, which in turn disturbed something else which disturbed another animal. Ultimately, it ended up causing an egg to drop from a birds nest. That made the Mother bird sad and it could not sing to wake up the sun. So it slept all day.Hopefully you can get me un stumped.

Verna Aardema, Why Mosquitoes Buzz in Peoples' Ears
S139 Sounds like it could be WHY THE SUN WAS LATE by Benjamin Elkin, illustrated by Jerome Snyder, Parents Magazine Press, 1966. It's a retelling of an African folktale in which a series of events, starting with a fly, causes a bird not to sing and so the sun doesn't wake up. ~from a librarian
S139 sun slept late: if this poster is also incorrect about it being a fly, it could be Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears, on the Solved list. If the memory is correct and it is a fly, it could be Why the Sun Was Late, by
Benjamin Elkin, illustrated by Jerome Snyder, published New York, Parent's Magazine Press 1966, unpaginated. It starts with the fly landing on a dead tree, which topples with a crash. The fly thinks he did it, and tries to push two boys out of another tree. When a boy swings at the fly, he instead knocks three squirrels out of the tree, which startles four snakes, who slither off into a herd of five elephants, who rush madly into a hill, knocking six eggs out of a nest. The mother bird says "Now my heart is broken, too. Never, never, never shall I sing again." Without the bird's song, the sun is not awakened. The Great Spirit has to look into it, and retrace the story, until he comes to the fly, who is too embarrassed to answer and just buzzes. Or it could be Why Flies Buzz, retold and illustrated by Joanna Troughton, published Blackie 1974, 30 pages. "In this Nigerian cumulative tale a fly buzzing round a boy gathering palm nuts in a tree sets off a series of reactions that ends with the guinea-fowl neglecting to call up the Sun. Obassi, Lord of All Creatures, decrees that the fly shall lose its power of speech as a  punishment."



S140: sheep that mowed lawns
Solved: Sheep of Lal Bagh
S142: Scholastic autobiography

Solved:  A Kind of Summer Love 
S143: Selfish Giant and other stories

I am looking for a book from my childhood.  I was born in 1972, so this book is most likely from 1980 or earlier.  I suppose there's a very slight possibility it could be from the early 80s, but I'm fairly sure I read it a lot as a child younger than that. I cannot remember the title nor editor/author name.  I can somewhat picture the book in my head, though, and will know it if I see the cover.  It was fairly thin, hard cover, and the cover was burgundy-ish on the border, with a montage of the artwork from within.  I think the title and such may have been in fairly scripty writing. I'm a bit fuzzy on the actual stories.  I know the many pictures were exquisite and not cartoony.  I've poked around for weeks online and I have discovered that one of the stories was "The Selfish Giant" by Oscar Wilde.  However, I've also discovered that none of his other stories ring any bells, so this was NOT a Wilde collection and did not include stories like The Happy Prince.  It is also not the "Book of Giants" that I keep seeing.  "The Selfish Giant" includes lovely pictures of the giant's garden and the boy sitting in the blossoming tree.  I think the winter scenes had pictures of an anthropomorphized "wind" character blowing, or a Jack Frost, or something like that. I think one of the other stories involved a boy who was a chimney sweep.  There weren't many stories in it, and I'm fairly sure those that were in it weren't typical Disney-esque fairy tales that are extremely familiar, ie no Snow White, Cinderella, etc. Any help would be appreciated!
 

Hi again,  In looking over the new listings, I have a glimmer of an idea about S143 -- The Selfish Giant.  In 1973, I had to translate a children’s story about a Selfish Giant from English into French for a school project.  I routed through my attic and found only the photocopy of the story.  It was from the March 1973 Reader’s Digest and was adapted from the Oscar Wilde story.   Perhaps if the original Reader’s Digest could be located, it would point the direction of the book.
Just carrying on the Readers Digest thread - my daughter had, in the 1980's, a two volume set of stories that I am almost certain were published by Readers Digest.  I remembered them as being fairy tales, but it may well be that some of them were versions of classic stories, like the Selfish Giant and Water Babies (the chimney sweep?)  The covers were turquoise, with pictures on them, and I am surethe stories were illustrated throughout.
Hilda Boswell (ed.), Hilda Boswell's Treasury of Children's Stories, 1971.  This was a Christmas present from my grandparents in 1973 (I was born in '68). Published by Collins UK.  ISBN 0 00 12030 4 5. It is a large format, not very fat hardback with chocolate brown cover-background and montage of illustrations from the stories inside, as described.  It contains "The Selfish Giant" with lovely illustrations, and personifications of Snow, Frost, Hail and the North Wind.  It also contains an extract from Kingsley's "The Water Babies", hence the chimney sweep the reader remembers.  All the other 16 stories in the book (whose sub-title is "A New Anthology of Stories for the Young Personally Selected and Illustrated by Hilda Boswell") are either classic Andersen or Lang fairytales, or extracts from children's classics including Lewis's "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" and Spyri's "Heidi" - there is also a bit of David Copperfield in there.  I very much hope this is it - it certainly sound likely.  If so, this is an extraordinairy coincidence  I just happened to be looking through it with my son the other night, and re-read "The Selfish Giant" for the first time in about 25 years - if I hadn't, I would not have recognised the description.  And I happened to visit this website for the first time looking for books by the French authors Alain and Denise Trez.
I think that might be it.  It certainly sounds right.  If only I could see  a photo of the cover, I'd know for sure.  And if that's the book, I'd be  thrilled if Loganberry could locate a copy! :)  Sorry I haven't checked back in so long...I had given up!
Check this website.  They may have the book you are looking for. http://www.stillmanbooks.com/childrensbooks.htm
The Lost Half Hour.  This was an anthology of translated european stories.  It included a story call "The Selfish Giant", also "The Lost Half Hour" and one I remember about a pumpkin headed giant.  I have it somewhere and will try to get more info for you.
I believe the story of the Selfish Giant was read on the BBC Radio 'Children's Hour'. A recording of this reading exists, and was later issued on a BBC Radio Collections Audio Cassette. ...



S144: Saint Nicholas
Solved: The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus
2002

S145: Short Stories w/ Morals
Solved: Uncle Arthur's Bedtime Stories 

S146: Shrew without his glasses
The last time I can remember reading this book was in 1st grade, which would be around 1991.  I don't remember the title or any characters' names at all.  I only remember small parts of the plot.  I remember a part where the main character and his friends who I beleive had set out to accomplish something, perhaps to keep his race from becoming extinct, come upon a very bitter shrew living in a hole on the side of a hill.  The main character want's to get up the hill but the shrew throws things out of his hole at them and yells at them.  I beleive the problem is solved when the main character and his friends find the shrew's glasses and he becomes thankful to be able to see again so he lets them pass.  I also remember that in the end, the group comes upon their goal destination only to find a run-down mill at the side of a river with a bunch of colorful rocks in the lawn.  They are bummed because soemthing isn't the way they wanted (I don't remember exactly what) but then they realize that all the rocks were actually eggs and they turn the mill into a nursery and nurse the eggs to save their race from extinction.  I'm surprised that I can even remember this much about the book, so much of it may be very very wrong but any help would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks.

Werenko Ross, Clifford Ross, It Zwibble, Star-Touched DinosaurTh books in this series were written to accompany some Gund toys:  Dinosaurs with stars on their heads and diaper-like pants.



S147: Slow Joe
This is a children's book I read in the 1960s.  I borrowed the book from the Spencer, Iowa library.  It tells the story of a boy named Joe who did everything slowly.  "He walked slow, he talked slow, etc."  It was a book of maybe 30 pages, and was a quick read.  Good for a bedtime story.  It has a happy ending.

S148: Sci Fi short story question
Solved: Examination Day 

S149:  Stolen Circus Elephant
Solved: The Boy Who Stole the Elephant 

S150: Singali and the Silver Slippers
Solved: The Giant Golden Book of Elves and Fairies 
S151: Snegourochka

I'm looking for the specific retelling of the Russian folktale I read as a child. In this version, the old couple roast sunflower seeds and feed them to the village children rolled up in newspaper cones. Does this sound familiar to anyone? I really appreciate the help; I have been searching for years! Thank you!

You might ask customer if she read it in a collection, or as a sepaarate book. [I think we know each other well enuf now that I may no stop to corect ALL of my typos.]  And if she remembes any ref to a snowmaiden or snow maiden, because it turns out that it is that story -or a version of it - sneg, it seems is Russian for snow.  Another thing is that most refs on Google spell  it Snegurochka, without one of the o's.



S152: Sisters sharing a bedroom
Solved: This Room Is Mine 

S153: Sinking Island
Solved: Dangerous Island 

S154: survival on Venus
I'm looking for a book written before 1958 (and perhaps several years before that date) in which two young space cadets crash on Venus and have to survive various dangers. Venus was depicted as a tropical planet, with dinosaurs, etc. The book is NOT "Five Against Venus," by Phillip Latham.

Edgar Rice Burroughs, "Carson of Venus" series.  Burroughs, better known for Tarzan, wrote a series of early science fiction/adventure books about a spaceman on Venus: "Pirates of Venus", "Lost on Venus", "Carson of Venus", and "Escape on Venus". May possibly be what you're looking for.
Rockwell, Carey, technical advisor Willy Ley, Revolt on Venus: a Tom Corbett Space Cadet Adventure.
NY Grosset & Dunlap 1954.  This doesn't seem like a bad match for date and subject. "Three Space
Academy cadets on a vacation to find a tyrannosaurus on Venus find another surprising adventure instead."
Robert Heinlein, Space Cadet, 1948.
I appreciate the suggestions for my entry "S154," but they are not the book. I'm very familar with the Burroughs and Heinlein books, and also have the Tom Corbett series.  The requested book is, I think from before 1954, and starts off from a space station from which the two explorers leave for Venus, only to crash and be forced to  survive by their wits.

Robert Silverberg, Revolt on Alpha C, 1955, copyright. Did you rule out this book? It doesn't take place on planet Venus, but it deals with a tropical, jungle planet populated with dinosaurs.



S155: Space kids enter hollow "planet"
I am looking for a book I read about 1963 about some kids in space that land on a "planet" and discover a way to the hollow interior.  There are people living there who have no idea they are living inside a "planet".

Joseph Greene, The Forgotten Star.  1959.  This was the first book in the "Dig Allen - Space Explorers" series.  Two brothers whose family had moved to a colony on the moon meet up with the title character, who is searching for his missing father.  They eventually find him being held prisoner by a tribe of humanoid aliens inside an artificial asteroid. Apparently, this was the only book in the series that made it to paperback.  I got my copy in the early 70s via my school's book  club.
Robert A. Heinlein, Universe, 1940.  My husband said it could be this one, or one with a letter-numeral title by Brian W. Aldiss, which came out in the early sixties. Drat!  I forgot to ask him to tell me again the title!
Brian W. Aldiss, Non-Stop, c.1960. I called my husband and he gave me this title.  I was thinking that since Robert A. Heinlein wrote using child protagonists more, it would be his, but it could be this one.
I wanted to say for number s155 that the book I suggested as a solution, Non-Stop, is called Starship (in the USA). I loved the last two books I received from you.  I will keep reading the book stumper in hopes of remembering other favorites from childhood.



S156: Sick child and threatening stones
Solved: Marianne Dreams 
S157: stumper

Solved: Golden Treasury of Elves and Fairies 

S158: Suzuki Bean
Solved: Suzuki Bean 

S159: seven stone
Solved: Seven Stone 
S160: sad animal fables or stories

I read this book of animal stories or fables in elementary school in the late '50s.  It may have been grey.  It was presented in the form of at least two farm animals, one a donkey, telling each other stories during the night.  One was about how the Siamese cat got a kink in his tail.  I seem to recall that many of the stories were sad.  At one point, the animal telling the story worried that he'd caused the other one to cry, but the crying one said, "The wind blew something into my eyes," or "It's just the wind making my eyes water." There may have been a few illustrations.  It is definitely a book with animals, and not "The Happy Prince" book of sad stories by Oscar Wilde.

I also seem to recall that one of the stories was "The Bremen Town Musicians," which has a happy ending, but for some reason, this version focused more on the fact that these animals had outlived the original usefulness and had run away from their homes before they could be killed by their owners.  (or, maybe I was just having a bad year at school, and focused on the sad parts of everything!)
I sent in the original query.  Lately I have remembered another detail from this book.  One of the characters, either in a story, or as one of the storytellers, was called Birdeen.  I think it was a flicker (type of woodpecker?).



S161: Scholastic book
Solved:  What's for Lunch, Charley? 

S162: Secret Club
Solved:  The Secret Hide-Out 

S163: Sci-Fi - 70's
Solved: The Disappearance 
2003

S164: Shrunken boys lost in backyard
Solved: The Boys Who Vanished

S165a:  Stone Family
Solved: The Little Brute Family


S165b: Sister/brother brings little girl a seashell to hear the sea
This is a book my daughter I read my daugher many times in the early 1980s. It has a scene where the (I think sister) brings the little one (maybe 3?) a seashell so she can hear the sea.

MacLachlan, Patricia, Sarah, Plain and Tall, ca1982.  Any chance this is Sarah, Plain and Tall?  Sarah from Maine, answering an ad for a mail-order bride, brings seashells with her to the midwest.  She shows them to the two children and they listen to the conch shell. In the book, Caleb (the youngest child) mentions that Sarah can hear the sea  in the movie version, he actually says something to the effect of "Sarah has brought the sea."



S166: Sidewalk Moving
Sidewalk moving-actually the streets move-- in children's book from 1950's or late 40's.  Instead of walking, you wait for the street to come to you.  Grass is also painted to be green.

Robert A. Heinlein, The Roads Must Roll, June 1940.  This short story, featuring moving sidewalks and roads, was first published in Astounding Science Fiction, and later collected in the anthology The Man Who Sold The Moon which is currently published by Baen Books (ISBN: 0671578634)
I was away and had not checked the website for awhile, and today I discovered that the stumper I had posted, S166, had been "solved."   But I do not believe that it has been correctly solved.  The book I was remembering was a children's PICTURE book from that period (late 40's, 50's), not a short sci fi story.  So.  Is there anyway to put the book back on the not-yet-solved list?  Thanks.



S167: Stevie and Todd
Solved: The Toy Party


S168: sardine "wars" book
Book from the mid 1940's when I was about 10 or so.  Plot is about two young people who go into sarding canning.  They are up againts a vicious competitor named Jake. Believe locale is New England.

The only 'sardine' story I could find is The Runaway Sardine by Emma L. Brock (Alfred A. Knopf, 1945, c1929).  Sorry, no description.



S169: short story on public radio
I heard a recitation of a short story about 10 years ago read over public radio.  The story was about...
...a guy down on his luck who happens across a one-eyed dog.  They band together. The dog brings him food.  Then one day the dog wakes up and is blind in the other eye, too.... Any ideas?  Thanks!

Runyon, Damon, Johnny One-Eye, 1940s.  Just a guess, but in this story, a wounded gangster (Ringo?) is holed up in a decrepit building, where he is befriended by an injured cat whom he names Johnny One Eye. It doesn't bring him food, but the little girl who owns it finds him while searching for the cat, and it was her stepfather who both injured the cat and shot the gangster. Ringo gets the little girl to carry a message that will bring her stepfather to him, and uses the cat as a distraction. The cat and stepfather are killed, the police arrive, and Ringo (dying by now) tells the police to make sure the little girl gets the reward money and to buy her a new kitten "with two good eyes".



S170: Samantha and Samuel, two plus ducklings
Solved: Samantha's Surprise and Gooseberry Lane


S171: short story chili (pepper) eating contest Mexico
I am searching for a short story we read in a high school english class in the late 1970s. It was contained in some text book whose title I do not remember. This was in the Albuquerque Public School System (perhaps they keep records of official texts).  It was about an American who travelled to Mexico, visited a restraurant, and  during the evening entered into a contest with the owner over who could eat the hottest chili.  This happened (as I recall) when the American  complained that the chili they brought him for his dish was not hot enough. The story was punctuated with challenges between the men when they would say things like "a sick baby could eat this chili" or "this is for growing boys."  The story ended when the American backed down in order to let the owner save face.

James Street, The Grains of Paradise. (1955)  I recognized this description immediately, but checked out my old copy of the textbook "Encounters" to be sure.  I'm certain that this is a match, right down to the ending.  Copyright held by "The Curtis Publishing Co.", and reprinted by permission of the Harold Matson Company, Inc.  "Encounters" (General Editor G. Robert Carlsen) ISBN # 0-07 009904-9 My copy shows copyright to the text is held by McGraw-Hill Inc.  I re-read the story before I wrote this - It's as good now as it was the first time that my 2nd form teacher read it aloud to us!



S172: Silver Foot
Solved: Silverfoot


S173: steps, hell, stairs, devil, 27, 37, brimstone
Solved: Seven Steps to Satan


S174: streets paved with gold
Solved: Tatsinda


S175: Spider's First Christmas
Solved: How Spider Saved Christmas


S176: scratch and sniff chocolate and mint
Solved: The Sweet Smell of Christmas


S177: sangre de cristo new mexico
Solved: ...and Now Miguel


S178: Square King made round people square
The book had great line drawings and a story of a country were people were round or square and at first it was okay to be different.  The Square King felt that everyone should be the same as him so he made a machine that pushed the round people into cubes. c. 1955.

#S178--Square King made round people square:  Sounds like a book version of the 1960s song "Little Boxes," by Malvina Reynolds.  Here is a link to the lyrics.
Walt Disney's Surprise Package, 1944.  This book has a story in it called "The Square World" where members of the society of all shapes are put into a machine that makes them square. They all come out looking the same.
I52 has to be related to S178, the stumper about the square king.  I initially thought this had to be something from an Oz book, but the international stories don't really fit.
Various, Walt Disney's Surprise Package, 1944, approximate.  I Googled "Mighty Highty Tighty" because it was the only name I remembered from a wonderful Walt Disney book I received as a child. Up popped your website and a reference to WD's Surprise Package, circa 1944.  I probably got it for my 5th birthday in June of '45 or maybe even Christmas of '44.  It had many, many short stories and poems and I believe the originals stories for "Mickey and the Beanstalk" and "Lady", which was turned into the movie "Lady and the Tramp". The written story was much better! It would be fun to find a copy of the book. At least now I know what to look for. Incidentally, the Mighty Highty Tighty, upon seeing that all the little kids looked like regular kids and not squares, had a hissy fit and threw himself off his reviewing balcony and that was the end of that!!



S179: Swing in gazebo sends children to alternate realities
Solved: The Swing in the Summerhouse


S180: summer fantasy with magical friend and unicorn
I read this library book somewhere around 1969-1972. It was a fantasy for young adults. I remember so little--there was a child but can't remember its gender--around 12 years old I think. I think the child was visiting a distracted relative for the summer--out in the country somewhere.  While playing outside, perhaps in the forest, meets either another child who introduces them to a unicorn, or meets a unicorn who somehow introduces the protagonist to the mysterious other child. These relationships developed slowly I think--the child would have to go out and wait around for the magical characters to appear, coming from the trees. The end of the season brought closure to the relationship. I do not remember the guardians of the protagonist being part of the story--it all took place away from the house.

Zilpha Keatley Snyder, Season of Ponies.  This may be Season of Ponies. No unicorns in the story  but magic multicolored ponies.A a girl is given an amulet? necklace? by her father before she's sent to live with relatives in the country. She meets a mysterious boy (Ponyboy) who refuses to exchange names and calls her "girl". At one point she learns circus tricks/acrobatics.
Jane Yolen, The Transfigured Hart.  I can't my copy so I can't be sure, but this rings a bell.  If memory serves, the main character is desperate to find a unicorn in the woods, waits and waits for one to appear and believes it does.  There's another character, a boy - they don't trust each other at all at first, eventually form a relationship.  The unicorn may or may not be a hart ...
Peter Beagle, The Last Unicorn.  Just a thought.  Could this be The Last Unicorn?
The reader's description doesn't sound even remotely like The Last Unicorn.  There are no children in TLU, and the plot is different in every detail.
Elizabeth Goudge, The Little White Horse,1946.  Could be The Little White Horse (which turns out be to a unicorn), about an orphan Maria Merryweather - see a book report here.
Fantastic site that I stumbled across today and has already helped me re-discover some long-lost, much treasured childhood classics! Thank you! This stumper is ringing bells with me, but I can't for the life of me remember the name of the book or the author. Read it many times back in the early 80s, a blue paperback with a unicorn on the cover in white rays of light. Something to do with a lost? black? unicorn. A girl goes on holiday to a seaside resort and befriends a boy who is being bullied by local boys, they discover a unicorn trapped in ice?stone? in the hillside and they first use their hands to try to melt the stone and release the unicorn and then realise that the 'narwhale horn' above the fireplace in their rented holiday home is a unicorn's horn and that speeds up the process to free him and let him find safety before the baddies find him. Hope this rather random memory helps someone!



S181: Snip, Snap, Snurr
Solved:  Snipp, Snapp Snurr and the Magic Horse


S182: same as before
See P167: Praying Pines

S183: Secret (or Mystery) of the Blue Grotto
Again like the Praying Pines stumper I found it in the British equivalent of the Cumulative Book Index with the publish date in the 1920's possibley 1930's.  Also as before its a Juvenile  with the story taking place in Bermuda.

#S183--Secret (or Mystery) of the Blue Grotto--probably Blue Treasure; the Mystery of Tamarind Court.  Helen Girvan, Illustrated by Harriet O'Brien, first published in hardcover around 1937 and in paperback by TAB/Scholastic around 1961-1966.  Neither threats nor Bermuda hurricanes stop the tantalizing search for the "Lost Vermeer."  The author wrote several other juvenile mysteries, at least one of which was about a missing painting, so the Praying Pines one is probably by the same author.
J. Clayton, The Blue Grotto, 1931.  "Besides this complete novel, this issue also contains other works of fiction with
various true detective stories as well. This ever so slick production illustrated with photos is among the scarcest of all mystery/ detective magazines. So uncommon are they that often the fiction and essays within were never printed anywhere else let alone in book form."
Only Blue Grotto story found so far is one on eBay- The Secret of the Blue Grotto by Kelman Frost ( Thomas Nelson+Sons- 1964) It looks like a YA book, it takes place in Capri.. Can't find it listed anywhere else!



S184: Statues come to life
I remember this book from when I was around 9, plus minus 4 years (so, late 60's/early 70's). It was something about a group of children in a garden with statues (of ancient Greeks?) which come to life.  A pencil was one of the details. My mom taught elementary school for 30 years, and it doesn't ring a bell with her; she actually thinks I may have made it up myself!  The word "garden" may or may not have been in the title.

E. Nesbit, The Enchanted Castle.  In this book a group of children bring a garden of statues to life with (I think) a magic ring.
S184  This sounds like The Court of the Stone Children by Eleanor Cameron.
E. Nesbit, The Enchanted Castle, 1907.  The children in E. Nesbit's "Enchanted Castle" -- Gerald, Cathy (aka Puss Cat or
Scratch Cat) and Jimmy -- come across a girl with a magic ring that gets them into all sorts of (mis)adventures. At one point, Cathy turns into one of the statues that come alive at night in the castle's magic garden. Some of the statues (whose favorite pastimes are swimming and feasting) are Phoebus Apollo, Hebe, Aphrodite Urania, Hermes, Hera, Eros, Psyche and Ganymede. A pencil comes into play in a couple of instances, most strikingly when the person using the pencil is invisible.
Eleanor Cameron, The Court of the Stone Children, 1973.  I'm not sure if I'm right on this one, but if I am, your mother is remiss -- this was a 1974 National Book Award winner (not to mention an extremely famous author).  "Who is Dominique?  When Nina first sees her in the French Museum, she senses there is something unreal about the strange, beautiful girl.  In fact, Domi is from Napoleon’s time, and she has come to get Nina’s help.  For Domi’s father was executed as a traitor during the French Revolution, and Domi is convinced that Nina can prove his innocence.  But to save Domi’s father, Nina will have to
solve a mystery that has lasted two centuries.  And she will have to travel back through time, back to France and the court of the stone children…"
E. Nesbit, ?  I remember this too, but I can't think of the title.  I'm fairly sure it was one of the many books written by E. Nesbit, but a search didn't bring up a title and description that fit.  And her books are old and sometimes hard to find (I think she died in the 1920s).  If it is the same book I'm remembering, the author used the phrase "in their marble" to describe how the statues were alive but still made of stone - as in, they were moving "in their marble". And yes, they were in some kind of elaborate garden.
The Stone Garden.  I seem to recall this title, but I don't remember any other details.
I've read all the books listed, but the clue doesn't quite fit any of them.  The title of  the last E. Nesbit "book" (actually a short story is "Man-Size in Marble" and is creepy as all get-out.  Enchanted Castle seems closest, though.
How about Jane Louise Curry's The Sleepers?? 1968. stitch in time-King arthur and knights.
LEWIS, C.S., the magician's nephew.  Digory and Polly meet and become friends one cold, wet summer in London. Their lives burst into adventure when Digory's Uncle Andrew, who thinks he is a magician, sends them hurling to…somewhere else. They find their way to Narnia, newborn from the Lion's song, and encounter the evil sorceress Jadis (by bringing to life a lot of statues)
C S Lewis, The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe. (1950 approx)  Once Aslan comes takes Susan and Lucy to the White Witch's castle, he goes around breathing on the statues in the courtyard, who are all creatures, including figures from Greek mythology like centaurs and fauns, who have been turned to stone.
I agree with the solution of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe for this stumper because I think Edmund scribbles a mustache with a pencil on one of the stone statues (a lion, thinking it is Aslan?) and then feels guilty when the lion comes back to life because the mustache is still there (or maybe still feels guilty but the pencil mustache is gone).
Catherine Storr, Marianne's dream.  Could it be Marianne's Dream? Marianne is sick in bed and finds a pencil to draw with. She draws a garden, house and boy and that night dreams about him. It was also a tv programme in the 70's. Quite frightening as the stones around the house come to life!



S185: Super Natural Murder Mystery
Solved: The Straw Men


S186: Sledding gold bars past the Nazis
Solved: Snow Treasure


S187: Set Children's Book of Knowledge circa 1800 England
Solved: The Book of Knowledge


S188: Sears & Roebuck PBC Phillippines WWII group rescue
Solved: Guerrilla Wife


S189: Sir Rosemary  the knight
Solved:  Into the Painted Bear Lair


S190: Sloth
Solved: Julie's Secret Sloth


S191: Susie the Shy Little Mouse
Solved: Suzie, A Shy Little Mouse


S192: Subway takes children to 1600s
Solved: The Magic Tunnel


S193: storks building nests on chimneys
Solved: The Wheel on the School


S194: Scarry reader with a bee
Richard Scarry, 1988.  We received this Scarry book as a gift and my kids used it to learn to read.  The first story is very simple beginning, I See the Bee.  There is also a story about a lion, and each story gets progressively more difficult.  I loaned it to a friend, and my older kids want it back, because of the memories.  I can't seem to find it in the hundreds of similar Scarry books out there.

Leland B. Jacobs, The Read It Yourself Storybook, 1971. This sounds like a book my mother still has. It is a compilation, not written by Richard Scarry which could be why you haven't found it. The first story is about a monkey who gets stung by a bee. There is another story where a lot of coloured balls end up on one side of a wall & in the lion story - he loses his hair & the birds make him a new mane. It is published by Golden Press N.Y.



S195: stowaway on a ship
The Make Believe Voayage, 1950s.  A small child stows away on a ship.  When found, the captain says, "Goodness gracious, Rosenbloom, what kind of a cargo is this?"

Edward Ardizzone, Little Tim and the Brave Sea Captain, 1936.  Could this be it?  Follows the adventures of a stowaway boy, including his friendship with captain and crew and near shipwreck during a violent storm.
S195 Little Tim and the brave sea captain does not have those words in it, unless the Scholastic copy has been censored. Otherwise, the story fits.
Thank you so much for trying. We are mystified...how did we dream up that title and the long remembered words? Maybe we made a few things up as we read...can't get my memory clear about that.  I guess we'll try to find the book you've mentioned and see if it is THE book. You are doing a wonderful thing!  Again, thanks for trying. I wish I could read everything on your site. Will try again, see what I get.
Thank you for your kind response to my request # S195 re stowaway child.  I'll check the library for Little Tim and the Brave Sea Captain to see if  it's indeed the same story we're thinking of. Or, perhaps you have had more news since our last communcation. You are performing a great service to all bibliophiles.



S196: Sister and Brother in Central Park
An older sister and a younger brother (hand in hand) ages could be 7 and 5 respectively.  They are entering a major park in NYC like Central Park   Their backs are to us and they are looking at an ice covered small lake through a tunnel.  This is the cover of the book—and the illustrations are all very distinctive and vivid..  The narrative is not elaborate—they have some adventures on the ice, but return though the arch and the tunnel from this kind of “enchanted “vision to be home before dark.  The book was given to me by an Aunt who was a New Yorker. It was, probably a limited publishing between 1944-’48.  I don’t have an author or a title, but would love to see it again I have strong visual memories of this dear little book.

Maud Hart Lovelace, The Trees Kneel at Christmas, 1951.  A brother and sister visit a Brooklyn park on Christmas Eve
to see if an old Lebanese legend is really true: that "the trees kneel at Christmas."



S197: sisters growing up 1900-20
Read this series of books when I was in 4th-6th grade in the 50's.  There were probably 4-5 of them.  The time frame was around the early part of the century or late 1890's.  I think the family lived in a  Victorian house.  I believe they just had girls but am not sure.  I remember something about one of the books sending 1 or 2 of the sisters to Europe My sense of the book is a lot of details about their home and descriptions of what life was like around this time—I just can't remember them!

S197: Roller Skates?
The part about sisters going to Europe reminds me of the What Katy Did series by Susan Coolidge (in What Katy Did Next, Katy goes to Europe).  Or it could even be Little Women, although that's set in the 1860's.
Alcott, Little Women.  This sounds very similar to Little Women. Four girls living at the turn of the century, one goes to europe...possible anyway.
Sydney Taylor, All of a Kind Family.  Sounds like a possible match: "Meet the All-Of-A-Kind Family [five girls] -- Ella, Henny, Sarah, Charlotte and Gertie -- who live with their parents in New York City at the turn of the century."
Maud Hart Lovelace, Heaven to Betsy. Betsy and the Great World, etc., late '40s, early '50s.  This is just a possibility -- the "older" Betsy books from the Betsy-Tacy series (the ones with Vera Neville's illustrations, not Lois Lenski's). The time frame and level of detail are right, and Betsy travels in Europe in 1914 and has to come home when WWI breaks out  in "Betsy and Joe" her older sister Julia goes to Germany to study opera.
I think Susan Coolidge's Katy series looks promising. The five books about Katie Carr and her family are: What Katy Did (1872), What Katy Did at School (1873), What Katy Did Next (1886), Clover (?) and In the High Valley (?) The family circle seems to consist of father (a doctor) and a group of sisters: Clover, Elsie, Katy, Cecy and -Johnnie (girl? boy?) The first 3 Katy books were reissued by Puffin in 1986- I just happened on one today! Quick intro to What Katie Did Next--"Three years after returning home from Hillsover boarding school to the small American town of Burnet, Katy Carr receives an unexpected and thrilling invitation- to go to Europe for a year with Mrs. Ashe and her young daughter, Amy." (An interesting note -Opening pages mention that some adventure of Johnnie's was detailed in Nine Little Goslings.) I hope some of this rings the right bell for someone!
Margaret Sidney, Fine Little Peppers and How They Grew, 1880.What about the series of books about the Peppers? they are not all girls but some prominence is given to their "little brown house". There is no father in this series if that detail helps.  A later book in the series is Five Little Peppers Abroad in which the girls, their mother and some family friends do a grand tour of Europe.



S198: Scat, Scat
Solved: Scat!  Scat!


S199: Sisters, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Dusty Rose
Solved:  Second Best (Cavanagh)


S200: Seals on Wheels
Solved: Seals on Wheels


S201: Scottie in a kyak
The children's book (of the mid to late 70's) was a book in rhyme about a little black (Scottie) dog that was at sea with a Captain and the dog was in a Kyak. They may have been at the South Pole.  Thank you so much for your help.

S202: Stubborn Bender or Plush Rascal is led by a daisy chain
Solved: Stubborn Binnder


S203: Secret of The Spanish Cave
Solved: Mystery of the Spanish Cave


S204: smiley possum
Solved: The Possum that Didn't


S205: Scandinavian immigrant/pioneer child
Solved: Kirsti


S206: Stop it, stop it, Peter Poppitt
I am looking for a children's book in which the phrase "Stop it, stop it, Peter Poppitt" was repeated often throughout the story.

S206: Stop It, Moppet? (Or Moppit?) It's about a clumsy Easter bunny.
Stop It, Moppit! by Geraldine Ross, McGraw-Hill, 1959.



S207: Sleepytime Quilt
This book was one of my father's when he was a boy. Mid 1940's. It featured a little boy in his pajamas going to bed. He had a quilt. I believe that the boy either dreamed with the characters in the quilt or imagined a story with the characters in the quilt. I vaguely remember a cloth hard back (blue) with stars and a moon on the cover and the boy.

S207 I guess it wouldn't be my old favorite The counterpane fairy by Katherine Pyle
Dahlov Ipcar, The Calico Jungle. Guessing...



S208: Small green pet shop turtle
Solved: Rosebud


S209: Survival Story
This book was a novel my father read me in say 1952.  It was about a father and son who hire an Indian guide to take them into the north woods of Canada.  The are determined to rough it and they are derisive of the "softie" stuff the indian brings like mosquito netting and pillow cases.  The indian turns out to be right about everything and the man and the kid totally incompetent.  Then the indian gets deathly ill and the man and the boy have to get him out by canoe down the rapids. It's a wonderful survival story, about 200 pages.

S210: Springbok
The book I'm looking for is a children's book I had in the mid seventies. It involved the word "springbok" (maybe) and people living under a dome.  It was oversized with one line of dialogue per page probably.  The illustration was bright and colorful against a white backround primarily. 

S211: series about sisters; lady baltimore cake; grey horse
Solved: The Half Sisters


S212: SunnyCat
Solved: The Tapestry Room


S213: search for Mountain of Adventure - 1950's
Solved: The Mountain of Adventure


S214: series about a teen-age girl set in Glencoe, Illinois
I am looking for a series of books I read in the late 1950's or early 1960's about a teenage girl and her friends set in Glencoe, Illinois.

From the Glencoe Library Reference desk:  I checked with our children's librarian and another librarian who has lived in Glencoe since the 50's, both of whom have been at the library for many years. Neither of them is able to think of any title which might fill your memory requirements.  It is unlikely that something like this would have slipped by the longtime resident. I wish I could be more helpful. If I should stumble across anything later I will let you know.
Or perhaps try the Glencoe Historical Society;  377 Park Avenue;  Glencoe IL 60022;  847-825-2638.  The Society has limited capability to research individual questions.  As far as I'm aware, they do not have e-mail capability at this time.
Anne Emery, Dinny Gordon series.  This series featured a group of teenage girls and are set in a northern suburb of Chicago.   There were 4 books in all, one for each year in high school.



S215:  Stories from my childhood
Solved: Along Came a Dog


S216: Symphony
This was a 1960s book (and possibly a tv special as well) about a symphony of instruments.  Each instrument is a character in the story.  Each instrument has a different personality based on the sound that instrument makes.  All I remeber beyond that is that in the end, each of the instruments keeps playing as they make their way home from the concert.  As each instrument gets to his/her house, that instrument stops playing.  In the end there is only one instrument left playing as he makes his way to the last house at the end of the road.

S217: See you in the morning
I have a memory of a book from my childhood, early to mid 60s, with the following lines in it (and maybe it's a song not a book!!):  "see you in the morning"  "uh-oh... you're yawning"  "must I go up? ____ ____ ____ ____."


S218: Squirrel finds toy soldiers in attic
Solved: Miss Suzy


S219: seal baby or sea lion grows up
Solved: Halic: The Story of a Gray Seal

S220: Scott's childhood book
Solved: Good Morning, Farm


S221: snow queen russian fairy tales
Solved: Snow Queen and Other Tales


S222: Signora Bertinelli
Solved: Simple Prayers


S223: Sniffles the Mouse
Solved: Mary Jane and Sniffles


S224: snuggle piggy magic blanket
Solved: Snuggle Piggy and the Magic Blanket


S225: Sailboating in England's waterways
Solved: Coot Club


S226: searching through towns time travel
Elizabeth Goudge, 1940s.  Though I associate the name Elizabeth Goudge wiht this particular book, I've never
been able to find any that she wrote that is this one.  The most vivid unforgettable detail  is one in which the person who has been searching for a beloved, finally finds her/his name and it appears  in the colors of the rainbow to his/her eyes.  As you can see, I don't remember the gender of the person who is searching or who they are searching for.  I think time travel is involved  I also remember that the streets and appearances of the towns are "quaint."  The book might even be classified as an adult novel because I reacll it as long.

Elizabeth Goudge, The Valley of Song?? I apologize for the vagueness of this possible lead, but maybe it will jog someone's memory, yea or nay (I lost this book many years ago after having read it only once or twice): Valley of Song is one of Goudge's less common books, and I don't remember the plot, but retain an impression that it was in what I think of as her "metaphysical" category (I know there was something about the signs of the zodiac) while having the old-fashioned scenery/mood ("quaintness") of her children's books like Linnets and Valerians or The Little White Horse. The time travel rings a faint bell also.  Another possibility might be one of Charles Williams' novels -- they're from roughly the same time period ('30s and '40s?) and even more metaphysical. Good luck!
Eileen Goudge, Swept Away series.  Well, there's a time-travel/romance series by _Eileen_ Goudge with about six books
or so.  I haven't read them, so I don't know if they're what you're looking for, but you might consider taking a peek at them.
I'm the person who suggested this might be Valley of Song.  If it's any help, there's a partial description of that book at M33.
Ethel Cook Eliot, The Wind Boy.This is a long shot, because the searcher only appears briefly at the end of the book, but could this be The Wind Boy? The line about the rainbow is: "And immediately the name Detra shone out from him in rainbow lettering! It was his joy that made the rainbow, of course, for it was just printer's ink for ordinary eyes." The story centers on two children, Gentian and Kay, who are refugees in a little town (very quaint) and, with the help of their unusual servant Nan, travel to the clear land above their own to play with the children there until they are able to be friends with the village children. The Wind Boy was recently republished, so if this is it, it should be relatively easy to find.



S227: Secret of the Seven Keyholes
Solved: Adventure of the Seven Keyholes


S228: stomp em on the mat shoes
Solved: Tiny Tim: Verses for Children


S229: Space Travel and Problems with Gravity
Solved: Space Prison
S230: sibling, baby

Solved: We Are having a Baby


S231: Sipsipirip (phonetic) scandinavian children's poem
Solved: It's Raining Said John Twaining


S232: seashore, girl babysitting for summer
Solved: My First Love and Other Disasters


S233: summer-little girl sent to country
A little girl from the city is sent to the country for the summer to live with a woman & other children. The first morning the little girl carefully makes her bed thinking she is being good. The woman yells at her for not airing her bed before making it. The child is crushed. She so wants to show that she is good so that she can remain in the country. I think she is an orphan and I think there are other orphan children staying there too.

This sounds a bit like Adopted Jane by Helen Daringer although I do not remember Jane getting a scolding for not airing bed. I believe she is the sole child taken in by the woman.
S233 I just skimmed the whole book, Adopted Jane, and I feel sure it is not the right one, although she might enjoy it.
The description reminds me of the opening scene of Understood, Betsy! because that story (as I recall) involves the city girl thinking she is too good for the family, but finding out that she's got a lot to learn in the way of chores, getting along with others, etc.  Hence the constant "Understood, Betsy!" chiding from her hostess.



S234: sorcerer or miller
Solved: The Satanic Mill


S235: Sweet Potato Doll
Solved:  The Sweet Patootie Doll


S236: Sisters Fighting over Sharing a Bedroom
Solved: This Room is Mine


S237: snowball bushes
A young girl lives in an old house that has large old-fashioned snowball bushes in the yard.  I believe she may be living with her aunt?  I read this in the early 60s.

Phyllis Whitney's Secret of the Emerald Star (1965) has a mention of snowball bushes. They surround the home where Stella lives with her grandmother. Stella is blind and lives next door to the main character, Robin. I don't know if this is your memory but snowball bushes are found in this story!
Maud Hart Lovelace, Emily of Deep Valley.  Emily lives alone with her grandfather and they have snowball bushes in their yard.  These figure in the story because her grandfather wears them in the veteran's day parade.



S238: Science Fiction - immortal couple
Solved: Wild Seed


S239: short stories with lessons for kids
S239:  During the late 1940's/early 1950's we had a series of books that had short stories in them.  Each story had a moral to it and the lessons of several of them have stuck with me all these years. One story was called "I Can Sleep on Stormy Nights", I believe, and was about a young farmhand who said that when he was hired by the farmer.  The farmer didn't understand until, on one very stormy night, he was furious when his young farmhand was sleeping soundly when the farm should be protected from the approaching storm.  But on further inspection of the property, the farmer discovered that the boy had routinely done all the things necessary for that protection and so he could sleep soundly even on a stormy night, because he had all the work done already. Another story, for which I have no title, told of a boy who always took the best of everything for himself, until, at a family dinner he found that the biggest piece of meat wasn't cooked in the center, the biggest potato was rotten in the middle and the biggest pie was hollow.  The whole series is one I would like to pass on to my grandchildren, if they are available and if the price is reasonable.

#S239--Short Stories with lessons for kids: Arthur Maxwell, Uncle Arthur's Bedtime Stories.  Widely reprinted and readily available, it used to be a standard in doctors' and dentists' waiting rooms
I sent in a Book Stumper #249 (Short stories for children with lessons) and got a response of Uncle Arthur's Bedtime Stories.  That is not the one I recall.  My stumper did not have religious references or Christian messages.  It was just stories with morals that make sense to young children.  It was not illustrated and had to have been published in the late 1940's or early 1950's, at the very latest.  I purchased Uncle Arthur's book and it is totally wrong.  Thanks
Arthur Maxwell, Uncle Arthur's Bedtime Stories. (1941)  From her description, the book has to be Uncle Arthur's Bedtime Stories, unless someone has copied or plagiarized some of the stories for a different book. "The Hollow Pie" and "I Can Sleep On Windy Nights" are definitely part of the Uncle Arthur collection. Perhaps she's forgetting the Christian elements because they came across as unintentionally mawkish, e.g. "Jesus Understood", in which a boy runs into traffic, is hit by a car and dying
 another boy tells him Jesus visits the ward at night and advises him to raise his hand for help, finally helping him prop up his hand with pillows. "In the morning the little hand was still there. Bobby was dead, but Jesus had understood." In another story, Maxwell compares bad behavior to a broken radio and analogizes Ezekiel's "heart of stone/ heart of flesh" to replacing radio tubes, warning young readers that Jesus will have to "get rid of" people who don't accept Him. Other stories include siblings who start a secret company to help others, and a little girl who's craved a doll for Xmas but, receiving it at a party, spies a beggar child looking in from the street and immediately gives her the doll. It's possible that there were different editions of Uncle Arthur over the years which were heavier or lighter on the Christianity depending on the mood of the times.



S240: Stone Agers meet modern explorers
Solved: Adventure in Forgotten Valley


S241: sick girl with storytelling hamster
Solved: Tales of Mr. Pengachoosa


S242: Scamp
Solved: The Scamp Family


S243: Starfish
Solved: The Arm of the Starfish


S244: Shadows
Shadows, 1950s.  Animals make (paint) the shadows rather than the sun casting them.


S245: SciFi Rollerskating Race?
Solved: Rollerball Murder


S246: Sam the Lion Books
Solved: I See Sam


S247: sisters, summer house, detailed doll house, horse
Solved: White Ghost Summer


S248: Syd befriends Laura, a ghost
Solved: A Question of Time


S249: School for Gifted Girls posessed by famous writers
Solved: Down a Dark Hall


S250: shadow
Solved: The Shades


S251: statue named Benjamin?
Solved: Beloved Benjamin is Waiting


S252: slinky linx
I am 28 I remember reading(looking) at this book pretty early on so I am guessing it was about 72-79?  It was a hardcover book with various animals on a ferris wheel.  It was made of several short stories.  The ones that I remember the most are of a "slinky linx" cat burglar who was caught by a night watch dog who got a pocket watch for his capture of the linx.  Also the second story I remember was of a family of dancing(waltzing?) mice who one night get into paint and paint a picture with their feet.  The last story I remember is of somesort of animal boy/girl scout troop.  I think that they had other stories and pictures alphabets.  Well thats about all I can remember.

S252 Try looking up 'lynx' in A-to-Zoo, reference book which catalogs titles by animal.
Virginia Parsons, Lots and Lots of Bedtime Stories, 1971.http://openlibrary.org/books/OL5447447M/Lots_and_lots_of_bedtime_stories



S253: salamander and magic pebble, pre-1980
Solved: Alexander and the Wind-up Mouse


S254: Sally-skip-under-the-bed
Solved: Three Mice and a Cat


S255: Spunky Medieval Girl
Solved: The Maude Reed Tale


S256: So Big
Solved: So Big


S257: Stories behind the nursery rhymes
Solved: Mother Goose in Prose

S258: Sloppy Pixies
Solved: Housing Problem


S259: Spring Vacation
Looking for book that I think had a purple cover. It's about a girl who is on her Spring vacation from school - maybe junior high...she goes to stay with her aunt in NYC. She plays tourist - she's on her own while aunt is at work. One day she overhears lady on a bus or payphone says she's going to blow up UN.  She ends up investigating, trying to find this lady, playing detective in the city. She gets aunt involved - who at first thinks it's nothing, but becomes intrigued.  I want to say the author's name was Louise, or Carol, or had some or one of these names as a first or last name.  Do you know this book?

Catherine Woolley, Libby Shadows a Lady. (1974)  This is definitely Libby Shadows a Lady, the 4th and last of Woolley''s Libby series.  But the woman Libby, while on Easter vacation in New York, overhears on the pay phone is actually talking about a bombing involving the Federal Reserve Bank, not the U.N.



S260: seashell house and seafood
I'm looking for a book my mom read when she was growing up in Florida (she's now 56). In the book my mom talks about, a shipwrecked family lives in a giant seashell and they eat fresh seafood everyday. I know she remembers it being a happy story, but that's all I know. 

S261:snow white with gorgeous illustrations
Solved: Snow-White and the Seven Dwarfs


S262: Sci-Fi take on the Ark and the Flood
Solved: The Lost Millenium


S263: Sandwich shaped book
Solved: The Sandwich


S264: seven brothers
Solved: Five Chinese Brothers


S265: St. Patrick's Day?
Solved: St. Patrick's Day in the Morning


S266: Sea captain lives on beached boat
Weekly Reader Book Club, 1960s?  Book about a retired sea captain/skipper who lives on a beached boat.  Details are sketchy, but influenced me toward US Naval Academy and later lived on a boat with my wife.  Would really love to find this one.  Thanks!

A Little Old Man.  Little old man lives in house on tiny island, wishes he had company.  Storm washes house out to sea, but boat with completely stocked cabin washes in to become his new house.  As luck would have it, boat also carries cat with kittens.



S267: Secret Room
Solved: Lulu's Window


S268: Scarry, Richard
Solved: Cars and Trucks


S269: small creatures who live in holes
Solved: Who's In Holes?


S270: Siblings collect discarded Christmas trees
Searching for book or story about children living in a city (may be New York) who are poor and fool their little brother into believing that Christmas has not come yet until after the holiday when they collect discarded Christmas trees and decorate their apartment to make a Christmas for him.  My wife told me this story which probably dates from the mid - to late 1960's. Many thanks for your help!

I have this story in a book of short stories about Christmas. Unfortunately, it's packed away in my storage building, but I believe it is "Ten Tales of Christmas". I searched online and from the titles it would seem to be "A Christmas Tree for Lydia" by Elizabeth Enright. When I get a chance I'll get it out and make sure.



S271: Spanish explorers
Great review in the NYT!  I have been racking my brains for years about this.  It was a book I read over twenty times when I was in about fourth grade about two Spanish explorers in about the 1500's who got separated from their group and had all these adventures in South/Central America. One, in fact was said to be Irish and was a beefy guy named Willie and the other was his friend who was rather slight, but I don't remember his name. I can still remember the picture on the dust jacket which was the two of them trying to push a boat into the water and looking over their shoulder, I think at the Indians pursuing them. If you can get this, I would be very grateful.  The review was right...it is a hope to try and recapture something of what it felt like to be that age again....

You Were There series, 1950s, approximate.  There was an extensive series of books titled, for example, YOU WERE THERE At the Driving of the Golden Spike.  They were loosely based on historical events, and probably many of them would not be considered politically correct today.  I have the one about Moctezuma and the Aztecs at another location, so I can't look to see if the names of the fictional characters match, but the jacket style does.  See if there is one in the series about South America... probably so.


S272: Sailing in summertime off East Coast
This is a book that must date from the 1940s or early '50s. It is about a family that sails leisurely/peacefully one summer, in a small sailboat, about the coast of some spot on the East Coast (perhaps Long Island Sound, perhaps Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket, perhaps Maine).  I believe there are two children, certainly at least one boy and maybe a girl (the boy may have been wearing a striped shirt and shorts).  The book describes the boat sailing past a bell buoy, a lighthouse.  it describes the child (children) investigating a tide pool.  I believe the book had a blue cloth cover (probably a dust jacket originally) and blue line drawings.  I recall no color illustrations.  The tenor of the book's story was that of an almost ethereal calm.  The boat may have sailed through a fog bank or mist, as well moved in sunshine.  The book is NOT a McCloskey title.  I would be enormously grateful for any guesses or leads.

Hazel Wilson, Island Summer.  It's odd, but I was just looking at this book tonight (trying to find room on my overcrowded shelves) and although I just flipped through it quickly, the peaceful Maine setting, the sail boats and tide pools, all sounded similar.  This book was written in the 1940's or '50's (I had to re-box it till I get more bookshelves, alas, or I could tell you more).


S273: Sailor's grave on the prarie
Solved: And the Sailor, Home from Sea


S274: STATISTICS OF BASEBALL
I recall having a copy of this book in paperback form in the 1960s. It was a book which dealt exclusively with baseball statistics as they apply to the actual playing of the game.  I recall that the author had cited the the statiical probability of the benefit of stealing a base as being most significant, even if the runner had a 40% probability of being thrown out.

Bill James coined the term Sabermetrics for studies such as the one described and wrote several books providing statistical evidence, for example, that with a runner on first base, a sacrifice bunt is almost always the wrong strategy.  There are no James titles as early as the '60's, however.



S275: sensible princess challenges suitors (plus salamanders in volcano?)
This is a kid's picture book with text, telling the story of a 'sensible' princess (whose name may start with A?) who doesn't really want to get married - I think. She challenges her suitors with various tasks... or maybe somehow she has to perform the tasks to get out of marrying each one? Anyway, one task involves salamanders that live in fire/lava, maybe in a volcano - and possibly making a coat from their skins. The book had a vibe of 'girls can do anything/their own thing' from the early/mid 70s - slightly reminiscent of more recent 'The Paper Bag Princess'. [Thanks for any help!]

Not a full solution, but the hint that her name may start with "A" makes me think this may be a story about Atalanta, a woman in Greek/Roman mythology.  The tale usually told concerns her legendary racing speed, but she also appears to have helped demolish a boar that was terrorizing her town.  Definitely an early feminist type.
Jay Williams, The Practical Princess and Other Liberating Fairy Tales, 1978.  I think this is The Practical Princess by Jay Williams. The version I have is in a book of short stories, but I think that it was first published as a picture book.  Princess Bedelia does not want to marry old, ugly and wicked Lord Garp so she sends him on two quests, one of which is to bring her a cloak made from the skins of the salamanders who live in the volcano of Scoria.  She manages to avoid marrying him because she is so practical.
Babette Cole, Princess Smartypants, 1986.  This sounds most similar to the plot of Babette Cole's "Princess Smartypants", but the publication date of that (1986)is later than you seem to be thinking.  Another possibility is The Practical Princess by Jay Williams (1969), in which the Princess Bedelia uses common sense to accomplish a series of tasks too difficult or dangerous for the princes who want to marry her.
Sounds like the late Jay Williams' story The Practical Princess, from the 1970s. It shows up in more than one collection of his. I remember misinterpreting the father/king's saying "I don't think much" of the fairy godmother's gift of common sense because I thought he meant "what's so great about common sense as opposed to genius?"
Robert Munsch, The Paper Bag Princess, 1973.



S276: Shoe for Blitzen
Solved: My Christmas Treasury


S277: Sammy Snail goes on adventure with friends
This may have been a school reader of some sort, but if so, it would have been a collection of stories, perhaps animal stories.  Not a "From Near and Far" sort of book, I don't think.  All I can remember is one story (or perhaps one chapter in a longer story?) with a character named (don't laugh!) Sammy Snail.  He was one of a collection of characters, who would have all been small, but I seem to think of him as being at the center of the story.  I remember a big fountain, certainly a feature of the story, perhaps illustrated.  The setting may have been someone's yard.  And this would have been sometime in the early 60s.  But it wouldn't necessarily have been published then.

S278: secret room and brass fancy key
Solved: The Velvet Room

2004


S279: Sewing
Solved: Jingle Bell Jack


S280: Short series about young girl (Shiela?), with scientist friend
Solved: Secret of the Unicorn Queen


S281: Silly Will
Silly Will was a story in a paperback collection of stories for children.  A little boy decides he doesn't need anyone or anything and the animals begin to take back from him whatever they had provided for his well being.... the sheep says "I'll take back my wool" and everything the boy owns that is made of wool disappears...  perhaps moralistic tales but this story holds strong memories for my mother, brother and me.  The book was approx. 9" x 11", yellow cover, published in the 1940s-50s I think.

S281 sounds like I53, Silly Will.  Perhaps putting clues form both requestors together will help solve the mystery?
I think I know the book you're asking about.  The name of the story you're referring to is "Silly Will."  The book contained other stories such as "Three Billy Goats Gruff," "The Ginger Bread Boy," "The Lion-Hearted Kitten," The Cap that Mother Made," and "The Little Boy Who Tried to Obey."  I really wish I could tell you the name and publisher of the book, but unfortunately, the pages that contained that information in our family's copy are missing.  The illustrations almost look like Tibor Gergely's work, but no way to tell.  Wish I had more info.  I'm hunting too!
I have the story "Silly Will" (by Lucy Sprague Mitchell) in The Golden Book of Nursery Tales (A Big Golden Book) (c)1948. This book  is illustrated by Tibor Gergely, is approx. 9x11, 146 pgs, 45 stories including 3 Bears, 3 Billy Goats Gruff, Magic Pot, Bobo and the Roast Pig, City Mouse & Country Mouse, Cap That Mother Made, Pelle's New Suit, House That Jack Built, Chicken Little, etc.. The copy that I have is a hardcover version w/ a dark blue cover, showing a girl sleeping in her bed, characters from various stories floating above/behind her, like she's dreaming. I know you're looking for a softcover version, but it still might be this book - I know it was reprinted several times, w/ slightly different cover art.  Maybe one of the editions was a softcover?  Hope this helps!



S282: Spider and Caterpillar
Solved: Little Squeegy Bug


S283: soda pop faucets
Solved: Mr. Pudgins


S284: Scottish Terrier
Solved: Greyfriars Bobby


S285: Scandinavian children smuggle gold for Resistance
Solved: Snow Treasure and Twenty and Ten


S286: series, early 1900s
Solved: Grace Harlowe series


S287: Skunk/possum? in the Pond and other scary stories
I read in elementary school (1960s/early 70s) a book of scary illustrated short stories.  Among those were a story about a boy who finds a dead animal, I think either a skunk, or possum perhaps, in a pond near his house and he brings it home for the family to eat!  It then keeps reappearing in the pond afterwards.  Another story in this book involved I believe a quarry in Vermont, and a third story concerned a greedy, wasteful fisherman in an open boat out in the ocean who encounters some sort of squid-like sea monster, a variation of the hunter becoming the hunted theme.  The most compelling thing about this book were the illustrations, which were darkly humorous, much in the vein of Charles Addams' work.  I distinctly remember the family of the boy who brought home the dead animal depicted as sort of "trashy" including a houseful of unbathed and unruly siblings, something a little unusual in a book for smaller children.  The fisherman story was also richly illustrated with great detail, including I think old side-wheeler steamships on the horizen in the distance, as the fisherman netted/reeled in the monster who was going to eat him.

S288: School children helped hide Jewish children in their classrooom
Solved: Twenty and Ten


S289: Spy for Winston Churchill
Solved: Paladin


S290: Spring
The book I am looking for I read in 1966 in a children's school library in Syracuse NY. It was about spring and there were birds sitting in a tree who got covered in snow from a spring snowstorm. It was a hardcover picture book suitable for kindegarten-1st grade ages.

Duvoisin, Roger, Spring snow, 1963.  A farm couple, their house and all of their animals get covered by a spring snow. A two page spread is entirely white. But since it is spring the snow melts fast and the illustrations show different animals, people and house emerging from the melting snow.
The suggestion that Roger Duvoisin's book is the solution turned out to be wrong. I found that book and checked it out and was disappointed to find it wasn't it. The one I want to find has a page with birds on a branch covered in the spring snow very disgruntled I might add. Thanks anyway.



S291: Small White Book of Wildflowers
I had a small white book, paper cover, given to me by my sister in law in Iowa in the late 80's. It was called Wildflowers of the Northeast or something close to that and it had pictures of the flowers and poetry with some if not all of them. Especially there was one poem about forget me nots that I loved. My son took to college for an art project and lost it. I would love to replace it. Thanks.   PS I discovered your website today and am so excited to have an avenue to search for loved books.

S292: Search for lost item
I hope that someone reading the stumpers on this excellent site will be able to help me with this; I have spent many hours searching for the Author or Title.  This book was read to a class of 8 or 9 yr-olds in the UK in the early
1950’s.  It was set in an earlier time or different land or fictional place – transport is by horse, wagon, etc.  A group of people go to a fair or market where things are bought and exchanged. Possibly they go there to collect the thing that is central to the plot of the book.  Unfortunately, at 50 years distance, I cannot remember what this ‘thing’ is.  Whatever, this thing gets sold or given in exchange to another group of people by mistake but it is of such value to our group that they cannot go home without it.  They follow the group they think has taken it but when they catch up with this second group, they haven’t got the object after all because it has already been exchanged for something else.  This second group, however, do want to exchange another object. This exchange takes place and our group also receive information that will enable them to pursue the new group that now has their ‘thing’.  Each chapter then follows this pattern; our group travel in pursuit of the latest group of people they think has their thing, only to find that those people have already swapped it for something else. Our group then swaps the last thing that they received for a some new item and they get information that enables them to follow the group that now has this thing that they are trying to find.  This pattern repeats until, at the end of the book, they do meet up with the people that now have what they have been searching for; and they get it back in exchange for the last object they obtained in a swap. They can go home at last.  Any help in tracing this book would be much appreciated.

Langstaff, John, The Swapping Boy, illustrated by Beth and Joe Krush.  NY Harcourt Brace 1960.  I'm a bit dubious about this one, since the date is just too late and it doesn't match entirely, but since it's all I've been able to find so far ... "Based in an Appalachian Mountain trading song. A young boy who lives alone except his two hound dogs goes on his horse to London to find a wife, trades the horse for a cow, and on and on goes the trading. The song, Swapping Song, with the sheet music is on the last page."
I have investigated the John Langstaff book and it is not the one I am looking for but thank you very much for the suggestion.
A possibility from the 50's -Was it a Good Trade by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers??
Thank you very much for this suggestion. I had not heard of this author before but having researched the book, Was it a Good Trade, I find that it is not the one I am looking for.
Chase, Richard, Jack and the Three Sillies.NY Houghton 1950.  Another possible. Jack goes off to market to sell the cow, but keeps swapping down for other animals until he returns home with a rock. His wife sets out to find three people more foolish than her husband.
I am very grateful for this suggestion but having looked at a detailed description of the tale, "Jack and the Three Sillies", I can confirm that this is not the book I am looking for.
Pat O'Shea, The Hounds of the Morrigan.  Something like that happens in this book -- it may have only been at the end, though, so it's probably not the one you're thinking of.
Thank you very much for this suggestion. I have researched the details and while it appears to be a very enjoyable book , it is not the one I am trying to find.
Try Peter Dickinson's "Weathermongers" trilogy
Thank you for this suggestion. Unfortunately this book appears to have been written many years after I encountered the book I am trying to locate.



S293: sick boy with cat that licks him back to health
I think this story would have been from the early to mid 70's. The book is about a boy who is ill, and doctors and parents who are in and out keep his cat away from him. When after a few days the cat sneaks into the boy's room, the cat licks the boy, and the boy gets well. I think the boy was upstairs in his house. I believe my copy was a thin paperback that was orange.

This doesn't match exactly, but reminds my of The Tortilla Cat, by Nancy Willard. The cat does make the children well, but not by licking.  Held off posting, since this is a bit of a longshot, but no one seems to have other ideas ...
Paul Gallico, Jennie.  Any chance this could be one of Paul Gallico's cat books?  "Jennie" does feature a cat on a sickbed, but most of that book is the imaginary adventures the boy & the cat Jennie have before he comes out of his coma; the cat doesn't really "lick him back to health"...



S294: six generations of women, historical fiction
Solved: This Family of Women


S295:spoiled princes
Solved: Just Alike Princes


S296: spoons, long-handled
A story about some young boys who have a challnege against some grown-ups or giants (??) and there are pots of soup.  The only way to eat the soup is to use long-handled spoons.  The giants fumble with the spoons but the young boys use the long-handled spoons to feed the soup to each other.  It is an illustrated book with black and white drawings.  Probably age appropriate for at least 8 or up.

S297: snowman comes to life melts
We had this book in our home when I was a child 50 to 55 years ago.  It was rather a large book in size.  I remember the icicles had faces and would talk.  They became sad when they started to melt and said they would return.  I don't remember much else but would really like to find the book if possible.

I recently saw a fabulous copy of Crockett Johnson's Time for Spring (1957) that includes a snowman who promises to return next winter...  but the rest of the details here do not match.


S298: Sara and Norman
This was a book about a girl named Sara.  At first, Sara didn't like a boy named Norman who went to her high school.  As she got to know Norman better, however, Sara decided that he really wasn't so bad.  The events in the high school in this book took place a long time ago.  I originally checked out this book from my elementary school library.

Betty Cavanna, Joyride.  This is a really long shot...it's a high school story that takes place in the 1920's, but the main character is named Susan.  I'm pretty sure one of the boys in her class is named Norman and he's sort of a nerd.



S299: sea monster in a lake
This story was about 2 children who found a seamonster/seal(?) in a lake at a city park. They brought it home and kept it in their bathtub. When the time came to let it go, they put it in a city dumptruck full of snow. The dumptruck then dumped the snow into the river and the seamonster swam away. The whole story may have taken place in New York City. I read it about 25-30 years ago. Thanks in advance for any suggestions!


S300: series about Whilhelmina and Mary
Solved: Wilhelmina


S301: Shrinking Violet from outer space
Late 1950s, early 1960s.  My first grade teacher read us a book about a little girl from outer space.  When she became embarassed, she would shrink.  Her name was Violet.  The book's name might include the word "Star".

Winterfeld, Henry, Star Girl. NY: Harcourt 1957.  I'm inclined to think that the poster is mixing up two memories. There was a 1960s cartoon show called The Funny Company featuring a little girl called "Shrinkin' Violette" who shrank when she felt shy or embarrassed (you can see pictures here). The other memory might be the Winterfeld book Star Girl, about Little Mo, who falls to earth and is helped by earth children.  There is a book called Shrinking Violet about a little girl who comes out of her shy shell when she is cast as Lady Space in the school play - but that was only published in 2001!



S302: San Francisco earthquake
Solved: Mystery of Thunderbolt House

S303: Stuffed Companion Named Juniper
Solved: Behind the Attic Wall

S304: Staircase Room Experiment
Solved: House of Stairs


S305: Soviet Union
I think it was a series of books...about an American girl who married a Russian and went to live in Moscow?.  I read them in the 1940s when I was six or seven but they may have been printed earlier. I remember she was decorating their apartment and could only find ugly wallpaper with tractors on it. There was something about her passport as well...the government took it?, she lost it?  These books disappeared from the library in the 1950s so they must have been considered pro-soviet.

S306: Sand Castle and Mermaid
Solved: Wishing Penny and Other Fantasy Stories


S307: Skeleton with three legs in woods
I'm trying to find a book from my childhood (I'd guess mid 70's to early 80's at the latest). I believe it was an anthology or at least contained more than one story. It may have been fiction but for some reason I keep thinking it might have been more of a documentary "In Search Of..." type of thing. Anyway one of the stories in the book was about a monster that lived somewhere in a wooded wilderness. At the end of the story, a group of men (hunters, I think) come across a human-looking skeleton in the woods (the monster's) - but the skeleton has a huge, oversized skull, and three legs. That's all I remember about that story. The other story I think I remember from the book was about a man who befriends a pale, emaciated young boy who lives with an old woman. One day the man feeds the young boy - he gives him a ham sandwich, I think - and soon after, the boy disappears. Turns out the boy was dead, and kind of a zombie servant to the old woman, and the taste of the salt (in the ham) reminded him of his rightful place - in the earth.  Nobody I speak to seems to know what book this is, but I remember it clearly, so at least I know I'M not crazy..:)

Something about the description reminds me of the stories written by Manly Wade Wellman. Worth a look?
Or a Frank Edwards book? He was a radio talk-show host who wrote several collections of stories like that (his most famous is Flying Saucers, Serious Business). So did Brad Steiger in the 60s and 70s. I have read elsewhere that zombies can be "brought back to life" by eating salt. It is part of Haitian tradition. Since according to some recent reports, zombies are actually live people who are drugged, maybe there's something in salt which neutralizes it.



S308: Seals are boy's best friend
Read this in the mid 1960s, I think it was new then.  A boy has to go live with his crabby uncle on the New England coast.  To escape the situation, he learns to coat his skin with waterproof oil and sneak out at night to go swimming with the seals.  The way I remember, this book gets more and more surreal until the boy sort of enters the seal's world?  I'm obsessed, have to find this book.

Norman, Lilith, A Dream of Seas, illustrated by Edwina Bell.  Sydney, Collins 1978.  Not positive about this, because the date is later and the setting is Australia, but the plot sounds close: "It was a dream that drew him back to the sea, for the sea was the only world that washed them all: the boy, his drowned father, and the newborn seal cub. An original and compelling mixture of reality and dream, alienation and belonging, as a lonely boy is drawn, relentlessly, to his destiny in the enfolding sea."
Thanks for trying, but this (A Dream of Seas) isn't it.  The book definitely took place in New England, USA, and it had to be published in the '60s 'cause that's definitely when I read it.  It was on the shelf at the same time as another book I should put on stumpers, in fact I think I will, about a young boy in medieval times who is befriended by a knight who is eventually beheaded.  They were both new books around the same time.  Back to S-308, I don't remember any characters except the boy, his uncle who didn't say much, and seals without names: wild, mysterious creatures who accept the boy's presence and lead him to another state of being.  It was a young adult's book, probably too eerie for everyone but me.  If we can find the other book, which I think was written by a more well-known author, it might lead to the right time period to find it in publication records.
Could this have anything to do with the movie, "The Secret of Roan Inish"?
Waters, John F., Seal Harbor, illustrated by Robert Quackenbush, Warne 1973.  Again, this may be too late, and not much plot description "the life story of the harbor seal, a 13 year-old boy is lonesome when he and his family move to the coast of Maine." "The lives of the harbor seals on the Maine coast interest a thirteen-year-old boy new to the area."
We have Seal Harbor, and it doesn't fit the description given.
Thanks for the two worthy attempts, but no solution yet.  The story was about a lonely boy who moves, by himself, to live with his lonely uncle who proceeds to ignore him.  Roan Inish isn't it, but after reading a description of the movie I think I will go rent it.  Thank you.
Far Voice Calling by Margaret Adair (1964) involves seals.



S309: Stuffed Birds Come Alive
Solved: The Spook Birds


S310: Soldier at ocean
One tin soldier?, 1968 ?  This children's story featured a boy who is at the ocean front with his father, I believe. He has brought a toy tin soldier who stands firm even when the waves come in. I remember descriptions of sand pipers and a light in the window.

S311: Sisters who divide their room
Solved: This Room is Mine


S312: Short Stories about young bear
Solved: The Merry Adventures of Little Brown Bear

S313: Summer in Maine
Solved: Ginny and the mystery doll


S314:  Series featuring Augusta and Gloriana Pig
I AM LOOKING FOR A SERIES OF BOOKS MY MOTHER-IN-LAW USED TO READ TO MY HUSBAND LONG AGO.  AT LEAST 60 YEARS.  I REALLY HAVE LITTLE INFORMATION OTHER THAN HE REMEMBERS TWO CHARACTERS. AGUSTA, AND GLORIANA PIG.  THAT'S IT!  MAYBE YOU CAN FIND SOMETHING!

S315:  Sci-fi
Unfortunately all I have is the plot line and a general knowledge that the book is pre-1975.  The premise of the plot is that every human is rated, literally, according to their strength of mind and the number of others they can control.   Menial tasks are done by the 1's, 2's, 3's etc. and the highest numbers (i believe they were 80's and 90's) obviously run things.  You could move up by challenging a number above you and besting them in a contest of intellect/will and increase your number accordingly, with the loser being under your control.   Specific plot points revolved around these challenges and some type of intrigue involving the higher number players/characters.  Any help on either author or title would be appreciated.

Huxley, Brave New World.  It's probably too far off, and definitely not a childrens' book, but the rating system does remind me of Brave New World, where the smart people, the Alphas and Betas, did the jobs requiring the most brains, and the Gammas, Deltas and Epsilons did the "grunt work."
Piers Anthony, Split Infinity/The Blue Adept/Juxtaposition, 1980 and after.  This sounds so close to the Apprentice Adept series by Jack Chalker that even though I know it was published in 1980 (not 75 like the original requester said) I had to bring it up as a possibility.  Stile is a serf on Proton.  The Citizens of Proton run everything, the serfs compete in series of games to better themselves.  Each year one serf can win everything and become a Citizen.  Once Stile becomes a citizen he discovers that the gaming goes on and with each win he controls more of the Citizens of Proton.  About half the storyline is about the parallel world Phaze where the best gamesters translate into the best magic users.  I know it's a stretch but the description of the contests just strike a chord with me.



S316: sisters, necklace, scorpion pendants, reunited
This was a 1970s paperback book about sisters who are separated when they are young.  Before they were parted they were all given a necklace that had a golden scorpion pendant.  I'm not sure, but I think the book was fairly thick with a royal blue cover.

Pat Wallace, The House of Scorpio. This is the House of Scorpio by Pat Wallace long out of print as far as I know.
Pat Wallace, The House of Scorpio. I realized I should put some more information about the book  there are 6 sisters who live in a country where your sign of the zodiac determines what you will look like, what you eat, the colors you wear, etc.



S317: spider
Solved: View from the Cherry Tree


S318: Similar to Seventeenth Summer
Solved: To Tell Your Love
book published in 1950s, similar to SEVENTEENTH SUMMER, about a "first romance" that ends sadly for the girl.  The scene that I remember most clearly is that the first time the boy holds the girl's hand, she is acutely conscious of how sweaty they are!  I know this isn't much to go on, but at least I'd like the names of authors popular in the 50s other than Janet Lambert and Rosamond du Jardin.  Thanks.

Betty Cavanna, Fifteen, 1955.  Could it be Fifteen by Betty Cavanna?  The charcaters live near San Franciso possibly.  The girl is Jane and the boy is Stan???
Seems like I remember sweaty palms in Fifteen (the boy’s) and Jean and Johnny (the girl’s) by Beverly Cleary although neither exactly ended badly.
Is it possible that this is the Luckiest Girl by Beverly Cleary?  Or maybe Jean and Johnny, also by same author? (Doesn't really sound like Fifteen by Beverly Cleary, as the ending is not the same as the one described)
I'm sure I'm not the first to tell you, but Fifteen is by Beverly Cleary.
Mary Stolz, 1950s.  I can't identify your book specifically, but another fine author dealing with a similar age group and similar subjects is Mary Stolz, whose work for Young Adults seems almost forgotten now.
Try the Judy Blume books for young adults.  One of them definitely has a scene in it where a young, tentative couple hold hands and the girl is acutely aware of sweaty palms.  I can't remember which Judy Blume book it is, but her books are easy to find, so I think it's worth checking out.
A Special Place and Time. It may be a Special Place and Time--I'm not sure who wrote it but the girl carries around a smooth stone that she picked up the last day of a summer vacation as a talisman and I believe she lets him hold it in his sweaty hand when they meet at her first highschool dance when they are both hiding in the coat closet.  That love interest does end badly for her in the end after she pines for him for all of her high school years.  She is obsessed with the song Mr Tambourine Man and with the idea of being a better person instead of the awkward person she feels she is.  It does take place during the fifties or sixties because she talks about wearing pale lipstick and a poorboy sweater or skirt.
Mary Stolz, To Tell Your Love, 1950. This was Mary Stolz's first book.  It focuses on Anne Armacost's long seventeenth summer, during which she slowly learns how to recover from her romance with Doug Eamons (the romance is portrayed through a long flashback).  Secondary characters include Anne's older sister, Theo, and younger brother, Johnny, as well as her friends Nora and Sam, who are struggling with an early marriage and new baby.



S319: Similar to Green Mansions
I read a book similar to GREEN MANSIONS in the 50s, also similar to but worlds better than the awful movie BLUE LAGOON, in which two "innocents" in a Garden of Eden setting become friends and then lovers.  It was highly poetic and symbolic, but didn't have the political overtones of GREEN MANSIONS.

Henry De Vere Stacpoole, The Blue Lagoon: A Romance, 1908.  The book is much better than the 2nd movie with Brooke Shields or the earlier one circa 1949. A sequel exists (The Garden of God, 1923).
Another possible answer to S319 is Nathalia Crane's THE SUNKEN GARDEN.  Crane (1913- ?) was a child prodigy who had this 250+ page novel published (in 1926) while still in her early teens.  It's not a great book, but it's readable and certainly an incredible performance for a twelve- or thirteen-year old.  In fact, this was her third published book (preceded by two poetry collections).  She later published other poetry collections and at least one other novel, AN ALIEN FROM HEAVEN (1929) but then fell silent.  She may well still be alive...   More on Crane: here and here.



S320: Smoke Jumpers and Young Pioneers Railway (USSR)
I am seeking an anthology of adolescent boy's true-life adventure stories, probably published between 1942 and 1948 or so. Two stories I remember vivdly:   1. Smoke Jumpers.  In the Pacific Northwest, a wildfire is spotted from an observation tower.  Smoke Jumpers are called in--they parachute from airplanes into the forest to fight the fire with shovels and hand tools.  2. Young Pioneers Railway (USSR).  The Young Pioneers (Communist youth organization) have a small-gauge park railway in a city in the Soviet Union. The entire railroad is operated by boys and girls.  The plot involves the German invasion of Russia. The Russians civilians are fleeing ahead of the Germans, blowing up all the factories and infrastructure behind them. They are retreating across a river, and will blow the damn and flood the valley behind them.  The Young Pioneers railway is to be destroyed as well, but the children love it so much that they disassemble it and pack it out in carts and on their backs and take it with them as they flee.  This helps date the book: it has to be 1. after Operation Barbarossa, the Nazi invasion of Russia, and 2. before 1948 or so, becuase it clearly dates from that brief era when heroic tales of our ally Soviet Russia were acceptable fare for red-bloodeed American boys.  Any help greatly appreciated!

S321: sign language monkey named Friday by runaway boy
Solved: The Boy Who Spoke Chimp


S322: Starting kindergarten -- pots and pans band
Solved: Katy's First Day


S323: Sophie moves to new city
Solved: Girl of His Dreams


S324: spring
Solved: Really Spring


S325: Secret of the Cave
Solved: The Secret World of Og


S326: Swimming in the tub
I'm looking for a book about a little boy who practices swimming underwater in the bathtub and learns to swim like a fish, without coming up for air. His family doesn't believe he can swim.  I thought this book was called "Jamie to the Rescue" but the only book I can find by that title is about a forest fire--not about swimming.  The wrong book is put out by Barrie Publishing and usually doesn't list an author's name. I have no idea who published  or wrote the book I'm looking for.

S327: Spider with Creampuffs
When I was very young, I remember reading a book which had a spider running through a town causing havoc while carrying cream puffs.  This was one story in a collection of 4-5 stories. It was probably written in the 70's.  It had color illustrations.

Since no-one has answered, I thought I'd take a shot at this. It may be MORE ADVENTURES OF SPIDER by Joyce Cooper Arkhurst, 1972 (possibly 1974 too), Scholastic Book Services. It has several stories about Spider based on West African folktales. Spider is a trickster and often gets into trouble. I looked through the first one (THE ADVENTURES OF SPIDER) but none of the illustrations had creampuffs. Unfortunately, I could not find a summary of the stories included, and I don't have a copy I can check. Maybe your local library...? The other possibility is the Spider books by Robert Kraus. I knew them as individual books, but perhaps they were published together at some point? And I can't recall a cream puff book, but you know how memory can be... These books are more cartoony. Spider has two best friends, Ladybug and Fly. The titles include (and there may be various publication dates) THE TROUBLE WITH SPIDER, 1962, HOW SPIDER SAVED CHRISTMAS, 1970, HOW SPIDER SAVED EASTER, 1988, HOW SPIDER SAVED HALLOWEEN, 1973/1980, HOW SPIDER SAVED SANTA BUG, 1989, HOW SPIDER SAVED THANKSGIVING, 1991, HOW SPIDER SAVED THE BASEBALL GAME, 1989, HOW SPIDER SAVED THE FLEA CIRCUS, 1991, HOW SPIDER SAVED TURKEY, 1981, HOW SPIDER SAVED VALENTINE'S DAY, 1985, HOW SPIDER STOPPED THE LITTERBUGS, 1991, SPIDER'S BABYSITTING JOB, 1990, DANCE, SPIDER, DANCE, 1993, SPIDER'S FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL, 1987. I hope this helps!~from a librarian
Just a suggestion-Spider Jane by Jane Yolen. It was published in 1978 and it contains 4 stories. It's a possibility.


S328: Stump baby for spinster couple
Stump baby for spinster couple.  This was a story in a collection.  It was about a couple who wanted children but couldn't have any.  The "mother" prays for a baby by any means.  The next day a living tree stump is granted to the couple.  But it eats too much.  I forget what else happens.  But the moral is watch out what you wish for.  I really want to get my hands on this collection.  I don't remember any of the other stories in the book. Just this one...

I'm sorry I don't know the title of the story, but I can tell you that it is an old Bohemian folk tale and is most often found in collections of Czech or Eastern European folktales.  In 2002, a Czech filmmaker even made a very bizarre and grotesque film based on this story.  The film is called "Little Otek" in English, and although it is set in the modern day, it is the story of a childless woman whose husband gives her a "tree stump" baby that she loves like a real child.  It comes to life, but its insatiable appetite soon leads to horrific results.



S329: Sawhorse becomes a real horse for a little boy
50's or 60's.  A little boy wants a horse/pony but for some reason can't have one he creates a sawhorse pony in the barn/garage and rides it adding more details to make it seem like a real horse.  Mane and tail etc.  His family swaps the sawhorse for a real pony on either his birthday or Christmas, and that is the end. It seems like he might have gotten sick like the child in the Velveteen Rabbit. but I am not sure. It was an illustrated older childs book, line drawings with a wash I think.

D.H. Lawrence, The Rocking Horse Winner.  Could you mean the classic, DH Lawrence short story?
I'm sorry to disagree, but the stumper requester's description does not match The Rocking Horse Winner by D.H. Lawrence.  The boy in that short story rides a rocking horse (not a saw horse) to determine the winners in various horse races in an effort to ease his extravagant parents' chronic financial troubles.  He doesn't want a real horse, he doesn't create the rocking horse, his parents never buy him a real horse, and he dies at the end of the story.  You can read it here.
Thanks, but it is not the Rocking Horse winner.  It was a children's picture book.  I think some of the family members, may have contributed items, like a yarn mane, and an old saddle etc.  It wasn't a tragic story, but the boy did yearn terribly for a real pony.  It was also definitely a sawhorse, and kept outside in an old building.



S330: SECRET ROOM BEHIND CLOSET
pocket book earlier than 1981. Story about a women whose husband buys her the house she longs for. At the back of the bedroom closet she finds a secret door, which leads to a series of hidden rooms. She does not tell her husband about the rooms and becomes more and more reluctant to leave these rooms.  At the end of the book it turns out to have been all in her mind. On the front cover there is a picture of a women in a chair (rocking?) and in the background there is a picture of a house (upper left corner) HELP

S331: Spitfire Amy solves picture mysteries
Solved: Hawkeye Collins series


S332: six gun city
Solved: Cowboy Jack the Sheriff


S333: Spaceman
Solved: The First Book of Space Travel


S334: spider lives in a zoo
Solved: Be Nice to Spiders


S335: Sesame Street book with Zero Mostel?
Solved: Sesame Street Book of Opposites with Zero Mostel


S336: sandwich making women
A book about a land where the men are giants and the women are tiny. The men go to work at an office and the women spend all day making giant sandwiches for the men's lunch. A girl hides on the sandwich delivery truck and goes to the office where her father puts her to work sharpening giant pencils.
2005


S337: Smokey Joe
Solved: Smoky Joe


S338: Sun is sad and locked away
Solved: How The Sun Was Brought Back To The Sky


S340: sci-fi or fantasy short story;  young people dominated by old
Solved: Again, Dangerous Visions


S341: Snake becomes member of family
Solved: Crictor


S342: Scandinavian folk tale
Scandinavian folk tale picture book...........beautiful colored illustrations.....giant husband and wife stirring cauldron....stirring gets faster.........something to do with sea (and perhaps northern lights, aurora borealis not sure)............an Olaf?  Olga?  Do not think it's the Mill/Sea Salt one......has to do with ocean though.....Pictures are in COLOR and are blues, pinks, not just drawings....all I remember is this page where the woman is stirring with a huge spoon and you see swirls on the pages in the cauldron........pinks, blues..........

S342 I checked East of the sun and west of the moon with black and white illus by the D'Aulaires, but no kettles being stirred.
You might be on to something here!  "East of the Sun and West of the Moon"......I checked out the title and there seem to be several illustrators........D'Aulaires among them.........but some are in color!  The story of the little boy who defeats ogres MIGHT be it!  This story, whatever it is, is one of my strongest memories of my mother reading to me, for some reason.............I think the pictures actually scared me so that is why I'm thinking the "ogres" might be the right one!  Thank you....it's definitely a start.........please let me know if you come up with anything else and I will follow up as well!
In the late 1960s or so I had a beatiful large book of Scandinavian fairy tales.  The cover illustration was a side view of a knight and young woman on a rearing horse.  I think the title was Scandinavian Fairy Tales.  Does this sound like what you're looking for?
(I don't know the title or author, but this is in regards to S342) This sounds like a book I'm looking for, too.  I'm guessing it was published in the fifties or sixties.  I remember that the husband and wife in the ocean are stirring a caldron to create a whirlpool.  The first few pages of the book show Lapland life, I think.  There is a brightly painted interior picture, and they also show reindeer soon after.  The illustrations are colorful and detailed and I remember them being drawn very similar to Jan Brett?s current books.  I remember the picture of the Northern Lights, maybe with a child in the foreground. There is also a picture with a goat on top of a house eating grass from the roof.  The strangest part of this book is the final illustration. The boys have killed a giant chicken, and are standing in the foreground, with the giant chicken's legs up ended like trees and the sun setting between the chickens legs.  The boys have saved the town and the town feasts on the chicken in celebration.  (Yikes!)  I think the final words are, "Snip Snap Snout, and now this tale is out."



S343: Seashore for the day
I'm looking for a book that I loved as a child.  I was born in 1949, so this could have been published in the late 40s or early 50s.  It's possible that it was a Little Golden Book, but I'm not sure.  I remember that it was about children who went to the seashore for the day, and my strongest memory is a page that showed some kind of bath-house where they went in to change their clothes.

Dorothy Koch, I Play at the Beach,1955.This could be the book you're looking for.  Published by Holiday House in 1955 with beautiful primary-color illustrations by the renowned Feodor Rojankovsky, this tale of a family's day at the beach is told by a girl whose brother is her playmate.  They bring lots of toys and "hurry to the bathhouse" to change into their red bathing suits.
I've also been looking for this book for years and am wondering if the original poster of this request, ever located the title or the book?    All I can remember is that the two children were boys and for some reason, the name "Tommy" sticks out in my memory. I remember it also mentioned- sea gulls, sand castles.  I remember it being a small book, perhaps the size of a Junior Elf, but I'm also not sure.  If there's any further information, I'd greatly appreciate it.  If I could at least locate the name of the book.  For some reason, I think it's Day at the Beach, but none of the books with thistitle, are the right one. I was born in 1964 and would have read this book with my Mom during the late 1960's.
I Play at the Beach by Dorothy Koch (Holiday House).
Jackson, Kathryn and Byron, A Day at the Beach, 1951, copyright.  This is a Little Golden Book that recounts the activities of Nancy and Timmy at the beach.  There is a bath house where the children change into their swimsuits and hang up their clothes.  Nancy builds castles and dams but there is no mention of seagulls.  (A book about two boys at the beach is Fun at the Beach by Gloria Trachtenberg, c. 1960, a Whitman Tiny-Tot Tale.  Johnny Joe and his brother follow the footprints of sea gulls in the sand, and Johnny Joe cries a little when he sees his castle washed away.)



S344: Stone pathways
I remember reading this book in the very early 80's, and it looking like a brand new book.  I also remember it having some sort of a sticker on it like it had won an award, but I have checked the Newberry award winner lists from this time period and nothing seems to match.  The story involved a large family that lived out in the sticks.  The kids had an abandoned house that they would go and play in.  I think toward the end of the book, the main character that was a young girl was sad because her older siblings were growing up and not wanting to play with her as much.  For some reason I remember her older sisters talking to each other while she eavesdropped and they were talking about boys and one sister said "you have to be coy."  I think I had to go and look up coy in the dictionary.

Sharon Creech, Chasing Redbird This is a story about Zinnia Taylor and her large family.  She finds an old path through the woods and spends the summer clearing it.  There is an old cabin the in the woods filled with the mementos of her cousin who died as a young child and she spends some time there.  Her older sisters advise her on how to act around boys and there is a mild teenage romance that occurs. Hope this is your book.  Sharon Creech has won the Newbery award but not for this book.
Bad News!  The mystery we thought was solved actually isn't.  I read Chasing Redbird, and while it does have some of the same elements I am looking for, it is not the right book.  The first giveaway is that there are home computers mentioned in the book, and when I read this in the very early 80's, no one had computers, let alone families that live in the sticks.  However, reading this book did prompt some more memories.  The family in the book I am looking for may have been African-American, and I think that it was a very close-knit family with little contact with the outside world.



S345: Set of fairy tales
In the 1950's my parents had a set of children's fairy tale/story books that were bound with a hard back in the color red. I believe there were about 10 book in the collection. I'm trying to locate the name of these to see  if they are available for purchase. Thank you for your help.

S345 I think it must be The Children's hour comp by Marjorie Barrows.
Marjorie Barrows, ed., The Children's Hour,1953.  This sounds as if it could be the Children's Hour anthology/set.  My 16-volume hardcover set dates to 1953 and is bound in red (except for a small area on the spine with a black background, where the volume number and series title appear).  While the overall content is drawn from a variety of genres, more than one of the individual volumes includes work that might be counted as fairy tale, fantasy, or folklore.
The Children's Hour, 1954.  Set of 16 hardbacks bound in red.  Volumes include:  First Story Book, Favorite Fairy Tales, Old Time Favorites, Caravan of Fun, Best-Loved Poems, Stories of Today, Favorite Mystery Stories, Myths and Legends, From Many Lands, School and Sport, Along Blazed Trails, Stories of Long AGo, Roads to Adventure, Favorite Animal Stories, Leaders and Heroes, and Science Fiction- Guide.
Field Enterprises, Inc. Educational Division, Childcraft, 1955.  I wonder if this could be the "Childcraft" series of books--I still have them. The original copyright dates back to the 1930's so the 1950's series is probably revised. The whole set is 15 books but my parents purchased them 1 at a time until the set was complete. The books are red hard backs with illustrations on the front done in white, black and blue, and the volume # and title are in black on the binding. They include: Poems from Early Childhood, Folk and Fairy Tales, Animal Friends and Adventures, Life in Other Lands, Famous Men and Deeds, etc. Does this ring a bell?
There's a set of red (more burgundy, really) books from the 1940s: Book Trails, edited by Renee Bernd Stern & O. Muriel Fuller.  The eight volumes are entitled v. 1. For baby feet.--v. 2. Through the wildwood.--v. 3 To enchanted lands.--v. 4. On the highroad to adventure.--v. 5. To turret tops.--v. 6. At the crossroads.--v. 7. Winding westward.--v. 8. Of trail blazers.  The covers are embossed with a picture of a knight on horseback.



S346: Siblings meet space travelers
Solved: Space Ship Under the Apple Tree


S347: Spoiled Prince Learns His Lesson
This is a book I read at my grandmother's home when I was about 10. I think it was originally published in the early 1900s. It was the only book she had in English so I read it over and over and would love to find it again, but I don't know the name of the author or the title of the book. The story takes place in medieval England (I think) and is about a very spoiled prince. For some reason (either to help him change his ways or because he is in some danger) he is taken by a man (a knight?) to a cottage in the woods where he lives with someone's former nurse who is by then an old woman. I think that to disguise the prince they change his name to Hugh. The boy has to sleep on a poor mattress, help bring in wood and do many other chores. He tries to refuse and tell everyone he's a prince but the other kids in the village don't believe him. Eventually he matures and becomes a hardworking, thoughtful boy. At the end of the book, the boy is reunited with his father, the king. The king wants to call someone in to add more logs to the fire, but the prince does it himself and the King realizes how much his son has grown.  I sure hope you can help me find this book. I've been looking for it for over 30 years.

Mark Twain, The Prince and the Pauper.  Only a faint possibility.
Reilly, Robert, Red Hugh, Prince of Donegal. (1957)
Little Prince I-Want-My-Way. Is it possibly Litte Prince I-Want-My-Way ?  This book was read to us in second grade (around 1961) and the plot sounds very much the same.  Hope it helps.



S348: science fiction teenage read in 1978
Solved: Tom Swift and His Repelatron Skyway

Victor Appleton II (author), Tom Swift and His Repelatron Skyway (1963). Entry # S348 reminds me of a Tom Swift Jr. novel (which were indeed in yellow hard covers), specifically Tom Swift and His Repelatron Skyway 1963  by Victor Appleton II



S349: Strange host is really a spider!
Solved: The Ash Tree


S350: Short stories for kids
Solved: The Spider's Palace


S351: Science fiction
I read a short sciencefiction story years ago that I would love to find. It was about two guys who just got released form a prison asteriod after doing years for murder. The twist is that they have done the time in advance-they went into prison years ago, and now upon thier release they have "permission" to committ one murder in the form of a certificate entitling them to one killing. from the time they arrive home and start walking to town, several people contact them apologizing frantically for old wrongs that the two guys didnt even know about, spouses admitting to affairs, etc. the two guys get so frustrated-they thought they only had one enemy worth killing-that the story ends with one of them throwing their laser pistol thru a window , and when confronted by a policeman and told that destruction of property is 30 days in jail,, throwing the certificate down and telling the officer to "take the punishment out of that". I read it as a kid, and now, being an attorney, I would love to find it again.

William Tenn, Time in Advance, 1956.  This is Time in Advance by "William Tenn" (pseudonym of Philip Klass).  It first appeared in the August 1956 issue of GALAXY SCIENCE FICTION MAGAZINE, and has been reprinted in the 1958 Tenn collection TIME IN ADVANCE and the recent Tenn omnibus IMMODEST PROPOSALS, plus at least three anthologies: # Introducing Science Fiction, ed. Brian W. Aldiss, Faber and Faber 1964
# The 13 Crimes of Science Fiction, ed. Isaac Asimov, Martin H. Greenberg & Charles G. Waugh, Doubleday 1979  Science Fiction Century, ed. David Hartwell, 1997  A story, "Fool Killer" by Stanley Mullen has much the same premise as Tenn's, but I don't think that one's been reprinted since its original magazine appearance in the May 1958 ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION.  The requestor might find it also of interest.



S352: Seniors in high school forced to work for Yearbook
Solved: Yearbook


S353: Secret necklace
Solved: Secret of Grandfather's Diary


S354: South African friends
There was a children's/young adult book I received from a Scholastic book order in ~1982 about 2 young boys, one black and one white, who became friends in South Africa (Swaziland or Lesotho, I believe).  One ended up dying young at the end.  The book was stolen from me only a few months later but I loved it dearly. I believe the publisher began with an A (Apple?).  Possible words in title: A Time to Live, a Time to Die.  I haven't been able to find information anywhere, and no one has ever heard of this.  It's not "Waiting for the Rain" or "Forever young, forever free" (I believe), which have similar story lines. Please help!

Rumer Godden, An Episode of Sparrows.  Can't tell much from the information given, but this might be it.
I remembered something more: the book was given to me free from a book order (Scholastic/Troll?) when one of the books I had ordered was delayed.  In addition, the publisher was based in New York  my grandfather had spoke with them many years ago but they couldn't help us find a copy.
It's definitely not An Episode of Sparrows. This book is set in London mine was definitely in South Africa, because I remember doing a report on Swaziland/Lesotho as a result of reading this book.
NOT! Episode of Sparrows.  I have read Episode of Sparrows many times. It is about a girl and a boy in England. He is Irish Catholic and she is the illegitmate daughter of a woman who abandons her to an italian (?) couple. They steal earth, gardening tools, and, seeds, etc and plant a tiny garden in the rubble of a bombed out church. It is a wonderful story, but doesn't match S354.
Laurens Van Der Post, A Story Like the Wind. Takes place in Zimbabwe though, but maybe they flee to Lesotho? Another possibility:  Into the Valley by Michael Williams (can't find an original publishing date for this) Do you know if this was written by someone local to the area, or by an American who was writing *about* South Africa?



S355: Spoiled Prince Learns His Lesson
This is a book I read at my grandmother's home when I was about 10. I think it was originally published in the early 1900s. It was the only book she had in English so I read it over and over and would love to find it again, but I don't know the name of the author or the title of the book. The story takes place in medieval England (I think) and is about a very spoiled prince. For some reason (either to help him change his ways or because he is in some danger) he is taken by a man (a knight?) to a cottage in the woods where he lives with someone's former nurse who is by then an old woman. I think that to disguise the prince they change his name to Hugh. The boy has to sleep on a poor mattress, help bring in wood and do many other chores. He tries to refuse and tell everyone he's a prince but the other kids in the village don't believe him. Eventually he matures and becomes a hardworking, thoughtful boy. At the end of the book, the boy is reunited with his father, the king. The king wants to call someone in to add more logs to the fire, but the prince does it himself and the King realizes how much his son has grown.  I sure hope you can help me find this book. I've been looking for it for over 30 years.

[same as still unsolved S347]
Prince Bertram the Bad, 1960s.  I don't remember this book entirely, but it's definitely about a badly behaved medieval prince who learns his lesson.
HRL: Arnold Lobel's Prince Bertram the Bad (Random House, 1979) is on the Solved Mysteries page, but I don't think that's it.
Arnold Lobel's Prince Bertram the Bad (Random House, 1979) has been suggested as a solution, but it is not the book I am looking for. The boy in the book I'm thinking of is between 10 and 14 years old. The book was definitely published before 1950.



S356: Sword in the bed
The phrase appears as " (Some condition or event) was the sword in the bed which prevented a perfect union....."

Thanx. Looking back, I can see that my request may have arched an eyebrow. The whole line was uttered by Prof. Chaffee, a respected law teacher who said "The right to trial by jury was the sword in the bed which prevented the perfect union of law and equity." The trouble was that the old coot (I'm 75) didn't give any footnotes for his line, and subsequent "scholars" have made a sort of cult-thing of it by whispering behind the portiers.
Does the poster want a specific book in which this happens? It's a standard (at least apocryphally) in legends about knights and maidens. Most notably, Tristan and Isolde (Iseult). The sword is placed between the pair as a symbol that even though sharing a bed, they are not having sex.
The friendly comment was welcomes. My blessed mother was a Pennsylvania German lady and I learned a lot back there in Central Penna. about "Bundling Boards" and "Bundling Bags" (Gee! Mom, I only ever took one leg out of the bag.) So it all makes sense. I would appreciate one respectable citation for the sword story. Thanx.
Literary citations aplenty here and here.  You can also find references in Norse (Sigurd), German (Siegfried), and even Roman mythology. For a modern reference, check out GB Shaw's Candida:III:i--" If I were a hero of old, I should have laid my drawn sword between us."



S357: Swan woman makes quilt
Solved: The Crane Maiden


S358: Snowstorm paralyzes town, magic, grey wolf?
Solved: The Grey King


S359: SPACESHIP / ROCKET
Solved: Hooray for Chocolate and Other Easy-to-Read Jingles


S360: Sesame Street
Solved: Big Bird Gets Lost


S361: Short stories
Solved: On We Go


S362: Susan Dawn
I am 47 yrs. old and have been looking for a book that my mother was reading while pregnant with me.  That's how she got my name, Susan Dawn, who was the heroine in the story.  The book had to be published prior to 1957, that's the year I was born.  Please help me find this book!  My mother has recently passed away and I would cherish this book.


S363: Siblings Sled into Spooky Party
Solved: The Phantom Cyclist and other ghost stories

S364: Sparrows church children
Solved: An Episode of Sparrows


S365: Shark on the beach
Solved: The Shark in Charlie's Window


S366: Spanish sounding title, mystery, children's book
Solved:  The Secret of Smuggler's Cove


S367: Silver Signet
Solved: The Sapphire Signet


S368: Several bedtime stories in book
The Two Carolines, 1950s.  The story I remember was about a girl named Caroline and described her when she was bad and when she was good. Possibly in an orange-covered book. A story my mom used to read to me and my sister - in a book with several other stories.

Maxwell, Arthur Stanley, Uncle Arthur's Bedtime Stories:first series.  1927.  " A collection of short tales with Christian moral themes for children, followed by stories from the life of Jesus. " Contents: Part 1. Moral lesson stories. Shipwreck -- Preserved from sickness -- Man who cannot move -- Two Carolines -- Amy's gift -- Hollow pie -- Wilfred's secret -- Conkers and conquerors -- Tinker -- Dreamy Dora -- Curious Katie -- Jesus understood. Part 2. Stories of Jesus. Who was Jesus? -- Blind men of Jericho -- Homeless leper -- Ungrateful nine -- Little girl who went to sleep -- Boy who ran away from home -- Attacked by brigands -- Jesus and the children -- When Jesus comes back again. " A collection of short tales with Christian moral themes for children, followed by stories from the life of Jesus. "



S369: Separated/Estranged Duckling
mid 1980s or earlier.  This book is about a girl named Julia who finds a duck/duckling who is separated from his/her fellow duck.  Julia has red hair with pigtails or a pony-tail.  Julia takes the duckling in and takes care of it. At one point, Julia takes the duckling to school.  When her teacher finds out, he/she makes Julia remove the duckling from the school.  Eventually, the duck is reunited with his/her family of ducks.

Julie And The Duckling. The book that you are looking for is Julie and the Duckling by J. Barnabe retold by Jane Carruth illustrated by Jose-Luis Macias Dauvister



S370: sisters talking on a couch - kids book
Looking for a children's book (from at least 10 years ago or more) about two or more sisters / aunts who sat talking and talking (perhaps drinking tea?) on an old fashioned couch / "davenport".  I can still see the illustrations.  I think the couch was upholstered in a colorful, flower-print fabric.

Regarding my stumper (S370), my wife remembers the plot somewhat differently.  She says that the sisters - or at least one of them - fell asleep on the couch.  The couch was not colorful she thinks, but a dull gray, as the entire book was not very colorful (I was probably thinking of a different favorite book about a mother and girl who saved money to buy a big easy chair - this one brightly colored).  She thinks the book - a hardcover - was square-ish in shape, maybe 6 by 7 inches.
Charlotte Zolotow, pictures by Martha Alexander, Big Sister and Little Sister.  There is an illustration like that in Big Sister and Little Sister the two sisters are sitting on the couch sewing.  The couch is definitely kind of old-fashioned (with long, spindly legs) but it doesn't have flowered fabric (the illustrations in the book are tinted with pinks and greens, so it's kind of a grayish-green).
No idea about the original stumper, but the mother and daughter saving money for a chair, in bright illustrations, is probably Vera Williams' A CHAIR FOR MY MOTHER.



S371: Stockholm elephant
Solved: Lillian


S372: Space cat
Solved: Voyage of the Space Beagle


S373: Storybook from the 1950s
I was born in 1966 and I recall looking at a story book that contained several stories and a poetry section.  The book had been handed down from my 4 older siblings.  The book was purchased by my father for my oldest sister who was born in 1957, but I don't know when the book was actually published.  By the time I got the book, there was no cover.  I don't think I could read when I started looking at the book and I recall my mother reading to me.  Later, after I learned to read, I recall stories and poems that I actually read or sounded out the words from.  All I can recall are the stories.  There were probably more, but these are the ones I definitely recall.  I recall the illustrations were rather odd.  The book included:  The Ugly Duckling, Puss-n-Boots, Rapunzel, Alice in Wonderland, and a story about a jackyl.  The poety section included:  Little Pussy by Jane Taylor, Hiawatha and a poem about a couple of strange animals - a Chingo-Chee (if I remember correctly).  I'd love to find this book because I spent many hours pondering it.  Do you know where I can find it or do you have one?

Augusta Baker (Editor), Young Years: Best Loved Stories and Poems for Little Children, 1960, copyright.  The stumper recalls some fine details.  The artwork is definitely pretty odd.  :)   "Chingo Chee" is one of the characters in Laura E. Richard's "The Little Gnome".


S374: singing baby
Solved: Baby


S375:Stepdaughter adjusting to stepmother
My first stumper was successfully solved (!), so am taking a chance on submitting another one, although I have less distinctive, much more vague information this time around.  This book has haunted me for about 40 years.  I read it in England as a child in either 1965 or 1966, so it could not have been published any later, possibly early 60's,  and I have a strong sense the author is British.  I  borrowed it from the public library, and in my mind's eye I see a hard cover book, no dust jacket, royal or periwinkle blue in colour.  I looked for it in the public library when we moved to Canada later in 1966, but couldn't find it.  The names Lillian, possibly Diana, a common surname like Smith or Brown keep floating to the surface.  Whether this is the author's name or the heroine's name I don't know, but hazily it seems as though it could be the author's.   It's unlikely this is a book by the famous American author Lillian Smith or the Canadian children's librarian Lillian H. Smith.  All I can remember about the story is that a teenager or pre-teen girl is trying to adapt to life with her stepmother after her mother's death.  There is a sense of trauma and adjustment.  It may be considered a young adult novel.  Although the surnames Brown and Smith pop up in Helen F. Daringer's "Stepsister Sally", I don't think this is the one.  The tone is different from what I remember, and I'm not sure that adjusting to a stepsister figured in the book I am searching for.

Vian Smith, 1960s?  Hi, I have a possible solution for the poster of the stumper of a book about a stepdaughter adjusting to a stepmother.  Book was by a British author, possible name of Smith, written for young adults, sense of trauma/adjustment.  Could the author be Vian Smith?  Author was British, wrote books geared to young adults.  Sober and beautiful style, lyrical, but definitely not sentimental writing.  I was fortunate enough to find a library with many of the author's works when I was young.  Mostly horse stories but other issues as well (workers' rights, the Industrial Revolution, etc.).  Do not recall any with stepdaughter/stepmother challenges but I did not read all the books.  But any of them are highly recommended- Smith is one of my favorite authors of all time- too bad all of the books seem to have gone out of print.
Thanks for this tip!  It certainly gives me more to work with, and I can see the possibility of the link with "Lillian/Diana" and "Vian".  I will try to investigate a stepmother/daughter relationship in one of his books. I don't remember any horse motif, but maybe that was part of the story also, and it just doesn't stand out for me.  There is something very distinctive and moving about the author's style of writing that has obviously stayed with me for all these years.  You're right, I don't think there was anything sentimental about the story at all.  He sounds like a worthwhile writer to seek out, even if he is not the author of the book I'm searching for.  Two more very slight clues: this may have been a Reader's Union (a British book club) version of the book. Another memory that came to mind is that the stepmother is introduced very early on in the book, even on the first page or so.
Unfortunately, I was unable to find any books by Vian Smith that matched what I am looking for, nor can I come up with any additional information, other than the name Penny as quite possibly the heroine's name.  If someone is skimming through these archives and has any other suggestions, they would be much appreciated.



S376: Soldier and girl trapped on island
Solved: The Wings of the Morning


S377: Small town of 1956
Solved: 365 Bedtime Stories


S378: Stolen horse
Solved: Hobby Horse Hill


S379: Six elemental talismans
Solved: The Dark Is Rising


S380: Snow day home from school
1970s.  Very quiet, pastel illustrations about a day spent snowed indoors. A little boy plays with his toy animals.  I remember an illustration of the animals lined up on the window sill looking out over a snowy city skyline as the sun starts to go dowm.  Definately not The Snowy Day by Keats.

Eleanor Schick, City in the Winter.  Could this be it? Jimmy stays home from school on a snowy day. His grandmother takes care of him while his mother goes to work. He sees birds on a nearby rooftop and feeds them some bread. He makes a barn for his animals out of a box. They walk to the store for milk but the store is closed. They come home and make soup to warm up, and are glad when his mother returns at the end of the day.



S381: seeds of the weed
rabbit or animal party, 1970s-1980s.  the hard cover looked similar to the little bear books by Else Holmelund Minarik.  The story is animals invited to a party or picnid at (rabbit's bunny's) house and each has to bring their own food.  The bird brings "seeds of the weed."

The Very Best Home For Me.  (illustrated by Garth Williams, I think) I think this is what you're looking for. It's a Little Golden Book and several animals (kitten, puppy, rabbit, bird, chick, ?squirrel) all live together. They take turns cooking and of course most of them don't like what the others want to eat. They decide to look for new homes and I think the bird finds one where s/he can eat "seed of the weed."
The book I am inquiring about has been put after just a few days on the "solved list."  My daughter and I were so, so excited but after checking closer and researching, we both agreed this book solution offered ,  The Very Best Home For Me, is definitely not it.  We both knew immediately it was not a Little Golden Book and the cover illustration was definitely not the one.
Asheron, Sara, Will You Come to My Party? 'The specific information for this book has been taken off of the internet, so....I had a copy of this book when I was little, and found a copy for my own son.  But it is no longer in his (much dwindled) collection, as he is now approaching 16...It is a story of animals all coming together for a party, each bringing his or her own food - including "seeds of the weed.") 



S382: Sky changes colors, no sun
Solved: Drujienna's Harp


S383: Sheriff and a band of outlaws
Solved: Calico, the Wonder Horse


S384: Sugar Mouse
Solved: The Sugar Mouse Cake


S385: Spy How-To Books for Kids
Solved: Good Spy Guide series


S386: Salem witch ghost
Solved: A Cry in the Night


S387: Sleep-head Fred
Sleep-head Fred- this book is from my childhood so I am thinking it was published in the 60's or early 70's I was born in '75 and I remember my mom reading it. I think it is a Richard Scarry book but I am not positive. I remember the pages had lots of characters and they were all trying to go to the same place a picnic or a race or something like that. The book showed all different kinds of ways to get somewhere air, water etc.. there is one page that shows boats and at the bottom of the page there is a line that says "sleepyhead Fred the frog overslept and almost missed the boat" and it shows a frog running to catch the boat. I was hoping someone can tell me what book this is. I know it is not Cars & Trucks and Things that Go I have already checked that book. I want to find it to pass it on to my children.

S388: Space, girl astronaut, aloha
Solved: Countdown for Cindy


S389: schnozzle
Solved: Pickle Chiffon Pie


S390: secret dreams and wishes
I want to find a book from my childhood that I thought was titledThe Land of Secret Dreams and Wishes-- but nothing seems to exist with those title words. I read it some time between 1963 and 1970 (probably between 1963 and 1966). I found it at the Chicago Public Library, so it could have been older than that. The child who was the main character had tell someone, I think a little gnome-ish man, something he had never told to anyone before, in order to get into a magical land. I think the book was small and blue. It had full text pages. I don't remember whether there were chapters, but it wasn't a picture book.

S391: summer vacation
Solved: Key to the Treasure


S392: siamese cat
Solved: Mr. Blue


S393: St. Lawrence River island
Solved: Meanwhile, Back at the Castle


S394: Stuff and Nonsense
a friend of mine (honest!) can't remember most of the details to find a children's book she would like to see again.  it involves a brother and sister who find a key that eventually leads them into a fairy kingdom. the prime minister of the kingdom is upset the children have come in.  teh boy's customary refrain is "stuff and nonsense".  apparently there's a rule that once you have found your way in you have the right to be there.  the children get called home for supper, but they still have the key and can always go back.  my friend, of course, does not remember the title nor the author.

Check out the description of The Magic Key on the Solved Stumpers page.  It looks like this could be it.



S395: Sisters in New York (1830-1850's) Shipping Series
Solved: Emmy Keeps a Promise


S396: Santa's smallest elf
I have been looking for a Christmas book for years!  I read it when I was a child, so it would have been in the late 70's or 80's.  It was about Santa's smallest elf.  It was the story about how Santa was able to get into a house that didn't have a chimney.  Santa would let the smallest elf go through the keyhole so he could open the door for Santa.  I don't remember much more than that except for it was hardback and had a very pretty colorful cover.  It wasn't really a cartoon and the cover wasn't childish.  I don't remember the title or the author.  I have googled it for years,  but I haven't been able to find it.  I came across your site and was hoping you could help me find it.  Thank you!

S396 is not Little Golden The littlest Christmas elf by Nancy Buss
Knigge, Robert Knigge, Sally King Brewe, Silver Spurs, Santa's Smallest Brightest Elf (1978) Silver Spurs, Santa's Smallest Brightest Elf, by R. Knigge, Robert Knigge, Sally King Brewer Publisher: Knollwood Pub    Age Level:  Ages 9 - 12  ISBN:  0915614014 



S397: Selfish and spoiled prince
Solved: Star Child


S398: Sisters
I read this teen romance about 30+ years ago. It was about two sisters, one of whom was very beautiful but mentally handicapped. The other sister had to watch out for her which interfered with her relationship with a boyfriend.

Johnston, Norma, Of Time and Of Seasons. This book takes place around the time of the Civil War.  Bridget has several siblings, and her older sister is mentally challenged.  I think she (the sister) gets raped by a gang of hillbilly type brothers and ends up pregnant.  A family friend (?) is in love with her and offers to marry her so her baby will have a father.  Bridget has lots of teenage/growing up angst, and feels like the ordinary child among all her talented siblings, but at the end she realizes she has a talent for acting.
Vera and Bill Cleaver, Where the Lilies Bloom or Me Too.  If it's a book about a family of kids trying to survive in their mountain home after their father's death (and not let on that their father has died), it could be Where the Lilies Bloom.  Maybe.  But there's also Me Too, also by the Cleavers.  "Left to look after her retarded twin for a whole summer, Lydia determines to be the one to really change Lornie."
S398 I just skimmed a lot of Where the lilies bloom, and I doubt that  it is it.
Caroline Crane, A Girl Like Tracy.  Another possibility might be Pamela Reynolds: A Different Kind of Sister.



S399: Stick Figure Childrens Drawing book
Solved: Make a World


S400: Saber toothed tiger is in charge of keeping the fire for her people
Solved: Ratha's Creature


S401: sampler, gold beads
Solved: The Treasure in the Little Trunk


S402:Santa's children
I am looking for any books published prior to 1982 where Santa Claus has a child or children.

S403: Scary Children's Stories w/ Wheelbarrow Story early 1980s
This is a long shot but I have been trying for YEARS to remember the name of this children's book. It does have illustrations but it's not an illustration-heavy book.  It is a collection of scary stories. It is NOT the "In a Dark Room" and "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" series by Alvin Schwartz. The book I am thinking of came out much earlier than that. I remember getting this book at my elementary school library which would have been around 1979-1982.  The name had something to do with either the 11:00 hour or the 12:00 hour. And it's not the book "The Eleventh Hour." Something indicating the hour between 11 or 12 or that when it was midnight bad things happen. Like "Half Past Eleven" or something like that.  The cover was greenish.  There was an illustration for every story. The drawings were black and white.  The one story/picture I totally remember was something about a wheelbarrow....the picture was of a stranded wheelbarrow on the side of a road/in a ditch....very eerie. It was either haunted and/or used to haul bodies(?) or something...  I think the cover had a drawing of a cabin in the woods, and when that "witching hour" came near, the monsters/bad people ascended....this was also a short story in the book.  Any ideas?? This wasn't a funny/scary book at all. It was scary/scary!  And it was pocket-book sized, not big like a picture book. I think it was hardcover, but that shouldn't matter...

C. B. Colby, Strangely Enough!, 1967, reprint.  I don't know if this is the correct book but parts of the description remind me of it.  It's a small paperback and the cover is greenish.  There are trees and a weird looking man running on the cover.  It is a collection of stories:  unsolved mysteries, ghosts, eerie happenings, etc.  Most (but not all) of the stories are accompanied by black and white illustrations.  I looked for a story about a wheelbarrow but didn't find one.  However, the copy I have is abridged.



S404: Shy or bashful chum
In third grade (circa 1974) a classmate and I acted out a rhyming story (or poem?) and all I remember is this famous line: "Don't be shy or bashful chum there's plenty more where that came from." I think the main characters were two animals.

S405: stranger with flowers behind his back
I read it to my daughter between 1973 and 1984.  It was a hardback children's book about strangers.  I'd say it was a picture book, with a mostly white cover and watercolor-like illustrations.  The point was that you can't judge a person by what you see. A nice looking person can have a club behind his back, and a nasty looking person can have flowers behind his back. It wasn't scary, and it encouraged talk about strangers. 

S406: Seagull
I have been trying so hard for a few years to find a certain book from my childhood in the early '50's.  I am desperate (well, that's ''desperate'', anyway) to get my hands on this beautiful book and haven't had any luck.  It was a thin, medium-large format hard-bound book with gorgeous illustrations - maybe watercolors - which was what made the deepest impression on the young me.  The subject was a beautiful, realistic-looking white seagull (nothing cartoonish about these illustrations) who maybe comandeered a sailboat and got animal/bird friends to go with him to sea for an adventure of some kind.  I would be so grateful if you could help me!

perhaps Seabird by Holling C. Holling?
Robert McCloskey, Burt Dow:  Deep Water Man.  Longshot.  The giggling gull and Burt go fishing and help a whale who needs a bandage.  It does have fabulous illustrations -- very colorful.



S407: Small Town Kid Detective Series
Solved: Homer Price


S408: salt sandwich
Solved: The Rainbow Dress and Other Tollush Tales


S409: Serial killer and playing cards
I am looking for the title of a novel for adults.  I read it 20-25 years ago.  It involves the search for a serial killer who leaves a playing card with each victim.  His intention is to go through the entire deck, but I believe he only gets through most of one suit.  I don't even know if this was a good book, but most of the members of my family have read it and also can't remember the title.  We have all commented, however, that when we see the title of Elmore Leonard's 52 Pick-up, we do a double-take, thinking for a moment that that is the book. Can anyone out there help me?

This is a very long shot, but Patricia Cornwell's All That Remains featured a serial killer who left a playing card by his victims' bodies.  But I believe it is always the jack of hearts that he leaves behind, and also the book was published in 1992, so this is probably not the right book, but I just thought I would suggest it as a possibility.



S410: State capitals
Solved: Ready, Set, Remember


S411: Sally
When I was younger I read a book my parents had in their bookcase. All I remember was that it was about a young girl, probably from some money, who used to travel with her nanny or governess on Sunday to visit a family that the lady was friends with.  I don't remember if they were a relation to the house keeper, nanny, governess. . .  They would travel on a train, I think.  At the other house there was a young boy.  They eventually grew up, but fell in love and married.  The housekeeper, nanny, governess watched them go off on their honeymoon from the house where the girl grew up. I must have read this sometime in late 60's or early 70's.  I was born in 1961.  I can remember the feel of the 50's or something in that book, because the girl was very protected by her nanny.  It seemed a very innocent and sweet story. .    I thought the book was Marjorie Morningstar, because we used to have that book and I loaned it out and it never cam home.  I ended up buying that book (loved it again) but it was not the book I remembered.  I think the girl's name was Sally.  I don't remember much more than that.  But I loved it!  I chanced upon your website last night and was so happy that I might find my long-lost book's title! 

S412: Switch dog's brain with mouse's
This is a book I read in elementary school (I think the 2d grade, so about that reading level and that also means I read it in around 1976, which means it had to be written before then, obviously). It was about a mad scientist (or wizard/magician?) who wanted to replace the boy's brain with a dog's brain or a mouse's brain, or maybe both. I think he actually did switch the dog's brain, but the boy escaped before he switched the boy's brain.  I think the dog's name was Spot, and I think he was a drawn as a little yellow dog.  I think the drawings were sort of Judith Viorstish (or I could just be superimposing When I'm Six, I'll Fix Anthony onto this book since I also really liked that one at the time).  I think the subject book was set in a candy store.  I also remember one particular illustration of the dog (or mouse and dog) on a laboratory table with frankensteinish equipment on its head.

I can't remember if it's the first or second book, but it's one of Scott Corbett's books about Dr. Merlin, either DR. MERLIN'S MAGIC SHOP or THE
GREAT CUSTARD PIE PANIC. Dr. Merlin tries to swap out the brain of Nick's dog, but somehow they trick him and he swaps the brain of his own vicious
dog.~from a librarian


2006

S413: scarf on antenna as signal
Solved: Take Me to My Friend

S414: School reader about tree

SOLVED: Arthur I Gates, Miriam Blanton Huber, Frank Seely Salisbury, Two Boys and a Tree, 1951.



S415: Stumpy Boy made of wood turns evil collection of stories
This book is a collection of short stories published in the 80's (I think) All of the stories are quite disturbing but one really stands out about a couple who couldn't have children so the husband who is a woodcutter makes a baby out of a tree stump and calls him stumpy. My memory is quite vague but I think the child constantly eats. I know the child eventually turns evil. I can't remember the ending either he gets burnt on a fire or kills his parents. The book contained other stories from around the world and all of which were quite unusual. Has anyone got an idea of what this book could be?

I do not know the name of the anthology, but the story is of a Czech fable called Little Otik. There was a cool but disturbing film made by Jan Svankmajar in 2001.
I can't help with the anthology, but I can tell you that the story of the wood stump child is a Czech folktale.  In 2000, it was made into a Czech language movie called "Otesanek", retitled "Little Otik" for English audiences.  I can also tell you that someone else is looking for this book: see unsolved stumper S328.
Erben, Karel Jaromir, Tales from Bohemia.  This may or may not be the book that you're looking for. According to the internet the film "Little Otik" was based on a book written by Karel Jaromir Erben. Erben's Tales from Bohemia is described as a children's book of Czech folklore. I wasn't able to find out whether it contains the "Little Otik" story or not, but it may be worth looking into.



S416: Set begins with The Firebird
I have been looking for years for a book containing stories-they may have all been fairy tales-but the first story in the book was the Russian tale about the firebird and the Horse of Power. It was a small hardcover book, I'm pretty sure it was part of set, the others may have included the Bobbsey twins and Little Women. The cover was gone when I had it as a child (that would have been in the '70s-early '80s) and there were fluer-de-leis on the inside of the back cover. It had the most beautiful illustrations I ever saw, one was of the Horse of Power standing with his foot on the wing of the Firebird. Thanks!

Janet Higonnet-Schnopper (editor), Tales from atop a Russian stove, 1973.  This is a medium-long shot: the mention of the inside cover design and fact same publisher did LITTLE WOMEN and some BOBBSEY TWIN books around same time makes it pretty certain this was a Whitman Publishing Co. Book.  Searching library database WorldCat for  firebird  as a keyword and Whitman as publisher, I found this.  But: "The Firebird" is not the first story in the book, and this Whitman is given as based in Chicago, while the "classic" Whitman books were published in Racine, Wisconsin.  So, as I said, a longshot:  Title: Tales from atop a Russian stove.  Author(s): Higonnet-Schnopper, Janet,  comp.  Publication: Chicago, A. Whitman  Year: 1973 Description: 160 p. illus. 22 cm. Language: English  Contents: pt. 1: Of craft and cunning. The soldier's fur coat.--If you don't like it, don't listen.--Who'll wash the porridge pot?--Anfy and his landlord.--The clever soldier and the stingy woman.--Not bad-but it could be better.--Hungry-for-battle.--The peasant, the bear, and the fox.--The cat and the she-fox. pt. 2: Of heroes and heroines. The firebird.--Daughter and stepdaughter.--A red, ripe apple, a golden sauser.--Alyosha Popovich.--Vasilisa and prince Vladimir. Tales -- Russia. Folklore -- Russia.
Arthur Ransome, Old Peter's Russian Tales, 1916.  Dmitri Mitrokhan, Illustrator. I'm 99% sure this is the right book, but I don't have a copy to verify... but I'm very certain the described artwork (Horse standing on Firebird wings) is in this book.
I'm not the original poster, but the original description reminded me of a book I had in childhood (complete with the fleur-de-lys pattern on the endpapers), and would like to find because of the great impact the story of the Firebird and its illustrations made on me.  It is not Old Peter's Russian Tales.  I'd never run across any of the other stories in that until adulthood when I picked up a copy because it was the only one I could find that had the 'proper' Firebird story.  (there are two famous Firebird stories, and I kept finding the other one).  It might be the other compilation, although I would have sworn it was in our house earlier than the '70s.  More like middle '60s.  hoping this helps sort of at least.
Thank you so much for your input! I really appreciate it. I'm pretty sure it's not Peter's Russian Tales. I'm ordering the Whitman one to make sure, but I think it was a thicker book, and had a story about a glass cat. The Bobbsey Twins and Heidi covers in the same series look awfully familiar though! Just wish the cover wasn't ripped off my original! Thanks so very much!



S417: Series of books about boy scientist who lives at home
Solved: Danny Dunn series


S418: Stone wall near pond
Hi, This is a childrens book (age 9-12?) about a child that drowned in a pond and has left a clue (maybe a secret) in a stone wall. You have to move a stone to find it. I want to say the girl looking for the thing in the wall just moved there.

Wylly Folk St. John, The Ghost Next Door, 1971.  If you remember an owl, then this it! See Solved Mysteries.
#S418:  Stone wall near pond sounds similar to an incident in The Ghost Next Door, by Wylly Folk St. John.  Miranda did, indeed, drown in the pond, but the clue left under bricks nearby was a false, planted one.  The real clue turned up elsewhere.
Wylly Folk St. John, The Ghost Next Door, 1971.  If the drowned girl was named Miranda, and the hidden item was a cement owl "with love in its eyes" made by Miranda and her Aunt Judith, then this is The Ghost Next Door.  Other characters you may remember are Sherry, who is Miranda's half sister but never knew that her father once had another child and the two neighbor girls, Lindsey and Tammy.  Another thing that has always stuck in my head was that they dyed flowers by putting food coloring in the water.  Great story!



S419: Suburban Couple
I probably read this book in the early 70's. I think it was a Crime Library or Red Mask title--a cheap book club edition. It was about a suburban couple with money problems who got caught up in a crime nightmare. It opened with the wife picking the man up at the train station. Somehow she had come into possession of some valuable jewels. The husband wanted to turn them over to the police, but the wife wanted to sell them. The crooks to whom the jewels belong start to come after them. I remember there was one scene where the husband watched through the window as his naked wife draped her body in the jewels.

S420: Silas Marner referred to?
There was a book that I read as a teenager that referred to the novel Silas Marner throughout the story. Does anyone have any recollection of this? Thanks so much!

Bel Kaufman, Up The Down Staircase, 1964, approximately.  Silas Marner is referred to fairly often in this book, which deals with a young teacher's first year in a New York City high school.



S421: School with no 13th floor
Solved: Sideways Stories from Wayside School


S422: Spacecraft religion
Solved: Orphans of the Sky


S423: Scottish Loch Legend of Fiona
Solved: Deadly Sleep


S424: Stolen jewel
I was hoping you might be able to identify  a childrens/young-adult book that I read in the 1970s and enjoyed very much at the time, but remember very little of it now.  I would like to read it again if I could possibly identify it--I can't remember the title or author. Here's what I remember:  the protaganist is a girl, teen-aged at the time, who gets involved in some type of mystery/spying incident involving a stolen jewel or other valuable object that she ends up in possession of.  I recall that she had a best friend (a girl) who was helping her and her older brother was also a main character, I remember him being very involved in science experiments that in some way were significant to the outcome of the plot.  I believe they traveled to a tropical island for a reason, and I think there were at least two books in the series with these characters. The book(s) would have been written between 1960-1980.   One episode I recall is that the two girls were traveling, with one suspecting the other had gotten possession of the jewel/valuable object.  She engaged the other in a word-association game, and as a result the other girl inadvertently revealed she had the jewel/object.  I read those books when I was a kid and borrowed them from my sister, who doesn't recall which books they were.  I've tried different searches on the internet to try to find it but have been unsuccessful.  The closest I got was "The Westing Game", but that wasn't the book I was thinking of. Anything you could do to assist would be most helpful.

I don't know the book, from description (1960s series of several books with young female protagonists), I suspect it's listed in the large GIRLS' SERIES BOOKS: A CHECKLIST OF TITLES PUBLISHED 1840-1991 that's online here.  Lot of possibilities, but maybe requestor will recognize.
Julie Campbell, Trixie Belden:  The Gatehouse Mystery,1951.  This is a stretch, but it might be the book you're looking for.  Trixie & her best friend Honey end up with a valuable diamond, which they plan to keep safe until they can solve the mystery themselves.  At one point in the story the diamond is hidden in a pincushion, but because they don't want Trixie's little brother to know about it, they speak in puns to figure out who has it. However, although Trixie has an older brother who likes to use long words, I don't remember anything about science experiments or tropical island visits ...  There are several books in this series, which went through a number of reprints.
Could this be one of the Phyllis Whitney mysteries? They were published in the late 70s/80s and the premise sounds very like one of hers.
Thanks for the suggestions, but I checked those books and they are not the ones.  It doesn't seem that it's a Phyllis Whitney book.  One additional detail that I remember is that the brother was really tall, and that was referenced throughout the book, and I think in the second book the girl's friend and the girl's brother got involved romantically by the end.

Caroline baxter, The Stolen Telesm. Written in the 70's about a brother & sister and a stolen "jewel" type thing with a winged horse.



S425: Shhh! It's a Secret
Solved: Shhhhh, It's a Secret


S426: Sister's mail stealing hinders Western girl romance
This is a book about a young woman (older teen?) who is traveling West with her family and others.  Her father (kind of a lazy ne'er do well) has always favoured her younger sister (beautiful, spoiled, and perhaps more fragile.) Both sisters are interested in a young man who is also traveling with the group. The father convinces the older sister to work in a frontier "inn",(perhaps a primative B&B) and to send him the wages. (He may have actually "sold" her labor without her inital agreement.) She does so, working slavishly,  putting up with the annoying son of the innkeepers, and considers a romance with a snobbish Englishman.  But her heart is really with the young man, who seemed to return her feelings.  But she has heard no word from him.  She writes letter after letter to him,yet never mails any, because it was not proper for young ladies to initiate correspondence. Finally, after taunting from the innkeeper's son,who has rifled through her personal things, including her letters, she mails one of the letters in defiance, but has immediate misgivings.  To her astonishment, the young man she has been longing for reappears, wanting to marry her.  He had been sending her letter after letter, although she never received any.  Apparently,  the younger sister, as postmistress (or helper of such) of a new settlement had stolen the outgoing letters, hoping the young man would finally  return her affections. The young man convinces the older sister that  she has worked long enough for her father, (indeed she had stayed beyond the original amount of time agreed upon, seeing little if any money for her labours), and even gets the girl's father to agree. I would date this book to the early 60's, perhaps?  I had borrowed it regularly from the Bethlehem (NY) Public Library in the early 1990's, until it was pulled from the shelves.  I don't believe the author's last name began with a "J" or anything earlier than that in the alphabet, based on where I belive it stood on the shelf.  Thanks so much for anything anyone remembers, or can do.  I stumbled upon this site accidentally (while doing a book search -  of all things!) and am very grateful it exists.  What a wonderful idea!!

Jude Deveraux, Wishes.  Not a childrens or teen book, but your description sounds very similar to the plot line of Jude Deveraux's, Wishes, which was first published in the early 90s I believe.
s426 is definitely NOT Wishes, which has nothing to do with traveling or working in an inn but rather is a Cinderella-esque story complete with "fairy" godmother/angel'



S427: Scottish Island Merman
Solved: A Stranger Came Ashore


S428: Spooky
Solved: The Witchy Broom


S429: Space disease
Solved: Holding Wonder


S430: summertime birthday
Solved: Becky's Birthday


S431: Siamese Cat
I'm trying to locate a book that my Wife told me she read when she was a girl (approximately 1955). The only things she remembers are that a girl had a Siamese Cat and the cat slept in the girl's doll house. Help!!!

S431  I'm pretty sure that this is one of the books by Flora Gill Jacobs, possibly THE DOLL HOUSE MYSTERY or THE TOY SHOP MYSTERY. There is a Siamese cat in these books, and the cat is shown on the front cover of both books.~from a librarian
Flora Gill Jacobs, The Doll House Mystery, 1958, approximately.  This book features a Siamese cat that disturbs the furniture in the dollhouse (based on the author's cat Annie) and the publication date fits.  My copy has a red dustjacket, but it's probably a later reprint.


S432: Sisters Glass Stagecoach Imaginary Travel
Solved: The Silver Coach


S433: Scenes from different windows
I remember having a wordless childrens book in the 80s that consisted of scenes from differnt windows on each page.  One scene in particular I rememeber is of a goat on the side of a mountain and another was a farm scene from inside a house where carrots were being cut up.

Corbett, Grahame, Watching at the window, 1984.  This book is described as a "look-through book" however I'm unable to find any further details about it.



S434: Snowbound on Indian Reservation
Solved: Snowbound in Hidden Valley


S435:Snake swollows egg and ties himself in knot in tree
Solved: The Crows of Pearlblossom


S436: Sci-fi book Ganymede Gus
When I was about 8 years old (circa 1968) I read a lot of juvenile science fiction books from the local library.  One of them had a character named "Ganymede Gus".  I have not been able to locate what book it was or who wrote it.  My guess is it was probably written in the 1950's.

Lester Del Ray, Outpost of Jupiter.This at least takes place on Ganymede!
SOLVED: Milton Lesser, Earthbound, 1952. Finally ran this down via a search that turned up a hit at Google Books!  Took several years to find it, but at least I wasn't imagining it!



S437: Sci-fi Hardcover Comic/Illustrated
Solved: The Trigan Empire


S438: Sci-fi book with an Invisible blade
Solved: Heroes of Zara Keep


S439: Seventies era childrens religious picture book
Solved: Illustrated Bible Stories

S440: sisters (3)
Solved: Three Blondes in a Honda


S441: short stories for adolescents, late 1970's
Thin paperback (dark cover?) full of short stories.  One I remember is a science fiction piece about a boy who buys what turns out to be a magic pencil from a man on the street.  Another entry details the similarities between Abraham Lincoln and John Kennedy and their presidencies.  I read this little book in the late 70's and remember that I couldn't do a book report on it because it wasn't a novel.  But it was a quirky assortment of stories that kept me interested.

S442: Southern setting, paper mill, Bishop family
Looking for a YA novel whose name I can't recall, but whose cover proclaimed "Formerly 'The Bishops Rule.' It was told from the perspective of a pre-teen girl whose father had left his powerful paper-mill-owning family (the Bishops) to marry a wrong-side-of-the-tracks girl. Both had died and the girl was returned to live with her disapproving grandmother and kind but passive grandfather. A maternal aunt was present as well. The girl's Uncle Mason is a handsome young charmer who she loves, but he too falls for a poor girl (Zelda?)  (who he makes pregnant) and dies  in a freak accident while in the military service. At the novel's end the young girl is realizing that she and this illegitimate baby are carrying on the Bishop name. Memorable scene: Narrator and a friend smoke "rabbit tobacco" in hand-rolled cigarettes.

S443: Secret, Surprise, or Hidden Island
Solved: Invisible Island


S444: Skinny Caveman
This book dates to the mid 1960s, and I read it in 2nd grade in 1967... I do not know the title or author.  The book was paperback, probably not more than 50 pages or so, and possibly one of a series of paperback books (but the others were not about cavemen).  The story was about a skinny caveman and how he used his brains rather than his brawn to survive.  For example, to eat, the typical (chunky) caveman bonked the mammoth with his club; the skinny caveman designed and built a cage to capture.  The typical caveman drug the mammoth home with brute strength; the skinny caveman designed and built a cart to do this. The typical caveman got a cavewoman by bonking her on the head and dragging her home by the hair; the skinny caveman got a (skinny) cavewoman by other means (or maybe she got him???).  That's the story as I remember it. I appreciate your help in locating this. Thanks

Since no-one else has sent an answer, I suggest looking at STANLEY by Syd Hoff, 1962. It's about a caveman who does things differently and comes up
with better ways to live. It's an easy reader book~from a librarian



S445: Short stories about tattooed man and Guy that walks out of his body
Solved: The Illustrated Man
Solved: Welcome to the Monkey House


S446: Scottie-type Dog, Adventure, Gardens
don't have much to go on here but... This is a picture book, with full page, rich color illustrations (the ones I remember anyway).  That makes me think is was not a '60's or '70's book, but I'm positive it was published no later than the mid '80's.  I remember that the dog was a black scottie type dog who was somewhere without his owner.  He at some point walked though either a formal topiary garden, or a row of conifer-type trees that had the distinctive triangular shape.  I can't remember what he was looking for.  I do think there may have been an large estate type home or maybe some statuary at some point in the story.  Sorry I can't remember more!

Angus and the Ducks.  If it could have been a hedge instead, it might have been Angus and the Ducks.  Don't remember it having the full-colour illustrations, though.
Van Allsburg, Chris, The Garden of Abdul Gasazi. (1979)  This doesn't match your recollections completely, but conical topiary trees in a formal garden and little dog are on the cover of this book from the same time period. Grand estate and statuary also figure in the story.
Here's a guess:  Angus Lost, written by Marjorie Flack (1931)
I don't know if any of these is the correct solution, but the stumper requester might want to examine the Angus stories written and illustrated by Marjorie Flack: Angus and the Ducks (1931)  Angus and the Cat (1931) and Angus Lost (1932).  These are colorful illustrated books about a little black scottie dog, and they have been reprinted numerous times.  Another set of books with beautiful, full color illustrations is the McDuff series written by Rosemary Wells and illustrated by Susan Jeffers, but that scottie dog is white, not black, and the books may be too recent.  Although the drawings have a vintage (pre 1960s)look, the series started in 1997.  Still, these are worth examining because one book in the series, McDuff Goes to School, features a black scottie!  The series includes: McDuff Moves In (1997) McDuff Comes Home (1997) McDuff and the Baby (1997) McDuff's New Friend (1998) [reprinted in 2005 as Mc Duff's Christmas] McDuff Goes to School (2001)McDuff Saves the Day (2002) McDuff's Hide and Seek (2004) and McDuff's Wild Romp (2005).
If you're sure you're looking for a black scottie and brightly colored pictures, then The Garden of Abdul Gasazi by Chris Van Allsburg is probably not the book you're looking for.  While it features a topiary garden, the illustrations are black and white, and the dog is a white bull terrier with a black patch on its left eye.



S447: Soap bar adventure
1956, a small picture book- smaller than a Golden Book but with the same kind of cardboard cover.  It told a tale of a boy and a girl(the girl had curly hair-brown- and I think the boy was blonde who had an adventure on a bar of soap. The soap bubble had a makeshift sail. They sailed off and visited various colorful animals. there was a soap bubble in one scene and a patchwork elephant- pink squares (I think) in another scene.  I think there was also a yellow giraffe.  The animals were drawn like stuffed animals that were alive. I remember my father reading this to me and I had to be 3 or 4...so it was in 1957 or 58.  My father died in the fall of 58 and I kept the book for a long time but I did eventually lose it (I think my mother threw it out or gave it away!) when I was 10 or 12. I have been searching for it ever since in any used book store or antique store I go in.

Sam Reavin, Hurray for Captain Jane!, 1971. I know that the date is wrong, but it might be worth looking into Hurray for Captain Jane, published by Parent's Magazine Press in 1971.  Perhaps this is a reprint of an earlier story?  It tells the fanciful bathtub adventure of a little girl who gets to be the captain of her own ship, after she receives some black jelly beans, a buoyant bar of soap, and a wax-paper sailor's hat at a birthday party.  On board the ship with her are another girl (Kate, Seawoman First Class) and a sailor who looks just like Jane's brother, Simon.



S448: Serendipity
1970-1973, This book is about a fantastic creature who had different body parts acquired from various insects, birds, and animals, he had wings, and also had an umbrella and possibly a top hat. The book was beautifully illustrated in great detail. The cover was white with a picture of the "serendipity" creature. The book was large, atleast 9"x12", but the spine was thin. I checked this book out from my grade school library (a Chicago Public School -Peterson Elementary)in the early 1970's. The story has the creature interacting with the different animal kingdoms (insects, birds, reptiles, mamals) and acquiring their distinctive features. My memory of the highly detailed and colorful drawings is more vivid than the plot line.

Eric Carle, The Mixed-Up Chameleon. (1975)  This is definitely the book you're looking for!  The chameleon visits a zoo, and concludes that he is small, slow and weak.  He wishes to acquire the positive attributes of the animals he sees, and his appearance changes as he describes each desirable trait.  By the end of the book, he is big and white like a polar bear, and has a flamingo's wings, fox's tail, fish's fins, deer's antlers, giraffe's neck, turtle's shell, elephant's head, seal's flippers, man's derby hat, and woman's umbrella.  Please note that there are two versions of this book!  The current and most widely available version has the cut tissue collage illustrations that are Eric Carle's trademark.  There is an older version, however, that is hand drawn and colored in a wild and scribbly style. This is the version you're looking for.  The book was originally published in 1975, then reissued in 1984 with the current illustrations.  I've done a pretty extensive online image search, but can't find a copy of the older version, or even a cover picture from it!  Good luck finding it!
Here is a little more information about the Mixed-Up Chameleon from the Official Eric Carle website.  When the new edition was issued in 1984, "Carle...replaced the heavy-lined, childlike, scrawled colors with crisp, appealing collages and...streamlined the text....For example, where the 1975 edition read, “If I could be like a fox, then I would be smart. Instantly it had a fox’s fluffy red tail.” Now it simply says, “I wish I could be smart like a fox,” with the illustrations showing the fluffy red tail.
The title of the book used the word Serendipity or some derivation of it. Thanks for your suggestion of The Crazy Mixed Up Cameleon, but, I am familiar with it and that is not the book that am trying to find.
Cosgrove, Stephan, Serendipity Books.  I suggest you look at the books Stephan Cosgrove wrote for children called Serendipity Books. I have never read all of them but I remember they always featured the symbol of a dragonish sea creature named Serendipity and the words 'A Serendipity Book' on the title page inside the cover. Serindipity was maroon with green eyes and spikes, had a flipper tail, and looked friendly.


S449: Selfish creature turns blue
I'm trying to remember the name of a children's book that was read to me in the second grade (1985). It was a picture book and it featured green, furry forest creatures that gave gifts to one another. One day, a creature decided to accept a gift but not give one in return, and if memory serves me, it then turned blue. The creature that did not receive a reciprical gift was hurt and followed the example of the other creature. Eventually the whole colony was corrupt. The moral was essentially that one bad apple can spoil a bunch, or that you should continue to do good to those that don't recipricate (or do you harm).

Steiner, Claude, The Warm Fuzzy Tale.  Not all of the details match, but the general gist of the story sounds a lot like the Warm Fuzzy Tale.


S450: Sam the lion primer readers
I learned to read with these in the 1970's. They are a set of yellow primers/early readers and had adventures of Sam the Lion and Sis the snake.

This may be the Reading for All Learners Program (RALP), which was originally known as the Beginning Reading Program developed by the Southwest Regional Laboratory for Educational Research and Development (SWRL). The SWRL program was initially released in 1972.  I think the primers you're looking for are the Little Books on their website.  They also have Sam the Lion and Sis the Snake handpuppets on this page.


S451: Space doctor
This is a science fiction book I read many years ago.  It was about a group of doctors who traveled on a spaceship bringing medicine to various planets.  The main character was one of the doctors, but he wasn't a human and faced prejudice from the head doctor.  They go to a planet where they treat some ape like creatures infected with a strange virus.  They figure out that the virus is actually the intelligent creature asking for help not the apes.  At the end the non human doctor does a heart transplant on  the head doctor saving his life and ending the prejudice.  I hope you can help me find this book.  Thanks.

James White.  This sounds very much like one of James White's many books about Sector General, a hospital space station staffed by members of numerous intelligent species.
Alan Nourse, Star Surgeon.  Aha!  My James White guess was incorrect. It's Star Surgeon, by Alan Nourse, who also wrote several books with medical themes.
Alan Nourse, Star Surgeon.  As someone has already pointed out, this is Nourse's STAR SURGEON.  Of possible further interest -- copyright wasn't renewed on the book and it fell into public domain so the full text is available online.


S452: Shrunken houses
Solved: Mindy's Mysterious Miniature

S453: Special beds
What I am looking for is a short story that my mom used to read to me as a child.  It may have been out of a magazine or storybook- I cannot recall.  The subject of the story was different kinds of special beds that children could have.  One was a tank bed (like a military tank) that travelled throughout the night as the child slept within.  Another was a bed with a peanut butter and jelly pillow for the late night snacker.  This was around the late 70's or early 80's and as I said it may have been a story in a magazine like Parenting or Mccall's.  For whatever reason this story has stuck with me and I would love to read it to my kids,  unfortunately until now my search has come up short.  Hopefully you can help-this is really a neat website.  I thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Sylvia Plath, The Bed Book.


S454: Spaceship book
My brother and I received a book, probably around 1980, containing beautiful illustrations of alien spaceships. May of the ships resembled bugs and insects as I recall. Each ship included detailed descriptions and specifications. We could be entertained for hours with this book. I'd love to find out what the title is and find a copy for my kids. Thanks.

Stewart Cowley, Spacecraft 2000-2100, A.D. (1978) Just a suggestion.
Harry Harrison and Malcolm Edwards, Spacecraft in Fact and Fiction. (1979)  I suspect it's this one -- cover art is online here if that might confirm it.


S455: Second bathtub in Yamhill County
Solved: Emily's Runaway Imagination

S456: Summer holidays, children with number names
I'm looking for a children's book I read in the mid 1970s - before 1977 - in England. The story was about a boy (possibly called Martin) who was lonely until a family came to live nearby (possibly on a boat) The children in the family (either three or four of them, I think four, and some were twins) were all called by number nicknames. I forget exactly what form these took but I think Three was Troy. The children spend a summer having fun together and at the end of the holidays, the lonely boy is asked to become an honorary member of their family with the nickname Quin. It was a hardback copy with white cover with blue and green line drawn illustrations on it. Hope you can help!
S457: Seashells, silver balls, Mrs. Sampshire
I am looking for a book of "modern fantasy stories" for children probably published around 1950-1960.  One of the stories was about a much-abused girl who wanted to be a ballerina and was discouraged from even trying.  She was, however, an amazing jump rope artist.  She encounters a magical creature at the beach called Mrs.Samphire who teaches her a spell to use when she is most desperate, that has the components "seashells, silver balls" in it.  All then promptly goes pear-shaped for the child who runs to the beach in tears to use the spell, breaking the handles of her beloved jump rope for the silver ball-bearings. Another story in this book concerned a little girl who is dangerously ill and menaced in dreams by a snake.  She encounters an old man with a mongoose in a park; the mongoose eventually saves the day, tearing to bits a beaded snake that somehow was connected magically to the snake in her dream that was making her ill.

Aiken, Joan.  I know that both these short stories are by Joan Aiken - I especially remember the one with the beaded snake. The problem is that she is a very prolific writer, and there are MANY collections of her short stories - I don't know which collection these are in. There is a list of all her collections as well as her other works here.
Joan Aiken, More than you bargained for.  The short stories described are Nutshells, Seashells is the story about the girl with a skipping rope  Mrs Samphire is in Pigeon Cake for Mrs Samphire  and the snake is in More Than You Bargained For.  These were all published in a collection called More Than You Bargained For, later reprinted in another collection called All But a Few.
Joan Aiken, More Than You Bargained For. (1955)  This collection includes "Nutshells, Seashells" and "Pigeon Cake for Mrs. Samphire." I can't remember which story may include the snake. The stories were later reprinted in "Not What You Expected" and in "All But a Few.


S458: Sweet named puppies
Solved: Mr. Moggs' Dogs

S459: Sensitive girl has ESP
Weekly reader book, late sixties or early seventies.  Girl is very sensitive, feels awkward compared to siblings and classmates.  She has abilities that she can't understand.  Her parents may separate or divorce in the story.  She finally comes to accept her ESP (this was the first time I'd ever heard that term) and to view it as a good thing when she allows it to lead her and others out into a blnding storm on the water to rescue someone.  Seems as though her name was Miranda or Myra or something similar.  Think it was a paperback.

Lois Duncan (author), A Gift of Magic. The girl's name is Nancy.  Her grandmother gave her the gift of magic, her sister Kirby the gift of dance, and her brother Brendon the gift of music.  The parents to divorce and Nancy uses her gift to find Brendon and his friend who have drifted out to sea in a homemade boat.
Lois Duncan (author), A Gift of Magic. I think this is the book you're looking for.  Nancy's sister Kirby has a gift for dance, but Nancy wonders why she doesn't have a special gift herself.  Then she starts to know what other people are thinking, or what's going to happen before it does, but she doesn't believe it.  Her parents are newly divorced and her mom is starting to see other men, which really bothers Nancy.  Little brother Brandon takes off in a small boat during a storm, and Nancy's ESP helps them find and rescue him.
Zoa Sherburne (author), The Girl Who Knew Tomorrow. I am absolutely certain this is a Zoa Sherburne book--my best friend has all of them (they were her mother's).  I can't give a title for certain, though.
Willo Davis Roberts (author), The Girl with the Silver Eyes. Okay, I take back my "I'm certain" about Zoa Sherburne--this book is another likely candidate, and it also lives on my best friend's bookshelf :p.
Lois Duncan (author), A Gift of Magic.
Lois Duncan (author) , A Gift of Magic, (1970). I remember reading this book as a youngster also.  Most of my books were from the Weekly Reader sheets so I think this must be it.  I think it had a point where they were testing the girl and she deliberately got everything wrong.
Wilanne Belden (author), Mind-Find, (1980). You might try Mind-Find to see if that's the book you're looking for.  The girl's name is Laurel, but there's a sea rescue and ESP.  There are two other loosely connected books Mind-Call and Mind-Hold with similar themes.  There's another water rescue in one of the other titles, but it's a boy with ESP in that one. Another title to try might be The Girl with the Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts.  Another girl with ESP/psychokinesis who is awkward around others. (Although...who wouldn't be?)
Willow Davis Roberts, The Girl with the Silver Eyes.  This is definitely NOT the book you're after.  The girl in this book doesn't have ESP, she's telekinetic, and the plot revolves around her finding other kids with similar abilities (linked by their mothers working at the same drug company when they were pregnant) - there's nothing about a storm or saving people.
Cora Taylor, Julie, 1985. I'm not sure that this is the book, but it sounds at least very similar to the one you're looking for. The back blurb reads:
"Julie Morgan's pyschic ability allows her knowledge of both the past and the future, but it also makes her 'different.' This beautifully written story of a special child trying to comprehend what can be only dimly understook will stay with young readers long after the book is read." It won the 1985 Canadian Library Association Book of the Year Award for Children.


S460: Santa's workshop
Solved:  Jolly Old Santa Claus


S461: Stuffed fox
Solved: The Bobbsey Twins and the Talking Fox Mystery


S462: Sou'wester jacket and camp
The book is a kids' book, probably written late '50s-early 60's about a young (10-12) boy who goes to camp alone, for a few weeks I think.  For camp he needs a "sou'wester" jacket (I had to look that one up as a kid) and he begs to wear it before he leaves.  The family also has a sailboat named "thefourofus".

Carolyn Haywood, Penny goes to camp, 1957.  Adopted brothers Penny and Peter spend the summer at camp - I'm pretty sure that I remember a section about a sou'wester and a boat, though it's been a long time since I read it.



S463: Silverware as soldiers
Solved: The Secret Language


S464: Seagull
I'm looking for a children's story our mother used to tell us.  She thinks she read it in a Collier's magazine or Saturday Evening Post magazine.  My sister was born in 1947 and I was born in 1950 so it appeared in that time range.  It is near Christmas, and poor old Granny Gruekin (sp?) lives alone.  A seagull comes to visit and there is marzipan.

S465: Shovel red architect disabled
Solved: A Tree for Peter


S466: secret passage French chateau Childcraft
Solved: Nanette of the Wooden Shoes


S467: Short Stories
I am not sure of the title of this book, I do know when I had it, it was a hardcover. I read this in the early 90's, but I don't know how old it is. I have been searching high and low for this, and I still cannot come up with anything. There were a lot of stories in the book, and although I read this when I was around 8 or 9, it had a slightly more adult theme to the stories.  I can remember the first story in the book is about a village and all the bad children that go into the forest (which is made of chocolate) and the witch takes them. This is not Hansel and Gretel, it sounds similar I know, but it isn't. I am not sure if this is another story or part of the first one, but I remember a witch who was well, quite mean, and an old hermit wizard and in the end they got together and lived somewhat happily ever after, while leaving everyone else alone. Also, one of the witches might turn the children into animals.  There was a story about a lady in the lake, and it was frozen? And she fell in love with a boy I think.. The book also had pictures. I remember distinctly because there was a story about a really ugly princess who couldn't find a prince and there was a picture of her. I can't remember anything in another story except at the end the man dies and is shrunk, and is found lying in a sack of coins.  There is a story about a king, and all I remember is he wanted to see what it was like to not be king, so he didn't tell anyone and dressed up as a peasant, and when he went to do his business in a field like he normally would, the farmer started chasing him (and possibly killed him).  That's all I can think of at the moment. Thank you for your time, and I really hope you can find this for me.

S468: Shrinking princess alone in castle
I'm searching for a fairytale book that must have been published in the early 60's. It was a large black and white photo picture book. It's about a princess alone in a castle, everyone else is gone (I think that the kingdom was under a magic spell). The princess shrinks to the size of a small doll. She sews herself a dress from a handkerchief. I think, there was also a frog that later becomes the knight who rescues her.

S469: Santa's ill & ?frog or toad? help to deliver presents
I am desperately searching for a children's Christmas book I read as a child, and the book was a hardback and pretty old then - possibly published in 1950's. It had wonderful oldy worldy colour illustrations and this is what I can remember: Early on in story, toad or frog (not sure of this animal) cycles down snowy hill to visit Santa as they have heard he is ill.  anta is ill in bed, being looked after by elves.  He cannot deliver presents, so toad/frog take over.  Whilst flying in sleigh they pass through the vibrantly multi-coloured 'curtain' between their world and ours - northern lights - very good illustration of the northern lights in the book.  This is all i can remember, many thanks

CAM, Bill Frog to the Rescue, 1951.  Solved for the same person on another forum, who verified it there.  Summary:  "When Bill Frog takes medicine to Father Christmas, it ends in the most splendid of Christmas parties."



S470: Survival Story - Jungle
Solved: The Survival of Jan Little


S471: Surprise party for a pig
Solved:  The Party Pig


S472: Sorcerer enslaves children with red globe
1940'2-50'2.  I read this book in 2nd or 3rd grade. I found it terrifying, and fascinating, and throughout life I longed to see it again.  It was not a picture book, but more like an advanced children's book or juvenile literature. I believe it was around 100 pages long, with some illustrations. The edition I read had a green library binding, and was about 10-12 by14-16 inches (not small.)  The gist of the story is that children are attracted to a shining red marble or light, which lures them to a prison camp where an evil sorcerer keeps them under his thrall. In the end the hero--a boy of 12 (?) tricks the sorcerer, frees the other children, and comes in possession of the magic shining marble, which ends up being harmless glass.

James Wallerstein, Tommy and Julie.  Check out Stumper L193.  I think you're describing the same book.



S473: Short story collection
Short story collection (sci-fi or fantasy), 1 story is about an old man who reveals a couple will birth baby new year

S474: sweet valley twins switch identities
my sister in law won a contest to have her story idea made into a book. she remembers they switched identities in it... with a twist that we can't remember! she thinks she saw it once and on the cover one or both of the twins were wearing yellow rugby jumpers or sweaters. thanks!

Michael J. Pellowski, Double Trouble. (1994)  Maybe a long-shot, but your description of the cover sounded like a book that I used to own when I was a kid, about two twins named Randi and Sandi Daniels. Randi is tomboy soccer-player and Sandi is quite the opposite, but they switch identities at one point in the book, and Sandi has to go play soccer instead of Randi because everyone thinks that she's her. That's all I can remember.  I'm sure that my copy was red, and the two girls were on the cover, the one wearing a pretty sweater and the other in a soccer uniform that I could have sworn was yellow, but I don't really remember and I don't have the book to check. I call it a long-shot because I discovered when I was looking it up that it's apparently the first book in an entire series about the twins.  But I thought I'd mention it anyway.
Pascal, Francine, Sweet Valley Twins #28 - April Fools!.  This may not be the right book, but it sounds kind of like it. In this one, Elizabeth and Jessica - who normally switch identities for April Fools Day -- decide instead to not switch but pretend that they have. Everybody believes that they've switched and Elizabeth ends up having a horrible day because of it. In the end, it turns out that everyone knew that they hadn't switched and it was really just an April Fools joke on Elizabeth.
The Sweet Valley Twins books aren't in print anymore, but I've seen used copies of this one. .I hope this helps!!



S475: Star sticker
I don't remember the title or author, but it was a children's book, probably from the 60's, about a boy who received a star sticker from his teacher.  The star was placed on his forehead, and he was so proud of it that he wouldn't wash his face for fear that the star would come off.  His face got dirtier and dirtier until somehow the sticker fell off or was removed, and then there was a white star shaped spot on his forehead where the sticker had been, surrounded by the dirty skin.

unknown, Weekly Reader, 1965 or 1966.  I remember reading this story when I was in 1st or 2nd grade.  I recall that it was in a Weekly Reader magazine.  The young boy won the gold star because he had been able to count to 100, had been able to say the alphabet from A to Z, and had been able to name the seven basic colors.  I hope this helps to narrow the search a little bit.


S476: School teacher
School teacher voice only. A book I think I read 15 or so years ago where the only voice you "hear" is the school teacher. very young children, maybe nursery school to early primary. Only written in the teacher's voice - i.e. a one sided conversation eg "sally put pebbles back in his cage" "yes I know it's cold today but pebbles has a warm fur coat hasn't he and doesn't need to be down your shirt" "no not even if you're very careful"...Various chapters with things they got up to at school.

Joyce Grenfell, Geroge, don't do that... 1970s.  sounds like a book of nursery school monologues by Joyce Grenfell, very popular English author and comedienne, approx 1960/70 but reprinted and still available I think.



S477: Stolen Talisman
Solved: The Stolen Telesm


S478: Stranded
I read a book in the the late 70's.I don't remember the title or author! The story was about a girl sranded on an island/jungle?,from a plane crash or sinking ship? I'm thinking she may have been pregnant,but not sure!? On the cover shows a girl(like a painting picture)that is looking over her shoulder,her clothes are tattered,& there is a jungle scene behind her? Help!

Might be a long shot, but could it be BABY ISLAND by Carol Ryrie Brink, 1937,1965, 1993. Two young sisters are stranded on an island with a bunch of babies after their ship goes down ~from a librarian
Scott O'Dell, Island of the Blue Dolphins, 1961.  I don't know if this is it or not, but a girl stranded on an island, who looks after a child for a while, does remind me of "Island of the Blue Dolphins".
Scott O'Dell, Island of the Blue Dolphins.  I'm not sure if your book is Island of the Blue Dolphins, but if it is not, you might be interested in it in addition to your own book as it is also about being stranded on a desert island. Another good book is The Blue Lagoon by H. DeVere Stacpoole, which is available in online texts (don't judge it by the Brooke Shields film).
Scott O'Dell, Island of the Blue Dolphin, 1961.  Could this be it? 1961 was the original publish date, but it won an award in 1976, so the date you recall reading the book fits. Here is the description: "Scott O'Dell won the Newbery Medal for Island of the Blue Dolphins in 1961, and in 1976 the Children's Literature Association named this riveting story one of the 10 best American children's books of the past 200 years. O'Dell was inspired by the real-life story of a 12-year-old American Indian girl, Karana. The author based his book on the life of this remarkable young woman who, during the evacuation of Ghalas-at (an island off the coast of California), jumped ship to stay with her young brother who had been abandoned on the island. He died shortly thereafter, and Karana fended for herself on the island for 18 years."
I'll check these books out, Thanks!!! The Blue Dolphin could be it,although the cover could have changed! Thanks again for your help!



S479: Summer
I'm looking for a teenage romance that was probably published in the late 70's or early 80's.  It was about a girl that lived near a university in Arizona (Arizona State?) and worked in a drugstore.  She thought she was in love with one guy, but ended up really being in love with his cousin.  She had to do a "jungle animal" window display in the drugstore and the cousin got her astroturf to use.  There was also a teddy bear that had a single tear or something like that.  I think it had "summer" in the title.  Any clues?

S480: squirrel picture book
1950-1965 I remember it from the late 50's or early 60's anyway.  This was a picture book type book, as I remember. What stands out are the beautiful water color type illustrations, but they seemed realistic. It was a tall book and thin, with I think a brownish/rusty red, kind of textured cover. I'm afraid I don't remember the story but more the pictures. One page had the squirrel having taken or found a large round cookie and is taking or has taken a bite out of it.  On what might be the last page is a picture of the squirrel all curled up asleep, perhaps as if hibernating.  There is the off chance that the story is actually about a chipmunk, instead of a squirrel but I seem to remember a larger tail. Thank you.

Walt Disney's Perri, 1957.  A Big Golden Book. It has a squirrel on the cover with an autumn setting and green background. It's about a squirrel named Perri growing up. My copy is physically damaged by me or my 4 siblings, but the pictures are still beautiful.
Miriam Young, Miss Suzy, 1964.  Parents' Magazine Press.  It's about 10"h x 7"w, with a school-bus yellow cover picturing a squirrel and 2 soldiers. It's about a gray squirrel who was run out of her happy home in a tree and found her way into the attic of a nearby house. She makes her home in a dollhouse and befriends / mothers a box of toy soldiers. Eventually, they march on her old home and oust the interlopers.



S481: Susan, Imaginary Friend, color blue
It was written in the late 1980's.  It's about a little girl who loves the color blue.  She has everything blue and only plays with blue toys.  There are no other little girls to play with so she has an inmaginary friend named susan.  Then, one day, another little girl moves in and her name really is susan!  She loves the color pink (or red) and they become fast friends.  Soon, they both love the color blue and pink/red.  The book is in blue until the girl meets susan, then it is in blue and pink/red.  Thank you in advance!  I haven't found this book for years and I would love to be able to read it to my children!  I hope someone can help me out!

S482: Shack/house
Solved: Why I Built the Boogle House


S483: Secret Window
i read this book in the early 90's. i think it may have been young adult...not a children's book.  i'm really not sure. however, it involves a young girl who lives in maybe the victorian era and there is either a room or a wall or a secret window of some kind in her home. i believe she can either go through it or she sees through it the life of another little girl living in the same house, only years earlier. there may have been an evil twist to the end...not really sure.

Eileen Dunlop, Elizabeth Elizabeth, (1977). I do believe this is what you are looking for! A sulky young girl, spending the summer with her historian aunt in a 200 yr. old Scottish manse, finds that she inadvertently time-travels into the life of the daughter of the original owners of the mansion. Yes, there's a twist or two at the end. Great read--I re-read it this year at Halloween.
Pam Conrad, Stonewords. I actually posted this stumper and figured it out by browsing solved mysteries...thanks!
Pamela Sykes, Mirror of Danger, 1973. Lucy, an orphan raised by her eccentric aunt, is sent to live in London (?) with another aunt/uncle and cousins when her aunt dies. Raised to appreciate the past, she has a hard time connecting with the modern familly. Seeking escape, she spends time in the attic of house and discovers she can escape into an alternate Victorian world and befriends a girl named Alice about her age. Things get scary when Alice wants her to stay in the past.
Pam Conrad, Stonewords. The book described could be Stonewords by Pam Conrad.  It's about a girl who goes to live in an old house...in England, possibly, who meets another girl who is actually a ghost(?).  There is also a time travel element to the story.  Darn it, it's been so long since I read the book I'm not sure I remember enough to help the poster figure out if this is, but it popped into my head when I read the stumper.
Janet Lunn, Double Spell or Twin Spell? There's a part in it where one of the heroines looks out a window at the past.
Zilpha Keatley Snyder, Spyhole Secrets, 2001, approximately.  There is an outside chance this could be "Spyhole Secrets" by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. The book takes place entirely in modern times, but Hallie (the one doing the spying) imagines the young woman she's spying on as a fairytale princess, in fact identifies her with Rapunzel. There is a subplot about the history of the house and its possibly being haunted and so forth. Good luck!



S484: Secret Room
i read this book in the early 90's. it was a young adult novel... it involves a girl coming upon a secret room where once she enters, time passes extremely fast on the outside of the room. she may have been posted as missing by her family when she was in the room. there may have been a romantic twist with the girl and her sister's boyfriend. It's possible that time was suspended in the outside world, come to think of it. i seem to remember the girl/boy bettering themselves, such as working out, and perhaps hair growing out rather long, so when he/she emerged from the secret room, the people in the real world, friends and such, were surprised at how different the person looked- because only a day had passed on the outside while inside the room, it had been months or maybe even a year. oooooooh i WISH i could figure this OUT!!!

William Sleator, Singularity, 1985. Are you sure it was a girl and not a boy?  In Singularity, twin brothers who are very competitive discover some kind of hut in their backyard that causes time to move differently.  The younger twin goes in and spends approximately a year there, while only a day passes for his brother.  He comes out looking older and it changes their whole relationship.  There may have been a girl in the story as a friend or who the twins competed over.  Good luck!



S485: Scary Stories
I believe the book to be from the penguin children's collection (not too sure though) it a small thin hard back book with a picture of a boggart sitting in a tree at night. The book is a collection of short 'scary' stories for children and is illustrated. One story is about an old woman that turns into a hare at night, another about a boggart who terrorises a household and another about a nurse who has a very large dog who later dies, but comes back to protect her in ghost form. This is probably as much as I can remember. I'm cannot recall the name of the book or confirm the publisher, but it may be penguin books.

Littledale, Freya, comp., Ghosts and Spirits of Many Lands.  Doubleday, 1970.  This is the only book I could find with the Boggart short story. "contents -- The return of the land-otter, by Mrs. A. Lang.--The book of magic, by J. T. Naaké.--The boy who drew cats, by L. Hearn.--The boggart, by T. Keightley.--The eternal wanderer of the pampas, by M. A. Jagendorf and R. S. Boggs.--Yi Chang and the haunted house, by E. M. Jewett.--The horned women, by Lady Wilde.--Musakalala, the talking skull, by P. Savory.--A dead secret, by L. Hearn.--How the ghost got in, by E. S. Hartland.--The mysterious path, by P'\''u Sung-ling.--The rain-lady and the ghost, by A. de Leeuw.--The two friends, by A. N. Afanas'\''yev.--The lutin in the barn, by N. S. Carlson.--The boy in the land of shadows, by C. Macmillan.--The King o'\'' the Cats, by J. Jacobs.--The strange ship of Captain Fokke, by M. A. Lawson.--Blood on his forehead, by V. Randolph.--Sandy MacNeil and his dog, by S. N. Leodhas.--A ghost at the door, by J. Balys.--The woman of the snow, by L. Hearn."
Joan Aiken has written several 'horror' collections for children. This sounds like one of hers. Some of her books were published by Puffin (could be mistaken for Penguin). Try A Foot in the Grave or A Touch of Chill.
13 Ghostly Tales by Freya Littledale, 1950s. Partial contents: Wait Till Martin Comes,The Thing at the Foot of the Bed, The Golden Arm, TheRailroad Ghost, The Trunk in the Attic, The Ghost with One Sock, etc. One story is a Scottish one about a doctor's house plagued with "bogles." There is a ghost dog story too. The best one is The Railroad Ghost, a "true" story involving the saving the life of Queen Victoria! (I wonder about that one because when I emailed London's Museum of Natural History, they said they did not have that exhibit - though the story claims they did - and gave no indication they'd ever had it.) See here for that story, modified: http://www.lutheranhour.org/stories/noaccident.htm
Freya Littledale, 13 Ghostly Tales, 1950s.Partial contents: Wait Till Martin Comes, The Thing at the Foot of the Bed, The Golden Arm, The Railroad Ghost, The Trunk in the Attic, The Ghost with One Sock, etc. One story is a Scottish one about a doctor's house plagued with "bogles." There is a ghost dog story too. The best one is The Railroad Ghost, a "true" story involving the saving the life of Queen Victoria! (I wonder about that one because when I emailed London's Museum of Natural History, they said they did not have that exhibit - though the story claims they did - and gave no indication they'd ever had it.) See here for that story, modified: http://www.lutheranhour.org/stories/noaccident.htm
Ghostly Tales, 1987.  This was a ladybird book, that I was searching for for ages, and then found it in our shed.  I always loved The Doctors Dog.



S486: Siblings' summer of secrets
Solved: Spiderweb for Two

2007


S487: Soulful eyed-boy
When I was a child I was given a book with beautiful illustrations (possibly a Little Golden Book, but not sure).  The book featured a very small boy, with huge soulful eyes, beautifully illustrated.  I remember one picture of him at a shallow wading pool.  He then climbed to the top of the monkey bars - I think the illustration showed him with a pensive look on his face, and I recall him saying to himself, "it was kind of nice up there for awhile".  I would love to find a copy of this book.  Can anyone help?

McCaw, Mabel, God's Way 1961.  This is possibly the book you are looking for.It is a Whitman Top Top Tale, similar to a Little Golden book. The last page is a close-up of the little boy's face, with big, beautiful eyes.


S488: Supernatural stories
The book I am looking for is 1950-1970s because it was reprinted, maybe '80s.  It was paperback, it had an eyeball on the first cover, the second cover had a lightbulb levitating above two hands.  All I can remember about it is that it had several short supernatural and horror stories in it.  Argh, I know that's not a lot to go on...  :0)  Any help would be greatly appreciated...  Thank you!!

I believe the compilation was calledStrangely Enough.  That also had an eyeball on the cover and was a collection of supernatural horror stories.
C.B. Colby, The Weirdest People in the World, 1973, approximately.  If the companion is Strangely Enough, the one you're looking for is The Weirdest People in the World.  Some of the stories were reprinted in the late 80s as The World's Strangest "True" Ghost Stories.
Colby, C. B., Strangely enough!, c 1959, '63, '66, '72.  The original 1958 Sterling hardcover ed. had the tops of alien heads/skulls? coming over the tops of yellow, orange and purple sand dunes? with footprints and a radio tower in the background.  The 1963 abriged Scholastic paperback has the lightbulb levitating over  hands and water.  It looks like about 10 stories were dropped from the original '59 ed., though they both have over 90 stories.  I don't have the '66 or '72 eds. so I don' know if they have an eyeball on the cover.  Some of the titles are:  The Light in the Window, The lady on the Highway, The Seabird, Witchs Revenge, Daniel Abbott, Battle of the Cheeses, "Lavender", Cigar in the Sky, Yonkers Saucer, Ghosts That Followed a Ship, etc.



S489: Summer Jewish family compound
A Jewish father buys property to have a compound for his family for the summer.  Siblings share homes as he assigns.  In later years people don't go. Read as a paperback in the late 70s


S490: Seashore, Fear of Water, Rare Shell
1940-55.  This story is about a girl and boy who visit the seashore.  An older man teaches them much about sea life, shells, etc.  The seashell was round and yellow, or golden, color.  They capture a seahorse and make a litle aquarium for it.  The boy is afraid of the water and waves.  At the end of the story, it is the last morning before they are to go back home.  The boy goes out very early to walk along the seashore, he sees the rare shell, overcomes his fear and runs in and gets it.  Nice colored pictures, maybe a little larger-sized book, short title....I have been looking for this book for years.

Robb White, The Lion's Paw. I had to do a book report on this book in eighth grade. I especially remember the part about finding the special shell on the last day.
Harriett, the solution posted to my request # S490 Seashore, Fear of Water, Rare Shell is not correct...I thought at first it might be, but i looked up the book by Robb White and it is more of a story or novel. The book I am searching for was definitely a picture book with many colored illustrations. But the shell still might have been the lion's paw..or a moon shell..I just remember it was yellow and the old man said it was special. Also I read this book in the early 50s.
We'll keep trying!


S491: Supernatural Friends
Solved: In a Blue Velvet Dress


S492: SCI FI CHILDREN'S BOOK
Solved: Collidescope


S493: souls kept in jars
I believe title is one word -- the name of the frog-like creature who stole souls and kept them in jars, from the early 1970's.  This was a picutre book that I used to take out from the library.  It had to do with a frog-like creature who stole souls and kept them in his underwater cave in jars.  I remember the pictures being really vivid, using lots of blues and greens.

S494: siblings
Solved: The Ghost's of Austwick Manor


S495: Sears & Roebucks
Solved: Black Penny


S496: Star
Solved: Betsy's Little Star


S497: Snowstorm rescue
Solved: Snowbound in Hidden Valley


S498: seven bridges mystery
Solved: The Mystery of the Witches Bridge


S499: stolen statue
Solved: Mystery of the Emerald Buddha


S500: sophomore year
Sophomore Year, 1960s. I don't remember the author, but the story is about a girl and what happens all through her sophomore year in high school and  the previous summer. Please help.  The same author had one book listed for each year of high school.

Candice F. Ransom, Fifteen At Last,1990.Sounds like the Kobie Roberts series. There are books about her and her best friend, Gretchen, from the ages of 10 to 15.
Candice F. Ransom, Fifteen At Last,1990s.The stories take place in the 1960s, but the books were written in the early 1990s. Kobie and Gretchen live in Virginia and have to deal with school, boys, and new friends at school.
I believe the book in question is Anne Emery's Dinny Gordon, Sophomore.  I believe Emery also wrote books about Dinny Gordon's other three years in high school.
Anne Emery, Dinny Gordon, Sophomore,1961.If not, there are many a dozen or so earlier series books on the same <girl's name> freshman/sophomore/junior/senior year pattern, in case requestor might have encountered a sixties-era reprint etc. To see a longer list, go here and use your browser's "find" command to look for occurences of the word:  sophomore


S501: sock puppet
SOLVED: Betsy Byers, Clementine.


S502: Scottish Boy in American Colonies
Solved: Piper to the Clan


S503: San Jose, new start, family
1969, childrens. Teen brother and sister move back to their dad's hometown of San Jose, California for a new start. Dad has never been a "success." They move into a Victorian house or start to restore one. The young teen girl, Tess? Theresa? is the main character. Her brother is Tom? There is a mystery and dad (Garth?) is revealed to someone else in a stunning scene, maybe a severe storm. There is a link to the past with the modern characters as reincarnations of an earlier generation.

I remember this book also. In fact I was thinking I would do a book stumper myself, but I wasn't sure I really remembered enough. Unfortunately, I don't remember the title.   I think it turns out that the Dad is a long-lost son or relation to a wealthy family. I'm pretty sure there is a storm, it is definitely in California, and I think the family may be Hispanic, which I remember being unusual  (for a girl reading in New Jersey back in the 1970's.) I think the Dad - Garth - I remember that name - is the handyman or caretaker of the mansion.  It is one of my favorite books - I am noticing that I really liked the books with a time-travel theme, or hidden identity.  I'm pretty sure the girl's name is Tess, also.  Good luck!  I'd like to know, too.
Snyder, velvet room. not the velvet room? It doesnt match all your details-- its Santa Luisa not San jose, the main character isnt teresa but another character is, and another character is theda. this is a well known book so its probably not right, but your description sounded alot like it.
Yes, the first poster recalls more details than I did. I'm glad someone else recalls the book too.  Now, if someone could just remember the title.  It is not The Velvet Room but that one sounds really interesting...I loved The Egypt Game!



S504: scarred, boy with cleft lip/palate, brother
Solved: Scarred


S505: stupid beauty queen
Solved: Representing Super Doll


S506: short stories on inventions
INVENTIONS:  My Great-Grandmother gave me a book when I was a young boy (1975 or so), it has various short stories in it but they all seemed to deal with inventions.  Three stories that I can recall are:  1: Bicycle Story, it was called a bone-crusher or a boneshaker.  I want to say that the Bicycle was wooden  2: A Short Story on Telephones and the phone was called a "newfangled gadget, or something similar.  I think the phone was at a neighbors house or somewhere outside of the house. I think they did not like Telephones in this story.  3: A boy's trip to a fair or Exposition to see a Large Engine, it may have been some form of Steam Engine or something. I remember they described the engine as being very large.  4:  I also remember something about a Large ball of string or twine, but that may have been another book, and I may have the two books confused.  Seems fairly specific, but I have had no luck using the search engines.  Any help would be most appreciated.

Caroline Dale Emerson, Father's Big Improvements, 1936. If it was more of a novel than a book of short stories, this could be what you want--it's about the Marshall family (Jimmie, Nan and their parents) and all the new inventions that come into their lives around the turn of the century.



S507: Stubborn young beaver turns into a bulldozer
Hello! This is a picture book, perhaps watercolor. The protagonist is a young beaver  (I'm pretty sure) who is really good at knocking down trees. One day he comes across a huge tree that he can't cut down. He becomes obsessed and spends his life trying to cut/gnaw the tree down. Over the years he gradually transforms into a large yellow bulldozer(?) which finally knocks over the tree. This kills the beaver/bulldozer in the process. The book ends with the bulldozer gradually rusting and falling apart next to the stump, while a new sapling springs up where the old tree was! Kind of a weird story. I am 32, and read this book as a child. For this book I've searched on-and-off for years. If you can help, you are a miracle worker! Thanks a lot.

Guy Buffet, Robert B. Goodman, Robert A. Spicer, The secret of Beaver Valley, 1974.


S508: science adventures of two boys
Solved: Danny Dunnseries

S509: siblings sent to fetch pail
The book I'm unable to remember was one I read in 1992-93. It was a picture book which concerned a pair if young siblings, a boy and a girl, who were sent into the dead of night by a parent to cross a rural country road and bring home either a pail of oil or milk. I can't remember which. The story was all about them being afraid of the dark while being sent on this errand. I do remember a couple key images. One picture was from the children's perspective, looking up to see the tall branches of an autumn tree against a dark sky. Another was at the end of their journey when they reached a man in a barn who had the oil/milk, and he was pouring it into the pail for them. The only light in the picture was a candle-lit lantern. I believe the man was elderly and had a pipe in his mouth. The children then returned with the pail to their house. It would mean a lot to me if you could help me remember what book this was!

Bill Martin and John Archimbault, Ghost-Eye Tree. This sounds like Ghost-Eye Tree, with double-page spreads by Ted Rand.  The boy and his sister go for a pail of milk, having to pass the ghost-eye tree (illustrated so the moon shines through its branches like an eye).  On the way back, he loses his favorite hat and has to double back for it.  Excerpt from the book:  "Oooo... I dreaded to go... I dreaded the tree... Why does Mama always choose me when the night is so dark and the mind runs free?"



S510: Silver dollar pancakes
late 80s, I read this book when I was around 7-10 years old (1988-1991) when my family was stationed in Okinawa, Japan. I would rent it frequently from the base library. It was a story that took place in the early part of the 1900s and was about a father and his two daughers who had fallen on hard times and were travelling in their car to live with family when it breaks down. It's the middle of a snowstorm and they try to find shelter and discover a house. They decide to enter the house and stay the night only to end up waiting out the entire winter there. Apparently the dad was awesome at making "silver dollar" pancakes. I remember it ending with one of the daughers being very sad to leave the places where their hardships had temporarily been lifted. Please help!! It's been bothering me for years!!

I think this may be one of Carol Ryrie Brink's stories.  It may be Winter Cottage, which was published in the 60s.  If it's not though, you might want to check some of her other titles.
Carol Ryrie Brink, Winter Cottage, 1968. This book is definitely Winter Cottage by Carol Ryrie Brinks.  The Sparks family, Pops, Minty (short for Araminta), and another daughter whose name I can't remember(Eggs for Eglantine?), break down in their car and stay for the winter in an empty summer cottage.  Pops is renowned for his pancakes.



S511: Syrius the dog star
Solved: Dogsbody


S512: Siblings stranded on island
Solved: Two on an Island


S513: Shy pony takes dancing lessons
Solved: Hucklebones


S514: Skinny people biting creature, can only be seen from front
Solved: The Wana-games-ak


S515: Shoes, dancing, sore feet
Solved: The Red Shoes


S516: Sally, summer on ranch
My request is for a young adult romantic book that I read in the mid-1960's about a girl named Sally and her summer on a ranch.  I thought the book was called Sally on a Fence, the book I found with that name, written by Clarice Pont, is  not the same book.

Betty Cavanna, Spurs for Suzanna, 1947. Could this be the book?  Although a 1947 novel, this was published by Scholastic as a paperback in the Sixties too.  Suzanna, 15, is dreading the prospect of a summer living in a quiet house in Philadelphia without her friends,  her mother at work and her father recuperating from TB at a hospital.  She loves horses and longs to leave the city.  When she's invited to stay at a working farm (with horses) for a while, she's thrilled.  Living there among a busy family of six,  Suzanna learns to take responsibility for herself and appreciate her own lifestyle.
I was able to look at Spurs for Suzanna at the library and it isn't the book I'm looking for. Mine was a more contemporary story and when I got the book around 1964 or 1965, it was a new hard cover. For some reason the title Sally on the Fence is what has stuck with me all these years but that book by Clarice Pont is not the same book. If you have any other suggestions, I'd appreciate it. Thank you
Agatha Mayer, The Secret of the Dark Stranger, 1963. A long shot, but maybe:  "A Western holiday holds many startling surprises for the Stuart girls."  Part of the Sally and Sue Mystery Series
Elizabeth Hall, Phoebe Snow, 1968. A story about Lucy Snow’s great adventure in 1904, when she dresses like the girl in a railroad advertising poster to get a free ride to the St. Louis Exposition.



S517: science-fiction humans tricked into war w/themselves by govt
I have to find this book!! a paperback i read in the 1970's, the cover was a helmet of a spacesuit reflecting another person in a spacesuit staring back at the first one.  he plot was about a soldier in a space war where everyone wore similar spacesuits and you could only tell who the enemies were by the coded symbols on the spacesuits, there were never prisoners because the spacesuits would explode when hit.  the main character finds out in the course of the book, that THERE ARE NO ENEMIES, that the government is tricking its citizens into fighting each other to control overpopulation and keep down civil unrest on its member worlds. with everyone on a war footing, no one complains about the economy,etc.. the hero is left to figure out what to do about the biggest govt con in history.
i dont remeber the author or title, but i can SEE the cover in my mind. HELP!!!

Mirror in the sky



S518: Spider needs a halloween costume
Solved:  How Spider Saved Halloween


S519: Siblings flee abusive uncle
Solved: Flight of the Doves


S520: Sugar glider in tree with other night animals
Solved: Mystery in the Night Woods


S521: Secret hideaway for two girls
Solved: The Secret Language

S522: Statue comes to life, New York City
I think I read this book in the 1970s. It was a novel about a kid who traveled about New York City at night (?) with some statues, or at least one statue, that had come to life. For some reason, I think the statue, or one of them, might have been one of the New York Public Library lions. A wonderful book, but I can't remember the title or the author.

Georgess McHargue, Stoneflight, 1975. You could be looking for Stoneflight.  A girl named Janie uses something (a magic amulet, maybe?) to bring to life to stone animals in her apartment building in New York City...eventually, I think that spreads to other stone animals around the city.  Part of the story is that the animals eventually want to turn her to stone, and she seriously considers it to escape her parents' arguing.
EL Konigsburg, From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. Could this be From the Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler?
Georgess McHargue, Stoneflight, 1975. From the CIP summary: "Janie uses her power to put life in the stone animals that ornament New York buildings to escape her parents' quarreling, but when the animals start to turn her into stone she learns that having feelings is the price of remaining human."  I think she does "wake up" one or both of the Library Lions.'



S523: Sub Rosa Club
I am looking for a book that was probably published late 40s or 50s, illustrator NM Bodecker i think.  don't have author or title.
subject:  a girl growing up in georgia (? somewhere in the south, anyway) enlists the help of her best friend and a cousin (?) to form sub rosa club and look for a neighbor's long-lost love named felicity.  includes references to artwork (the 3 graces) and a trip to florence, italy.

Commager, Evans, Cousins. Illustrated by L. M. Bodecker. Set in the south, about two cousins, who search for Felicity -- a real person.



S524: Secret Panel
Secret panel in old mansion in c. 1975 paperback.  Greenish cover with old (French Empire?) mansion.  The author of the book was a woman.  Paperback with small mass-market dimensions, probably published by Scholastic.  It seems like there are zillions of books with greenish covers and old French Empire mansions and woman authors, but this had a SECRET PANEL.  A secret panel in, I think, the library, natch.  There's a whole big, exciting search for something that MUST BE FOUND that will answer all questions (or provide deeds or proof of ownership to save the mansion from sale?) and has been secreted in its secret hiding place in the old mansion.  It was a ripping yarn.

Lattimore, Eleanor Frances, The Youngest Artist, 1959. I'm avoiding the obvious--the Nancy Drew novel The Hidden Staircase.  My first suggestion is The Youngest Artist, in which a little girl accidentally discovers a secret staircase off of her bedroom of the family's old house in Charleston.  The family eventually decides to lead tourists through the house and include the staircase in the tours.  I think that one of the Trixie Belden novels, perhaps The Gatehouse Mystery or The Secret of the Mansion, also has a hidden staircase.  A third suggestion is, of all things, the second Partridge Family novelization, called The Haunted Hall, by Michael Avallone, from 1970, and that also includes a secret room.
Judd, Frances, Mansion of Secrets. A Kay Tracey Mystery.  Abandoned house is filled with secret rooms and passages.
Brent Locke, Mystery of the Hidden Cat, 1957. I've never seen this in paperback, but this sounds like Mystery of the Hidden Cat, by Brent Locke, illus by Jacqueline Tomes.  Priscilla and Jane make friends with Vicky, who moves into their favorite haunted house.  "Spurred on by the near bankruptcy of Vicky's father and the competitive efforts of a dishonest broker to find the treasure first, the girls search night and day exploring every cranny of the house until the "treasure" reveals itself where they least expect to find it."  (Locke is a woman).  There are several secret panels and passageways.
Carolyn Keene, The physical description of the book doesn't match, but this sounds like an early Nancy Drew mystery.
Morrison, Lucille Curt, Mystery of Shadow Walk.This is a possibility: Victorian house, missing papers, secret panel leading to a tunnel, found by a group of girls during some kind of party - slumber party? Serialized in the magazine Calling All Girls.
Kathryn Kenny, Trixie Belden and the Mystery of the Emeralds, 1975. After stumbling across some items in their attic that was part of the Underground Railroad, Trixie Belden and the Bob Whites of the Glen follow the trail from New York to Virginia, where they befriend an older wheelchair-bound man, find a hidden panel in the music room of his old mansion, and then -in a secret tunnel that ran between his mansion and a neighboring mansion- find a hidden emerald necklace that was an old family heirloom.  They find it just before the evil man who bought the neighboring mansion busts through the rubble on his side of the tunnel.  The disabled man uses the necklace to pay for an operation so he can walk again.  The hardback version of the book that came out in the 1970s is lovingly referred to as to a short and ugly it has an old mausoleum on front.  The paperback (beige oval) that came out in the 70s has an oval on the front that is all in shades of green depicting Trix, Honey, and another BWG opening the panel in the music room.  This was #14 in the series.
Elizabeth Marie Pope, The Sherwood Ring, 1958. I have no idea what a 70s edition of this book might have looked like but it has both the mansion and the panel and I thought it was worth a shot.  Orphaned Peggy Grahame is sent to live at the family estate, "Rest-and-be-Thankful".  Her eccentric historian Uncle leaves her alone but forbids her to see a young historian, Pat, that she has met in the neighborhood.  Four family ghosts from the Revolutionary war tell her their story, which is indeed a very "good yarn".  At the end of the book her Uncle has a nervous breakdown.  Peggy and Pat figure out that he has obtained an entire set of diaries and letters from one of Pat's ancestors, who is one of the four ghosts that Peggy has seen.  He has been consumed with guilt about them because they contain valuable historical information but he shouldn't really have them.   He has hidden them in a "treasure room" off his library/study.  Pat and Peggy find the right carving to push to open the secret panel and find the papers setting everything right.  It doesn't exactly save the mansion but it certainly is critical to the end of the book.
Zilpha Keatley Snyder, The Velvet Room. The family isn't living in the home, but are migrant workers living nearby.  One of the girls in the large family finds a secret panel that takes her from an outside shed into the library inside the house. She reads many of the books, and I think finds the deed to the house.  It ends up with the family settling down, and the house restored. I can't recall if the family ends up living in the house, or just nearby. The paperback cover was purple, with a line drawing of a girl sitting in the windowseat of a large mansion.
Nina Bawden, The Secret Passage, 1963. With all the other guesses that are coming in on this one, I may as well send this one along, because if it isn't the book you're looking for, I think you may like it. There is someone on Blogger called chill77 who (in the spirit of the amazon.com previews) has reprinted the first two chapters so you can get a taste for what it's like. John, Mary and Ben have lived in Africa all their lives but then their mom dies and their father has a nervous breakdown and sends them to live with crotchety old Aunt Mabel in London. There is indeed a secret passage, a mysterious old lady, strange treasures, and questions about the ownership of the home. Bawden has written a number of marvellous books, many of which are mysteries, and I would particularly recommend The Witch's Daughter if you haven't read it already.
Maybe Wylly Folk St. John's Mystery of the Seven Crows??
I'm sorry, but none of these are it.  If the book was Nancy Drew or Trixie Belden, I would know.  The book has no ghosts, no connection to the Underground Railroad, no male author, nobody in England, no secret rooms, no secret passages, no secret tunnels, etc. There is a library and there is a secret panel behind which there is a stash of papers.  It's like a false back or a bit of panelling that lifts up.  The book was a Scholastic book, it just was, and if anybody thinks of the book there will be mid-1970s paperbacks floating all over eBay or someplace.  There is an Empire mansion on the front, right in the center of the cover.  Searching eBay before I placed this want, I thought the book might be "Mystery of the Green Cat" by Phyllis A. Whitney, but it was not.  Very similar cover, though.
John Bellairs, The Mystery of Alpheus Winterborn, 1978.  Maybe a long shot but it is about a treasure hidden in a library.  The is also a paper with a clue hidden behind a mirror.  The original edition cover had a picture of a mansion/library on it.
Carolyn Keene, The Hidden Staircase, 1930, 1959.I know you don't think it's a Nancy Drew book, but I think it is. In The Hidden Staircase, there's a secret panel in an old mansion (the open panel is shown on the cover of the version I have), and Nancy must find it in order to nab crooks who want to scare two sweet old women into leaving their home/selling it cheap. There are many covers because the book had several printings (as did all Nancy Drews).

Enid Blyton, Famous Five, This sounds to me rather similar to one or other, or several or Enid Blyton's Famous Five stories.

S525: Smoky Mountain Cave
Solved: The Forgotten Door


S526: Secret Cottage
Solved: Mandy


S527: Single Father
The book I am looking for takes place in the early 1900s. It is about a single father and two pre-teen girls. The father is a college professor in a small, university town. There were several books, one where he later marries again. I remember reading this as a pre-teen and can't remember what they are!

Alberta Wilson Constant, Those Miller Girls. Those Miller Girls, Does Anybody Care About Lou Emma Miller, and the Motoring Millers by Alberta Wilson Constant are about two sisters whose father teaches at a small college in Kansas.  He remarries the town milliner, Miss Kate, and they have a son, Barney.
Alberta Wilson Constant, Those Miller Girls. This is probably Those Miller Girls! by Alberta Wilson Constant.  Lou Emma and Maddy accompany their father in their beautiful new Great Smith automobile to Gloriosa, Kansas, where he is to be a professor at the Eastern Kansas Classical College.  The two sequels are The Motoring Millers and Does Anybody Care About Lou Emma Miller?  The first two are illustrated by Beth and Joe Krush.



S528: Sisters in London, spilling tea on a dress, series
I read this book in the mid 70's. I think it was a series about a family in london maybe? All sisters, maybe five of them and they were very poor.
They wore itchy wool stockings in the winter and saved money to ge to sweet shop and get chocolate babies and crackers and they would eat them in bed after bedtime. One stoty line involved a sister borrowing anothers sisters white dress without permission to wear to a party and tea got spilled on the white dress. In order to make the stain not noticable, she and her friends "dyed" the white dress in tea to make it the same color as the stain.

Sydney Taylor, All -of -a -Kind Family and All-of-a-Kind Family Uptown, 1951 and 1958. Not set in London, these books take place in pre-WW1's Lower East Side.  In the first of the beloved 5-book series, the five Jewish sisters wear itchy woolen stockings and starched pinafores.  One day, the two youngest girls, Charlotte and Gertie, go to the candy store and buy chocolate babies (plus "broken crackers" from the grocer) for a bedtime under-the-covers feast. In the third book, mischievous Henny borrows her older sister Ella's white party dress without telling her and spills iced tea on it.  To hide the stains, she dyes the dress in more tea.
Sydney Taylor, All-of-a-Kind Family. Not London, but New York. This is a series of books, and the story about the tea stain appears in one of the later books.
Sydney Taylor, All-of-a-Kind Family. This matches at least part of the description of what you are looking for although, it is about a Jewish family (five sisters and one brother) in New York during the early 1900's. I do remember specifially the chocolate babies and cracker scene from one of the books in this series.
See http://loganberrybooks.com/most-taylor.html for more details.
Sydney Taylor, All-of-a-Kind Family. The story of five sisters from a Jewish immigrant family, living on the Lower East Side of New York, in the early 1900s. The girls' names are: Ella, Henny, Sarah, Charlotte, and Gertie.  Baby brother Charlie comes along later in the series.  Another thing you might remember: to encourage the girls to clean/dust thoroughly, Mama would occasionally hide buttons and/or a penny, to be kept by the girl who found them while cleaning.
Sydney Taylor, All-of-a-Kind Family Uptown. I just finished reading this book, so I know it's the one with the tea incident.
Carol Ryrie Brink, Mademoiselle Misfortune. I think you're looking for Mademoiselle Misfortune, by Carol Ryrie Brink.  Six sisters--Alice, Beatrice, Cecily, Drucilla, Estella and Felicia.  It's set in France though.  There is a second book, Family Sabbatical, which may be set in London.
Just a quick follow-up to my previous solution. Having just checked out the books from my library, I can now confirm that it is in the first book, All-of-a-kind Family, that the two youngest sisters, Charolette and Gertie, share chocolate babies and crackers in bed at night.  The incident where Henny borrows her older sister Ella''s white party dress without permission, then spills tea on it during a game of tug-of-war, and tries to cover it up by dyeing the whole thing with tea, is in All-of-a-kind Family Uptown.



S529: Sailboats, children/families near ocean
Solved: Swallows and Amazons


S530: Science fiction/fantasy juvenile story
Solved: Invitation to the Game


S531: Sisters, beach, ferris wheel
I am trying to find a book that I read as a child (elementary school age).  It was a drama about a family with several daughters (5, I think).  hey either lived near or took a trip to the beach, and I seem to remember that it might have been the Jersey shore, possibly Atlantic City.  The story was set in the first half of the 19th century, I believe possibly in the 1920s.  The only part I can remember is the older daughters taking care of the younger ones at the beach, and possibly them going on a ferris wheel.  I don't know the author or when it was written.  I hope you can find this for me!

Sidney Taylor, All-of-a-Kind Family. Sounds like one of the All-of-a-Kind Family books, where they go to the beach for the day.
Sidney Taylor, All-of-a-Kind Family. I think this book may be one of the All of a Kind Family books.  The polio epidemic has hit, and the family goes to the beach for the summer.  Their father comes to visit every weekend.
See stumper S528, or the solved section for All-of-a-Kind Family.
Sidney Taylor, All-of-a-Kind Family. To escape the summer heat, the five Jewish sisters from the early 20th-century Lower East Side go to Coney Island with their mother.  They play on the beach and go to the amusement park just to look at all of the attractions.  This chapter has a two-page illustration of the family in the park with the large ferris wheel looming overhead.  Henny, the mischievous sister, is so engrossed by the "freak show" that she doesn't notice when the rest of the family moves on and she gets lost.



S532: Skohootnitoot and Skolinkinglot
Solved: Fat Cat


S533: Sally's New Rollerskates
Solved: Try Again, Sally


S534: Stolen silver porringer, young girl with ailing father and younger sister
Solved: Apple Tree Cottage


S535: Scandanavian fairy tale
Book I read as a child in the 70's.  I think it's a  Scandinavian fairy tale?  More a picture book than novel, beautiful pictures.  Main character is a female, named something like Sygney or Signy.  I think a prince, who's sleeping as well?  Swans?  Snowy and cold, a cave perhaps?  Wish I could remember more, but I loved it when I was younger, would love to see it again.

Martha Inez Johnson, The Giant Golden Book of Elves and Fairies, 1951. This picture-book anthology includes a story, "Singeli's Silver Slippers," about a Swedish girl who finds her prince.
This isn't a solution so much as more information -- I'm looking for this book too, and my memory includes the girl saying over and over, "You never know what will happen to you when you wake up in the morning." I think also the Prince doesn't want to leave with her when she finds him because she's a commoner, although I could be confusing that with the Paper Bag Princess. I hope this helps both of us find the book!
Ann McGovern and Nola Langner, Half a Kingdom: An Icelandic Folktale,1977.  "When you wake up in the morning you never can tell what might happen to you during the day." Thus begins, and ends, a most enchanting folktale about a prince who is kidnapped by two troll girls and the poor peasant girl who rescues him. Although all the kings' strongest and wisest men had failed, Signy is able to accomplish the task by means of a magic spell, two swans, a giant golden egg, and a little help from the young prince. Of course, he and Signy live happily and forever after, ruling together half of the kingdom - the reward for finding the prince. Black-and -white illustrations, often spreading across two pages, have a misty quality that adds to the fairytale effect.



S536: Siamese cat and grey cat
I'm looking for an illustrated kid's book from my childhood, that I read probably around 1990 in the UK, so I'm not sure if it was published outside the UK.  It's about a Siamese cat who lived a happy life until a fat grey kitten, whose name was Thomas, came to his house.  The Siamese hated the new kitten, but the kitten loved the Siamese, and grew to be much bigger than him.  One day, the Siamese lost a leg in a road accident, and the grey kitten helps him a lot.  Eventually, the grey kitten dies.  The illustrations are soft and gorgeous, and I think the cover was blue-ish.

S537: Space "butterflies"
Solved: Sentinels from Space


S538: Stories from many lands
Solved: Stories from Many Lands


S539: Snow nativity & red scarf for girl missing father
Solved: Man of the House at Huffington Row


S540: santa claus and jesus
This book must have been published prior to 1954 as I remember my Mother reading it to me. It was beautifully illustrated in 2 or three colors, including red and black, I think, with what may have been woodcuts. The cover may have had yellow on it, it may have been red and yellow.  The story was about "dear Santa" visiting baby Jesus. One memorable illustration was of Jesus gently pulling on Santa's beard. My brother recalls that Santa looked like the "Coca Cola" Santa.  If I recall correctly, the book was rectangular horizontally, with the length less than twelve inches, I'd guess, and the height about six to eight inches, although I could be mistaken.


S541: Soldier/sailor kept at English estate, copies wax doll
Solved: The Reb and the Redcoats


S542: Shipwrecks / Cape Cod Folklore / Ghost Story
Looking for a book about actual shipwrecks with "New England" and/or "Cape Cod" in the title.  This book contains a small footnote/story that mentions a folklore about a mooncusser from Chatham, MA who had a horse that he fed cemetery grass.  The grass was said to have given the horse red eyes.  As the story goes, the mooncusser dies (or is killed) while pirating a ship that he drew into shore, and never returns to his horse (who accompanies him everywhere.)  The horse is distraught and searches for it's master until it's death... and continues to search in death.  As the folklore goes, if you carry a lantern on this Cape Cod beach on a foggy night, the red-eyed horse will come looking for you, thinking you are its master.  I read this book as a child (summer of 1986/87) while vacationing on Cape Cod.  The book was primarily a book on shipwrecks, with this little story hidden in there.  All I remember was that it was a hardcover and was about shipwrecks on Cape Cod.

Here are some suggestions.  Even if they're not the correct book, you may enjoy reading them.   Cape Cod calamities : a shocking scenario of scathing scuttlebutt & scary snapshots summarizing the seriousness to the secrets of these sentimental sands -- stretching from scarce scallops to shipwrecks, Beyle, Noel W., Baldwin, Lee W. , First Encounter Press, 1983    /   Mooncussers of Cape Cod, Henry Crocker Kittredge, c. 1937, 1971   /  Finding New England's Shipwrecks and Treasures, Robert Ellis Cahill, 1984  /  Cape Cod to the rescue! : a mercurial missive of mysterious memorabilia & modern messages about mooncusser monkeyshines and marine mishaps amidst the mist and murk of men amidships trying to miss this mark on the map,Beyle, Noel W., Baldwin, Lee W., First Encounter Press, 1984   / Shipwrecks on Cape Cod : the story of a few of the many hundred shipwrecks which have occurred on Cape Cod , Small, Isaac Morton,  Chatham Press, 1967.



S543: Spots vs. stripes
A stripey cat and a spotty cat are arguing over which is better spots or stripes, the argument is ultimately dissolved when the stripey guy gets measles and acquires some spots, and the spotty guy gets a scratch and acquires a stripe and the two worry about each other.  I believe the "cats" were very amorphously drawn and the illustrations were largely black, white and red.  From the 1980's or older.


S544: Science fiction paperback, spaceman head/face on cover
Science Fiction paperback book with a spaceman's head/face on cover...late 1970's or early 1980's. Interested in the cover because I remember it looks just like me! thx!

There were quite a few.  Best bet is to ask on http://www.scifilist.com/



S545: Sesame Street characters on airplane
I am trying to find a book (mid '70s) about the Sesame Street characters taking a ride on an airplane (going on vacation?). The only illustration I can remember vividly is a scene showing all the characters sitting in their seats. It wasn't a small plane, more like a jet with rows and rows of seats. I hope this rings a bell with someone! Thanks for your help.


S546: Set in Sweden
A large rectangular picture book I remember from the mid-Sixties with a vivid cover in blues and greens of a park or yard-like setting.  Heroine is a contemporary blonde girl with long hair who celebrates St. Lucia's day wearing a crown of candles and white dress.  I first encountered the word "lingonberry" in this book.   I thought the title was "Lingonberry Summer" but Google and Library of Congress searches turn up nothing.  Have thought about this book for many years and really want to find it.

Brock, Emma L., At midsummer time, 1940, copyright.
Britta-Lisa Joutsen, Lingonberries in the Snow, 1968, copyright.  Possibly Finland, rather than Sweden?  Susie Miller's very ordinary life as a 7th grader in San Francisco takes an exciting turn when her father announces that the family is going to spend a whole year in Europe.  They go to live in Finland where her father teaches on a Fulbright Scholarship.  She experiences all of the Finnish customs and traditions and comes to fall in love with this cold country.
Lingonberries in the Snow, 1968. I bought a copy of this book even though it is a chapter book and not a picture book. Although I enjoyed reading this book, I'm sure it's not the one I'm trying to find. Mine had colorful illustrations, not black line drawings. And the celebration of St. Lucia's Day figured prominently.
Jeanna Oterdahl, Island Summer, 1964, copyright.  Eight-year-old Tina and her friend Annika share a wonderful summer on a small island off the coast of Sweden. Illustrated by Birgitta Norenskjold. The cover is blue-green, and shows the two girls in red dresses, holding hands and dancing around a tree stump, with trees behind them, and a ball of red yarn or something on the ground and wrapped around some of the tree trunks. I'm mainly suggesting this based on the publication year and your recollection of the title, but it's definitely a very long shot. I have not actually read this book myself, but found it while searching online, so I don't know how well it matches up. Since St. Lucia's Day is celebrated in December, I'm not sure how it would figure into any book with "Summer" in the title - but anything is possible. Anyway, good luck with your search!
I don't think "Island Summer" is the book because its cover colors and illustration don't resemble at all what I remember of the book I'm seeking.  I recall it being a large rectangular picture-book size with a glossy jacket of intense blues and greens.  Thanks anyway for trying to help.
Jennie Lindquist, The Golden Name Day,
1955, approximate.  I believe this might be the book you are looking for.  Nancy spends the summer with her adopted Swedish grandparents while her mother recuperates.  They all try to find a way for her to have a name day, even though 'Nancy' is not in the Swedish Almanac.  She also gets to decorate her bedroom while there.  She wanted wall paper decorated with yellow roses.  I loved this book when I was young, and I've found out recently it was part of a trilogy that included:  The Crystal Tree and The Silver House.  I have not read them, yet.  Hope this helps.
Although the cover of The Golden Name Day resembles what I recall of the one of the book I'm seeking, I don't think it's the book.  I read it and it was totally unfamiliar although worth reading.  Thanks anyway.
Not The Golden Name Day although the blue and green cover are the shades I remember.  Thanks anyway.



S547: Santa's elf helps open doors
Solved: Silver Spurs


S548: Sun imprisons wind, rain, lightning
The sun imprisons the wind, the rain and the lightning. Somehow they get out of the prison and wreak havoc. The characters are all personalized. The sun wears a long robe. Lightning wears a suit of armor and rides a black horse. He burns a house. The rain carries buckets of water as he flys through the sky. The wind blows wind from his mouth. There are kites flying in the sky. There is also a rainbow. The book is very colourfully illustrated.  The book is from the late 50's early 60's.


2008


S549: Scotland -Mystery - Isle of Skye
Looking for young adult mystery (read this at age 12 or so) set in Scotland. I think it was set on the Isle of Skye and was written (and takes place) during the 60s or the 70s. The 50s might be a stretch. I think that the heroine is also named Skye and there is a family of Camerons. Heroine goes to Scotland (she's a teenager, not a child as in Phyllis Whitney's Isle of Skye book) and she falls in love and solves a mystery pertaining to her ancestral home. I believe that one of the last sentences metions her "returning to Skye for keeps". This is a romantic suspense-type mystery. I seem to recall a cover with tartan on it. I have a pretty clear picture in my head of the book's cover, but not the author or title.

Hilda Boden, The Mystery of Castle Croome, 1966, copyright.  This sounds like The Mystery of Castle Croome, where a young heiress and her two college friends go to check out the Castle she has just inherited and solve a mystery involving a hostile caretaker. There is a scout troup camping near by, and the girls get help from the young men who are in charge of the group, and the heroine falls for one of the fellows. The author is British, but the book had both UK and US printings (hardcover and paperback) over a period of about 10 years.
Stewart, Mary, Wildfire at Midnight.  I don't remember many details of this book, but it takes place on the Isle of Skye, and it's a mystery/romance.
Phyllis Whitney, Skye Cameron, 1957, copyright.  Skye Cameron: A Dark Mansion Becomes a House of Fear for a Brave Young Girl in This Exciting Novel of Romance, Mystery and Suspense: A Paperback Library Gothic.   Whitney (who died earlier this month at 102) wrote this book first, and her children's novel, Mystery on the Isle of Skye in the late 60s.
Your description is NOT Wildfire at Midnight.  The heroine in that is not a teenager.  Janet/Gianetta is in her late 20s and divorced.  She goes to a Skye hotel for a vacation from her modeling career and unexpectedly meets up with her ex-husband.  There's a serial killer on the loose who gets captured, but Janet doesn't solve the crime, Skye is not her ancestral home and she has no plans for returning for keeps.



S550: sled, snow, lost, flags
It was a beautifully-illustrated book which was probably set in Russia, although I don't think it was a folk tale.  There was a sled, with flags or banners flying from the top, which was engulfed in a snowstorm, and it was only by the flags sticking up that the sled was found and its occupants rescued. A girl was either the occupant or rescuer.  Many thanks to all.

Kruse, Dean, '78, the mother of all blizzards, 2008, copyright.  I know that this doesn't answer your question about the Russian story, but it's a real-life incident that is similar to what you've asked about.  I hope the link works, if not, you might try copying and pasting.  It was published in the Jan. 26, 2008, issue of The Indianapolis Star.  There were numerous articles published in American Midwest newspapers that day, the 30th anniversary of the infamous January 1978 blizzard.  http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008801260461


S551: "So Did I" story book
I'm looking for a children's story book from early 1900's. My grandfather had this book when he was a boy. He was born in 1911. There is a story about Santa Claus and a poem called  "So Did I" ('That long-lanked dude that sparked our Sue came to our house last night. Talk about having fun, I thought I'd die outright.... He came to supper and of course we had a dandy spread. Ma trotted out the chocolate cake and Sue the fancy bread. Thank long-lanked dude he stuffed himself with cakes, preserves, and pie. He drank fourteen cups of tea- and so did I..' etc etc. I have been looking for this book for years.


S552: Secret playroom
Solved: Don't Touch My Room


S553: Sisters at summer camp get money to make pocketbooks
I read a chapter of this book in my reading textbook when I was in third or fourth grade.  The chapter I read described the time two sisters spent at summer camp.  It was written in first person and I'm pretty sure the sister who was not the narrator was named Elaine.  The narrator was never identified by name if I recall correctly.  The sisters didn't really want to go to camp, but once they determined that they were stuck there, they made the most of their time at camp by writing to all their relatives claiming they were having a great time at camp and especially loved arts and crafts.  They said in their letters that it cost $1 for the supplies to make a leather pocketbook, and if the relative sent them $1, they could make "the S-W-E-L-L-E-S-T pocketbook" for the relative.  Many of the older relatives sent dollars.  A camper the sisters especially disliked ratted them out to a counselor, and the sisters were punished, and also forced to actually participate in pocketbook-making (which they considered to be the worst punishment of all.)  They got even with the fink camper by walking into her cabin, looking her directly in the eye, and saying "We put the swear curse on you, [whatever the name of the fink camper was]", which scared the fink out of her wits.  Not much to go on, I'm sorry.  The tone of the story was very conversational and the antics and emotions it described were very realistic.  I'd love to read the rest of the book if I could find it!

Ruth McKenney, My Sister Eileen, 1938, copyright.  This is a true story/autobiorgaphy of Ruth McKenney and her family, particularly her little sister Eileen. Very good read!



S554: Student nurse
1950-60.  It was about a girl in nursing school and I'm thinking the title was her name, possibly "Joan (something), Student Nurse." I remember one part where she and her friends were taking an exam and afterward someone said, "Such picayune questions!" Also the girl had planned to stay in one night and do laundry and put up her hair and so forth, but then her boyfriend showed up and she went dancing with him instead. And another part where she and her friends were driving to Florida, and one girl saw a road sign and said "Annapolis is that way!" and wanted to go there instead, but the others insisted that they go to Florida as planned.

Helen Wells, Cherry Ames, Student Nurse
1944, copyright.  Based on the title you recall, this one might be worth looking at.  You could also consider "Sue Barton, Student Nurse" by Helen Dore Boylston. Both books are the first in a series, all similarly titled (eg. "Cherry Ames/Sue Barton, (Senior, Visiting, Neighborhood, etc.) Nurse.")
Kathleen Harris, Jane Arden series, 1956 - 1962, copyright.  Perhaps this series includes the book you're looking for.  Jane lives in Ohio, but heads for Palm Beach, Florida after graduation from nursing school. In the first in the series, "Jane Arden, Registered Nurse" she arrives by plane. Other titles in the series include Jane Arden, Staff Nurse; Surgery Nurse; Head Nurse; Space Nurse.
Helen Wells, Cherry Ames, Student Nurse, 1943, copyright.  Could this be your book? It fits the title you described pretty well.
Faith Baldwin wrote several books about nurses. The time frame fits. I don't know the details of any of them.
It's not "Jane Arden",  nor "Sue Barton", I have those. I realize there are a million "student nurse" book series out there, and every time I see one with that title I buy it, but so far none is the one I remember. Looking for the one with the specific dialogue I quoted. Thanks so much for everyone's help.
Perhaps one of the Kathy Martin stories? The titles don't match the posters memories but worth a look. While looking for the Kathy Martin titles I came across a website that might be helpful: http://www.tinypineapple.com/nursebooks/  It had summaries and cover photos of hundreds of older nurse books.
Kay Lyttleton, Jean Craig Nurse, 1949, copyright.  Here's another nurse story to consider. This is part of the Jean Craig series which isn't all nurse, but the last two have her studying nursing and then becoming a nurse. You also might consider the Julian Messner Career Romance for Young Moderns. There were several of those concerned with nurses.
Here are some other 'student nurses' -- Mary Ellis, SN / Hope Newell, 1958 ---- Judy George, SN / Patti Stone, 1966 --- Julie Otis, SN / Betty Stirling, 1956 --- Mary Adams, SN / Alice Brennan, 1964.
Mary D. Roberts, Get With It, Joan. Could it be Get With It, Joan by Mary D. Roberts?



S555: Space station, madman, ham radio
Solved: Terror by Satellite


S556: Subsie Numinie
formerly posted as L227
I am looking for a book from the late 1800's with a female characte by the name of Subsie Numinie, it could be Subsynuminie or something close. My daughter's great grandmother did not like her name, she read a book with this name Subsynuminie and was nick-named Subsy....her great granddaughter (my daughter) now has the middle name of Subsie NUminie. It would be wonderful to be get this book.
Subsie Numinie  or Subsinuminie or similarly spelled name is a female character in a book read by my daughter's Great Grandmother…@ late 1800’s. Does anyone remember or recognize this name?  Thank you.

I don't have a book or author to suggest, unfortunately, but the first thing I thought of when I saw "Subsie Numinie" was that it sounded like a corruption or spoken form of the Latin phrase "sine nomine," which means "without name."  There is also a Latin phrase "sub nomine," which means "under the name of."  The three words could have been combined into one phrase--sub sine nomine--and, if said quickly, they could easily come out eventually as "Subsie Nominie."  Perhaps the character in the book was a foundling or for some other reason without a name and eventually came (or chose) to be called by the Latin phrase, denoting namelessness--like being called "Ann Onymous" for "anonymous." (Odysseus did something similar in The Odyssey, tricking the Cyclops by telling him that his name was "Nobody.")  That would be fitting since you say that the great-grandmother did not like her name, and if she refused to be called by it, she or her family could have thought it a good joke to be nicknamed something that meant "nameless."  Another possiblity--could she have been studying Latin, rather than reading a story (the story of how the name came about could have gotten turned in the telling as it passed down)?  Anyway, hope this helps.



S557: Sea monster
Sea Monster that eats light emitting fish until its completely dark and he gets scared.  Probably Parents' Magazine Press, late 60's early 70's.

Massie, Diane Redfield, The Monstrous Glisson Glop,
1970, copyright.  This HAS to be your book:  it is a Parent's Magazine Press book and is just as described.  The Glisson Glop lives on the ocean floor and his favorite foods are lantern fish and electric eels.  He finally eats all of them in sight and gets scared in the dark. After awhile, a lantern fish comes with an eel and the glisson glop decides maybe he likes jellyfish and abalone pies.  The illustrations are mostly a turquoise-green color.


S558: Scary Stories w/Death on cover
Solved: Nightmares: Poems to Trouble Your Sleep


S559: Stuffed Elephant Left in the rain
Solved: Laura Charlotte


S560: Sailing dinghy holiday
Puffin GB Paperback (probably 9-12 age group, not less) purchased new in 1962 (possible reprint?). Story about sailing dinghy holiday in the UK, text interspersed with occasional line drawings, such as sailing dinghy and knots.

Arthur Ransome, Swallows and Amazons,
etc.  Just a suggestion, as I don't know about specific illustrations (though the Puffins I have in this series do have line drawings), but I would start looking at the series of books by Ransome; many public libraries have them, or some of them.


S561: Scientists create souls, story collection
About 10 years ago, I found a science fiction book at the library. It appeared to be not new and a little old, the author had a European name I believe.  I've considered Stanislaw Lem but have not seen any content in The Cyberiad or others that reminded me of the book of stories in question.  Anyway the collection of stories were about different scientists and people who create a soul, each story in their own way, and the manner in which they created or established a contained universe for that soul to exist and thrive in.  The stories were rather dark by nature, many of the scientists left public life and were very isolated in their endeavors.  I have asked on message boards over the years to no avail. I am hoping someone here has heard of this book.  Thank you.

Constance Ash, editor, Not of Woman Born, 1999.  This is a sci-fi anthology of stories by various science fiction authors.  Each concerns creating life in a non-traditional way.  I haven't read this myself, but I've been considering buying the anthology so your description caught my eye.  It might be the one you are looking for.  You can find more info on the contributing authors online. It dates from 1999, so it may be the one you saw.
The response is not correct.


S562: Space Girl with Clear Protective Film Suit
A girl is taken into a rich space family, she is made a special protective suit which is applied into all of her orifices and becomes part of her. If she ever is spaced it will protect her for a small amount on time. It also can protect her from weapons and disease. She has an enemy who tries to hurt her, and he ends up spaced; his suit expands like a bubble but he is not saved and dies in space. I read this book in the early 1990's.


S563: Sailing YA romantic suspense
I read this in the late 80s - early 90s, but it could have been published before that.  Set in New England (I think).  She was spoiled and somewhat bratty at first.  She's big into sailing. I think she was in high school.  He was a little older - maybe in college and has a summer job in her town.  She has a crush on the popular guy who, of course, turns out to be a real jerk.  She keeps screwing everything up when she's around the hero, and they really clash at first.  There's a scene toward the end where she takes her sailboat out even though she's been told not to, there's a storm, the bad guy is either in the boathouse or ends up on the boat with her. The hero, naturally, comes to the rescue.  The heroine's summer job is either working at a camp teaching kids how to sail or babysitting a few kids because I think I remember a scene where she is setting up ropes for the kids to practice tying sailing knots on.  I'm almost positive she has her own sailboat (don't remember she bought it herself, it was a gift, or she inherited it somehow).  It was definitely a YA book, I'm almost certain it had elements of both romance and suspense, and I'm 80% sure I ordered it from Weekly Reader or another company that distributed order booklets & forms via schools.  This isn't "Sailboat Summer" by Anne Reynolds.

Betty Cavanna, The Scarlet Sail.  Heroine - Andy - is bratty at the beginning, having taken her mother's remarriage very badly.  However, a wonderful summer on Cape Cod with her own boat (once she gets over the too-prominent red sail) and a new beau helps her come to terms with her new family.
Betty Cavanna, The Scarlet Sail, 1959, copyright.  15 year-old Andrea spends the summer in Cape Cod with her mother and new stepfather.  They give her a sailboat and she has to take lessons from Mike, a Cape native who resents tourists.  They clash during the lessons.  Andrea ultimately learns to sail well and her relationship with Mike grows warmer.  She proves herself in a sailing race in the end.  In this book, the heroine doesn't fall for a loutish guy and there's no thriller subplot.
Elisabeth Ogilvie wrote a lot of YA romance/mysteries from the 50s through the early 70s.  Most of them involved Maine, or sailing, or both.  You might want to check into some of her titles.
I know it isn't anything by Elizabeth Ogilve, and I'm waiting for a copy of "Scarlet Sail," but, based on synopses that I've read, I'm not hopeful.  I'm seriously beginning to think that either I'm the only person on the planet who read the book I'm thinking of or that I imagined the whole thing. lol. Thanks to everyone for your help; I'm still hopeful that the answer will turn up some day.


S564: sit-down apple tree; Jump-over-Bonnie.
children's book. Little Golden Book? About animals who are friends.


S565: Scottish Girl
Solved: Cathie Stuart


S566: Short poems for kids about frogs
1965-1975  childrens book.   This was a little trade paperback, whimsical, with black and white, cartoonlike illustrations to accompany each short poem. I can quote one whole poem from memory:   "There was a frog who had a car - he drove it fast - he drove it far - He drove it every day and night - And never stopped for traffic lights - "I've learned to drive quite easily," - "But never learned to stop," said he." There's another one about pies where a lady frog eats all the pies herself. Every poem is short, and funny, with a twist at the end.  My mom and I are at our wit's ends trying to figure out who wrote it and how we can get a copy. She used to read this to me daily. If you can help, I owe you a plate of brownies or a 6-pack of Belgian beer. Your pick.


S567: Sci-fi fantasy, rival clans
I am looking for a sci-fi book, or sci-fi fantasy I should say.  The book is about a young man, raised in a sort of idol liesure. In a clan dispute, his family is wiped out by a rival clan, Raven clan I think. Gustav Raven I think was father of the clan.  They used power suits, had duels. The young man finds his family dead, all their holdings gone to the raven clan.  he gets help from a suit mechanic, and begins trying to get revenge and bring his family name back.  His girlfriend is the grand daughter, or daught of the Raven clan leader.  His plan for revenge includes fighting duels in the power suits for weaker, poorer clans, because he cant attack the raven clan directly. The raven clan hires a "gun for hire" suit Duelist. A traveling mercenary that fights in his suit in established duels.  I am pretty sure Raven clan is the antagonist, as well as gustav raven.  I cant remember the young mans name. For some reason, Badger clan, and Frog clan spring to mind.

FASA, BattleTech.
  This sounds like the BattleTech series, what with the clan names and having duels in powersuits. BattleTech is a very complex fantasy universe as detailed as Star Trek or Star Wars, and it has been a roleplaying game, several computer and video games, a collectible card game, a series of more than 100 novels, and an animated TV series. It's been around for over 20 years and has been extensively covered on Wikipedia. You could check there to see if anything looks familiar.
The info left didn't help, thank you though.  I am very familiar with the entire Battletech genre. The game, the books, the works. They always deal with large "robots"...Mechs. There are later books and gamemods dealing with smaller armour worn by personel, but its not this I think (wiki didnt bring up anything that sounded familiar).   I'll be more specific on what I remember.   The young man grew up on a planet where clans (probably where the Battletech thinking comes in) rule their own territories. He is sneaking around meeting a mystery lover, the daughter of the clan head that rivals his own clan. He's out at a tryst with her, he comes home, finds the place wiped out. Goes into a type of exile to the free cities. Meets what is called a suit mechanic, that just so happens to be a retired duelist (gun for hirer). He helps the young man out, gets him a suit, trains him.   The young man can't directly attack his enemy clan, but all disputes are settled by a champion, trial by combat. So he goes to some of the smaller and poorer clans and asks them to let him fight for them to provoke his enemies. One was a fight over a stream or creek that bordered the bad clan he's fighting and the clan that owned the stream was so poor that basically had nothing but a name.   He does this for several clans, so the bad clan calls in a special duelist to challenge the young man. He manages to win somehow, and with help from others, begins to make direct attacks on his enemy.   It all culminates in an all out assault against his enemy, he wins the day even though they brought in alot of mercenaries wearing battle suits. (it's always individuals wear powered body armour).   I am almost positive the antagonist was the Raven clan. I have googled a ton, no luck.


S568: Short scary stories, yellow raincoat boy dies, paper lanterns children disappear at party
A kids book of short scary stories from the late 80s, early 90s. One of the stories was about a kid in a yellow rain coat with bags under his eyes, and he's following some guy and asking for food I think, and the guy keeps ignoring him and maybe even pushes him, and I think the kid falls and the guy feels bad and walks back, and the rain coat is empty, and it turns out the kid had been hit by a car and died the day before or something. There was also another one about a kid stuck at home sick in bed, and I think there was another kid he knew from school who was weird and didn't have a lot of friends, and it turned out there was something wrong with the kid, like he was actually dead while bringing the sick kid his homework or weird shit. And the last story, I think, was about a party a kindergarten teacher was having for her students and parents, and end of year party? And its getting dark, and they make paper lanterns and the parents are socializing and let the kids walk off with the lanterns, and then they never come back.

Ooh, I remember that yellow raincoat story!  No idea what book it was in.  I just remember that it was really creepy!


S569: Single mother goose and her 12 goslings
Mother teaches her children to do the chores so that she can do her job of delivering easter eggs to children.  1970, childrens.

Du Bose Heyward, Marjorie Flack (illus), The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes, 1939, renewed 1967, copyright.  Not a goose, but otherwise sounds like this one. Country Bunny always dreamed of becoming one of the Easter Bunnies, but after having 21 babies, how could she? But she taught 2 to sweep, 2 to make beds, 2 to cook, 2 to wash dishes, 2 to tend garden, 2 to do laundry, 2 to mend, etc. proving that she was not only wise, and kind, and swift, but also clever, and therefore not only qualified to be an Easter Bunny, but also available to do so. A very sweet Easter story.
Du Bose Heyward, The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes, 1939, copyright.  I think this must be the book and that you have the animals wrong.  The mother bunny dreams of being one of the five Easter Bunnies who gets to deliver eggs to all the children.  When her chance comes to replace a retiring Easter Bunny, she gets chosen because of how well she has raised her 21 children.  She also taught them to do all of the household chores and to enjoy doing them.


S570: Story about a shrunken ghost
This book might have been published in the 1970s or earlier. The story is about a ghost happily living in an empty house until a family moves in. He is very upset and wants to get rid of them. Somehow he gets trapped in the washing machine/dryer and comes out very small. He is quite upset until he realizes that he can be useful to the family by doing chores such as dusting the furniture. There is also something about pink lemonade in the story but I can't remember any more of the plot.

Jane Thayer, Gus Series,
1960, approximate.  Could this be one of the Gus books, by Jane Thayer?  I don't remember Gus shrinking, but he is friends with a mouse, who looks to be the same size.  Two of the titles I remember are "Gus was a Friendly Ghost" and "Gus Loved his Happy Home". There are a few others--a christmas story and at least one where Gus travels.
Unfortunately, I do not believe the Jane Thayer books are correct.  The ghost looked like a "typical" ghost in a sheet.  His shape was without adornment, color or embellishment. The story was also somewhat dark (the ghost was quite antisocial and was very happy to be alone) until he began to like the family near the end. One main plot of the story is his dealing with and then accepting the fact that he had been shrunk in the wash. The other is his accepting the new family that moved into the house. After he accepted them, he then liked to zip around the house helping with household chores, like dusting. It might have been that pink lemonade is what spilled on him which precipitated his washing/shrinking.


S571: Snipp snapp and snorr story in other anthology
Solved: On We Go Reader


S572: Summer Adolescent Friendship
Solved: The Secret Summer of L. E. B.


S573: sack, castle, magic, boy, stairs
Solved: The Big Jump and Other Stories


S574: Secret of the Seven Crows?
Solved: The Secret of the Seven Crows


S575: School girls and orphan friend pick purple flowers
70s or 80s, childrens.  The book had a purple cover and I thought the title had something to do with violets, lavender or some other purple plant or garden event.  The story was about two sisters (cousins?) who are sent to a private school (not a new one to them) that is run by nuns. The younger sister becomes friends with an orphan (charity) student named Agnes (?). One of the sisters was named Lavinia (Vinnie) or something like it. There was a scene at the ice cream shop, where a nun told the older sister that ice cream cones will ruin her complexion; they also eat pickles. Before this they had agreed how much they were going to spend by combining their pocket money. I believe at the end Agnes dies. I think it was set in England, and seemed to be around the early 1900s.

Natalie Savage Carlson, Luvvy and the Girls,
1950, approximate.  This one comes up frequently.  I'm positive this is the book you are seeking.  It follows the book The Half Sisters.


S576: Sierra Nevada stories
Trying to trace a book read back in the early 70s with western stories from around the Sierra Nevada. I think it was a large book, possibly A4 and each story taking 1 or 2 pages (but not sure), some b/w sketch illustrations. Publication date possibly 1950s? High Sierra rings a bell.

Oscar Lewis, High Sierra Country,
1955, copyright.  Four hundred and thirty miles of rugged peaks and granite spires, interspersed with mountain meadows, crystal lakes, and snow-fed streams, make up the area known as the High Sierra Country. A link in the vast chain which stretches from the southernmost tip of South America to the fog-bound islands of the outer Aleutians, it is among the great mountain ranges in the world. The area's eventful history begins with the first expedition across the lofty summits in 1827. Stories of trail-breakers are still among the most exciting adventures of the Far West. In this book, Oscar Lewis gives a panoramic picture of the entire region. From accounts of its spirited history and descriptions of the unusual climate and scenic wonders to colorful anecdotes about past and present personalities. Part of the American Folkways Series.
Not High Sierra Country by Oscar Lewis. This book was a larger format (A4?) and included b/w line drawings and sketches. I remember a map of Nevada state inside. Possibly green board cover?


S577: Smackover (little boy's name)
This is a book I would have read in the early 1960's.  All I can remember is that a family with 2 girls and their little brother move in next to a lonely girl.  The 3 new kids were all named after the towns they were born in.  The girls both had somewhat normal names, but the little brother was named Smackover. I don't remember any of the plot or the other character's names.

I read a book around 1975 where the children were named after the cities they were born in, except I remember the girl being called "Wichita," because I had never heard of it.  They meet a "witch" who tells them how crude oil is made from dinosaurs.


S578: sea face after bucket of salt water
A ship sets sail.  The captain, who has seemed pleasant on shore, calls for a bucket of sea water.  He plunges his head into the bucket and pulls it out a few moments later with his sea face on -- transformed into a much scarier figure than before.  I had long thought this was a scene from Moby Dick, but I cannot find it there.  I read it about thirty years ago, but the book could have been old then already.


S579: Skunk pet
Boy moves to country town from the city, living in stone (?) farmhouse.  Goes to new school and is bullied.  Finds a skunk in a trap in the woods, frees it and makes it his pet.  Bully comes to his house and skunk sprays bully.  Illustrated.  For ages 8-10 (?)

Ester Wier, Leo Summers (illus), The Space Hut, 1967, copyright.  A long shot, but it is about a boy and his pet skunk. "When Mike and his family move outside the city, he discovers that he has inherited a pet skunk from the previous homeowners. He finds a friend in an elderly man who watches him build his space hut in a tree with great interest, then fights city hall when a local government official orders his space hut torn down as an eyesore. His quest engages adults, and mobilizes both his skunk and the press to his aid."
Robert McCloskey, Homer Price, 1943 (+ later reprints), copyright.  Six episodes in the life of Homer Price including one in which he and his pet skunk capture four bandits and another about a donut machine on the rampage. There is a sequel, titled Centerburg Tales (also published as More Homer Price) which features the further adventures of Homer Price, including a juke box that sets the whole town singing against its will, and a mad scientist who develops weeds that overrun the town.


S580: Summer magazine interns
Solved: Clotheshorse


S581: Spy, Dyed hair, boat blows up, changes identity
Hi All, I am trying to find the title of a book I read in high school, so around 1983-1985...  It is about a spy... he has to dye his hair - either to red or from red and he also had to change his identity.  Possibly either shaved off a beard or had a fake one put on.  There is also a part in the story where a boat is blown up... but the spy isn't on it.  I know it's not much to go on, but any help would be appreciated.  Thanks.

Roth, Holly, Mask of Glass,
1954, approximate.  Although I am unable to find a synopsis of this book's plot, I read it many years ago and can recall a few details that remind me of this Stumper.  A red-haired young man was injured in an explosion set by spies of some sort.  As a result of his injuries, his hair turned white.  His face was also changed by scarring from the explosion.  As a result, he looked quite different, a virtual disguise.  This enabled him to seek out the spies and destroy their organization.  His name was, I think, Jimmy, but after he recuperated from the explosion, he looked so much more mature that his associates called him Jim instead.
Thanks for the response, though Mask of Glass is not the one I'm looking for.


S582: Series, brothers & sisters, adventures
Solved: The Boxcar Children


S583: Story collection with "The Fairies" by Allingham
I'm searching feverishly for story book I had around 1950-55. It was a collection of stories and included the poem "The Fairies" by Allingham - "Up the airy mountain, down the rushy glen..." etc. There was a colour illustration going down the same page as the text of leprechauns, rocks, rushes etc.  Could this be the same book as the "Elves & Fairies Golden Book" shown on your site?  Am pretty sure my book would have been publ. in UK as that's where I'm from.  Other stories I remember (though not necessarily from the one with the above poem) are one about Will O' the Wisps leading people astray in a marsh and another where a young woman dresses as a soldier to join sweetheart - there's an illustration where she's emerging from cupboard in grandfather clock where she's been hiding!  These 2 stories were part of a collection of stories in a hardback story book.  If any light can be shed I'd be eternally grateful!  And is it possible to send me image of the illustration accompanying "The Fairies" poem by Allingham in "Elves & Fairies" 1951 edition? I remember it (in UK) as illus. going down page of elves/clumps of rushes/rocky landscape.  As these early editions v. pricey I need to make sure it's book I had before trying to buy one.


S584: slavery, spaceship crash, metal ring
Solved: Iron Cage


S585: Stairs, girl in black, mannequin
Solved: The Bad Times of Irma Baumlein


S586: Star-like eyes
1950s, childrens.  Fairy tale with memorable artwork. Most lasting memory is of beautiful young woman (fairy?) with star-like eyes (I think it was the frontispiece of the story). I don't remember color in the artwork, but I do remember it was dreamy and mysterious. I seem to recall a winding staircase featured behind the woman. Perhaps the main characters were a brother and sister. (Not much, right?) The book is NOT "Shadow Castle," although that stuck in my brain for years.

George MacDonald, The Princess and the Goblin.
  Could you possibly be looking for "The Princess and the Goblin"? I loved that book as a child! Princess Irene discovers a hidden staircase that leads her to a beautiful woman (her grandmother)...and I believe she is described as having "starry" eyes. It's a long stretch--but worth a shot :)
There IS a suggestion at S586, but it is of a book much more recent than the one for which I am searching.


S587: Science fiction short stories
I'm looking for a short story collection, though I may be confusing stories from different books. I read these probably between 1977-1986. All would have been paperback and some may have been school texts since my mother was a teacher. One story was about a girl who could predict the future; I remember she was on a bus to school and knew someone would get batter on their clothes in a home-ec. class (she may have predicted a bus crash, too). Another story was about a boy (man?) who could travel to other dimensions. I vaguely recall somewhere in the book that someone was floating from a bed near the ceiling (not sure which story). Another was about a sinister kid who could do things (can't remember much) and took place, in part, in a tree-house. I think all of these are in the same collection (I also recall an occasional simple sketch of some scene in the stories). Another story that at may be in there or in other collections was about a girl, high-school aged I think, who told everyone she had been abducted by aliens and she ends up getting x-rays (school nurse?) The ending was something like "They finally believed her. They had to because inside her where her organs should have been were machines."  Lastly, I remember a story, possibly in first-person, in which the speaker/main character remembers going to a relative's funeral and seeing a strange man there whose glove seemed limp in one finger; it turns out this man was an alien (maybe befriended by the dead relative?).  Any help you can provide will be much appreciated. I've wanted to find this book (books?) for years and will be glad to get it/them if I have to research the stories separately, though I'd prefer the book(s) themselves.  Thank you!

I don't know the specific anthology you're looking for, but the story of a "sinister kid who could do things" brings to mind two short stories: "Talent" by Theodore Sturgeon and "It's A Good Life" by Jerome Bixby. Both have been anthologized a number of times - searching for anthologies containing these stories might help you in your quest.  "Talent" is about a sadistic little boy, Jokey (short for Joaquim) who can change things (eg. a real pig into a life-size china piggy bank) with his mind.  He terrorizes his family, but when he tries to frighten a neighbor girl called Precious by turning himself into a giant stag beetle, she stomps on him with her shiny shoes, believing that he is an actual beetle. What's left of him is later discovered under her bed, still stuck to her shoe, when he eventually turns back into himself. Part of the story takes place in a barn, but there is no treehouse. This story can be found in "50 Short Science Fiction Tales" edited by Asimov and Conlkin, and in "100 Tiny Tales of Terror" edited by Weinberg, Dziemianowica, and Greenberg. It's probably in others as well. "It's a Good Life" is about a three-year-old boy, Anthony, who can both hear/feel the thoughts of others (both animals and people) and can create or change things with his mind. When a neighbor angers him by singing, he tranforms the man into something unrecognizable, then thinks him into a grave in the cornfield. He also causes a rat to eat itself, begining with the tail. There is no treehouse, but Anthony enjoys spending time in a grove of trees beside a cool spring and pond, watching the birds, insects and small animals, whom he generally likes and sometimes tries to please. Anthony has removed the town, Peakesville, from the rest of the world - it exists apart, in a sort of limbo - and everyone is terrified of him. They are constantly claiming that everything is "good" even when Anthony kills someone, or causes it to snow, killing half the crops, because he will kill or transform anyone who is dissatisfied with the world as he has created it. This story is in many anthologies, including "The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Vol. 1" (ed. by Silverberg), "The Twilight Zone: The Original Stories" (ed. by Greenberg, Matheson, & Waugh), and "Isaac Asimov Presents the Great SF Stories: 15" (ed. Asimov, Greenberg). Both are terrific stories. Hope this helps!
Thanks to the person who tried to help, but those are not the stories. I know that the mean-boy story was in a skinny paperback book with at least some of the others I described. It may have been a Scholastic book (with simple sketches to illustrate some of the scenes in the tales), but I don't know for sure. Thanks anyway; I appreciate the help!
Elwood, Roger, Children of infinity.
  Could it be one of roger elwood's anthologies? he's a brilliant editor -- picks stories with great surprise twists. children of infinity (i think) includes the story of a boy who notices that a particular additive is in every food product in the house, refines it, and takes it straight. turns out the entire society is being kept docile with this additive. if that's not the collection, maybe it's one of his others.
Don't know for sure, but maybe it could be one of Ray Bradbury's collections of short stories.
I don't think it is the Roger Elwood title you mentioned; at least the story you described isn't familiar and when I looked up the book, the cover wasn't either (I'm sure I would remember it when I see it). It's possible that some of the Elwood's kid's collections have some of the stories I remember, so I will try checking those as I can. As for Bradbury, I've read many of his stories and none of them are the ones I remember. I appreciate all of the suggestions, though, and will keep looking.


S588: Story collection, 'Little Black Sambo', 'Teeny Tiny Woman'
My mom had a book when she was little (born in 1954) that she read to me when I was little (born 1978).  It was a collection of various stories.  I remember it being a larger (maybe 12x12" square), hardcover book with a black cover with orange on it.  She says that there were 2 books in a set, but I'm not sure.  I remember it had "Little Black Sambo," "The Teeny Tiny Woman," (she lived in a teeny tiny house - everything was teeny tiny and drove my mom nuts!!) and "Wynkyn, Blynkn, and Nod" in it.   It seems like it was hardcover with paper pasted on it - not a dust jacket, but for some reason I remember the paper on the cover maybe peeling at the corners.  The book(s) have been lost for a long time and I'd love to find a copy of this book to read to my daughter (born 2000).  Thank you for taking the time to hopefully solve this mystery for me.

Wallace C. Wadsworth, The Real Story Book,
1927, copyright.  This book was originally published in 1927, with reprints in (at least) 1930, 1944, and 1946. Stories in the 1930 edition are: How Jack Found His Fortune; Bob-White And The Farmer Man; Peter Rabbit; How The Sea Became Salt; The Cock, The Mouse, And The Little Red Hen; The Gingerbread Man; The Old Woman And Her Pig; The Straw Ox; The Seven Wonderful Cats; The Three Wishes; The Three Bears; The Pied Piper; Little Black Sambo; The Teeny-Tiny Woman; The Three Little Pigs; Mrs. And Mrs. Vinegar; The Little Red Hen; Epaminondas; Titty Mouse And Tatty Mouse And Henny Penny.  Epaminondas and Titty Mouse and Tatty Mouse appear to have been omitted from the 1944 & 1946 reprints. Does not contain Wynkyn, Blynkyn and Nod, but might be worth looking into all the same.  The cover is dark green cloth-covered boards with a paste-down illustration of a little boy in blue, with a yellow cape, holding hands with a blonde girl in an orange gown, walking on a forrest path, with a castle, trees, and a sailing ship in the background. Beautifully illustrated in color throughout by Margaret Evans Price, with many full-page illustrations.
Compiled by Marjorie Barrows, The Children's Treasury, 1947, 1951, copyright.  I think this is (are)the book(s) you want. Yes, there are two books. Brown cover with gold illustrations and title. One book has the Little Black Sambo story and the other has the Land of Nod. Hope this helps.


S589: Spurs and Portrait
childrens, 1930?  A boy and a girl were born on a Southern plantation.  When their parents died in a carriage accident they were sent to live with grumpy childless relatives in Ohio, maybe.  They could only take 2 things to remember their southern home; the boy took either spurs or a sword or both and the girl took a family portrait.  They grew to love their grumpy relatives and offered to sell their family treasures to pay for the aunt's operation.


S590: Shipwrecked mouse
1950's Picture Book.  This book was a detailed and richly illustrated picture book about a boy mouse who was shipwrecked on a deserted island.  He goes about building an elaborate shelter from the wreckage.  He salvages a carpenter's footlocker and uses all the old time tools to construct his dwelling on the ocean shore.  There was one illustration showing the outside of his home with a lantern lit inside. It was beatiful!  I can't remember if he was rescued or not.  It could have been a british book because our family was stationed in Germany at the time (1950-54), but it was in English.

Could this be Abel's Island, by William Steig?
Except that I just read "Abel's Island" about a week ago, and it isn't a picture book, but a chapter book. And it isn't what I'd call richly illustrated, although it does have pictures throughout. Just black and white drawings though. Most importantly, Abel doesn't build an elaborate house on the island, but lives in a log with the ends blocked up with stones. It is about a stranded mouse though...
Margaret Wise Brown, The Sailor Dog, 1953, copyright.  This may be the book, except that the shipwrecked animal is a dog rather than a mouse.  Everything else pretty much fits, though: it's a picture book; it has fantastic illustrations (by Garth Williams); Scuppers, the shipwreckee, does build a house (although he does so out of driftwood, not out of the ship); he does use an old carpenter's chest (although he does not recover it from the ship but rather finds it on the beach); and there is a picture of the house he builds lit by a lantern and with smoke going up the ramshackle chimney (I think he's cooking a fish he caught).  Happily, Scuppers does escape the island, but not by being rescued: as he sleeps on green boughs in the house he's made, he dreams that if he can build a house then he can repair the ship.  So the next day he does so, then sails to a port where he buys new clothes and supplies, and then sails off again in his ship.

Margaret Wise Brown, The Sailor Dog, 1953, copyright.I still think this is the book.  If the requester can go to a website entitled "Vintage Kids' Books My Kid Loves" and do a search there for The Sailor Dog, s/he'll see a few illustrations from the book, including one of Scuppers the Sailor Dog on the beach making a house out of driftwood with the carpenter's chest he found there.  It's not the only picture of the house in the book -- I'm pretty sure there's one of it at night with the light on, which I think is what the requester remembers -- but there will be no mistaking the style and quality of the Garth Williams illustrations.  I generally can't tell whether people look back at these suggested solutions or not, but I'd be very interested in knowing whether this one turns out to be right.
Margaret Wise Brown, The Sailor Dog, 1953. Right or wrong?


S591: settlers, pioneers, Texas, Galveston, shipwreck
I checked a chapter book out of my elementary school's library and read it around 1960.  A family set sail during the nineteenth century, eager for new opportunities in the new state (or territory?) of Texas.  They were shipwrecked and came ashore on an island.  They managed to salvage enough materials and belongings to build and furnish a cabin and plant a vegetable garden.  One of the pieces of salvage was their piano.  Time passed and the family adjusted well to their reduced circumstances and their survival situation, but the father, consumed with guilt for taking his family away from their formerly prosperous and comfortable life, set off for parts unknown to find a way to fulfill his dreams for them.  Shortly after his departure, Native Americans, who viewed the newcomers and their demonic sound-making apparatus (the piano) with fear, attacked and set fire to the house.  The teenaged daughter led her family to safety in a refuge within a thicket of saplings that had grown in a circle around a massive oak nearby.  The father returned shortly, having discovered that they had been living on the unoccupied end of Galveston Island, not far from a thriving new city.  The book had been shelved in the younger students' section of the library by mistake.  When I tried to check it out again, the librarian would not let me do so, as it was deemed too mature for a third-grader--silly rules!


S592: Spiral staircase/sea conch
Mystery of ...formerly titled "Tigers Eye?", fifties-sixties, juvenile.  Story is of children related to Louisa May Alcott or they live in a mansion formerly owned by her.  There is financial difficulty, father may have died, mother looking to pay off debts to keep house.  Children, boy and girl, discover a secret or clues to hidden jewels once owned by LMA.  There is a dollhouse with a spiral staircase, there is a sea conch, the boy dreams he is inside the dollhouse which catches fire.  The boy also dreams he's inside the conch falling into the spirals of the conch.  They find a hidden staircase within the walls of the mansion that "spiral"? There is a sense of dread and tension until they mystery is revealed.

Jane Langton, The Diamond in the Window.
  This often-sought book is almost certainly the basis for your memories.  There are several dream sequences, including one that takes place inside a chambered nautilus, and much discussion of the New England Transcendentalists (of whom Louisa May Alcott's father was one).


S593: Ship brings cold girl oranges
Story / excerpt 1972-84 elementary school reader? Girl waits for supply / cargo ship bringing supplies & oranges. Eats orange reminiscent of sunshine.  She wears parka. Cold climate – Eskimo, Inuit, Alaska, Newfoundland, Greenland ?


S594: Store, ice cream or candy
1970s, childrens.  A man runs a neighborhood ice cream or candy store that is very popular with the kids. When he weighs the peanuts, he always puts a few more on. When he makes the ice cream cone, he puts a little bit down in the cone, then the main scoop on top. His grown-up son goes off to college to learn how to help run the business. He comes back with lots of new ideas including measuring the peanuts and taking a few off and making the ice cream cone without the little extra bit. The son is perplexed when the kids stop coming. Eventually he figures it out and the business does great.

I don't remember the name of the book, but was the man who ran the shop named Mr. Dooley?
Alice Miller, Little Store on the Corner.  I just read this book!  The store owner's son comes home from college with lots of big ideas about management and takes over while he's on vacation.  He skimps on the servings and the kids eventually show him the right way to do things.
The Little Store on the Corner - see Solved Mysteries.


S595: Spooky house, cat
I remember very few details for this one.  Spooky house on a hill, (black?) cat with vivid green eyes. Not sure if this is the same book, but – a boarding school in the woods?

The Little Broomstick
by Mary Stewart? See Solved Mysteries.
Maybe The Witch on Hissing Hill by Mary Calhoun?  I haven't read it for years, but the cover has a spooky black house in the background, and a black cat with vivid green eyes sitting in the foreground.  I think it was about how a mean witch became nice though, and I don't remember a boarding school.
Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds, The Witch Herself, September 1, 2002, reprint. Could this be "The Witch Herself"? The cover of a reprint of this book has a black cat with bright greenish/yellow eyes and the "witch" has an old Victorian house on the top of a hill.



S596: sick grandmother lost flowers
I read the book in the 70's, book from 60's?  Book was about a girl whose grandmother lived with the family.  Grandmother was sickly or senile, always asking for her flowers, that she had left in her room.  at the end of the book, the girl stumbled on a hidden room, and on the table are the flowers.

Cook, Lyn, Samantha's Secret Room,
1963, copyright.  Sam (Samantha) Wiggins lives on a farm in Penetanguishene, Ontario with her parents, two brothers and great grandmother.  As the girl of the family, One of the themes running through the book is Samantha's dislike of doing domestic chores, especially for her grandmother, simply because she is the girl of the family.  Her relationship with her grandmother isn't fantastic.  Her grandmonther frequently asks for the "book with the flowers in it" which Samantha can't find and doesn't believe exists.  Samantha escapes her great grandmother and her brothers by hiding out in the old root cellar, which she has decorated with mail-order posters of holiday destinations.  Another theme running through the book is Sam's search for the secret room belonging to her 19th century ancestor of the same name.  She searches through their big 150 year old farm house for the room without success.  At the very end of the book, she is tearing things off the wall of her root cellar hideout when she stumbles across a second secret room, hidden behind the walls.  This of course, is the other Samantha's room, and also contains her great grandmother's "book with the flowers in it" - a diary (from memory!) that has dried flowers pressed between its pages.


S597: set of children's story books
1950, childrens.  this book had many stories in it.  also puzzles games, magic fun for kids and nursery rhymes.  It came in a set of books.  some of the titles were- "the Fox Who Lost Her Tail"  "the Bull and the Mouse" "Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp"   "The Goose Girl" "The Golden Goose"  " The Star Silver" " The Tale of the Valiant Siegfried" "Gulliver's Travels" etc. Also this (these books had "Reading Units"  Like "Projects and Recreation"  "classical Nursery Rhymes" " Aesop's fables Retold" and "Famous Stories Retold".  These Books had a hard cover and were red.  I would love to get these books again and know who published them.

Marjorie Blackman, Aesops Fables Retold.
  Hi, if you have a look at www.fantasticfiction.co.uk and search for this title it says there is a whole load of this series of books but says by many authors, so you might have to search a bit more.


S598: Sledding kids on ice cream splotched snowy hills
Solved: The Littlest Snowman

S599: Strange family, crystal ball
Solved: A Visit to Folly Castle

S600: Star Trek Interstellar Saran Wrap monsters
1970's-80's, original cast. USS Enterprise is enveloped by a giant creature like a big rectangular film the size of North America.  The creature cries for help as they fight, and as the Enterprise heads to the safety of a planetary system, another one that could "envelop Sol" comes from space.

Peace and long life. You might check the Complete Starfleet Library at http://www.well.com/~sjroby/lcars/. I couldn't find anything there that resembled your book but the descriptions often seem to be just the back-cover blurbs... not much detail. But perhaps enough for you... if you look at the pages for the years your book would have come out, perhaps you will recognize it. They show the book covers. You could also try memory-alpha.org. Good luck!


S601: 60s-70s book involving boy, grandma, bike & spy or assasination plot
Solved: The Kidnapers Upstairs


S602: Science fiction short story
Solved: "Willowisp"

S603: Star on staff imprint on snow
Read part in 1983/4. Fantasy novel centering on a boy. An early scene he has a staff/rod that leaves a star/crown? imprint on the snow in the woods as he walks. Think he has lost his memory. The imprint is a clue to his identity which is politically important.  Crows/ravens are recurring throughout.

Susan Cooper, The Dark is Rising.
  I don't remember about the imprint in the snow, but there are lots of rooks in The Dark is Rising.
Thanks for the suggestion but that isn't the one.  Setting is a world other than our own.  The boy is being pursued through much of the book and the symbol on the staff(?) is evidence of his destiny.  I think his pursuers sought to kill him initially and failed.  Limited on how much I could put in the original post by PayPal though honestly my memory is the biggest limitation here.
Patricia McKillip, Riddlemaster of Hed,
1976.  Some details don't match exactly, but it sounds like McKillip's Riddlemaster trilogy.  Morgon has three stars on his forehead, and also obtains a harp with the three stars.  They are key to his destiny.  Some people do try to kill him and he wanders throughout the land, meeting up with (among other people) a shape-shifter who turns into a crow for a time.  Not absolutely sure but a staff may also be involved.


S604: Scruffy
Childrens book from 1980's; possibly late 1970's.  The title of the book is Scruffy, but it's not the books by Peggy Parish or John Stoneley.  The book is about a dog who runs away and the boy who finds him.

Prudence Andrew, Dog,
1973, copyright.  This might be the same as B649 in unsolved mysteries. Andrew pleads with his father for a dog. For the twentieth time his father explains to him that dogs aren't allowed in the housing project where they live. Then one wonderful day, Andrew finds a hungry, shaggy, little stray. Andrew is determined to keep the dog. He names him Scruffy, cleans him up and feeds him, and hides him near his home in an abandoned car.
Prudence Andrew, Dog, 1973, copyright.  "Why can't I have a dog?"  Andrew pleads. For the twentieth time his father explains that dogs aren't allowed in the project where they live. Then, one wondeful day, Andrew finds Scruffy -- a hungry, shaggy, little dog that belongs to nobody. Andrew is determined to keep Scruffy -- and, somehow, he's going to do it! Front cover shows a scruffy little brown and whitish terrier sitting in the snow, with barren trees behind him.


S605: Sisters in boarding school 2 book set
Solved: The Mystifying Twins


S606: Smokes dad's cigar and turns green
Book set in Paris, France (possibly originally a French story translated to English) about a boy with a fat friend called Edwin, whose favourite shop is a delicatessen called "The Epicure". One day he smokes one of his dad's cigars in the park, goes green and gets sick.

Goscinny and Sempe, Nicholas,
late '70s?, approximate.  You might be thinking of the first collection of Nicholas stories, which were written by Rene Goscinny (best known for Asterix), illustrated by Jean-Jacques Sempe and later translated from the original French by Anthea Bell.  There are several volumes of collected stories, and they're uniformly delightful.  They were first published in the UK in the late '70s and early '80s, and have been reissued by Phaidon Press in the last couple of years.  The story you describe could be "The Cigar", in which Nicholas and his fat friend Alec (not Edwin, but there is another friend named Eddie) smoke a cigar and suffer ill-effects.  The English title of the collection it appears in is "Nicholas".  There's a quotation from the story in this review of the recent reprint edition: http://archive.southcoasttoday.com/daily/03-06/03-11-06/08living.htm - scroll to near the end.  And here are a couple of the illustrations from the book, which might look familiar: http://www.bookmakingwithkids.com/?p=217.


S607: Seventh-Day Adventist basic reader title
I was in 2nd grade (in 1978) reading the green covered "Neighborhood Friends", when I looked in an empty desk and found a reader for another class.  I don't know what level.  It was a deeper blue/purple than "More Neighborhood Friends" and had snow over 1/2 the cover w/ a snow covered cabin.  Title?

Young, Ethel, Neighbors About Us,
1958, copyright.  Found it! You can see a picture of the cover at http://tinyurl.com/69oyy6.
I saw this title "Neighbors About Us" last week, and while the description of the snowy cabin fits, I remember a bluish/purple cover with no people on the front.  I am looking into whether or not what I remember was possibly a later publication?  Also, it may have been a supplemental reader, not the main reader for the particular grade level.


S608: Short story, space ship, extra weight
Solved: The Cold Equations


S609: stories
Solved: The Hutchinson Illustrated Treasury of Children's Literature


S610: Sci/Fi book 1970s caterpillar gems
I read this in in the 1970s, written for children/young adults. Protagonist is a woman, in a different world/galaxy/planet, where they use precious gems as currency. In the story, we learn that the gems are actually the feces of worms/caterpillars.  The author wrote other kids sci/fi books, too.

Naomi Mitchison, Memoirs of a spacewoman. 
This is a long shot, but one of the episodes in this book has a planet where the caterpillars make jewel/faeces patterns as part of their mating ritual. However, if they do this they never turn into immortal butterflies, so the butterflies try to stop them. One of the human crew gets too involved with the caterpillars and feels sorry for them, so she kills a supposedly immortal butterfly.  I know it's not an exact match but thought it was worth mentioning.


S611: Scary color picture book I read in 1983/84
Solved: Grandpa's ghost stories


S612: Short story collection
Solved: The Little Bookroom

2009


S613: Sundial enables time travel
It is about siblings, 3 I think, who were sent to live with a relative.  They kids discovered a sundial that enable them to travel back in time.  They met kids who had previously lived in that  same house.  It is up to the contemporary kids to save the past kids from a tragedy that already occurred.

Edward Eager, The Time Garden.
  This reminds me of The Time Garden, which is about the four children of one of the siblings from Eager's "Half Magic". The time travelling is done with the aid of a sprig of thyme, which comes from a magic garden (I think there is a sundial there).  At one point the characters encounter the Half Magic characters as children, and help them return to the time they came from.
Antonia Barber, The Ghosts.  Lucy and her brother Jamie meet two mysterious figures in the garden, beginning a dangerous friendship with two children who had died a century earlier. They must travel back in time to save Sara and Georgie from the tragic fire that took their lives.
Anne Lindbergh, Shadow on the Dial, 1987, copyright.  This could be Anne Lindbergh's "Shadow on the Dial".  I don't think there's a past family tragedy, but they are trying to change something in their uncle's past.  It also sounds a little like Peni Griffin's "A Dig in Time", but it's not a sundial that makes them travel in time.  There's another title with a sundial that's just eluding me at the moment, but it may be by Andre Norton.
Antonia Barber, The Ghosts.  Maybe?
Edward Eager, The Time Garden, 1958, approximate.  Possibly this one, although I don't remember them averting a previous tragedy. "In this sequel to Knight's Castle, the four kids - Roger, Ann, Eliza, and Jack - are together again, this time staying at the house of a distant relative, Mrs. Whiton. Mrs. Whiton just happens to have a rather extraordinary garden, which includes a sundial (inscribed "Anything can happen...when you've all the time in the world")  Another possibility is Moondial by Helen Cresswell, which also has a sundial that allows time travel.
edward eager, the time garden, 1958, approximate.  there were 4 children but one thought he was too old to join in. they see queen elizabeth, jo march, etc. his books are great, and most are intertwined with each other, the children being the same or related in most of them. he credits e nesbit with most of his ideas.
Cresswell, Helen, Moondial, 1987, copyright.  From the book description: While staying with her mother’s godmother, Minty finds herself drawn to a mysterious sundial which takes her back in time and links her life to that of two unhappy children she meets in two different centuries.
Antonia Barber, The Ghosts.  This sounds like The Ghosts, although I don't remember whether a sundial is involved.  I do remember something about The Wheel of Time.  Lucy and Jamie Allen and their widowed mother move into a house when the mother is made caretaker.  The ghosts in question are children (Sara and Georgie Latimer) traveling forward in time to ask for help because their uncle/guardian is trying to murder them.  This was made into a movie called "The Amazing Mr. Blunden."
Curry, Jane Louise, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Time, 1975, copyright.  I think this is the book. It has been reprinted several times.
Eager, Edward, The Time Garden, 1958, approximate.  The sundial isn't what enables the children to travel through time, it's the magic thyme that grows in the garden, but a sundial is prominently featured in the garden.
This sounds exactly like a bbc children's programme from the 80s called Moondial.  (the only difference being that it was a moon dial, not a sundial.)


S614: Small Strange Witch
Solved: The Second Witch


S615: Sun sad, won't shine
Solved: How the Sun Was Brought Back to the Sky


S616: Subterranean boy has adventures above ground
Tale about a boy born to people living in a subterranean world, rafting on rivers.  He separates and emerges into the world above.  Gets horribly sunburned; treks through the land and has a series of experiences. I read the book in 1970 at age 10, I believe, may have been an award winner?

Mary Q. Steele, Journey Outside,  1969, copyright.
Mary Q. Steele, Journey OutsideJourney Outside was a Newbery Honor Book.  Kirkus Reviews (via Amazon) described it thus: ' Borderline science fiction/fantasy with stratified symbolism that reads like Plato's "parable of the cave" in raw outline. Dilar leaves the dark world of his Raft People (who are looking for "a Better Place") to find the legendary world of "green" and "day." Climbing up a (rabbit?) hole, he encounters sunlight and green trees and Dorna of the People Against the Tigers. After sharing their pleasant but no-future-planning life, he stumbles into the cave of a devout animal-lover whose concern for the welfare of his four-footed friends blots out care for the boy's human desires. Escaping, he passes the Not people (who almost ignore him) and, still looking for a Wise Man, he comes upon Vigan, who doles out the answers dramatically. He explains the Raft People - how they retreated to the underground river after a harsh life on earth and refused to admit their mistake - but cannot dissuade Dilar from wanting to return and lead them back to the light. "To do a difficult and dangerous thing is the reason for being young and strong." Until he gets to Vigan the fuzziness is frustrating, and once explained the "truth" sounds facile.'
Mary Q Steele, Journey Outside, 1969, copyright.  Sounds like this book: "The Raft People live in darkness and travel a circular journey on a underground river. One boy finds his way outside and tries to learn as much as possible so he can ultimately lead his people there to the Better Place."
Steele, Mary, Journey Outside, 1970s, approximate.  Dilar, one of the Raft People who travel on an underground river, goes above ground and meets several different groups of people, each with distinctive traits.


S617: Seven sisters time-travel YA story
Solved: The Wicked Pigeon Ladies in the Garden


S618: series of children in many countries
I'm looking for a series, published during the 60's.  Each book was about a child in a different country. They were short -- and the ones I remember were paperback. There was definitely one about a dutch boy, with a skating theme.  I think there were sold as a package -- not one by one.

Lucy Perkins, Twins series.
  Could this be the Twins series by Lucy Perkins?  The Dutch Twins does have a skating theme.  Each book featured twins--most often a girl and a boy, but sometimes two boys--from a different country and historical era.  Lucy Perkins started writing them around 1916 and they last one was around 1969.  As a kid, I loved them. As an adult they're awfully predictable, and old fashioned.  The kids range from The Spartan Twins to the American Pioneer twins, to almost every European country on the map...
Lucy Fitch Perkins, "Twins" seriesLucy Fitch Perkins wrote a 26 book series about twins from different countries.
Twins series, originally written by Lucy Fitch Perkins? See Solved Mysteries. (On the T page, search on Lucy - it's somewhat easier that way.)
Elizabeth F. McCrady, Children of Foreign Lands, 1936, also 1960, approximate.  If the paperbacks were more like pamphlets, sold as a boxed set, this may be a set of stories published as Children of Foreign Lands.  The only paperback title from that set that I have is Matsu and Taro of Japan (the family visits shops and Matsu gets a doll).  The book of the same title collected many of the stories, among them Olga of Norway, Ching Ling and Ting Ling (of China, who fly a bird of happiness kite), Wilhemina of Holland (where the cover picture shows her skating, though the story is set in summer, near a canal).  Each story ends with a poem that summarizes the story.


S619: Stories Collection, 1970s, Color Illustrations
Glossy covers, red(?) spine; major publisher, possibly Macmillan or Random House. Different illustrator for each story. Evocative pictures include 1) man visits witch's cottage, witch has broom for head; 2) lemon, peppercorn and pitcher walk down dirt road; 3) Death loses bet, is stuck in cherry tree.


S620: Series of books about little people who live on the Moon
Solved: The Matthew & Maria Looney series


S621: Shared conciousness between two children
may have had the word mind in the title, 1990's, juvenile.  I first read the book in 1998, but the book was 5 to 10 years old then. It's a book meant for childern approx. between 12-15. The book is about two childern, a girl and she lives in america, and a boy that is a prince and lives in europe. For some reason their brain waves are linked and they can slip in and out of each other's conciousness.  Even though they have never met and live an ocean apart. While linked the girl learns there is a plot against the royal family. Later both childern are kidnapped, they have to use their link to save each other. Or something like that, I'm not sure of all the details. I know the cover was blue with a picture of a girl and boys face on it, the book was soft cover and slim.

This sounds very much like the young adult fantasy novel Of Two Minds by Carol Matas and Perry Nodelman.  The two children with mind powers are Lenora, a headstrong princess who can make anything she imagines real, and Coren, a shy prince from a kingdom where everyone can read each other's thoughts.  The two are betrothed by their parents, the rulers of neighboring kingdoms (both made-up places).  They are kidnapped and taken to a strange country where their normal powers are gone.  Together, they have to defeat the evil tyrant Hevak and save both of their kingdoms.  Originally published in 1995, I read this in the late 1990's too, when it was published as a Point Fantasy paperback.  The cover is dark, with a picture of Lenora right-side up in the lower right corner, and Coren upside-down in the upper left corner.  There are also a few sequels, called More Minds, Out of Their Minds, and A Meeting of Minds.
Pamela Service, Being of Two Minds, 1991, copyright.  Except for the dates, the details match Being of Two Minds by Pamela Service. The two characters that could get into each other's mind were an American girl and a crown prince of a small kingdom. The prince is kidnapped when the girl Connie is in his mind. Perhaps this is it.


S622: sisters at a school in New York
Book about sisters, orphans.  Older just got a new job as a  teacher.  Younger enrolled as a student, becomes friends with another girl, who is rich-- her father's wealth began when he found a golden walnut. Older sister starts dating friend's brother... it's cold and she gets sick... ends happily.

Madye Lee Chastain, Emmy Keeps A Promise,
1950s, approximate.  This classic book is about Emmy and her beautiful sister Arabelle who move from their small upstate town to New York City near the turn of the century.  Arabelle is a music teacher and falls in love with handsome ship captain Andy, the cousin of Emmy's rich schoolmate Lissa Spenlow.  Arabelle is always too proud and independent to seek any help but when she gets very sick during the cold winter, Emmy is the one who takes charge and gets the aid they both need.  In this way, she keeps the promise she made to their aunt back home that she would watch out for Arabelle.  The book has wonderful illustrations and captures the sights and sounds of lower Manhattan and its mix of people before modernization.  But I don't remember anything about a "golden walnut."


S623: short stories, medieval times?
Book-possibly Scholastic-I believe it had short stories, possibly in medieval times-one was about a boy who had to solve a riddle? One of his solutions to finding something no one else had seen was opening a nut!  Read at least 35 years ago? Perhaps a 3-6th grade book?

Benjamin Elkin, The Big Jump.
  This description made me think of The Big Jump, except that as I recall the something new that the boy shows the king isn't a nut but a chick that has just hatched.


S624: Stuffed dog and cat made with patchwork material tear each other apart
Solved: "The Duel"


S625: Strawberry blond girl with Swedish braids becomes queen and overthrows evil man in black with mask
An illustrated book about a blondish girl (braids on top of her head) who becomes queen of a kingdom ruled by an evil tyrant who wears a dark mask. In one scene, she stands up on the tables she was waiting on to confront the man.  A friend also lights himself on fire and throws himself from a tower. (I read it in 2001-2).


S626: sorceress's daughter fixes magical tunnel
Solved: Black Unicorn


S627: Spelling Everything He Wants
Solved: Arthur Gets What He Spells
1970s, childrens.  This book was about a little boy who was having trouble with his spelling, so his parents challenged him to spell everything he wanted. They bought him everything he spelled. When he spelled something incorrectly, they bought him this wrong item. Finally, as he got better at spelling, the book concluded with him telling his parents he wanted some spaghetti. His mom and dad waited anxiously while he tried to spell this request.

Armstrong, Louise, Arthur gets what he spells,
1979, copyright.  Arthur, a poor speller, is promised that he will get anything he wants if he will spell it instead of say it.
Louise Armstrong, Arthur Gets What He Spells, 1979, copyright.  This does indeed sound like the book! Thank you so much!


S628: Skedaddle puppy runs away
Story about a puppy named Skedaddle who runs away - or gets lost. He goes about town and curiousity takes him to various places. One of those places was a meat (?) market. Skedaddle is shushed out by the grocer. The picture shows him running away with a string of hotdogs in his mouth. Skedaddle is finally caught by a dog catcher and taken to the pound, where his adopted family finally find him and take him back home.  I do not know when the book was written, but I read it to my little girl who was born in 1971. Therefore, I would have purchased the book shortly thereafter. I don't believe it to be a Little Golden Book, but it was a book similar in size and structure.  My now grown daughter has seen a poster at her vet's office of Skedaddle, one that she remembers from the book. So, if even a poster can be found, that would be so great.  Thank you for any help you can find.


S629: Scandinavian Boy's Mythological Odyssey
This is a large format, not very thick, beautifully and fancifully illustrated hardcover book with very colorful not very detailed pictures.  If there are words they are sparse.  It's the story of a boy (8-12 yrs. old) who for some reason is on a solo mission through forest and mountain plateau (Norway) encountering trolls, a giant, and near the end a dragon.  I think I remember a goat being in the story.  I specifically remember an illustration with him in a snowladen landscape where the trees bent with snow take on the implied shapes of other beings.  The name Per comes to mind but this could be misleading. My family had it in the mid 1960's. Thanks.

Peer Gynt
.  This sounds like it could be a retelling of Henrik Ibsen's Peer Gynt, which takes place mostly in Norway.  There have been illustrated versions for children.  There are trolls, reindeer, a giant type creature,....  It's a possibility.


S630: Science fiction trilogy
Solved: The Exciles Trigoly


S631: short stories, little girl really likes birds, mother gets her up early to find worms
I'm looking for an older book of short stories with "silhouette" illustrations (solid black or blue outlined against a white background, like the picture I linked to below).  The story I remember most was one of a little girl who thought it would be the most wonderful thing to be a bird instead of a human.  Her mama tries to discourage her fantasies but to no avail. So to show her how good she really does have it as a little girl, Mama wakes her up very early in the morning for breakfast: she must go dig up the jars of food ("worms") that Mama buried in the garden/backyard - because that's what little birds must do to eat since their meals don't arrive on Mama's table as scheduled!  This book must have belonged to my late mother when she was younger.  I'm 47, and I remember reading it while curled up on my grandmother's squeaky old porch swing (the metal kind with that pine green, yellow, black, and red striped awning and cushion!)  Thank you so much for your help jogging my memory!

I'm not sure of the title either, but I'm sure we're looking for the same book!  My stumper number is L253.  It's good to know somebody else has a fondness for this obscure little book :)  Hopefully we'll get an answer soon!

S632: skunks and little boy
in 1949, my mother Jerline Peaslee created a story for  her students  in a one room school. It was based on a picture of a row of cute skunks marching along , with tails and noses high, while behind a tree a little boy was watching with saucer-sized eyes.  This & others were published under a pen name.  The pen name was possibly Brown or Green.  I am looking for any information on the stories my mother wrote. Jerline Peaslee may have used the pen name Green or Brown.  The skunk story was  one in a group of eight stories.   Another story - a longer one was about children and a pet deer.  Animals talked to each  other in many of her stories.

Not a title but some suggestions.  PTLA (Publishers Trade List Annual) was an annual publication that included many (not all) publishers catalogs.  A few research libraries have either the volumes or microfilm covering 1949-50, and looking through them might help to find an 8-book set with a story about a skunk and a deer. Internet Archive has the Cumulative Book Index covering 1949-52, a volume which (theoretically) lists all titles published during those years.  I couldnt find anything under peaslee, brown(e), or green(e) that looked promising, but it might be possible to go through the book more carefully since it is online. Finally, the U.S. Copyright Office might have suggestions.  (It seems probable that the copyright was in the publishers name, but there may still be a way of tracing the author.)


S633: spaghetti
Book read to me in grade school, early 1980s.  Decently elaborate, whimsical illustrations, had a fairy tale/ old world feel to it.  Story of a someone who made a pot of spaghetti that kept getting bigger and bigger, until the whole town was over-run by spaghetti.

Tomie dePaola, Strega Nona, 1979.  It was a Caldecott honor book.  Strega Nona, an elderly woman who does minor magic for her village, hires Big Anthony to help around the house.  She tells him never to touch her magic pasta pot, but of course he spies on her and hears how to make the pot produce pasta.  One day when Strega Nona is away, Big Anthony turns on the pot and starts serving pasta to the whole village.  However, Big Anthony doesn't know how to stop the pot, and soon there is pasta everywhere, running down the town streets.  Strega Nona comes home, says the magic words to stop the pot from making pasta, and makes Big Anthony clean it all up.
Tomie DePaola, Strega Nona, 1980s, approximate.  Good chance this is it!

S634: seven little bears
the story is about 7 little bears, all brothers.   I can't remember all the names, but the eldest was called Marmaduke,  and after him came (probably not in the correct order ), Algernon Cuthbert and Edward, with the youngest brother called Wee One who was the naughtiest.  One of the books and my favourite, was on a schoolday when the lady teacher asked them to fill up the inkwells. the ensuing argument over who did what ensured the ink went everyehere but the inkwells.  another book in the series  is about a sunflower growing contest and Wee One's sunflower grew as high as the upstair window.   i learnt to read with these books and would love to have them again, its the happy memories of so long ago sitting on my mum's lap, reading about these funny little bears.  it would be really great if you can find them.

Chris Temple, The Family of the Little Brown Bears
.  These stories seem to have come from a periodical called Little Dots Playways.
Chris Temple, Little Brown Bears stories.  I found this on a bears site:  ""The Family of the Little Brown Bears" written and illustrated by Chris Temple. The family appeared in four books – "At the School," "At the Farm," "At the Seaside," and "At the Zoo" – and in the Little Dots monthly periodical in the 1920s. The family of Little Brown Bears included Marmaduke, Clarence, Cuthbert, Algernon, Archibald, Frederick, and Wee One. While attending Mrs. Bruin's School for Little Brown Bears, the brothers met fellow bears Oswald, Edward, and Claude."  Seems to me that I also read one of these stories years ago in Playways Annual.

S635: shadow game
Older book around 1950-1960. Three kids a brother and sister and another boy play a game where they Shadow People.  They follow someone discreetly and record what that person is doing and the time in a notebook.  The girl chooses a man because of his looks and they follow him around.  At a later date when reading the local newspaper the man they had "shadowed" is being charged with  murder or some serious crime.  They recognize the date as the day they had shadowed him.  They locate their notebooks and compare the times and dates.  They present them to the authorities and the grateful man goes free. The next time the kids go to town they see other kids carrying their notebooks shadowing people.

Mary C. Jane, Mystery by Moonlight. Im not sure this is the right title, but I think its one of the books by Mary C. Jane. 

I think the book is older than something written by Mary C. Jane. Thank you for suggesting it means someone is out there looking.


S636: Sister is reincarnated missing sister
Author name may start with something after "Keene"; prior to 1993, likelier from 80's or 70's or before.  It starts with a teen or young adult female driving her mother to a morgue in a small car (maybe a toyota) in the rain.  They were going to look at a body that might have been the sister to the young adult woman.  The sister, who may have had dark curly hair and may have been named Molly or Emily, vanished when she was only a little child and had been out playing with her kitten, and she vanished before the young adult sister was even born.  The mother felt guilty and I think it broke up her marriage, too, so she was always tracking down stories about amnesiac and dead women who matched her missing daughter's description.  The young adult woman, on that miserable rainy day, decided to put her foot down and stop looking.  Over the course of the book, she is hypnotized and regressed and learns that she was her missing sister.  Near the end, the principal of the elementary school gives a deathbed confession to her only, stating that he accidentally ran over her sister and then covered it up by burying the girl and her kitten in a fresh grave.  Then the bodies were found and the mother found closure.

I'm not sure of the title but I think I've read that. I keep thinking the author's name is Lorne or Loren. I remember thinking it seemed to have been based on Gillian and Jennifer Pollock. These twins said and did things which suggested they were the reincarnations of their sisters who had been hit by a car. Their father believed it was them and was obsessed about it.
Carole Bolton, Little Girl Lost,1980, copyright.This is the book.  Liz is the girl in the story whose sister, Carrie disappeared before she was born.  She had a kitten and turns out at the end that the school principal was having an affair and in his hurry to meet his lover, hit the little girl and never confessed.   He finally does because he is dying of cancer.  Liz is hypnotized at one point in the story and remembers being Carrie.   Its not played up much in the book but definately hints at reincarntion.  Her mother tries to kill herself and Liz saves her life by "knowing" something is wrong.  Hope this will help solve your mystery!
Carole Bolton, Little Girl Lost, 1980, copyright.Some of this matches your stumper.  There is a "scene" where the daughter is driving the mother and they go to identify a body.  The missing sister is Carrie.   She was out playing with her kitten when she disappeared and the mother has devoted her life to the memory of the child.  The other sister tries to solve the mystery and does get hypnotized at one point.  It is the principal who ran over Carrie and does confess on his deathbed.  Excellent book!  If you like mysteries, its a must read!!!!!
Carole Bolton, Little Girl Lost,1980, copyright. Fits the description...the sister that is lost is Carrie and the mother hasn't recovered even though its been 20 years since her disappearance.  Her sister, Elizabeth or Liz decides to solve the mystery and is hypnotized and there is a brief part that makes you think she is reincarnated.   She finally does learn that the principal killed the sister by accident and buried her in the cemetary in a fresh grave.  He was having an affair and didn't want anyone to know that's why he was in such a hurry and ran over the little girl.  He is dying of cancer and so he confesses.
S637: Sesame Street color mansion
I had this book as a kid, so it goes back at least to the 80s. The Sesame Street characters somehow (perhaps they get stranded?) end up exploring a mansion where every room is a different color; so Grover opens a door and finds a blue room, Big Bird, yellow; Elmo, red; Count, purple; Zoe, pink, etc.

Sunshine, Madeline, The House of Seven Colors 1985, copyright. Sesame Street characters Grover, Ernie, Bert, Cookie Monster, the Count, Oscar and Betty Lou explore a house whose every room is a different color.

S638: Scary Stories Book for Kids/Teens
One story was about a indians in a snowy cave,one turns into a wendigo,the last story was about 2 girls that were invited to stay at Elizabeth Bathorys castle(revealed in footnotes at end of book)one was about a father and daughter with a ribbon and bowtie around their necks that keeps their head on.

Alvin Schwartz, Sacry Stories to Tell in the Dark, 1985. There was a series of the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books. They were collections of short stories, some of which were pretty creepy. The story about the heads tied on with ribbon sounds like it may be one included in one of these collections.

It's definitly not the scary stories(Swartz) series, and I just found out the ribbon story was in another book. Another story was about a demonwoman with long fingernails that attaches herself to a man until he dies. She then chases his friend saying"you're next"


S639: Siblings search for kidnapped witch
Solved: Mystical Beasts

S640: Sea stories, colorful, childrens
Oversized, color, many short Sea stories. Cover: a sailor looking out over the sea, (with spyglasses?) up in the mast. Or maybe it is a young boy up in the mast, looking Id buy a copy or two of this book.

Holling Clancey Holling, Seabird, original, 1948; renewed 1975, reprint. Beautifully illustrated, broken into separate chapters that may be seen as separate stories  of a cabin boys adventures on an old whaler, which sails around the world. He carves a seabird at the beginning, which accompanies him throughout his adventures, and passes it on to his grandson at the end of the book, in the modern age.
Jackkson, Kathryn and Byron, Pirates, Ships and Sailors, 1950, copyright. Could this be the book?  Pirates, Ships and Sailors, a Giant Golden Book, was illustrated by the renowned artist Gustaf Tenggren.  There is indeed a drawing of a young sailor boy standing atop a mast, pointing at a pirate ship which has been  partially hidden by an island, on the  books cover. This book is a collection of 42 stories, poems and songs (celebrating the sea, and the sea-persons (?) life, of course.)  If this is the requestors book - he or she is in luck - as it has recently been reissued, so finding a copy or two will be a simple task.  (Tenggren and the Jacksons also collaborated on another Giant Golden book, Cowboys and Indians, published in 1948.  This one doesnt appear to have been reissued, however, so current prices for Cowboys and Indians are more in the range of childrens collectables.)


S641:  Soft cover humor book on sterling silver flatware PATTERNS

Most frequently chosen by southern women.  The premise of the book is the silver patterns represent character traits much like the zodiac. The pattern one chooses denotes one's personality and when one marries she should chose a husband who's mother has a similar or compatible pattern.  Chose the man your going to marry by matching your silver pattern traits to your future mother's in law's personality by way of silver pattern choice.

Marilyn Schwartz, A Southern Belle Primer:  Why Princess Margaret Will Never Be a Kappa Kappa Gamma.The silverware "zodiac" is only one of the funny chapters.  The explanation for why southern belles have big hair is also great, and the information about beauty pageants (and the curtsy that they do in Texas) is amazing!


S642: Sparrow and Swallow families
 I'm looking for a friend's favorite childhood books -- probably late 1930's- early 1940's, involving (human) families named Sparrow and Swallow.  (Maybe Sparrows and/or Swallows)  From his description, I think there must have been a series of books about these families.  Any help apprec.  Thanks!

Arthur Ransome, Swallows and Amazons, 1930, copyright. A long shot, but could this be Arthur Ransomes famous Swallows and Amazons series? There are two families, one with boys and girls (the Swallows), the other with two girls (the Amazons), who have many adventures, mostly sailing, but on land as well, through a dozen books: Swallows and Amazons (1930), Swallowdale (1931), Peter Duck (1932), Winter Holiday (1933), Coot Club (1934), Pigeon Post (1936), We Didn'\''t Mean to Go to Sea (1937), Secret Water (1939), The Big Six (1940), Missee Lee (1941), The Picts and the Martyrs (1943) and Great Northern? (1947). All still in print...as far as I know, they'\''ve never been out of print! Pigeon Post won the Carnegie, the UKs most important award for childrens books.
Arthur Ransome, Swallows and Amazons, 1930, copyright. Just a possibility that your friend is thinking of this popular series, which features the adventures of imaginative children from two families who sail, camp, and otherwise explore the rural Lake District of England during their summer holidays.
Arthur Ransome, Swallows and Amazons. Its a long shot, but could the books be Arthur Ransomes Swallows and Amazons series?  Not the kids last names, but the names of the boats they sail on on of the lakes in the Lake Country in England in the first book.  Two sisters have the Amazon, and a family of five children have the Swallow.  There are other adventures in other locations.
Arthur Ransom, Swallows and Amazons series. I think your friend might be looking for the Swallows and Amazons series.  Two families, sailboats and lots of adventures.  (I think the Amazons last name is Kite, or some other kind of bird.
Swallows and Amazons, Arthur Ransome, 1930, approximate. Maybe your friend is remembering the Swallows and Amazons series about two families of English children who sail and have adventures.  Their family names are Walker and Blackett, but their boats are named The Swallow and The Amazon, and the children call themselves Swallows and Amazons. Swallows and Amazons, the first in the series, was published in 1930.  The author based the stories on friends he sailed with as a child, and their boats were called Swallow and Mavis (also a bird), so maybe that'\''s the Sparrow your friend remembers.
Arthur Ransome, Swallows and Amazons, 1930. Could this friend be looking for Arthur Ransomes famous series about adventurous British children who go sailing, camping etc etc in Norfolk Broads and elsewhere, best-known title is Swallows and Amazons but the whole series is known as the Swallows and Amazons series?
Arthur Ransome, Swallows and Amazons. Could this be Swallows and Amazons? There was a series written in the 1930s about these kids and (mostly) their boating adventures on the Swallow and the Amazon.
Arthur Ransome, Swallows and Amazons, 1930, approximate. From the Wikipedia entry, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swallows_and_Amazons_(series).


S643: Series about father and daughter aliens observing humans
Series about father and daughter aliens observing humans.

Sylvia Engdahl, Enchantress from the Stars, 1970, copyright. Elana is a member of an exploratory team sent to study less developed worlds.  Her father is also a member of the team.  Although its forbidden, she reveals herself to a boy from that planet and together they must stop an invasion of his world by another alien race.  Engdahl also wrote another book about Elana, "The Far Side of Evil."
Sylvia Engdahl, Enchantress from the Stars, 2003, reprint. This is a reprint - originally 1971, but it has a father and daughter alien pair observing other cultures/planets.  There is a 2nd book titled The Far Side of Evil.


S644: Siblings in England
Solved

S645: Super suit pajamas
"It was a kid who used his pajamas as a super suit, and went to a factory that made adults gumpy and mean, to stop it."  Probably before 1986.

Super suit pajamas, "It was a kid who used his pajamas as a super suit, and went to a factory that made pills that made adults grumpy and mean, to stop it."  Probably before 1986.


S646: Seasons Children's Book 
Solved: A Book of Seasons

S647: Stranger than Fiction
I am looking for children's picture book from approx 40 years ago here in Brisbane, Australia.
Am sure it was called "Stranger Than Fiction" though maybe time has dulled my recollection, as I never would have believed it would be so hard and elusive to find.  I can see it clearly in my mind's eye - glossy red hardcover, some of the content pics in box form on front cover, colour pictures with text starting underneath or on opposite page.  it included a story about the Minotaur and a story on witches (i can remember that, because i'm sure it was the first time in my life i ever heard the word "Walpurgisnacht"). It was very mild mythology / occult-y stuff for juveniles aged about 10-11.  I have been looking for this all of my adult life- and would pay ANYTHING for it.

Norton, C.B., It's a fact: truth stranger than fiction,1945, copyright. A very long shot, as there are many books with titles approximating "stranger than fiction" out there, but since you said you read it in Australia and have never not since been able to find it, maybe this old title which was obscurely published in NSW and shows only two Australian holding libraries now (plus Yale U in the US, per WorldCat)?  Found in WorldCat and in the Libraries Australia site at http://librariesaustralia.nla.gov.au/apps/kss?mode=bas
Just a suggestion--could your book have been one of C.B. Colby's short "true" ghost stories?  "Strangely Enough" and "The Weirdest People in the World" both had dozens of short (one to three page) stories about supposedly real supernatural occurances. They were reprinted in several different formats, and abridged for different age levels. Very creepy stories, and often found in juvenile collections.

...I've never yet found that elusive book. ... I'm aware that there are sooooo many other books called 'Stranger than Fiction'.  there is even one which has a similar description (but I have that one, so I know it's not the One).  2.  This was a book for young children...the text to each picture wasn't even a 'story', it was just plain old information.



S648: Sepia toned Egyptian characters

Small book (not sure if childrens book) which is sepia toned and has pictures of either cavement or egyptian characters (pharoahs)?
Philip Yates, Ten Little Mummies, 2003, approximate. If you're thinking of a recent book, it could be Ten Little Mummies


S649: Summer on Cape Cod
Series of books checked out from library in the 1970s. Summer on Cape Cod? Kids learned how to sail and swam in the cold water. Could have been set in Maine.

Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, Cheaper by the Dozen, 1948, copyright. Either Cheaper by the Dozen or Belles on Their Toes.  The Gilbreth clan spent their summers in Nantucket, Massachusetts learning to swim and how to sail a boat.  They live in old lighthouses.
Do you remember anything else about the books?  It could be some of the Elizabeth Ladd "Meg" mysteries, which were set in Maine. Or maybe Elizabeth Ogilvie, who wrote semi-romances set in Maine and on Cape Cod. Louise Rich also wrote some stories set in Maine.  Good luck!

This was a series-at least 2 books.  Definately not a YA book-more like 7-10. Kids took sailing lessons in small boats- rocks o the beach hurt their feet.


S650: Space travel via radio waves
This is a 1930s or 1940s children's book-think book was smaller than your average book size-dealt with kids who were able to travel in a space ship on the radio waves.

S651:Solar System Travel
Solved: The Magic Universe

S652: Secret Garden
This book was about several little boys in England who find a key that unlocks a garden that has a magic lawn gnome (perhaps several).  At the end of the book all the little boys get long pants but lose the magic.  Read in the late sixties.

The Thyme Garden. This is a longshot, because the Thyme Garden has boys and girls. It is set in England and the garden is magic. Not sure about the long pants.


S653: Scary illustrated book- girls hair turns white & can no longer speak right
Scary illustrated children's book. Probably published in 80's -early 90's. A girl who experiences something so scary (definitely monstrous- possibly ghouls & goblins?) that by the end of the book her hair has turned white and she can no longer "speak right."


S654: Small Children with round smudged faces and features of all races playing together
I am looking for children's book or anthology maybe from the 60's, 70's or maybe earlier featuring small children with round faces and all races playing together.  They would be in a playground or meadow or hiding in trees, behind bushes and they were all so very cute.  The main thing that is noticeable is that the children are beautifully illustrated in color.  They all had round faces and "fuzzy" type features and hair meaning the illustrator made it seem as if he/she pressed their finger to the drawing and made the children look "smudged" but this technique added to the personality of the children, it made them look "cozy" and really cute  and they were all races of small children playing together.  Like I said it may have been part of an anthology or a few pages of a Mother Goose book Gyo Fujikawa, Mother Goose, 1968, copyright. This author/illustrator wrote many books, including two Mother Goose books.  Fujikawa is known for showing children of different races together, long before it was commonly accepted.  Her pictures of children are known for their round faces and dot eyes, with simple, often bright colors.  
Gyo Fujikawa, Oh, What a Busy Day! Round-faced children of many races playing together suggests Gyo Fujikawa to me.
Gyo Fujikawa, Oh, What a Busy Day, 1976, copyright. It could be any other Gyo Fujikawa book, but Oh, What a Busy Day is the one I grew up with.
Maybe something by Gyo Fujikawa? It could have been either her version of Mother Goose, or my favorite--Oh, What a Busy Day! The illustrations are very similar to what you describe.
S655: Story Collection from the 1920s
I am searching for a collection of stories from different countries given to my mother between 1925-1935.  all i have remaining of the book is part of the table of contents: the bears make a visit, the miller's daughter, mary's baby, wang and his star, the king finds a beautiful hair and more.


Shimer, Edgar Dubs, The Fairyland Reader  New Fairy Stories for All Nations
, 1914 / 1924. New York (1914 Frank D. Beattys and Company, 1924): Noble and Noble, Publishers. Illustrations by Lucy Fitch Perkins. Stories include: THE BEARS MAKE A VISIT, WANG AND HIS STAR, THE SCARLET BLANKET, ETC. 
Edgar Dubs Shimer, Fairyland: New Fairy Stories of All Nations,1924.This has to be your book. The dates are right and so are the contents according to a brief mention on iobabooks.com. It is also called "The Fairyland Reader". It looks hard to find. However I did find one copy on abebooks for $34, another on amazon for $65. And to think it only cost 50c when it came out! Story Collection from the 1920s.
Shimer, Edgar Dubs, Fairyland Reader: New Fairy Stories for All Nations,1924, approximate. A search shows The Bears Make a Visit, Wang and His Star, and The Scarlet Blanket were all published in The Fairyland Reader (Noble & Noble). 


S656: Something About a Cat
1987-1995, juvenile.I borrowed a book several times from the library in the years between 1987 and 1995 (???) that was the the juvenile/young adult section. It couldn't have been more than 300 pages long and was in hardcover. I don't remember any cover art/book jacket. I would love to have this book or read it again but cannot recall the title or the author.I remember that a young boy ended up helping an elderly woman (maybe it was a a form of punishment) take care of her cats. I think the children in the neighborhood thought she was scary so he was uneasy about helping her at first. I remember that there were lots of cats and that they had a special room in the house. I remember that she had a cat that didn't like new cats and that eventually it injured another cat in the home, or that it was injured itself. The cat may have been black and deformed?


You might try The Witches of Worm by Zilpha Keatley Snyder and It's Like This, Cat by Emily Cheney Neville.

Emily Neville, It's Like This, Cat, 1963, copyright. It's definitely "It's Like This, Cat" - I just read it last year in the course of reading all the Newbery winners. It won the medal in 1964.
The House of Thirty Cats, Mary Calhoun.

S657:Strawberry Dean 1950's

My mum talks about a childhood book and i would love to find a copy of it for her.

She received it in 1955. She thinks the title was strawberry dean. It was about a brother and sister who had magic pebbles. She said it was hard cover brown with black and white illustrations.


Evelyn Davey-Collins, Strawberry Dene. Maybe this one?  I can't find a plot description.(Apparently a "dene" is a type of wooded valley, at least in England.


S658: Spoiled Princess & a Tiger Prince

This is an Asian (Chinese?) story. Their is a woman (maybe princess) that is spoiled. There is a tiger rug (alive?) that likes candy canes (peppermint?). I remember the rug being beaten clean. The tiger rug turns into a prince at the end. I'm pretty sure it's part of a book of stories.


S659: Sonja Henie Doll

1970s juvinile book. You don't know, she was an ice skater and movie star from that era.  The murder is eventually solved, and it's a complete shock as to who did it.  My school library had this book, and I have no idea who wrote it.


I'm the one who sent this request in, and it was heavily edited.  A lake is drained, and a car and trailer from the 1940s are found with the skeletons of a man, woman, and child who's holding a Sonja Henie doll.  The murder is eventually solved, and everyone is completely shocked regarding who did it.


S660: Stamps in a Hollow Tree
Children's book...a kid spends time at grandparents (?) house. Grandparent, when young, had stashed old box with stamps in hollow of the tree - hollow closed over time. Culmination - a lightning strike cracks open the old hollow - the kid finds grandparent's box within...


Orton, Helen Fuller, Mystery in the Pirate Oak, 1964, approximate. I loved this book as a child and my daughter and I just recently read my old paperback copy together. I believe the elderly woman was a neighbor, not the grandmother, but the details about the tree and the storm are correct. The box contained a rare and valuable postmaster's stamp.

Helen Fuller Orton, MYSTERY IN THE PIRATE OAK, 1954, and republished later.This is definitely MYSTERY IN THE PIRATE OAK by Helen Fuller Orton, 1949 and published later by Scholastic Book Club.~from a librarian


S661: Snow Globe Town
Town in snow globe A book I had in the 1950s, all I remember is a town that seemed to be inside a snow globe. i think it might have been a collection of stories.
S662: Supernatural Stories

Trying to remember a book that has at least 3 stories in it, one dealing with ghosts, one with astral projection and one of remedies given while in a state of hypnosis. To give more information on this, as I thought I'd be able to do it after the transaction: In this book there were three distinct stories that I recall.  There may have been more, but I can only remember three of them. I'll describe them as I remember them and not sure in what order they were in the book.
First story:
This couple was on a trip, driving a long distance and for some reason had to come to stop.  They sought help from a couple living in a house and the couple living there were very friendly and welcoming.  The traveling couple stayed the night and were very thankful for the kindness offered to them.  After they managed to get back on their way, they stopped at a town nearby (for gas and a few snacks I guess) and told the clerk about the couple they met.  When they described where the couple lived, the clerk told them that wasn't possible because no one had lived there for a number of years.  Baffled, they went back to that house only to find that it was in ruins, unlike before while they were visiting there.
Second story:
This kid had this uncanny ability to give recipes for curing ailments and illnesses when he would go into a trance/state of hypnosis.  As I recall, it was discovered by accident when something happened to the kid and he slipped out of consciousness and started talking to his father.  Part of what he said was to hurry before it'd be too late to save him (the kid).  The father did as instructed and his son recovered.  After that they came to realize that he was able to recite remedies for unusual or seemingly fatal situations.
Third story:
This was the longest in the book I believe.  It started off with this guy committing a crime and ending up in jail/prison.  While in there he ended up in a deep dungeon (or some sort of solitary confinement or something) and was abused by the warden.  After being in there awhile, he started to experience astral projection.  One of the times he did it, he had looked in on his neighboring cellmate (whom he had talked with through the wall) and saw a bad aura surrounding him (ie, was a bad person on the inside).  He eventually started visiting this girl for reasons unknown to him and surprisingly she could see him (and was the only one who could).  They became friends of sorts, with him visiting her at different times, like one time while she was at school.  As time went on, he stopped but had somehow learned a bit of his future.  He even told the warden what the future held, which included his being freed from the dungeon and eventually set free altogether.  This happened because an official took interest in his case and after investigating everything had determined that he had been abused and that while he may have been guilty of a crime, his punishment was excessive and pushed for his released.  Once released, he happened upon a girl and almost instantly (or very quickly) they both recognized each other - it was the girl he had been seeing during his projections.
I had read this book in the 1980's and believe it may have been a book supplied by Scholastic, but I'm not 100% certain of that.  I just know it was the mid 1980's that I had read it and I have a feeling the book had originally been released a number of years before (perhaps being reprinted).  During the past few years, I have been racking my brain trying to think of a way to look up this book to no avail.  I don't really have enough to be able to narrow it down from to a reasonable list from all the infinite books that are out there, so I have to hope that someone else remembers this book and has additional information (author, word in the title, title itself, more stories in the book, first release, etc).  If this book can be named, I might be able to buy a copy and that would be simply wonderful.

This isn't much help but the second story you mention has some similarities to Edgar Cayce's early life.  


Upon asking around, I have since learned that the first story is titled, "The Guests" and has appeared in a book named "Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark" (978-0064401708).  However, it doesn't look like the other two stories are in that same book.  So finding other books with "The Guests" in it may find the book I'm looking for.


More information...

#2 is either a biography of Edgar Cayce's life, or a fictional story based on his life.

 #3 I believe is an adaption of The Star Rover.  In TSR, the ending is different.  However other parts that I have read seem to match very closely to what I recall.  The guy was tossed into a dungeon as punishment for not confessing to something, with a reward being rewarded with extra privileges.  Also, where he made a bet with the warden that after being heavily strapped in a straight jacket for a number of days, if he could still smile, then the warden had to buy cigarettes (I think) for a couple of other dungeon mates.So basically looking for a book that has these three stories in it, most likely with #2 and #3 being adaptions of the original.


S663: 70's teen romance, sailing, country club, class boundaries

Book I read in early 70's, young teen romance, heroine lived near the coast (new england area) and was a charity sailor, but exceptional, and it put her in society she didn't know how to handle (like a country club dance).   Made me long to sail.  Hero didn't see class distinctions, fell for her.


I can't say that I have a specific title in mind, but the author Elisabeth Ogilvie wrote a bunch of books in the 1950s - 70s set in Maine and along the coast of New England, with sailing and dating as a huge part of most of her plots. I don't know that your book is one of them, but it's a good place to start.


S664: Stands on a Chair to Look over the Fence
I remember this book from early 80's about a boy who first stands on a chair to look over the fence in his backyard, and wanting to see further, he begins to stack more and more toys and climbs higher and higher on top of them until he eventually can see across the whole world.

Maybe this will be a better description:
The book I remember, which was while I was in elementary school back in the early 1980's, was a picture story book about a boy who sees the world from his backyard.  He stands on a chair to see over the fence and then wanting to see more he begins to stack whatever he can find on the chair to get higher up, or a better vantage point per se.  I remember the pile of stuff he stacks includes many things such as some toys, and he climbs so high that he is able to see across the oceans and into other lands.  It's a neat short story with great pictures and one I've been trying hard to find who wrote it, when, and the title.


S665: Stuie, Inventor, Likes Chemistry
I think the boy's name is Stuie. The book is probably from the 1950s or 1960s judging by the style of line drawing illustrations. Stuie does chemistry experiments and made something that smelled like rotton eggs. His friend responds: "What are you gonna call it - sweet lily of the valley?" Stuie writes stuff with a fountain pen, maybe with invisible ink. He makes a flashlight out of a ruler, bulb and batteries and gives it to his sister who got stuck in a closet. He puts some experiment in the refrigerator, but his dad makes him get it out of there. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Lillian Moore, Everything Happens to Stuey, 1960, copyright.Stuey Wilson is an average boy with a propensity for getting into trouble without meaning to do it.When he works with his chemistry set and invents a secret formula the whole family is involved...
Everything Happens to Stuey (1960, illustrated by Mary Stevens, who also illustrated two of the All-of-a-Kind series by Sydney Taylor) by Lilian Moore, who died in 2004 at age 95. From her NY Times obit: "(she was) a poet and an editor who helped make children's books more affordable and worked to combat racial stereotypes in children's literature..." She wrote the Little Raccoon series from 1963 to 2001. Two others I knew were The Snake that Went to School (1957) and Too Many Bozos (1960). She worked with many well-known illustrators, including Arnold Lobel, Leonard Shortall, Trina Schart Hyman, Gahan Wilson, and Ib Ohlsson.
Hicks, Alvin Fernald series. Alvin Fernald's best friend is nicknamed "Shooie" -- could this be it?
Scott Corbett, The Trick series.This is a long shot, but could it be the Trick series by Scott Corbett? There were several--The Lemonade Trick, The Hairy Horror Trick, The Disappearing Dog Trick--and the boy was named Kerby, but there's definitely a chemistry kit and one of the books had smells. I don't think there was a sister, but there was a cousin named Gay.

Hi everyone. S665 is definately "Everything Happens to Stuey" by Lillian Moore. I remember reading that book a lot as a kid but no one from my family could remember the title. Thanks you to whoever recognized it. I'm glad I found this website.


S666: A Strange Fantasy

Solved: The Gammage Cup


 S667: Strawberry kiss little girl and boy
A picture book from the 50's. It is the story of a little girl and little boy and at some point in the kiss the little boy's lips are red and you aren't sure if it's from the beautiful strawberry he might have eaten or a kiss from the little girl

Jane Lowe Paschall, A Present for the Princess


 S668: Sun cheered up by animals including a hedgehog

Solved: How the Sun Was Brought Back to the Sky


 S669: Steep Hill dilemma with horses
1960. The story takes place in a town with a steep hill.  To get up the hill, the townspeople ride a trolley which is pulled by a horse.  They use gravity to roll down the hill, leaving the horse on top.  This creates the dilemma that all the horses end up on top of the hill and a townsperson has to go up and lead the horses down.  The person ends up with a bent over back because the hill is so steep.  A little boy comes up with the bright idea of building a platform at the back of the trolley so the horse can ride down, solving the problem!

S670: Secret Horse
I read this book for ages 8-12 in the late 1970s. A girl moves to a new town (Virginia?) and discovers a hidden overgrown pasture, a run-down barn and a neglected horse which she secretly cares for and brings back to health. I think she makes a new girl friend along the way.

Two suggestions:  The Secret Horseby Marion Holland(1959) OR Claudia's Five Dollar Horse by Natlee Kenoyer (1960).
Marion Holland, The Secret Horse, 1959. Definitely The Secret Horseby Marion Holland, first printed in 1959 in hardcover, and twice by Scholastic in paperback (1975 and 1988), cover art was different for each of the three editions, so don't worry if one doesn't seem familiar! It's Nickie who lives in Maryland, Gail (and her younger brother), come to stay with Gail's grandmother who lives next door to Nickie, who is stuck at home instead of going off to summer riding camp because when termites ate the front porch they essentially gobbled up the funds for camp too! Nickie's house is one of a row of houses that backs on Mr. Olds large estate, complete with stables, which he keeps up but rarely stays in. Nickie and her friends (who are all off at that camp!) discovered the way through the fence years before, and use the old stables as their clubhouse. When Nickie and Gail see an abandoned horse at the animal shelter where Nickie is adopting a kitten, they realize that the horse isn't going to be kept there for long as the shelter is obviously isn't equipped to care for large animals. Believing that the horse will end up euthanized if they don't do something, they sneak out at night and "rescue" him from the shelter, hiding him in the the stables of the empty Olds estate. Then Mr. Olds decides to come home, and things get complicted for Nickie and Gail and the horse they've named Highboy!Holland wrote one other horse book, called Casey Jones Rides Vanity, and at least one short story, "Crazy Over Horses", which was published in Everygirls Horse Stories (Grosset & Dunlap 1956), both worth finding.


S671: Smart skunks living under porch
Solved: Operation Stinky
S672: Summer vacation on coast. Maine? Storm upends tree from roots.

SOLVED: Robert McCloskey, Time of Wonder, 1957. This is the book I was looking for.


S673: Skeleton kids 1890 mystery
This book I read when I was in 4th or 5th grade, so about 1990. It was about two kids who found a skeleton in a construction site, that had been left there a century before. They solve the mystery of who he was, I think with the help of the skeleton's ghost. Might be part of a series.

May Nickerson Wallace, The Ghost of Dibble Hollow, 1965, copyright. It could be this one. In 1900, a boy carrying a large amount of someone's money home from a fair disappears, and is accused of stealing it. Many years later, descendents of the family move back into his house, and with the help of his ghost the kids prove that he was murdered by thieves and his body washed downriver to another town.
Eloise McGraw, The Trouble With Jacob,1988. Might this be the right book?  Twins, a brother and sister, meet a shy boy they gradually realze is a ghost, who is concerned because his bed has been taken away from him.  They do find his skeleton at one point.
Richard Peck, The Ghost Belonged to Me,1975. This *is* part of a series, but it's set in the 1910's. The skeleton that the kids dig up was buried sometime just after the Civil War. Actually I'm not even sure the kids actually do the digging, but they are led to the spot by the ghost of the girl (not boy) who's buried there. The previous suggestion sounds more likely but I thought I'd throw this out.

Unfortunately, none of those are what I remember. The ghost was an adult male, and he had died in 1890. I also remember the cover border being red, and it was about 3/4ths of an inch thick. I did call my elementary school, where I had read it, and my teacher remembered the book, but not much more than I. The book had unfortunately "disappeared" a few years after I'd read it.

Author and title unknown, approx. 1960. I think this was a short story included in the anthology "Arrow Book of Short Stories" Edited by Nora Kramer. The book included: King O'The Cats  Jimmy Takes Vanishing Lessons  The Wonderful Cat Of Cobbie Bean Teeny-Tiny The Conjure Wives  Spook's Bones  Which Was Witch and The Water Ghost. The story you are remembering was "Spook's Bones." As I remember the story, a ghost from the 1800s gets two boys to dig up his bones and rebury them before his gravesite is disturbed by new construction. I think I remember that the ghost contacted one of the boys first and got him to involve the other boy - That was somehow important - The other boy had to be involved because of his name or something like that. They had to move a woodpile to either dig up the bones or rebury them. I also remember that the ghost was super-polite and appreciative and as they buried his bones, he became more and more dim until he disappeared completely. It's possible this story in the anthology was a condensed version of a book, but I don't know the name of the author of the story - only the editor and I got that by doing a search for "Spook's Bones" - I remember the story and title well. Wish I had all those Arrow Books I read from the 60s - They've all disintegrated to dust in the attic by now. Kramer, Nora (Editor, Arrow Books of Ghost Stories.1960s-70s, approximate. Sorry, in my previous post, I said "Arrow Book of Short Stories" - The name of the book was actually "Arrow Book of Ghost Stories."

No, this was was a standalone story, about the size of an Encyclopedia Brown. Doublechecked anyway, and confirmed that this wasn't it. :(

Louis C. Jones, Spooks of the Valley, 1960 approximate. Try Spooks of the Valley by Louis C. Jones: AS a result of a favor to George, an uneasy ghost, Pete and Joe, two 13-year-olds, meet some of the most famous persons in the legends and folklore of the Hudson River Valley. With George's guidance the two boys are soon on speaking terms with their restless spirits.

 


S674: Squirrel in doll house
SOLVED: Young, Miriam, Miss Suzy.

 S675: Spelunking,  kaarst, mystery, Kentucky,W.V
This novel concerns itself with a boy in Kentucky or West Virginia who discovers a cave, or karst as he calls it, and tries to keep its local  hid from individuals whom I cannot remember. The boy is a spelunker, he has no father, and  he lives with his mother.

S676:  Story Collection, 365 stories, Santa, 12 Dancing Princesses
Greetings: I'm looking for a story book gifted new to me between approx. 1963-67. A wonderful anthology-compilation, appropriate for ages 5-12. After years of looking, no luck in searching by key words a book which matches the cover I distinctly recall.
AUTHOR: unknown!
TITLE: something like "365 stories, a story for every day" (perhaps 365 bedtime stories).COVER: Red, with Santa sitting (at small desk?), reviewing a long (to the ground) list of children's names (good/bad children). The shiny-type HC (not cloth or paper), so came with no DCSIZE: thick, large, approx. 9" x 12" Each story was, I think, 2-3 pages, with B&W drawing (ink? charcoal?) at the top 1/4 to 1/3 of the first page. There may have been additional drawings scattered throughout. There was no theme, just unrelated stories, some historical, some contemporaneous.
Some stories I remember:
- The 12 Dancing Princesses*
- The Way Meat Loves Salt*
- last story,day 365: story about Baby New Year
- The first day/story may have been something about a sister (or bros) reading to younger brother(?)
*It seems some were shortened versions of classics, like Grimms. I hope I am not confusing two books, but I definitely recall the cover pretty clearly (regardless of the content). Any help is very much appreciated! THANK YOU!

 S677: Series young adult books New Rochelle or Bronxville, early 20th Century
Series about a girl coming of age early 20th Century.  Very sensitive with a boyfriend named Kenneth.  He had an older brother Doug who was a troublemaker.  There was a friend named Stella who was an Irish Catholic and had a brother.  Series centered on romantic story and also high school life.
Norma Johnston, The Keeping Days,etc, 1970? There are lots of books by this author, but the series about Tish Sterling as a Bronx teenager, c.1900, begins with "The Keeping Days".  There are three others, plus a couple that mention Tish as an adult.

 S678: Summer camp book
SOLVED: The Winnemah Spirit
 S679: Slave revolt
Years ago, I read a wonderful book but I do not remember the title to. I have been searching and asking former classmates, teachers, librarians and web-searches over the years to no avail It is about a young slave boy being purchased at auction on either Haiti Granada or Trinidad. A British onlooker who doesn’t believe in slavery felt so bad for the boy he purchases him. I think it is a French colony. A slave revolt happens and the boy ends up saving the man’s life. The “master” has red hair. In one passage, the boy, his owner and another slave are just fleeing for several weeks to avoid the revolt. The master is so tanned he could pass as a mullatto except for his red hair. Another passage just after he is bought, the boy is looking at the ships in bottles that his master collects.In another passage some pursuers chase the boy and he jumps off a cliff, but lands on a overhang with a cave. The pursuers don’t know about the overhang and think he is dead. The boy doesn’t want to be discovered and stays in the cave. There were stores (hams etc in the cave). An earth quake happens and a ham bounces down stairs in the back showing a way out.There is action, an earth quake, witch  doctors, a leap from a cliff, and escape from a cave in this book. Wish I could find this again and see if I still liked it.

 S680: Spoiled rich cat is unhappy until he finds a box to play in
A spoiled cat has been all over the world with his owners on balloon rides, cruises ect and he is always unhappy. Some dry cleaning is delivered in a box and playing in it makes him happy . It was read to me when I was a child in the 80s and the illustrations are pencil (more doodle than sketch)

 S681: The stump was stuffed
I thought the book was titled, "The Stump was stuffed", but cannot find it at the library or on-line.  It takes place in the forest and one by one small animals take refuge in a stump as winter approaches.  Even animals that normally would be enemies.  As the stump fills, the line, "the stump was stuffed" occurs in the book.  Finally, a bear gets in and I think the whole stump explodes from being too full.  It is a story much like the current "The Mitten" and maybe predates that story and might have been an inspiration for it?


 S682: Scotland, Scotttish history,conflict between Scotland and England
Constance Clune and her brother, Avis and Jamie Moray (brother and sister).  There was rivalry between these 2 families. This ballad appeared frequently in the book: (I remember only these fragments) " The light will break in dawning, The sun will shine again, Stand fast, keep faith for Scotland, For lo, her king shall reign.  When the cairngorm comes to Scotland, O'er Scotland her king shall reign."  I think the name of the ballad was "The Luck of Scotland".

 S683: Song book  for children
This song book was used in my northwest Detroit Catholic elementary shool in the late 1950's-1960's. I think it had a yellow cover. Songs included were "O Susan Blue", "Pasquale", "Donkey Dear"

2011

S684: Squirrel and pumpkin house
An Autumn/Halloween children's book that has a squirrel and a pumpkin. as the book goes on the jack o lantern face slowly gets softer until the end when the squirrel is hibernating in the closed pumpkin. I had it as a child so its cira 1960-70s.

Edna Miller, Mousekin's Golden House, 1964. This sounds like Mousekin's Golden House, one of Loganberry's most requested titles. We have a page for this book here.
Mousekin's Golden House may not be your book.  There are no squirrels in Mousekin's Golden house.  There's an owl (swooping down to try to catch Mousekin), there's a cat and a turtle (who are both frightened by the pumpkin), a bird and a chipmunk (who both caution Mousekin against staying in the pumpkin).  At the end, the jack-o-lantern does shrink closed, but it's Mousekin who is hibernating there as the snow begins to fall.

S685:Sassafras Dumpling
There was a book with this title in the Euclid, Ohio library system maybe 3 years ago.  I think it might have had a Halloween theme.  Sorry this is all the info I have.  Am trying to find it for my sisters.

Louis Slobodkin,
Trick or Treat,1959. If there was also a magician involved, it sounds as if it could be Slobodkin's Trick or Treat.
S686: Scholastic Books, imaginary world
The book I’m looking for I read in Jr. High….6th & 7th grades….I think I may have bought it through Scholastic Books in 1970 or 1971. It was a white hardback…maybe 8w x 10h. Hand sketched front cover but it seems there was some color to the cover in blue…winter scene with large old house up on a hill…not a mansion but it was big. The story is centered around siblings stuck at home either during a winter break or due to bad weather so school is cancelled. They discover an imaginary (or real?) world when they push/crawl through dense bushes or trees. It has much the same foundation as The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, without the symbolism. It was pure fiction but like a wonderful dream and left me feeling wonderful and hopeful when I was done reading. This was the first book to capture my attention when I was young. It was not illustrated but had lengthy pages of graphic scenery and dialogue.
I hope you are able to find it.

Pamela Dean, The Secret Country (Trilogy- book 2: Hidden Land, book 3: Whim of the Dragon) (Maybe?)  This book involves a group of cousins who have ''pretended" a secret country for years, and then crawl through a hedge at a mysterious old house and find themselves in the place they created- except that it has grown in some directions they did not plan. They are participating in events they made up, rituals and holidays and traditions they created for their play. They are even playing the part of various characters they made up for their stories.  This is a great trilogy- really well written and holds up well. 
Beryl Netherclift, The Snowstorm (published by Scholastic as The Snow Ghosts) The cover and story matches the description of THE SNOWSTORM (also published as THE SNOW GHOSTS) by Beryl Netherclift
I wonder if the querent is remembering two different books. The description of the story -- especially the hedge and the Narnia-like quality sans moral message (thankfully) -- almost matches the beginning of The Secret Country. But that takes place in summer, there are five children, and anyway that didn't come out until 1985. It has two sequels, The Hidden Land and Whim of the Dragon. The description of the cover matches the Netherclift book which came out in 1967. In that story three children are helping their Aunt Amethyst fix up her decrepit house and find a snow globe that takes them back in time. In both books, children are stuck at an aunt's house while parents are away. Both books are magical and inspiring but in different ways.
Edward Fenton, The Phantom of Walkaway Hill, 1961, approximate.No magic in this one, but the rest of your memories fit. The kids are cousins, and they're stranded in an old house at the top of a hill during a blizzard. They've just moved there, so they start exploring. Someone or something seems to be in the house with them  they find secret rooms, hidden treasures, and the real reason behind their "haunted" house.  There's also a sequel called The Riddle of the Red Whale, which has a simlar mystery in a different house.

S687: seashore, magician, amazing, adventure, marvelous, machine, Little guy maybe neamed Magee???
Read in 1990, chapter book for age 7-13. Family visits east coast seashore, kids meet guy, have summer adventures, go home (Wash D.C.??), he lives under public fountain (tunnel to family basement).  Each time guys name appears same long description listed (lots of adj including "a plumber, a fixer of things, a hero). Saves day. More: The little guy wasn't exactly a guy, he was more like a little creature, but a guy none-the-less. Parents did not know about him.  Kids didn't want to leave the seashore to go home because they wanted to keep the friendship with the "creature".  He might have had red hair.  Once back in the city, the kids found out that he was also there and lived under the fountain.  There were other beings there too, and they got trapped and he saved the day somehow.

Mary Steele, Because of the Sand Witches There, 1975, approximate. I don't know that this is the right book, because it was so long ago and my memory is hazy. I also can't find any information about it online. But I read it back then, and I think it *may* be the one you're looking for.
Thank you for the suggestion - but Sand Witches is not the same book I am looking for.  The little guy was more like a very small person.  The kids were two girls (friends). 

S688: Sci-fi about telepathic husband/wife spy team
Sci-fi, no later than 1980s, with telepathy.  Some people are mainly senders, others receivers.  Main characters are husband/wife team where husband can receive and wife can send, and so they act as spies, and wife gets captured and tortured while husband "listens".  May have had other plot lines.

Heinlein, Robert A., Gulf,
1949, approximate. This reminds me of a story by Heinlein, reprinted in Assignment in Eternity.

S689: Soup book
SOLVED: Sam and the Impossible Thing, 1967. 
S690: Short story, wager, prison, books
SOLVED: Anton Chekhov, The Bet, 1890.

 S691: Sick girl misses winter snow
The book is about a little girl is sick over winter and misses out on the snow, she is staying with her aunt and during the spring gets better and gets to play in her orchard  this book is pre 1985ish?  Thanks!

S692: Scifi, Blond supersmart people vs savages outside
1983 Maybe for adults?  Blond supersmarts live in a city and play The Game, the only important thing.  Men get themselves fixed so as not to distract from game.  No one thought the MC's mother was a full woman, or fertile, then she had him.  Is he half savage?  He leaves the city on a quest? Thanks

Hesse, Hermann, The Glass Bead Game. Could this be The Glass Bead Game by Hermann Hesse?
Thanks very much for the good suggestion of Magister Ludi/The Bead Game.  However, the book I am looking for is more science fiction-ish.  The blond smart people stay in the technological city and play their game, while others live outside in a lower level society.  Thanks again.
Theroux, Paul, O-Zone. Could this be O-Zone by Paul Theroux? From Wikipedia: "A portion of America is a nuclear wasteland after leakage of stored radioactive waste, off limits to all but the very rich. Eight of them, referred to as ''Owners'', visit this O-Zone as their personal playground. Some of them come to the disturbing realizations that the life-forms outside of their walled in cities, assumed to be just ''things'', seem as human as the Owners themselves"
John Rowe Townsend, The Creatures, 1980. I think this could be the right one! Talk about an unmemorable (and unsearchable) title though!

S693: Southern California boys that make friends and are into hotrodding
The the group discovers an old airstrip which is being used for drag racing. They think they'll lose their racing spot to development. In the end, the strip is purchased by a sanitation company that allows them to keep racing in turn for the sanitation CO. owner being able to sell concessions.

Could this be one of the several excellent hot rod books by Henry G. Felsen?

S694: Six volume set of books, early or mid 1950s, stories, poems, pictures
Set of books from early or mid 1950s.  5 or 6 large volumes; light blue with dark blue spines.  Outside covers- little drawings in dark blue on the light blue part of the covers, including  Humpty Dumpty? Title was maybe the "Wonder Books" or "Family Treasury." Anthology w/ stories, poems, pictures.

S695: Shopping, escalator, work?

SOLVED: Tibor Gergely, Busy Day, Busy People, 1973. I think I have solved this one myself. I randomly came up with a key word that helped in my search. I have ordered this book online, and hope its the right one. I know it is definitely a book I had as a kid, but I'm looking forward to seeing if there is an escalator in it!!

S696: Santa, lost, reindeer
SOLVED: Santa's Busy Day. 

S697: Secret room, missing staircase
Date: 1990-1998. I am looking for a book that my daughter remembers, she was born in 1983, so I'm guessing this would be from the '90s. It involved 2 siblings sent to live with an aunt or grandmother, not sure what happened to the parents, and the house they are sent to has a shut up room that used to have stairs going up to it that have been removed because something happened on the stairs. The only way into the room is a trapdoor in a closet. The house was a regular sized house, but had some " castle-like " feature such as a turret or something else. The cover may have had a drawing of a house with a child looking out of the window. That's all I know.

Elizabeth Enright, The Four-Story Mistake. I'm going to guess The Four-Story Mistake, although all the details don't fit.  It did have a cupola and a secret room, although the family moved to the house together (nobody was sent away).
Jane Langton, The Diamond in the Window.Sounds like it might be The Diamond in the Window. Edward and Eleanor go to live with their aunt and uncle, and find a hidden attic where their other aunt and uncle disappeared years earlier as children.
Jane Langton, The Diamond in the Window. This "Hall Family Chronicles" tells about the adventures of Eddy and Eleanor Hall who live with their Aunt Lily in Concord, Massachusetts. The brother and sister duo discover that their Aunt Lily must pay a significant amount of money in back taxes or they will lose their home. It is about this time that the brother and sister discover the attic, which leads them to a history of family secrets. The magical attic has a beautiful stained-glass window, toys and two empty beds where children once slept. Aunt Lily has no choice but to tell them about the disappearance of her brother and sister from their room in the attic. Prince Krishna, who has also stayed in the house, disappeared as well, soon after the children. The police were never able to find any of them. Eddy and Eleanor begin investigating the attic, which leads them into a magical world. They decide to move into the tower room in the attic and then they begin finding clues to the disappearance mystery. Eddy and Eleanor discover how extraordinary their house is and are able to save their house and their loved ones.
The Diamond in the Window,  and The Four Story Mistakeare not the right books. The book we are looking for had something weird or sinister connected with the secret room, and there was definitely a "missing" staircase. Thank you posters for your suggestions though. Those are both very good books.
My daughter just told me that she thought maybe that someone had fallen down the stairs and possibly died, and that's why the staircase had been removed. The kids in the story found another way into the room like a trap-door.
Holly Beth Walker, Meg and the Secret of the Witch's Staircase,November 1982, reprint. The description reminds me of Meg and the Secret of the Witch's Staircase, by Holly Beth Walker, (though not all the details match), originally published by Whitman in 1967, and reprinted as a paperback in 1982.  The reprint does have a cover picture of Meg looking out a window.  I haven't read it in 20 years, so I don't recall whether they stayed in the house, and the girls are not siblings but best friends - Meg Duncan and Kerry Carmody, and the secret room may have been a cellar not an attic.  Hope you find the right book soon!  Good luck!




S698: Soccer Book - diagrammed and explained best plays in history
Read it from public library in 80's as a kid. Had something like 100 of the top pro soccer (or did they call it football? can't remember) plays ever made. On one side had actual pictures and description, on the facing page had the play diagrammed in symbols. Big book - at least 8.5.x11 or more.


S699: Scavenger hunt
Read in the 1970's I believe this book was a mystery.  Details are vague but there was a large house perhaps a mansion.  I believe there was an iron fence around the house. One of the characters was a young girl along with perhaps a friend or her brother.  Inside the house there was suppose to be a chandelier in perhaps a ballroom.  There was one or maybe two older ladies living in the house in seclusion.  I believe they had groceries delivered to them. The young girl wants to see the chandelier and finally has an opportunity to visit the house only to find out that it was sold to pay expenses as the old ladies(s) are out of money.  At some point the young girl and friends take the ladies(s)to their old summer home (also behind a fence) where after a scavenger hunt orchestrated by the old ladies father they find his will which leaves them free to sell the summer property which is worth a large sum.  I believe the will is found in a grandfather clock, but I could be wrong on a few details.

Carolyn Keene, The Secret of the Old Clock,
1930. The elderly ladies and the will in the clock are all part of the Nancy Drew novel "The Secret of the Old Clock."  But the rest of the details don't fit.  It sounds like whoever wrote your book stumper borrowed some details from Nancy Drew!

S700: Seven Seas
SOLVED:  Charlotte Austen (Auerbach),Adventures with Rosalind, 1947.


S701: Squirrel learns about life in the woods
Squirrel  (toy) learns about life in the woods. This book was published in the early 1950s. It is about two toy animals that become real and have to learn about the woodlands. One of them a squirrel is the protagonist in the story. He learns to eat skunk cabbage and finds out what spring peepers are.

Byrona Myers,
Turn Here for Strawberry Roam,1950. This (or its sequel, Yo-Ho for Strawberry Roam!) has to be it! The toys are, as you remember, a squirrel and a mouse named Golly. "After Squirrel and Golly, two toy animals, are thrown out in an alley they set off to find a new home and have many adventures along the way until they finally find their new home'' Strawberry Roam.


S702: Silly Willy
I recall a children's story about a boy named Silly Willy who lacked common sense.  As I recall, he dragged a loaf of bread home on a string, carried butter home as it melted?, along w/several other items he damaged or ruined.  I would LOVE to find this book again!

The poster didn't mention a year , but it sounds like a variation of Epaminondas. So she/he can look atEpaminondas, retold by Eve Merriam. Illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman,1968 (also published as That Noodle-head Epaminondas )orEpaminondas and his AuntiebySara Cone Bryant, 1938 or Lazy Jack / retold by Vivian French  illustrated by Russell Ayto, 1995 or Epossumondas / written by Coleen Salley  illustrated by Janet Stevens, 2002.
Sara Cone Bryant, Epaminondas and His Auntie,1911, approximate. Your description sounds like this old story about a silly boy who often visits his Auntie. She gives him things to take home to his mother, and he takes them home in an inappropriate way, ruining them. When Mama tells them how he should have carried it, he applies her instructions to the next item, but the instructions don't apply to the next item. He drags bread home on a string, because that's how he should have led a puppy. He carries butter home under his hat, and it melts all over his head, because that's how he was told to carry a piece of cake, etc.
Sounds like the English folktale Lazy Jack. Not to be confused with The Adventures of Silly Billy by Tamara Kitt, 1961 - you can read the details about that book at Stumper B46. I suspect Kitt's book is based on tales of the wise men of Chelm. There are several versions of Lazy Jack, but here's Joseph Jacobs':http://www.authorama.com/english-fairy-tales-30.html
Tamara Kitt, The Adventures of Silly Billy. This is a traditional tale, but this may be the one you remember.
The Story of Epaminondas and his Auntie.You may be thinking of Epaminondas, who keeps going to get things from his aunt, but gets his instructions all messed up, ie carrying butter in his hat, where it melts  dragging home a loaf of bread on a string, etc. The little boy here is black, and the story is told in dialect, but it's been told in other forms, possibly the Silly Willy version you remember, Hope this helps.
Epaminondas and His Auntie.  This is an older book that is controversial because of the black stereotypes.  The story matches your description.  There is also an updated version of Epaminondas by Eve Merriam that is out of print.  You can find the same story elements in the Lazy Jack story from Joseph Jacob’s English Fairy Tales.

S703: Secrets
SOLVED: Travis Falcon, Secret Messages (Usborne Spy Guides).

S704: Submarine
1960 approximate date. A tall guy, maybe named String Bean, on a submarine makes a repair and becomes a hero.

S705: Sea monkey-like creatures
sea monkey-like creatures who live in the ocean climb to the roof of the palace and dance in the ligh of the full moon


S706: Spaceship with hydroponic lab
I'm trying to find a book about a boy and a girl who go up in a spaceship with a hydroponic lab. At some point in the plot, the food supply dwindles and they end up eating dandelion leaves. This is a chapter book; our best guess at publication would be the late 60's/early 70's.

Anabel / Edgar Johnson, An Alien Music,
1982. Maybe a long shot based on dates, but this may be An Alien Music (def has the dandelion leaves and hydroponics on a spaceship): "Sixteen-year-old Jesse relates the experiences of the Sky-Lab Seven crew as they become the sole survivors of the dying planet Earth only to have their plans to colonize Mars irreversibly shattered."

S707: Sick bird board book
I had a little board book with a picture of a sick bird, I think it is a robin with a thermometer.  Text says (I think) rest rest rest is best best best so put this bird to bed   a pillow neath his head   and rest his temperature.  For he has a common cold for which I have been told there is no cure

S708: Sisters in Paris
My book was probably written sometime in the 1970s or early 1980s.  It's about 2 sisters.  The older one, Babette, is studying ballet in Paris.  She has a boyfriend who is a chef.  Her younger sister goes to Paris to live with her.  They may have a cat named Minette?  Thank you!

S709: Short scary story about a man who disguises himself as a woman named Eunice
This is a short scary story. On a stormy night, people hear a knock at the door. A little older lady asks if she can come in to keep warm by their fire & says her name is Eunice. Later the people notice she has hair on the back of her hands and is wearing boots under her long skirt--Eunice is a man!

Edited by Nora Kramer, THE GHOSTLY HAND AND OTHER HAUNTING STORIES. I originally sent this book title as an answer in for C738 and was waiting to see if anyone else had a different answer. But the story "The Ghostly Hand of Spital House" within this book involves a man dressed as a woman asking if "she" can spend the night by the fire at the inn. The observant servant (I think her name was Bella) notices that the guest is wearing heavy men's boots. She fakes sleeping in order to keep an eye on the guest, and when he thinks that everyone is asleep, he uses a dead man's hand and a candle to cast a spell to keep all the sleepers in the house asleep. But the servant is not asleep, so she is not under the spell. She must save the household before the robber lets his band of thieves into the house.
S710: Snowed in at Grandmother's home
Granddaughter staying at Grandmother's home in the country during a snowstorm and powercut, sleeping by the fire and eating porridge with peaches, making snow angels next day.  A favorite children's book from our school library in the 1980s.

Elaine Moore, Grandma's Promise,
1988. There's no plot per se, but there's a storm soon after Kim arrives, so she and Grandma have a mini-adventure without electricity for several days. They pack pine cones with peanut butter and cornmeal for the birds, go ice skating, and snuggle into a bed roll beside the wood stove.

S711: Short story collection, monkey, coconut cake, ghost story, two kids, black and white illustrations
SOLVED: Childcraft. Thank you so much!  It's definitely "Wappie's Surprise Cake" from the Childcraft book. 
S712: Secret House Decorated with Seashells
I am looking for a children's / young adult chapter book I read in the 80s (but I have no idea when it was published) about a girl who decorates a secret cottage with seashells.

Julie Edwards, Mandy.

Julie Andrews, Mandy, 1971.
SOLVED: Julie Andrews, Mandy. You were quite correct - Thanks!

2012

S713: A shopkeeper's aptitude test, and the boy who aces it
An old children's reader that was likely used as a textbook (I believe it was a textbook) illustrated with engravings. It was pretty certainly pre-1920. One of the included stories has stuck in my mind, so I'll summarize it here, in case it strikes a chord with any readers. Note that I'm improvising names for the characters, as I don't remember them.

Mr. Jones, the aging manager of a store, wants to retire but decides to find an assistant whom he can train first. Accordingly, he sets out a "BOY WANTED" sign in his store window. [Yeah, I know, girls need not apply. This was published, I think, before women got the vote.] Very soon, he gets a taker, Bobby. The task set before him is to organize a large, heavy trunk in the store's attic that's crammed with old hardware of all sorts—nails, bolts, screws—all indiscriminately jumbled there. Bobby sets his mind, reluctantly, to the task for a perfunctory hour or so, then quits in disgust. (The same thing may happen with the second boy who applies, as there may be more than two.) Then Willy arrives and volunteers for the job. Like the others, he is taken to the attic, shown the trunk, and told that his task is to set it completely to rights. Willy spends all day on it. Around 5 p.m., he comes downstairs, and Mr. Jones asks him, "Are you done?" "No," replies Willy, "there is ever so much more to be done." "Are you coming tomorrow?" "You bet!" And he does. It takes Willy about three days (or more), but he finally succeeds in getting to the bottom of the trunk. Mr. Jones takes a peek at the trunk before the task is finished, and is impressed. Willy has sorted everything out by kind and quality, and used small shingles (probably of wood) to divide the trunk into compartments, labeling each shingle: "Pretty good nails," "Not very good nails," "Broken nails," "Bent nails," "Screws," "Pieces whose use I don't know," etc. The author notes something like this: "There was not very much that had value." But this is about perseverance. Finally, Willy comes down and tells Mr. Jones that he's done with the task. He hands over a silver dollar he found at the bottom of the trunk. Mr. Jones merely remarks, "That's an odd place for a silver dollar," but is secretly elated. Willy returns home, knowing that he's been hired. As for Mr. Jones, he says to himself, "Well, if I am not mistaken, I have found myself an apprentice and Willy has found himself a fortune."The story ends with a motto (in the form of a framed piece that Mr. Jones gives Willy): "He who is diligent in small things can be trusted to be diligent in great things." (Or something to that effect.)

Williams, Effie Mae Hency, A Hive of Busy Bees. As soon as I read your description, I knew this had to be the book you were talking about. It scared and traumatized me as a child, and yet...I found myself reading it over and over again, all the same! The specific story in the book you're looking for is called "Bee Honest." The boy was named Charles, and it was a five dollar gold piece that was at the bottom of the chest full of nails (though a silver dollar appeared later in the story).
Thanks for suggesting Effie Mae Hency Williams' A Hive of Busy Bees, but it appears that I'm looking for a different book—a much older illustrated anthology of stories, poems, etc.
    I read the Williams version (the text is posted on Project Gutenberg), and while there are several similarities to the quest story—the one in the book I'm looking for—there are some notable differences. For example, the detail regarding the shingles doesn't appear in the Williams version. Also, in the quest version, the druggist (or hardware dealer) doesn't ask Charles if he's acquainted with Joe and Henry (the two dishonest boys who precede him), and I don't think that the motif of their opportunistically stealing the gold pieces from the shelf is included in the quest story. The quest story ends with the Charles (the honest boy) being hired, as I've described it, and doesn't include the druggist's repeated testing of his honesty by placing coins where he's sure to find them, then seeing if he returns them.
    My guess is that Williams adapted the older story, which went into considerable detail on how Charles found the trunk, what was inside, and how he solved the problem. There was only one mention of a silver or gold piece—the one he unearths at the bottom of the trunk. In Williams' version, both steal $5 gold pieces from the druggist. In the quest story, neither of the two quitters (i.e., Joe and Henry in Williams's version) remain on the job long enough to excavate it. Thanks for the response. But can we continue the quest?


S714: Stories: little red monster and bubblegum machine
hard cover book containing two stories ( that i recall) one about a little red monster ( fuzzy looking) with green legs who is too little for anything but then finds out that his family was planning a party for him. they ate a rainbow cake. the second about a little boy who builds a bubblegum machine.

The Red Book of Wordplay Stories,Susan Batko.
The cover has a hand with two fingers held up. The stories are "The Bubble Gum Bubble Maker" and "The Smallest Monster."' 


S715: Story Collection, includes butterfly girl adopted by flies
Book is pink and narrow with blue bubbleletters on cover. Has 4 stories I recall, One is about the bremen musicians, the next one is about a magician that gets shrunk by his own mice, the third one about a butterfly girl that gets adopted by flies living in lamppost. last is about possums in woods

S716: Sally, lost doll, great aunt
Looking for a children's book I read mid '70's grade 4-5 about a girl named Sally who was sent to live with her great aunt. She was trying to solve a mystery of a lost doll belonging to another girl named Sally. It turned out that the doll belonged to her great aunt Sarah, called Sally as a child.  Sally had been given a set of books that she took to her aunt’s.  During a rainstorm/flooding, she read to a group of schoolchildren to keep them calm.  (I'm pretty sure that was part of this same book.)  She was able to find the doll when she noticed that her cat had been playing in a corner of the attic and had a piece of doll hair stuck in its claws.

Norma Kassirer,
Magic Elizabeth. The reading-aloud-in-storm scence is not in this book, but the rest of the details match.
Norma Kassirer, Magic Elizabeth. The book is Magic Elizabeth, but the part about reading to children in a rainstorm isn't part of it.
Norma Kassirer, Magic Elizabeth. Definitely the book.
Norma Kassirer, Magic Elizabeth. Magic Elizabeth, without a doubt!  Bet you get lots of answers on this one.
Nancy Kassirer, Magic Elizabeth, 1966. I'm pretty sure this is the book you are looking for.  Sally looks for the doll in a picture in her Great Aunt's spooky house  she goes back in time and eventually figures out that the little girl in the picture is her aunt  a cat does help her find the doll hidden in a crevice in the attic.

S717: Science fiction/dystopian novel
Science fiction/dystopian novel for teens read in 1985 or so.

There is a book called Utopian and Dystopian Writing for Children and Young Adults by Carrie Hintz, and it's possible she covers your book in there.
Robert O'Brien, Z for Zachariah.One of many possibilities. Others include Lois Lowry's The Giver, Rosemary Harris' A Quest for Orion  or perhaps even John Wyndham's The Chrysalids.

S718: Santa after Christmas
I am looking for an illustrated children's book about Santa coming home after delivering presents. He was alone  & opened presents, got socks from Mrs. Claus, which he seemed grumpy about, opened a package that had a bottle in it, smiled and thought "Jack." Published pre-1980. Small, squarish, color.

Briggs, Father Christmas, 1973. Sounds like Raymond Briggs' Father Christmas.

S719: Short horror stories
Young adult's book of short horror stories with a girl who tries to find her grandmother's purse, a boy who plays a trick on a witch and gets transported to the dark ages, a boy who thinks his girlfriend's family is vampires but are actually werewolves, a girl who works on a haunted hayride, etc.

S720: Space command center Omaha, NE (YA series)
There's a series of YA books, early chapter-book level, with pictures.  They're SF, on Earth in the future, and mostly on space ships, I think.  There's a command center operating out of Omaha, NE.  I read them from the library, and they were hardcovers of about 6" x 8" ... this was in 1985-7ish.

S721: Statues Come to Life
A children's book published in the early 90's about a loner girl who befriends a boy and he takes her to a garden with statues that come to life. It is not "Stonewalkers" or "Court of the Stone Children". The statues may have been real people who were turned to stone. Not sure.

Betty Brock, The Shades,
1973. Except for having the boy and the girl reversed, and it's shadows instead of statues, this sounds a bit like The Shades. Tom (I think it's Tom) comes to live with a relative temporarily for the summer. When he goes out into her back garden, he discovers that, if he runs water from the dolphin fountain in the yard over his eyes, he can see real people in place of the shadows. Some have been there for years, and some are new. The magic in the dolphin is what brings them to life. However, an evil force is choking out the dolphin, and Tom has to help The Shades defeat it.  It may not be the right book, but it was the first one that came to mind.

S722: Sketch the scene mysteries
Boy and girl are best friends that solve mysteries. Boy is an artist and sketches the scene for each crime, which are illustrations in book.  Mystery can be solved by examining the image, and the solution is resolved at the end of the story. One mystery per chapter maybe? I believe this was a series of books, but I am not certain about that, that I recall reading in the early to mid '80s. There are two main characters, a boy and a girl, that are best friends. They pretend to fight with each other when other kids see them together as they're at an age where they are assumed to be dating rather than just friends. They solve mysteries, and I think that each chapter in the book is a separate mystery. The key component is that the boy is an artist, and for each mystery he sketches the scene, which appears as an illustration in the book. The reader can muse over the illustration and try to solve it, before continuing on in the book where the mystery is revealed. Each mystery can be solved by examining the illustration closely. One specific one I remember is about a man who was claiming that he fell and was asking someone for money. The sketch shows the man walking with a cane, but the footprints behind him show that he switched the cane to the other side, which means he doesn't really need the cane, which means he's faking.

I also remember a couple of random details - the girl's favorite color is orange, and there's a scene where she has math cards she's studying, one of which shows an example of a quadratic equation.

M. Masters, Can You Solve the Mystery? 1983. Hawkeye Collins and Amy Adams solve mysteries in a series of books similar to Encyclopedia Brown.  Hawkeye always has his sketchbook handy and makes sketches of the crime scene which help them solve the mystery.

S723: Scavenger hunt game turns real in a house with a squid in the basement
A book I read in the 80's. Group of kids in a house seek items of power to break a curse. The game is a real ritual to free a coven bound there, trying to possess the kids and escape. A squid in the basement, part of the coven, was a person, and helps the kids to escape. Cover: Clock face with eyes.

S724: Song: "Jennifer Jane"
Song that we sang in a British primary school in the 1960s. First verse: Jennifer Jane has a cold in her head/ And a terrible big Achoo/ And it's 'Where's your hankie?' and 'Come indoors' / And' Blow for Nursie, do!' Had thought of A.A. Milne and Rose Fyleman, but doesn't seem to be either.

S725: Short story Boy doesn't realize he's dead
I am looking for a short story that I read sometime between 1980 and 1988 about a boy who doesn’t realize that he’s dead or at some point doesn’t realize he’s been killed.   It may or may not be a “young adult” titIe.  I vaguely recall the story taking place in a city, something about a fire escape and also his not being able to get back into his apartment.   In the same anthology (or perhaps single author collection) I recall a story told from an alien’s p.o.v. about landing on earth and encountering humans.

S726: Sea voyage account of fantasy plants and animals
The book has a color plate on one side and description on the facing side like ancient manuscripts.  It supposedly records the plants and animals encountered on an exploratory voyage by sea (I think). I remember a flamingo plant that eats fishermen and sea monsters. Came across it in very early 90's.

S727: Siblings care for Abandoned baby
1940-55; genre: childrens. This one is for my Mom, she would have read it during the 1950s so it was probably written during the 40’s or 50’s. She thinks it takes place during the depression.   Two children, a brother and sister, are often left alone at home while their parents work, so they spend their time in their shack out in the woods.  One day they find an abandoned baby.  Instead of bringing it home, they take it to their shack, where they take care of it and bring things out to it.   She doesn’t remember how the story ends, but she does remember that they both wore coveralls,  or overalls so it may have had a few illustrations.

The Little Kidnappers? This was actually a 1950s movie, but maybe there's a book?
She's very sure it's not the Little Kidnappers.  She definitely remembers them as being a brother and sister, with mother off to work.


S728: Shoe salesman father wants to be an artist
Chapter book set sometime in the 2nd half of the 20th century. Main character a girl with (I think) a twin brother and a younger brother (named Sammy?). Father is a shoe salesman but wants to be an artist, and he's fired for truthfully telling a customer that a pair of shoes don't look good on her. Updated: I recall some other details: the girl regrets having to eat the school lunch instead of bringing lunch from home, the little boy always wanted to stay up all night, the two boys quarrel a lot and the older boy finally offers to let his little brother bop him as a birthday gift, the girl's friends save all their cereal prizes as a gift for her little brother. Hope this helps.

Mary Stolz, The Noonday Friends,
the 1960's, approximate. This is a classic story of a poor white family living in New York City.  Father is an unsuccessful artist and has to work in a shoe store, a job he is totally unsuited for.  He gets fired and he is replaced by the cousin of his daughter Franny's best friend. The cousin is perfect for the job and the father seems headed for success as a painter.

S729: Seagulls living behind signboard
Children's book about seagulls living behind a billboard, possibly on a beach. I think it was a Scholastic book from the early 1960s. It might have been about a seagull family.

Don Freeman, Fly High, Fly Low.
Could it be the Caldecott Honor book Fly High, Fly Low?  "Fly High, Fly Low, a Caldecott Honor book, tells the story of two San Francisco birds who hatch some eggs in a very unconventional place-the letter "B" in the sign on top of the Bay Hotel. But what happens when the sign is taken down?"
Don Freeman, Fly High, Fly Low,1957. Not seagulls, but this one is about pigeons who nest in the letters of a neon sign in San Francisco.  The drawings of the pigeons flying look a bit like gulls and the sign resembles a billboard, so this could be what the poster is thinking of.

S730: 70's book of skipping rhymes and nonsense verse from around the world
Around 1978, I had a paperback book with kind of "hippie-ish" line drawings illustrating kid's games, skipping rhymes, nonsense verse, poetry, & maybe songs from around the world - American, Indian, African, etc... no idea what it was called, can't find it on Amazon, Alibris, Powell's etc. Thanks!

S731: Several fairy tales including Neptune's/Poseidon's daughter
Book was in print by the 60's. Collection of 5 (?) fairy stories.  One was Puss in Boots.   I remember best Neptune or Poseidon's daughter, who came onto the land and fell in love with a human.  There was a struggle over whether she would stay with him.  Her voice is the sound you hear in seashells.

S732: Short story about an alien
The story is about a little alien that was found and put on a zoo on earth, and its name sounded something like "chtzl". The planet they found the alien on was not his home planet; he was only exploring it, but the humans thought he was from there and so put him in the wrong environment at the zoo.

S733: Space adventure series
A series of space adventure stories with b&w drawings? These were around in the early 80's and aimed at 6-7 year olds were mostly black and white artwork on each page with the story. Does anyone know what series was called? The text was quite large font.  Pages less than A4 size. Quite thin books.

Yolen, Jane, Commander Toad series,
1980s. Yolen's Commander Toad series was for beginning readers.  Some illustrations were lightly colored  others were black and white.  Toad -- "brave and bright, bright and brave" -- is the commander of the ship Star Warts.  Titles includeCommander Toad and the Dis-asteroid,  Commander Toad and the Planet of the Grapes.
Regarding the (above) suggestion: That is a good suggestion but I am sure it is not Commander Toad. The stories I remember were more serious and dull! But from my memories the art definitly did remember the 1950's space art style.
S734: Squirrel, tin can
This is a children's book about a little squirrel who gets stuck upside down in a tin can.

S735: Santa's Christmas Eve Sleigh Wreck
I remember this book from the early 60s-don't know the title or author. The plot-Santa's sleigh wrecks in the woods & all the reindeer run away.  The racket of the wreck wakes up a hibernating bear, he helps Santa re-load the sleigh & takes the place of the reindeer to get the presents delivered.

Ray St. Clair, A Christmas for Bears,
1954. This short story about a bear who scares Santa's reindeer away and is persuaded to take their place so the children won't be disappointed, is included in The Tall Book of Christmas, which is where I read it.  I don't know if there are any stand-alone versions.

S736: Series or author
In early 70's I read a few books at library either in series or by same author.  Stories were similar and I seem to remember Rusty as character. Rusty's spaceship seems familiar but author's other books are not. We moved before I really got into the books. Sorry I can't remember more.

S737: Series of boys books
Date: 1930's or 1940's? I read this series of boys books as a kid in the late 50's, early 60's and they seemed old then.  There might have been a boy's name in the title?  "So-and-so and the adventures of...?"  I think they were of the mystery/adventure genre, but I may just be remembering the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew books I read about the same time.  This series (I remember them having a red hardcover?) would now seem politically incorrect as far as promoting racial stereotypes (I think I even thought so then). I know this is little to nothing to go on, but thought I'd give it a $2.00 shot. 

I can think of a few boys series of that era--Rick Brant Electronic Adventuresby John Blaine did have a red cover, so they're probably the closest.  But some others were the Ken Holt mysteries by Bruce Campbell (Ken was a reporter, but the books were either brown or orange) and Biff Brewster mystery adventuresbyAndy Adams (purple covers).  Good luck!
Many of the children's series books published by the Stratemeyer Syndicate in the early 1900s were politically incorrect to the extent that many were edited or even re-written later so it could have been any of them. Here is a list:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Stratemeyer_Syndicate_series
Victor Appleton, Don Sturdy Series, 1920s. The Don Sturdy series written by Victor Appleton (a generic house name) published by Grosset & Dunlap in the 1920s all featured a red hardcover book beneath the dust jacket.  Don Sturdy was an adventurer (a younger version of Indiana Jones), who explored exotic locations around the globe.  The natives of many of these areas were written in very patronizing stereotypes, with matching language skills and superstitions.

S738: Scavenger hunt, abandoned mine
A boy goes with his friends on a scavenger hunt one evening. They some across an old mine shaft on the side of a hill near a wooden water tower. One of them climbs down the hole by stretching his body out so his back and feet are braced against the sides of the mine shaft. They were probably trying to find diamonds or gold. I think they get trapped down there, but I’m not sure what happens next. I remember that the boy slicked back his hair with gel before he left his house, and they drove in a convertible car (circa 1930). This story came from an anthology probably written 1930-1960. It’s not The Mad Scientists’ Club but has a similar feel. Thanks for your help.

S739: Sister injured by ride-on lawnmower
Read around '91-'93, title has 2 words, starts with White, other word is a flower (I think), 2 sisters, one has accident with ride-on mower, story from other sisters POV watching injured sister in and out of hospital, injured sister eventually dies.
Additional information:
This is a book I read when I was in elementary school, which was around 1991-1993. It involves two sisters, one of which has an unfortunate accident with a ride-on mower. Through the course of the story, the sister with the injuries is in and out of the hospital, and the POV is that from the other sister and how she deals with everything. The sister eventually *spoilers* dies in the end. The title is White *something* and that something is a type of flower that I THINK starts with an A. At the end of the book, a picture has been drawn of the injured sister holding the white flowers. I remember it being flowers clearly because when I first read the title, I had no idea what the word meant and was so glad when I learned what it was at the end of the story. I have been searching for this book for years and have had no luck. So help me Obi Wan. You're my only hope.

Patricia Hermes, Nobody's Fault,
1981. In Nobody's Fault, the sister narrates, but it's a brother who is teased and injured by the lawnmower.  Other than that though, it does sound like your book.

S740: Seuss???
My Dad read this book to me when I was a child.  The final page of the book says 'finis said the zucchini'.  I do not remember the name of the book, what it was about or the author.  I have tried to find it several times since without luck.

Cameron, Polly, Green Machine, 1969. There are some scans online, including the last page with "Finis said the zucchini."   (The book is also listed on Loganberry's Polly Cameron page.) Scans athttp://vintagekidsbooks.blogspot.com/2011/07/green-machine-by-polly-cameron-1969.html
The only book that even sounds close is "I Can't, Said The Ant", about a group of animals and objects that join up to help their friend, a teapot who fell down and broke in the kitchen. All their short comments rhyme with the name of whoever said them, so finis/zucchini would fit right in. Hope this helps.
N.M. Bodecker, Let's Marry, Said the Cherry, 1974. Someone posted the full text online, but it didn't include "Finis, said the zucchini"... however, it fits so well with the format ("Let's marry, said the cherry. "Why me?" said the pea. "'Cause you're sweet," said the beet." "Say you will," said the dill...) that it could be the line in question was on the end page.

S741: Science fiction, transport booth, cloning, ridge on lower back
Young adult scifi from 1980s. People travel long distances by entering booths and having copies their consciousness made into tapes or cassettes...which are then inserted (w/a telltale bump in the small of the back) into copies of the person at their target destination....boy discovers he is a copy. 3/26S742: Seasons book
In 1998 a girl read a book to my 4th grade class about the four seasons. It had no characters/plot, but it talked about each season starting with Winter, then Spring, etc. I think the pages were mostly white with text, but I know it had illustrations on each page.

Alice Provensen, The Year at Maple Hill Farm, 1978. This is the first title that comes to mind. It describes the natural changes that occur on a farm and in the surrounding countryside from January through December.
I don't think it was The Year at Maple Hill. It was like that, but instead of going through the months, it went through each season itself (winter, spring, summer, fall - in that order). And I don't remember it being specifically about the farm either, but it said things like "Spring can be warm, and spring can be wet."

S743: Shipwrecked, 'The Invisible Island???'
Read in the early 1950s'. A family moves to a new town where all the children are quarantined. Since there is no one to play with, the family's children go exploring and discover an invisible island just behind their new home. Their parents agree to let them be "shipwrecked" on the island. No adults allowed.The book tells of their adventures establishing a place to live on the island and solving mysterious happenings which start near the end of their summer fun on the island. I read this book when I was about 10-13 and have never forgotten it. I would like to share it with my grandchildren. I am 72 years old and read this book in the late 1940's or early 1950's.

Dean Marshall, The Invisible Island, 1948. This is The Invisible Island by Dean Marshall, published in 1948. The four Guthrie children arrive at their new home, in a small town where all the children are quarantined. They find and invisible island surrounded by trees etc., in a field. They have many adventures on the island.
Dean Marshall, The Invisible Island, 1950, approximate. Although I don't remember the quarantine part, I'm sure this is the book.  The kids figure out that the land near their house makes an ''island'' that is divided off by creeks and a river.  They set up camp and live mainly ''adult free'' for much of the summer.  It's a great book  I own an old copy and still re-read it occasionally and I'm 66!
Dean Marshall, The Invisible Island. I'd like to add that her book "Dig for a Treasure" is ''kind of'' a sequel to The Invisible Island, with some of the same characters.
Dean Marshall, The Invisible Island, 1950. I'm sure this is the book you are looking for.  The island is ''invisible'' because it is a portion of land with creeks and a river surrounding it.  The kids have a great time being mostly independent of adults, setting up a camp on the '''island'' It's one of my favorite reads too. I'm lucky to have an old copy, as well as the semi-sequel, Dig for a Treasure. (Has some of the same characters.)
Invisible Island by Dean Marshall perhaps. "The four Guthrie children, Edith (Dit), Alan, David and Winnifred (Winkie), live in a cramped city apartment with an irritable landlord who dislikes noise. When one of the children's uproarious games goes awry, a downstairs visitor agrees to help their parents locate a more suitable home. A little over one month later, the family arrives at their new home in a remote village in the middle of a measles epidemic. Since all of the local children are ill or in quarantine, the four siblings decide to amuse themselves by exploring the surrounding countryside. The children are surprised and delighted to find an invisible island in the middle of a field---a large piece of land completely surrounded by brooks and a pond. The children, who enjoy reading stories about shipwrecks and deserted islands, decide to play castaways for a week. They establish a campsite and arrange for the regular delivery of "rations" from the "wreck"---the house inhabited by their mother, father, and family cook, Hester."
Dean Marshall, The Invisible Island, 1948. I'm not sure about the plot but there is a book by this title.  It was reprinted in 1949 and published by Dutton and the Junior Literary Guild.  It's been a while since I've read the book but it does sound similar to it, as far as the children pretending to be shipwrecked, etc. I don't remember anything about the quarantine part but the rest is remarkably accurate.

S744: Scot kidnaps wrong bride from wedding
I read this book around 1992 - 1994, it was a paperback book with a bright (red?) binding on it. I saw it on the bookmobile shelf and the bright color caught my eye so I picked it up and looked at it. It was the first romance novel I ever read and I read it over and over again...but I can't remember the important things like the author or title or even character names! Here's the plot as best I can remember it: A woman is getting married. She is at her wedding getting ready to say her vows to a man she does not love but family honor demands that she marry him as she has been told to. A Scotsman on a horse rides in and grabs her and kidnaps her. He tells her that he's taking her to her love. She tells him she doesn't have a "love" and she is furious that she has been kidnapped even though she didn't want to marry her husband-to-be. They get to some campsite and meet a man. The man tells the Scotsman that he stole the wrong bride and he doesn't know this girl. The man leaves and the Scotsman is left with the girl. The Scotsman doesn't know what to do with the girl, so he keeps her. (I don't remember the reasoning or if she wanted to go home or go with him or something else.) He takes her back to his people. He was stealing someone else's bride, so I have to think his family was poor. I'm just guessing on that, though. I thought the book was called Captive Bride, but I've read every Captive Bride book I could find and none of them are the right book.

S745: Short story narrated by ghost
A man hangs himself at home.  His ghost or soul narrates the story.  He watches his wife and others discover his body.  The story ends with the ghost watching a replay of himself entering the room and hanging himself.  Implying the ghost is trapped in an ever repeating purgatory.

S746: Sisters go outside to play
It is the story of sisters. Mom is busy in the kitchen and asks big sister to take little sister outside to play. Published prior to 1989-1992.
S747: Se, Bas, and Tian
Book was published 1958-1963. Don't recall  much about it, but here goes. There were 3 boys named Se, Bas, and Tian. I recall a girl who couldn't smile so they went to a professor (who was a parrot) and after he got her to smile, he fixed the smile with some pins.

S748: Sisters at seaside
Hi - I am so excited to find your site.  I've searched for a particular book that was my daughter's favorite while she was in elementary school, and have not had any luck.  I pray you are able to help me. Julia was in elementary school in Sulphur Springs, Texas, in 1989 - 1992.The book was well-worn by then.  I do not know the author or title...only the basic story line.
It is the story of sisters. Mom is busy in the kitchen and asks big sister to take little sister outside to play.  Big sister does so very reluctantly. They end up climbing on rocks by the lakeside/seaside. Little sister sings a little song, "Going to the rocksy-tocksy-wocksies" as she heads toward the shore.  (Spelling of these words might not be correct, but it's all I remember.)  Little sister stumbles, falling into the water.  Big sister then realizes how much she loves little sister, and all ends well.
This is all I know.  My daughter checked this book out each week until the Librarian said, "No more, Julia."  I would love to find this old book and give to her as she is expecting her first little girl.

Do I Have to Take Violet? By Sucie Stevenson Editorial Review - Kirkus Reviews:
A new author-illustrator makes a promising debut in a charming picture book about two bunnies who learn that playing together can be fun--even for sisters. Mama Bunny, needing some peace and quiet, prevails upon Elly to take younger sister Violet for a walk on a nearby rocky beach, which effectively spoils Elly’s plans for swimming, climbing trees, or skateboarding. Resentful, she tries older-sister tricks--ignoring Violet, attempting to scare her, telling her to go away--but Violet proves impervious, and even as good as Elly when it comes to scaring sisters. When Elly finally decides to give in to the inevitable, they cooperate to make seaweed soup; and she learns that Violet is an enjoyable, imaginative playmate--who gets hungry at the same time, too. Told almost entirely in dialogue, this is a predictable story redeemed by Stevenson’s ear (Violet’s singsongs are especially believable) and her eye for the gestures and expressions of the age group she is depicting. The pictures, done in splashy colors with slapdash images, delightfully display Stevenson’s ability to ground her story in small, concrete realities. She shows interesting potential.


S749: Sci-fi: boy and girl escape from spaceship ('90s or earlier)
A teen boy is taken from their home by a government official and put on an empty computer-controlled spaceship except for a robot. The boy finds a wild/feral girl on board and they try to escape. On the cover the 3 are climbing a bedsheet (?) rope out of the spaceship.
S750: Series about kids who start a business
A bunch of kids that was led by a smart know it all. They started some kind of business and in the last part of the book was on TV. The second in the series was that one of the kids had to move to San Francisco with his mom and he starts an ice cream business. He lived on Lombard Street.

The first book in the series is The Turtle Street Trading Company and the second is Turtles Together Forever by Jill Ross Klevin.

S751: Short story, amnesia, Mexico
Short Story read in 90s- 2 HS grads go hiking, Boy A injured gets amnesia. Boy B lies, says they're brothers. They go to Mexico, B gets job with girl who looks just like old girlfriend. Friend recognizes A & tells family. Villain-B falls off broken balcony trying to protect his lie.Char: "Barb"&"Dan"?

They Never Came Home by Lois Duncan. If you're sure it was a short story, this isn't it, but the plot was so similar I thought it might be what you are looking for. There's even a character called Dan.
S752: Sci-fi short story
Short story about alien trapped inside a house. Need author or book of short story.

Could be a number of stories, I suspect; one possibility is "Stranger in the House" by Kate Wilhelm.
Could be a lot of stories, but at a guess, maybe "Stranger in the House"by Kate Wilhelm -- magazine publication in 1968, collected with one other Wilhelm story as ABYSS in 1971.

S753: Sheep; Beauty parlor with checkered floors; Black, white and pink book pages
Three sheep left the farm to go to a beauty parlor that had checkered floors. They got their wool permed and hooves painted a "delicate pink." The last line was something like "they skipped away home." The pages were black, pink and white. Please help! This is for my first niece's baby shower!

Sheep in a Shop
There's also Sheep on a Ship and others.

S754: Sisters share upstairs bedroom
Its a children's book about two sisters who share an upstairs bedroom - and they fight over which half of the room each can use - or something- so they draw a line down the center of the room - one sister gets the door- the other a window- from which to go in and out of the room -
I can't remember if its an "imagination" thing - but the book goes through all the illustrations of how the sister with the window half creates a pulley to get things up from the ground to her room -and I believe goes through the age progression - so she is depicting her children going in and out of the window once shes a mother - etc. There might be a "happy ending" where the sisters make up - but I can't remember- and I think the illustrations were in color - but cant remember- sure hope you can find it !


This room is mine (A Whitman small world library book), Betty Ren Wright (Author), Judy Stang (Illustrator). This is a popular bookstumper.  Be sure to check the solved stumpers section for more descriptions of the book. 
This is "This Room is Mine!" by Betty Ren Wright and Judy Strang.  My sister and I shared a room that looked very similar to the room in the book, and we used to act the story out all the time!
Lois Lowry, A Summer To Die. Could this be  Lois Lowry's "A Summer To Die".  The details are not the same as what the stumper requester described, other than the part about the two sisters having to share a room, and one of them drawing a chalk line in the middle so that each would have her designated side. But I figured I would put it out there anyway as an alternate possibility.


S755: Sidney the Selfish Seahorse
The children's book was probably published in the 1960's.  It was about a seahorse who didn't want to share and let the other seahorses play with his shells.  If they wouldn't play his way, he would have a "snit."

S755 may be Sidney the Selfish Seahorse by Ruth Coburn. Can't find the actual book itself, but found it under a list of copyrights
Sidney the Selfish Seahorse, Ruth Coburn,
1964. This one is going to be a bit tricky to find a copy. All I've been able to identify is an entry in the Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third Series, Volume 18, Part 1, Number 1: Booklets and Pamphlets Including Serials and Contributions to Periodicals (January-June 1964).  That entry is for a publication titled Sidney the Selfish Seahorse by Ruth Coburn, published by the Dunkin Visual Aids Co. in 1964. This appears to have been a booklet or pamphlet intended to be used with Bible School or Sunday School lessons. It may not have been published as a regular book at all. Is it possible that you read it - or had it read to you - in a Sunday School class? Good luck in your search!

S756: Skylight through which children travel
This is a science fiction/fantasy book I read around 1974-1977.  At night the children exited their room by a skylight and somehow magically flew off or were possibly transported by a flying animal to an adventure.  They were helping people or the world.  There were several books in this series.

Not a flying animal, but maybe a bed?  This kind of sounds like Bedknob and Broomstick, by Mary Rogers.  Except that the mode of transportation was a magical bedknob.  There are animals in the book though, and the bed definitely leaves via a skylight, so it might be worth looking at.

It is definitely not Bedknobs and Broomsticks.

S757: Secret message template book
SOLVED: Alan Mendelsohn, Boy From Mars

S758: Sabrina
I am looking for a book from the 1970s or 1980s. I it about a vampire girl on mars.  It is sort of a romance and I think the main character was Sabrina.

I think this is Sabella by Tanith Lee."On the pink planet of Novo Mars, Sabella, the beautiful young recluse, lives out her uneasy daytime life behind drawn blinds. And at night she feeds on the blood of deer. After what has happened before, she no longer wants - or dares - to take the blood of men. But something, it seems, is intent on throwing Sabella back into her former existence of danger and despair. Forcing her first to consume the handsome young stranger, Sand, and then to confront Sand's invincible and terrifying brother, Jace, the avenging angel. When predator becomes prey, some kind of death must end it-And only blood will answer for blood."
Almost certainly SABELLA, OR, THE BLOOD STONE by Tanith Lee (1980)

S759: Slug People
I don't remember much about this book, all I remember is that it is about slug people and how they live. I think this was an older book from the 60's or 70's and it had a green cover and pencil like drawings.

Almost certainly Fungus the Bogeyman by Raymond Briggs.

S760: Science fiction story in diary form
My stumper is for a science fiction story that is written in diary form. The main character is a boy who is kept chained in the basement because he is viewed by the family as some type of abnormal creature. All I distinctly remember is that he calls his sister "The Little Mother."

This is Richard Matheson's "Born of Man and Woman". It was published in 1950, and it was one of many stories about mutants written during the Cold War. You'll get many responses to this; it's a classic and has been reprinted in many anthologies.
"Born of Man and Woman" by Richard Matheson. From Wikipedia: "The story is written in the form of a diary in broken English kept by an apparently misshapen child, eight years old, who is kept chained in the basement by its parents..."
I am pretty sure this is "Born of man and woman" by Richard Matheson. My copy is in Science Fiction Hall of Fame volume II (ed Robert Silverberg)
This is "Born of Man and Woman", a science fiction short story by American writer Richard Matheson, originally published in 1950 in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.
Abomination by Robert Swindells.

S761: Sea/pirate journey, rich colors, no words
An illustrated children's book from the early 1970s without any words. The book was a kind of journey with luminous colors in golds and warm tones and I recall it as a kind of sea, pirate journey though there may have been some underground part.

This is a long shot, but your description reminded me of this wordless picture book that follows a a monkey, Jacko, and a parrot, that escape from a ship and make their way to a tropical island. The author/illustrator, John S. Goodall did a large series of wordless picture books featuring animals that featured half-pages interspersed in the larger pages that you turn to advance the story. You can see several good reproductions of this style (for another book of his, Creepy Castle) here.

S762: Shy girl, boyfriend named Chip, 1950s-60s
It was a hardback library book for young teens probably written in the 50's or 60's.  The story was about a girl that was rather shy in school and hanging out with her own crowd.  She dropped her lunch tray in the cafeteria and was assisted by a popular boy named Chip.  They become friends and start dating.  She gets to know his friends in the popular crowd and starts to not hangout as much with her old friends.  She has a party and just invites Chip and his crowd.  He asks her why her best friend is not there and she admits to only inviting his friends.  He gets mad at her over this attitude and breaks up with her.  At the end of the book, he drops his tray and she helps him pick it up and they become friends again.  Its just kind of a cool growing up story that I remember reading in Jr high back around 1972 or 73.  It could be a Betty Cavanna book, as I read alot of those, but it might just be similar to her books.

The name Chip made me think of Now That I'm Sixteen by Margaret Maze Craig, though I can't swear it's correct. It was published in 1959. The girl's name was Beth, and she was shy and wanted to change her social life.





 
 
 
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3/14/13
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