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New Stumpers

What is this?

Have you forgotten the title of your favorite children's book? This is a service to help solve your book mysteries.

Submit your memory here, and see if anyone else remembers your book memory, or better yet, knows the title and author! After all, it's easier to find the book when you know what it's called.

I'll post copies for sale when I have them, and am always glad to search for copies not currently in stock. Loganberry Books is a used bookshop after all, and this page is only a small sideline offered as a service to my customers.

Original requests are in bold,
comments and solutions
from internet friends are in color.
My comments (HRL/staff) are in black.

How does this work?

Book Stumpers should be submitted by clicking the "Book Stumper" link below. Stumpers cost $2 to submit, and will be posted alphabetically by Keycode until solved. New Stumpers will be on this page for at least four weeks, and are then moved to the archive pages. Once solved, the posting moves to the Solved Mysteries pages, alphabetical by title. New comments and stumpers are posted on Mondays and/or Tuesdays, and whenever else time permits. The tallies do not reflect solutions made by simply browsing the archives or asking what we deem an "easy question" rather than a "stumper."

The 2003 Tally
1192 Stumpers posted; 742 (62%) Solved
The 2004 Tally
527 Stumpers posted; 393 (75%) Solved
The 2005 Tally
902 Stumpers posted; 497 (55%) Solved
The 2006 Tally
858 Stumpers posted; 393 (46%) Solved
The 2007 Tally
974 Stumpers posted; 399 (41%) Solved

Updates

New stumpers again today!
And all the solutions from the past week, too.

Based on my new work schedule, new stumper day is now going to be Tuesday rather than Monday. Not a huge change, but I just wanted to let everyone know what to expect in terms of updates to this page.

posted 7/21/08 posted 7/21/08
posted 8/1/08 posted 8/1/08
posted 8/11/08 posted 8/11/08
posted 8/18/08 posted 8/18/08
posted 8/25/08 posted 8/25/08
posted 9/3/08
posted 9/15/08
posted 9/23/08
posted 9/29/08
posted 10/7/08

The 2008 Tally
553 Stumpers posted
118 Moved to Solved

last updated
10/7/08

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	Book Request	Book Stumper	Solution	e-mail

A380: Albino girl, cave
Augmenting existing post (A293): Albino (or nearly so) Adolescent/teenage motherless girl and father move to rural old-style community (carriages and such?); meets old woman of same complexion (possibly town matriarch), always wears black, has mute servant. I believe I’m looking for the same book as the person who posted A293 on your site’s unsolved stumpers, but thought I’d try giving a bit more detail. (I was really happy to find a post about it and see that I hadn’t imagined the story!). This is from a paperback read in the early 1990’s. An albino (or extremely fair) adolescent/teenage motherless girl and her father move to a rural community. I think I remember the community having old-style ways, like an Amish community, and getting around in carriages. The girl eventually meets the town matriarch, a creepy old woman with the same extremely fair complexion as the girl. The old woman wears black, and a black veil, and is attended by a mute servant (whose tongue has been cut out, I think). I got the impression that the girl’s arrival was part of the old woman’s plan, that they’re related somehow, and the old woman has plans for her (in a creepy evil way). I remember little about the main body of the story, but I think the girl eventually discovers a cave on the edge of town, and hears calls of children(?) or sacrificed(?) souls? Unfortunately, I never got the opportunity to finish the book, and it has hounded me ever since! I have absolutely no idea what the title could be..I would appreciate any help in finding this book!

This sounds really familiar--could it have been "Harvest Home" by Thomas Tyron? It came out in the early 70s, and there was a mini-series made based on it (called "The Dark Secret of Harvest Home" filmed in the late 70s. I can't find a description of it anywhere, but even though I read it so long ago, that was the first thing that came to mind.
The querent may be combining memories of two different books. In Harvest Home, the family includes the mother, and the girl is not an albino -- she does have asthma. The old lady who runs things, and the men who have had their tongues cut out, are from that book however, as are the general ambience of old-fashioned, traditional (and I do mean traditional) rural lifestyles and the new family being "needed" for something. Look up "Harvest Home" on amazon.com or wikipedia to see if the details match. It was published in 1973, at the height of the witchcraft craze that began in the the late 1960s with the publication of books by Sybil Leek and Jessie Wicker Bell ("Lady Sheba"). But it is much more like "The Wicker Man", a film which came out the same year and which was based on a 1968 book called "Ritual" by David Pinner.

A381: Ant bite shrinks person
Solved: The City Under the Back Steps
In 1968 I read a children's book where the person was bitten by an ant and shrunk until he (she?) was small enough to live in the ants colony for a time. At the end, the person returned to full sized but remembered the experience. Does anyone know title/author?

Evelyn Sibley Lampman, The City Under the Back Steps, 1960, copyright. Two cousins are bitten by the queen of an ant colony and shrink to the size of ants.
E.S. Lampman, City Under the Back Steps. You're probably remembering this much-requested book.
Evelyn Sibley Lampman, The City Under the Back Steps, 1960, copyright. Honore Valintcourt, Illustrator. Two children (cousins?) are bitten/shrunken and join an ant colony, where they learn to respect the ants.
Evelyn Sibley Lampman, The City Under the Back Steps, 1960, copyright. I'm impressed at the prompt response and grateful for the information. With such an obvious concensus, I assume this is the right book. Thank you!

A382: Angel Alien
1975-1988, juvenile. A pair of spaceships travel to Uranus ? where an Alien presence is signaling. The cover art I think had the spaceships look like orange mushrooms. The story is about the hazards of deep space travel. When the meet the Alien he introduces himself as Gabriel and some of the technology he has includes a magnetic suspension bed to sleep in midair. After the meeting is done they realize that because of some supernatural time effect what seemed like days to them was weeks and they conclude that Gabriel must really be the Angel Gabriel.

A383: american running mexican hacienda
Author: margaret? nonfiction. american woman in her early 30's marries a mexican man and moves to mexico to run the hacienda. thought title had words in it like "blue skies" or "clear blue skies". american woman struggles with running hacienda as she is not easily absorbed into household nor given respect/authority easily by existing members of household. i read this in my later teens so perhaps the book was written in the 1970's.

Elizabeth Borton de Trevino, My Heart Lies South. This sounds a little like My Heart Lies South, by Elizabeth Borton de Trevino, who won the Newbery for I, Juan de Pareja. Description (it's been reissued by Bethlehem/Ignatius): "What happens when a thoroughly twentieth-century American lady journalist becomes a Mexican señora in nineteen-thirties' provincial Monterrey? She finds herself—sometimes hilariously—coping with servants, daily food allowances, bargaining, and dramatic Latin emotions. It is like stepping back a hundred years. In this vivid autobiography, Newbery Award winning author Elizabeth Borton de Treviño brings to life her experiences with the culture and the faith of a civilization so close to the United States, but rarely appreciated or understood. This special young people's edition presents the humor and the insights of a remarkable woman and her contact with an era which is now past, but not to be forgotten."

A384: anthology of children's stories including Bartholomew Cubbins
I recall owning a book in the late 50s or early 60s, a collection of children's stories by various authors, which included "Bartholomew Cubbins" or a story almost exactly like it, but NOT illustrated by Dr Seuss. May have also had a story about a boy & girl whose mom carved wooden birds. Any ideas?

Pauline Rush Evans (ed.), The Family Treasury of Children's Stories, 1956, copyright. This is a three volume set, The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins is in Volume 1. There's only one illustration for the story, and its by Dr. Seuss. I didn't see a story about carving wooden birds, but I didn't look that closely, either.
Thank you, but this can't be the one I'm thinking of if Seuss is the illustrator.

A385: Around the World Bedtime Story
1970's, childrens. In this bed time story, a little boy goes to bed in the US and then travels to other countries to see how other children sleep. You follow his little black footprints across the pages as he "walks" from continent to continent. In Africa, we see a child who sleeps in a hammock. In Japan, we see a child who uses a wooden stand as a pillow. In Alaska, the children sleep in an igloo. In the American West, a child sleeps in a teepee. I may have some of this information jumbled up, after all, I was only a child when this book was read to me, however, one thing I remember for certain are the footprints across the pages. There were also footprints along the inside covers, front and back.

Theo LeSieg (Dr. Seuss), Come Over to My House. This is your book! It is not illustrated in Dr. Seuss's typical style, but it has the footprints as you travel over the world to see the different kinds of houses people live in.
Come over to my house, come over and play. I'm pretty sure the requester is looking for Come Over to My House, Come Over and Play. The foot prints are on the endpages, and there is a section devoted to how each kid sleeps--one shows the Japanese boy with his head on the wooden pedestal--the entire book is not just about sleeping, though, as it shows kids eating, playing, etc.

B643: Book of bedtime stories and poems
Book of bedtime stories and poems I had in the early 1980s. ONLY thing I remember is the inside back cover: a drawing of a starry night sky (lots of deep blue) with kids looking out their windows (a city scene). May have been the characters from the stories. The Golden Book Of 365 Stories?

B644: British officer falls in love with boss's fiancée
Proper British officer is assigned to pick up his "boss"'s young Spanish fiancée in Spain and take her to India. They fall in love on the way to India but do not declare it and he takes her to her fiancé. He resumes work in the British army leading up to the Indian Mutiny. She rescues him and has his child.

M. M. Kaye, Shadow of the Moon. This is Shadow of the Moon. The author, M. M. Kaye, also wrote The Far Pavilions. The girl is named Winter, and she falls in love with her fiance when she is very young and he is visiting England. The officer who escorts her to him tries to warn her about what a horrid person her fiance has become since she saw him last.
MM Kaye, Shadow of the Moon. If the heroine's name was Winter, this is your book. Most of the plot details match.

B645: Bunnies search for magic egg
Hi, I am looking for a children's book that is about a pair or group of bunnies that go in search of a magic/treasured/porcelain/valuable egg. My second grade teacher read it to us around 1995. Thank you for your help!

Margaret Wise Brown, The Golden Bunny, and other poems and Stories. This might be a long shot, but I seem to remember a story like that in this book. This is NOT The Golden Egg Book which is quite different.
Here's one to consider: Heyward, DuBose. The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes. Illustrated by Marjorie Flack. 1939. The country bunny is a mother of 21, but still attains the rank of Easter Bunny. She delivers the most beautiful egg of all to an ill child on a far away mountain top. One reviewer called it an early feminist tale.

B646: baby lost in snowy woods
Forest animals attempt to help a baby left by a tree in the woods in a snow storm. The book ends when a child comes to get the baby (which turns out to be a doll). Small book, Eloise Wilkins type of illustrations, probably 1960s or 70s.

Clair Jones, Stina Nagel (illus), Whose Baby is That?, 1969, copyright. This is a Whitman Tell-A-Tale Book. The animals all wonder whose "baby" they have found in the woods, until at the end a little girl comes to retrieve her lost doll. Front cover shows the baby (a smiling, rosy-cheeked baby doll, wearing a blue romper or snowsuit with a red lining, red mittens, and little white boots) sitting under a tree. Several animals (a raccoon, a skunk, a squirrel, and a rabbit) are sitting in front of him. There are autumn leaves on the ground, and snow is falling.

B647: Blodger the Rabbit, gardener, topiary
The book I am looking for is a young children's book (about 11"X14") Hardback. The main character is "Blodger" a rabbit who is a gardener. Blodger does topiary. He falls from a ladder and breaks his leg. His Dr. says: "There will be no more topiary for you for a while, Blodger."

B648: Boy with ability to "jump" into animal minds
Solved: Song of the Wild
I am looking for a YA book I loved in the early 80's about a boy who had the ability to put his consciousness into animals and thus could see and experience everything the animal saw. His body remained motionless wherever he happened to be when he jumped into the animal's mind. I believe he called his gift "sight" or "insight". His family refused to believe him when he tried to describe his abilities. They thought he was just daydreaming or zoning out all the time. At the end of the book he "jumps" into a horse and leaves his body sitting behind the animal--the horse startles and kicks the boy in the head and he dies. His consciousness is trapped inside the horse and he's terrified that he will be a horse forever. Then he sees a bird and jumps into the bird and realizes joyfully that he is now free to go at will into whatever animal he wants, for all eternity. This book was wonderful and haunting and it's driving me nuts that I can't remember the title or author!! I want to read this to my sons. Thanks in advance.

Allen W. Eckert, Song of the Wild, 1980, copyright. Go to http://allaneck.com/b_song-of-the-wild.html for a detailed description and ordering information. You'll find that it is exactly the book you want. I read it when it was first published-couldn't stop thinking about it!!
Allan Eckert, Song of the Wild, 1980, copyright. Solved!! Thanks SO much. I went to the link and when I saw the cover it gave me chills. I would have never remembered the title on my own! Thank you!!

B649: Boy finds dog, keeps in abandoned car
Boy finds a shaggy dog, but dad won't allow him to bring the dog home. He leaves the dog in an abandoned car and visits every day. Kid's name might be Mike, and dog's name might be Scruffy. Winter is approaching. I think the dad doesn't allow a Christmas tree to be put up at home – makes him sad.

Prudence Andrew, Dog, 1974, approximate. Maybe this one?
Prudence Andrew, Dog, 1974, copyright. Yes, the book cover on Amazon looks so familiar. I couldn't find a description there but came across it on E-bay with this (correct) description: "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 wonderful 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!"

B650: boy gets silent treatment from family
Boy growing up in 19th century America. I think it's an autobiography and no it isn't Mark Twain. He tells stories about his life growing up and there's one point where a boy who won't speak and is violent shows up and is "taken care of" by the family.

John D Fitzgerald, The Great Brain Series. I'm sure you are remembering this excellent semi-autobiographical series of novels about a family with 3 brothers growing up in a frontier town in Utah. In one incident, the parents give the misbehaving brothers the silent treatment to punish them, which they feel is much harsher than the physical punishments most kids in the town get.
John D. Fitzgerald, Me and My Little Brain. I remember this book. The mute/violent boy is Frankie, who comes to stay with J.D. and his family after witnessing his own family being killed in a rockslide. After finally getting fed up with Frankie's behavior, J.D. spanks him, causing Frankie to remember his parents' accident and regain his power of speech.

B651: Bear and Rabbit Quest in Winter
Solved: Abiner Smoothie's Journey To The Heart of a Bear
Short description: Children's book bound in fake red leather stamped with designs. Bear and rabbit go on a quest (with the whole bear family) traveling around the world getting rhyming clues to find something (heart of a bear?).
Extended description: The Book: A large red book bound in fake leather with designs stamped on it in squares and a colour illustration in the middle. I was quite fascinated with the cover because it was actually puffy. I got this book in the early 80's but I don't know how long it had been in print. The Story: It's about a very affluent bear family. A young bear wakes up in the winter and can't get back to sleep. A rabbit lives with them and is drinking brandy in the library. A conversation ensues and somehow they end up going on a quest for something. It may be "the heart of a Bear" but I can't remember. The whole extended family wakes up and insists on going with them. The family and rabbit go around the world and even under the sea finding rhyming clues. The young bear and rabbit do all the actual searching while the family enjoys the sights, the opera, banquets etc. In the end they find that what they were looking for was in the library all along - I think it was the friendship between them or love or something like that. The Illustrations: Amazing full page pictures of the bear family and accompanying rabbit - not cartoonish in style, more like fine illustration. Lots of colour and detail. I think their clothes were late 19th century/early 20th century. One one page they go to the opera and the family is decked out in early 20 century (?) Russian finery - I remember one of the aunts has really long strings of pearls. Another page shows a journey to the ocean floor and their coach is pulled by leafy seadragons. I have not seen these illustrations equaled in children's literature. Thank you so much for your help - I have been searching for this book for many years.

Dennis Kyte, Abiner Smoothie's Journey To The Heart of a Bear, 1985, copyright. Also listed online as: To The Heart of a Bear: Abiner Smoothie's Journey. "Restless one night, Abiner speculates on his ancestress, Lady Audrey Furwhistle, whose statue has been shrouded since she disgraced the family, centuries earlier. Abiner removes the cover and finds the image of a beautiful woman with a real ruby heart on a chain around the neck. The discovery pushes Abiner into a quest to solve the mystery of Lady Audrey's sin, hinted at in a riddle chiseled into the statue. Puppy (Abiner's rabbit friend) and the bear's many relatives join him on board the Argyle, sailing to exotic lands and strange adventures. Along the way, the young Smoothie picks up more clues to the case of the red heart and he restores it, at last, to its rightful owner. Kyte's inspired puns and delicately colored paintings provide extra attractions to his funny, fanciful tale." And yes, this book did come with a red fake leather cover, with a picture of Abiner and Puppy in the center. This book is a sequel to The Last Elegant Bear: The Life and Times of Abiner Smoothie, which had a fake brown leather cover.
I just looked to see if there were comments and it is solved! Dennis Kyte, Abiner Smoothie's Journey To The Heart of a Bear. Thanks so much!!!

B652: British woman doctor out west
Early 70s?, womens. This book was about a female doctor who antagonized her colleagues in England. So, she went to a fort town in the post-civil war west. She befriended an elderly, African-American, male ex-slave who helped her establish her clinic, the ladies of the saloon, and local miners. When a snake oil salesman came into town and tried to take over her business, two miners (whom she managed to save after a mining accident, but were left crippled) ran him out town. The love interest was the calvary major, a southerner disowned by his family for fighting for the north. When the major was shot in the butt by an arrow, he repaid her digging out the arrow by having his men dig her a well. The calvary rode into save her from the Indians upon her capture, but found her instructing the Native Americans on hygiene and food safety and teaching the chief a Scottish prayer, thus bringing peace between the Natives and the settlement. The town was run by crooked mayor who had control of the press. The newspaper always ended reviews of society parties at the mayor's house with "a good time was had by all."

Frances Murray, The Burning Lamp. This is undoubtedly the book you want, but the heroine is a nurse, not a doctor (she was trained by Florence Nightingale). Other than that, it's a complete match to your description.

B653: Briar Rose or Sleeping Beauty (not Disney)
Either Briar Rose or The Sleeping Beauty, 1940-1974? Childrens. Beautifully illustrated, not an anthology. One of the first pictures is of the queen at a pond talking with a frog as she prepares to take a bath. I will only know it when I see the pictures, I'm afraid. I've seen Margery Gill's version and that's not it. I asked at the Library of Congress with no luck but they told me to try Stump the Bookseller! Good luck.

Trina Schart Hyman, The Sleeping Beauty. The first page of this story has a picture of the queen standing in a forest pool talking to a frog. Beautiful illustrations.
I love Trina Schart Hyman and I own a couple copies of that book so that isn't what I'm looking for. But thank you for the contribution.

B654: Betsy's First Christmas
1980, childrens. I've tried the Betsy Tacy & Maud Hart Lovelace, but still can't seem to find this book. I read it in 1979/1980. I thought the title was "Betsy's First Christmas". I only remember she's a very young girl, snow, Christmas time, she goes shopping for a new slicker with her mom, and puts out orange peelings filled with peanut butter for birds I believe. And possibly a white, hardback. Think I recall a Christmas wreath on its cover. Oh please you've got to know this one. Thank you ever so much!

C579: Children’s Counting Book
This is a children’s counting book. It was a tall, skinny book with a hardcover, and paper pages. I believe the cover was black and each page had a black background and the items (ex. Butterflies) for kids to count were brightly colored. On the last page there were many many stars and the book asked either “how many stars” or “can you count the stars”. It must have been published either late 1960’s or early 1970’s. Thanks!

C580: Church mouse, cathedral, robbery
I looked through your other church mouse entries but none seemed right- this story was probably printed in the late 70's, in colour (very intricate designs) and featured in a cathedral w/ a cat and mouse, robbery of silver candlesticks and the mouse found a 'smorgasboard' of stuff underneath the pew.

Graham Oakley, The Church Mouse, 1972. More info on Graham Oakley's books: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graham_Oakley.
Graham Oakley, The Church Mouse. I think you ought to check this one out, because it does contain the story about the candlestick robbery, and the pictures could definitely be called "intricate"--lots of visual humour. From the text: "Arthur tied the burglar's bootlaces together. He had to do it himself because Sampson could only tie granny knots. Then Sampson obliged with his party piece. It was supposed to be the Song of the nightingale but everyone else thought it sounded like a policeman's whistle. They counted on the burglar thinking so too....Everybody had the idea of rolling him up in the carpet. At any rate, everybody said it was his idea afterwards. They all put their shoulders to the carpet and pushed. The schoolmouse said to the mouse beside him that he felt like a Lilliputian, but the mouse replied huffily that he couldn't stand foregin food because he was just an average English working mouse and he felt like a cheese and chutney sandwiich, and the mouse next to him said he felt like a bread and butter pudinng, and Sampson said he felt like a mouse casserole and he'd have one, too, if they didn't shut up and push."
Graham Oakley, The Church Mice at Christmas, 1980. When Arthur and Humphrey decide to rally the church mice into having a Christmas party, the result is a series of disasters. Some wonderful scenes include the mice raffling-off Sampson (the Church Cat) to raise money for their party, their hopeless attempts at carol-singing for the same purpose, and the burglar dressed as Santa (he has a bag on which he has crossed out "Swag" and written "presents"). Also look out for the bizarre Christmas window displays in town. Here are all the Church Mice Chronicles: The Church Mouse, The Church Cat Abroad, The Church Mice and the Moon, The Church Mice Spread Their Wings, The Church Mice Adrift, The Church Mice at Bay, The Church Mice at Christmas, The Church Mice in Action, The Diary of a Church Mouse, The Church Mice and the Ring, Humphrey Hits the Jackpot, The Church Mice Take a Break.

C581: Chickens in henhouse & henyard scratching
Early 1970's ? childrens. I remember a story about chickens in the hen yard, and how they would be scratching about for feed. Also alot of description about them going up the ramp into their henhouse, and fluffing up on their nests. There might have been something about a dog. There was also a vivid description of how the henhouse was built, how wide the shelves were, and which hen had which nest.

Meindert de Jong, Along Came a Dog. De Jong has a gift for writing about animals. This book is about a little red hen that gets picked on by the chickens because she lost her toes when they froze off. She hops around and manages to survive with the help of the farmer and a stray dog who sees himself as her protector. Lots of detailed descriptions of the chickens, the henhouse, and the dog.

C582: Children flying space ship
Solved: But We Are Not Of Earth
In about 1984 I checked out a newly released book from a small town library. I remember to this day that I loved it. It was a children's science fiction space travel story about several children who were traveling from planet to planet. I believe they were searching for something (food and supplies maybe?) or running away from something. After each stop they would barely make it back to the ship and take off again safely because of the local dangers. I remember one stop they made was a lush green area that looked very safe but turned out to be very dangerous. Something about the food they had stands out to me as odd, like it was synthetic or something, but that's all I can remember. I have seven children and they love space travel stories, I'd love to find this one for them.

Jean E. Karl, But We Are Not of Earth, 1981, copyright. This might be what you are looking for. There are four children (pre-teens) I think, who are given an assignment in their space flight school and end up going to various planets. The symthetic food was some kind of candy bar that they stop eating while they travel. There was also a plot line about finding space travellers from the home planet who had 'escaped'.
Jean E. Karl, But We Are Not of Earth, 1981, copyright. Oh goodness, I would never have been able to solve this without the other poster, but I knew the book you were talking about from the description. I just looked it up on Amazon and it's definitely the book I've been trying to find forever. Hope it's the one you're looking for too. As I recall, four young teenagers live in some kind of boarding school or orphanage. The two boys and two girls live together and are called a pod, I think. They're bored and get permission to go on a space mission, but before they go their teachers stress that they must remember to eat their nutrition bars (or something like that). When two of them stop eating them, they discover the bars have been keeping their sex drives in check.
Jean E. Karl, But We Are Not Of Earth, 1981, copyright. Thank you for solving this for me!! I have thought of this book on and off for 20 years. I already found a copy online and am reading it now to make sure it is appropriate for my littlest children. It's bringing back memories. What an awesome service!! Thanks again, this would have bugged me for the rest of my life and now it is solved!

C583: Cheerleaders solve mystery in a swamp
Solved: Cheer Leader
I read this in the 70's but the book was older, large hardcover. Two best friends, cheerleaders went to work at a summer resort taking care of younger children. There is a mysterious woman in the swamp and some kind of mystery - I think a child gets lost at one point. They solve it all!

Janet Singer, Cheer Leader, 1934, copyright. The girls in this story take care of children at a summer resort and later search for one of the children who has gotten lost/kidnapped in a nearby swamp.
Janet Singer, Cheer Leader, 1934, copyright. Thank you!!! I cried I was so excited that someone solved my book stumper question in such a short time! I have been looking for this book for years -- thinking Cheer Leader was in the title but always spelling it "cheerleader" ... I just spotted a first edition online and now I remember the cover like it was last summer that I read it... when it was really 30 years ago!

C584: Collection of Childrens Stories and Poems
Solved: The Giant Golden Book of Elves and Fairies
I’m trying to find a collection of bedtime stories that my mother read to me. I have a part of the book and would like to know the title so that I might be able to find and purchase the book for my Grandchildren. Some of the titles of the stories include: The Lost Merbaby by Margaret & Mary Baker; The Brownie in the Garden by Elsa Ruth Nast; The Pixie’s Scarf by Alison Uttley; The Cannery Bear by Ray St. Clair; The Room Beneath the Tree by James Stephens; Where Hidden Treasure Lies by Sheila O’Neill. Some of the Poems include: Song for a Summer Evening by Mildred Bowers Armstrong; Little People’s Market by Dorothy Brown Thompson; A Goblinade by Florence Page Jaques; The Second-Hand Shop by Rowena Bennett; Pipes and Drums by Lilian Holmes; The Fairies by William Allingham; The Little House by Elizabeth Godley; Ring-a-ring o'Fairies by Madelaine Nightingale.

Jane Werner (ed), Garth Williams (illus), The Golden Books Treasury of Elves and Fairies, 1951, 1979, copyright. Definitely this one! Contains all the stories/poems mentioned, plus more. While original copies (and even the 1979 and 1999 reprints) are scarce and quite expensive, the book is due to be re-issued on September 9th of this year. If you can wait 'til then, you should be able to pick up a new copy, at a reasonable price.

C585: Compliation of fairy tales
Probably published in the 80's. It includes The Happy Prince, The Selfish Giant, The Swan Princess, and Silver Saucer, Russet Apple, which seems to be a pretty rare story. I believe the cover was of snow white and was dark in color. Thick, glossy pages with great illustrations. Prob. 9x13.

Oscar Wilde, Arthur Ransome. Ok, so this isn't exactly a solution, but perhaps it will help point you in the right direction? First, are you absolutely certain that all those stories were in the same book? Or might you be combining the memories of several books? I've been hunting, and so far the only books I can find that contain both "The Happy Prince" and "The Selfish Giant" are the books that contain only the stories of Oscar Wilde (eg. The Happy Prince and Other Tales, or The Complete Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde). I have not been able to find any reference to a story about a russet apple and a silver saucer, but was wondering if perhaps you meant "The Tale of the Silver Saucer and the Transparent Apple" by Arthur Ransome, which can be found in Old Peter's Russian Tales, The Kingfisher Book of Stories for Seven-Year-Olds, and More Stories for Seven-Year-Olds And Other Young Readers. The Wild Swans (Hans Christian Andersen) can also be found in More Stories For Seven-Year-Olds, but the Oscar Wilde stories are not. In a 2004 book, The Snow Maiden and Other Russian Tales (Bonnie Marshall) the story is called "The Silver Saucer and the Red Apple" and I've also seen it listed as "The Silver Saucer and the Red-Ripe Apple" or "The Silver Saucer and the Ripe Juicy Apple" in volumes of Russian folk or fairy tales. These, however, do not contain any of the other stories you are looking for. Anyway, I hope this helps a little. Good luck!

C586: Children on desert island
Group of children stranded on desert island, older girl in group takes charge of them, sets a boy's broken leg, they are rescued at the end and she apologizes for not setting it straight. I read the book in the fifties, but it was definitely published pre-1945.

C587: Cottage or garden in woods
A little girl who goes into the woods and finds a pretty little cottage that is empty. Maybe a garden. Maybe through a hedge or opening in a wall to get there. It could have been abandoned. It was maybe in the early 70's. 2-5th grade level probably. Not Goldilocks.

Could you be thinking of Mandy by Julie Andrews Edwards? That's the title that popped into my head, though I don't remember many details.

D296: Dragon's wife is sick, needs monkey heart
The only story I recall from a collection late 1970s or earlier--the dragon's wife is sick and needs a monkey heart to eat, drama ensues. Detailed pen & ink illustration of dragon, monkey, & tree. Dragon looked so sad. Looking for title of collection or author. Hardbound, 8.5x11ish, maybe 150 pages.

Gyo Fujikawa, Fairy Tales and Fables, 1970, copyright. The story you are looking for is called "The Dragon and the Monkey." The dragon's wife has heard that monkey's hearts are delicious, and she wants to try one so badly that she claims she will die if she does not. The dragon locates a monkey, and tricks it into riding on his back across the sea, to get to a place allegedly filled with wonderful fruit. Halfway across, the dragon attempts to drown the monkey, but the quick-witted monkey, upon learning that it is his heart the dragon is after, claims to have left it back in his tree, as "monkeys never carry their hearts around with them." The dragon returns the monkey to his tree, where of course the monkey escapes. There are two illustrations for this story: a black & white line drawing of the dragon and his wife, both looking very sad, swimming in the sea, stretching across the top half of the first two pages, and a beautiful 2-page, full-color picture of the dragon (colored orange and gold, and wearing a little black hat with a pink button on top) with tears falling from his eyes, and the monkey perched back in the top of his tree. Other stories in this book include Little Red Riding Hood, The Hare and the Tortoise, The Real Princess, Little Eva, The Country Mouse and the City Mouse, Cinderella, The Teeny-Tiny Woman, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Milkmaid and her Pail, The Lion and the Mouse, The Moon Maiden, The Wonderful Porridge Pot, Puss in Boots, The Elves and the Shoemaker, Thumbelina, The Fox and the Grapes, Jorinda and Joringel, and many others.
Traditional, The Monkey and the Crocodile. Your description sounds a little like this ancient (it appears in the Panchatantra, which may be as old as the 4th century, with even more ancient roots) tradtional tale from India: a monkey who lives in a rose-apple or mango tree gains the friendship of a crocodile by throwing him mangos. However, the crocodile's wife gets jealous of the friendship and feigns sickness, saying only a monkey's heart will cure her. The crocodile lures the monkey onto his back, and after swimming halfway to his house, sadly tells him what his wife wants. The monkey doesn't panic, but just says he has left his heart at home - the crocodile takes the monkey back to the mango tree so he can get his heart, and the monkey escapes. The story appears in many collections of tales from India, and has also been published separately as a picture book many times: try the versions by Paul Galdone, Sheila Lane, Mrudul Tata, Ellen Babbitt, David Mackay, or Kumuda Reddy, Naseeruddin Shah.
Possibly Magic Tales edited by Adelaide Holl (1964), if you change the dragon to a crocodile? See Solved Mysteries. The real table of contents is at the bottom of the entry.
Rose Dobbs, Once-Upon-A-Time Story Book, 1958, copyright. Someone asked about a book whose plot involved a wife who wanted to eat monkey hearts. This is a very old fable. I found it in the above book, but I have seen it as a stand-alone. The title is The Foolish Dragon.

D297: Do you know what?
This rhyme was in a collection of rhymes and may have started with the words "You know what?" The rest of the rhyme is as follows:
Do you know what? There isn't a house on the empty lot.
Do you know what? The moon is cold and the sun is hot.
Do you know what? Kangaroos leap and horses trot.
Do you know what? A little child is called a tot.
Do you know what? I have red mittens and you have not.
Note: The order of the lines may be incorrect.

D298: Duck All Alone Bright World
A children's book about a duck that is all alone in a big bright world after getting separated from his duck family.

Brown, Margaret Wise, The Golden Egg Book. Well, he's not exactly separated from his family, but he just hatched from his egg where he was all alone in a small dark world and now he's alone in the big bright world - until the bunny wakes up and they become friends.
Marjorie Flack, A Story About Ping. Maybe this is the book you're looking for? "Originally published in 1933, this sweet picture book is still a classic. Ping, a young duck, lives with his enormous family on a boat that travels the Yangtze River. Sadly separated from his family while looking for delicious morsels, Ping has the adventure of his life trying to find his home. With gorgeous, nostalgic illustrations." "This is the classic story of a young duck who spends a harrowing night on the Yangtze river after he is separated from his family."
Jane Werner Watson, The Fuzzy Duckling, 1949, copyright. A duckling gets separated from his large family and meets many different types of other animals enroute to reuniting with his mother and siblings. It was an original Little Golden Book and the story also teaches its readers counting.

D299: "A dromedary standing still resembles stilts beneath a hill"
I remember a section of a funny poem that goes "A dromedary standing still resembles stilts beneath a hill". I have put it into google but couldn't do any good. If you get a chance can you see if you can find it. Better still the name of the book it came from. I had it around 1974.

Jack Prelutsky, Zoo doings : animal poems. Illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky.
Jack Prelutsky, Zoo doings, 2000. Googling "dromedary standing still" reveals a library listing for this book. One of the poem titles is "Dromedary Standing Still".

D300: Dinny Gordon's European trip
Anne Emery wrote a series of Dinny Gordon books, one for every year in high school. The series ends with Dinny Gordon, Senior, and Dinny looking forward to a trip to Europe. I remember reading a book about this European trip and I think she tours Italy with one of her high school friends. I am wondering if anyone remembers the name of this book. These were written in the 1970s.

Anne Emery, Dinny Gordon Series, 1959. I read all 4 of the Dinny Gordon books. They were actually written in the 1960's. I have never heard of the book about her trip to Europe. As far as I know, the series ended with her senior year.
There appear to be only the four Dinny Gordon books; perhaps you are thinking of a book in one of Anne Emery's other series characters? You might check the listings in the GIRLS SERIES BOOKS 1840-1991 volume online at: http://special.lib.umn.edu/clrc/girlsseriesbook.html#5.

D301: Dragon and prince don't want to do their jobs
I'm looking for a children's book from the late 60's. Something about a dragon and a prince and the dragon didn't really want to burn people and/or the prince didn't really feel compelled to rescue damsels? I remember there were few colors used in the illustrations: pink, chartuese, and black?

Kenneth Grahame, E.H. Shepard (illus), The Reluctant Dragon, 1938, copyright. A shepherd discovers a dragon living in a cave. His son knows from his reading of natural history and fairy tales that some dragons are reasonable and nonthreatening. He approaches the creature, who proves to be a gentle, noncombative sort. The villagers, however, see him as a menace, and St. George is sent for. The boy goes to visit St. George (who turns out to be not quite the fearless dragon slayer he is reputed to be) and is able to convince him that this is a good dragon. The three of them devise a plan that will give everyone a fine show, by faking a fight in which George "defeats" and "tames" the dragon, allowing the dragon to stay on in the village, writing poetry and singing. The story was first published in 1898, as part of Grahame's short story collection "Dream Days." Shepard, the beloved illustrator of the Winnie The Pooh stories, provided the ink drawings for the 1938 edition, which has since been reprinted many times. The cover of at least one edition is a hot pink, except for a white block featuring one of Shepard's ink drawings of the boy talking to the dragon. While the rest of this illustration is b&w, the dragon has been colored blue-green.
dePaola, Tomie, The Knight and the Dragon. Could it be "The Knight and the Dragon"? Most of the book (if not all) is wordless, but it shows a knight preparing to battle a dragon, while a dragon practices defeating a knight. Neither is too happy when the inevitable confrontation comes...until the castle librarian pulls a cart of books in--teaching the knight how to build a barbeque and the dragon how to roast food. It's a great book!
Grahame, Kenneth, The Reluctant Dragon. Could this classic be what you are looking for? I seem to remember a Scholastic paperback edition with the colors mentioned.

E136: Etoile
Etoile is the main character of a book read by a family member in the mid to late 1800s. The book is important as this family member named her daugher after the Etoile in the book and so became the first Etoile in the family. Her granddaughter was later named after her, as was her great great great granddaugher (my baby). I know that the original real Etoile was born in the late 1800s in Louisiana. This is all that the family knows of the book. I would like to find the book and give a copy to my baby's grandmother and keep one for our family, too. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Walter Crane, Princess Belle-Etoile, 1874. You can find the story for free on Project Gutenberg.
Walter Crane, Princess Belle-Etoile, 1874. There is a lovely illustrated free! copy of this short story on Project Gutenberg.
Terry, Rose, The Assassin of Society, 1857, approximate. Google-searched and found this short story, with a character called Louise Etoile. If I find more I'll post them.

E137: England invaded by socialist forces, adults killed, orion, charlemagne
Trilogy i think? Maybe late 60s/70s?? young adult book, England has been devasted by a virus, most adults killed, invaded by socialist army (known as Freaks?) Group of kids /young adults flees to London, meets gangs at St. Pauls, crippled child who hears voices, betrayed/captured, one flees to Germany.

E138: EL train goes by girl's neighborhood
Girl lives with family in busy neighborhood in Chicago (?) Maybe during the depression or right after. I remember some comments about the EL train rumbling by.

F315: Frogs at Christmas
Solved: Warton's Christmas Eve Adventure
The book I am looking for is about 2 frogs at Christmas time. One of them is very excited to open the gifts and so goes ice skating to fill the time. An adventure ensues. The story may have taken place on Christmas Eve and the book would have been available in the early to mid 1970's. Thank you!

Lobel, Arnold, Frog and Toad All Year, 1976, copyright. I'm pretty sure this is one of Lobel's Frog and Toad books. I'm just not sure which one. The others are Frog and Toad Are Friends, Days with Frog and Toad, Frog and Toad Together, Adventures of Frog and Toad.
Russell E. Erickson, Warton's Christmas Eve Adventure, 1977, copyright. There is a series of books about two frog brothers named Warton and Morton that were written in the 1970's. Warton is pretty active and skates around. I can't remember the story line, but this could be the book you are looking for. The books are: A Toad for Tuesday 1974, Warton and the King of the Skies, Warton and Morton 1976, The Snow of Ohreeganu, Warton's Christmas Eve Adventure 1977.
Russell E. Erickson, Warton's Christmas Eve Adventure, 1977. Thank you so much for your help; this is indeed the book!

F316: Firefly wearing derby, learn-to-read 1940's book
This was a common, unremarkable learn-to-read book of the 1940's which I committed to memory as a child. All I remember about it, aside from being my favorite book, is the cartoonish drawing of a firefly wearing a derby hat and holding a lantern. I have searched many years for a copy of that little book which was discarded by my parents decades ago when I started school in 1947. Thanks in advance.

Martin, Bill, Little Squeegy Bug, 1946. It's a stretch, but it might be Little Squeegy Bug. It's about a firefly that wants a gun in its tale like a bee, but, after talking to a spider, gets a lantern instead. I vaguely recall that they wore hats, but I could be misremembering. Be aware that there is a new version out that has completely, utterly different illustrations, and, sadly, that this new version seems to have taken over the Internet, so I couldn't find any pictures of the original.
Eastman, P. D., Sam the Firefly. This one might fit the bill. A perennial favorite.

F317: Fairy tales
Solved: Best in Children's Books
1957-1963, childrens. As a child in late 1950's to early 1960's, my mom subscribed to a series of fairy tale books for me. They came in different volumes, arriving in the mail. The one I remember had a hard cover with colorful illustrations on it. Some of the stories I remember were the Princess and the Pea, The Owl and the Pussycat, The Shoemaker and the elves, The Five Chinese Brothers. I'm not sure if they were in one volume or in different ones. I'm thinking it could have been the Childrens Treasury of....., but I'm not sure.

Various, Collier's Junior Classics: The Young Folks Shelf of Books, 1962, approximate. This is a set of 10 hardcover books, starting out with fairy tales and nursery rhymes, then progressing to more advanced literature for the older reader. Each volume has a differently colored cover. The set has been reprinted many times; the set that I have is from 1962, and the first volume, titled "A B C Go!" has a blue-green cover, and contains both the story of the Five Chinese Brothers, and The Owl and the Pussycat, plus many others, including Angus and the Cat, Kiki Dances, The Velveteen Rabbit, Poppyseed Cakes, Rosa Too-Little, Peter Churchmouse, Susanna's Auction, The Funny Thing, The Little Old Woman, 3 Bears, 3 Little Pigs, Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, selected nursery rhymes from Mother Goose, and lots more. The book is illustrated throughout, by various artists, in many different styles. The second book in the series, "Once Upon a Time," contains the story of the Elves and the Shoemaker, and has a red-orange cover. Other books in the series are: Magic in the Air, Just Around the Corner, In Your Own Backyard, Harvest of Holidays, Legends of Long Ago, Roads to Greatness, Call of Adventure, and Gifts from the Past.
COLLIER , COLLIER JUNIOR CLASSICS/ THE YOUNG FOLKS SHELF OF BOOKS, 1962? THANKS FOR YOUR HELP. HOWEVER, I AM NOT SURE THIS IS THE ONE. I DO THINK I REMEMBER VOL. 2 ONCE UPON A TIME. BUT I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO SEE A PHOTO OF THE COVER. ***THE COVERS I HAVE SEEN SINCE SEARCHING FOR THIS TITLE, ARE VOLUMES WITH PLAIN, SOLID COLOR COVERS WITH THE TITLE: THE YOUNG FOLKS SHELF OF BOOKS ON THE BOTTOM RT CORNER OF COVER.***THE COVERS I REMEMBER FELT LIKE FAKE LEATHER WITH COLORFUL, EMBOSSED CHARACTERS ON THE FRONT.***WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Nelson Doubleday Publisher, Best in Children's Books, 1957-1965, approximate. I think I have found my books: Volume 3 has the Owl and the Pussycat and Volume 9 has the Princess and the Pea. Thank you for your help.

F318: fairy tale anthology
I'm looking for an anthology i received in the mid 70's but that was still sold as late as the 90's. various illustrators, profusely illustrated, green background to cover. one of first stories was rapunzel, also included: donkeyskin, ali baba and the forty thieves, the goose girl, the tinderbox, the little match girl and many others. thick hardback. thanks for help.

Bridget Hadaway, Fairy Tales, 1974 thru 1987, approximate. I've looked at your stumper a few times and finally thought I should mention this book just in case. It has all the stories you list except Donkeyskin and was reprinted a number of times. You can find quite a few descriptions of it on the solved mystery pages.

F319: First Grade Level Books
In 1977, I bought several small books by a woman author for my 1st grader, one of which was Billy Goats Gruff. All were basic beginning readers with very limited, repetitive vocabulary, similar to Dick & Jane books. I once found her on Amazon, but can't now. Help! Who is this author?

Harriet Ziefert, multiple books. Try Harriet Ziefert -- she did several like that.
Fran Hunia, Billy Goats Gruff. Perhaps the Read It Yourself series for Ladybird Books (publisher), now being reprinted by Dutton. Hunia's adaptations include Billy Goats Gruff, Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella, Dick Whittington, Red Riding Hood,The Enormous Turnip, Goldilocks, William Tell, and more.
Margaret Hillert, 1960's, approximate. I'm not sure she wrote a Three Billy Goats Gruff but she did write a lot of easy readers in the 1960's.
Margaret Hillert, 1960s and newer, approximate. I think the series you are looking for is by Margaret Hillert. In addition to her "Dear Dragon" books, she has several based on folktales (like the Three Little Pigs. ISBN 0813650356 and 0813655358 or The Cookie House ISBN 0813650127 and 0813655129).
I think this author may be Margaret Hillert. She's the queen of the beginning reader genre. She has done several easy adaptations of fairy tales as well as a series about Dear Dragon. Her books were originally published in the 60s/70s but many titles have been revised and published again recently. The Three Goats was re-released in 2006.
Hillert, Margaret. How about Hillert's books? She did super simple versions of some fairy tales as well as many others, including the Dear Dragon series. The Little Cookie is the story of the Gingerbread Boy ("Look, look. See the funny cookie. It is little.") The Three Goats is the Billy Goats Gruff story ("See the goats. One, two, three goats.") The Cookie House is the Hansel & Gretel story ("Oh, see the little house. I like it. I like it. What fun for us.") All of her books have word lists in the back showing the many 2, 3, & 4 letter words used in the book. They were originally published by Modern Curriculim Press in the 1960's-1980's, and are currently being re-published by Norwood House Press.

F320: Floating down river, inner tube
when I was growing up in the 1980's my mother bought me a picture book about a boy who starts at one end of a river and he floats down the river in a inner tube. He stops every once in awhile to look at shells and rocks along the bank. It had really vivid colorful illustrations.

F321: Folon English or Literature Textbook
Looking for an English or Literature Textbook Illustrated by Folon containing poetry and possibly short stories. Published before 1971.

F322: family goes sailing in their house
A boy and his family go sailing in either their house or houseboat and meet natives from an island. I remember them as cannibals... It was a hardback childrens book with lots of pictures in my elementary school in 1978-1981.

Pat Hutchins, The House that Sailed Away. Definitely this book! The house comes unmoored from its foundation, and floats away...with the family in it. They encounter pirates, and land on an island with cannibals who decide the annoying aunt is their long lost queen. (or something like that--the details are a little hazy.)
Pat Hutchins, The House That Sailed Away, 1975, copyright. I read this book about 1981, and it became an instant favorite! The book is set in England and it rained so much that the house was washed out to sea, where they eventually ended up on an island with cannibals. Very funny and cute story!

F323: Fluffball Angel
80's - 90's, childrens. This book contains several children's stories, most related to animals i believe. There is one story in this book about a mother cat and her kittens. It talks about the kittens being born, and the mother cat carrying them around in her mouth by the scruff of their necks. The story then goes on to tell about a cat named "fluffball angel" who was mischievious and always getting into trouble. After he would do some horrible thing, he would proclaim "what a wonderful cat i am!". I remember reading this book in the late 80's - my copy was new, so it likely was published in the 80's. One of the pages in the story has a picture of a table with a braided rug, and the cat carrying the kitten. We think the book was shaped so that the pages weren't very tall, but were very wide.

F324: Folklore book, poetic preface
This book was in the folklore section of the university library (in approx. the BF 1200-1400 range). I would have read it in the early to mid 1980s but it was older than that -- had to be published later than 1938 and was probably 60s-70s. I think it was about what people have believed about fairies, fairy tales and childhood down through history. It was not "The Coming of the Fairies" by Conan Doyle, or "The Secret Commonwealth" by Robert Kirk (but that was mentioned). It had a poetic preface, one paragraph of which I copied word for word into my diary, and neglected to affix the author's name. "The wonders, mysteries, and codes embedded in all tales of the impossible and supernatural: the testimony of Alexander Carmichael: the Well of Childhood: comunications with stars, frogs, and trees: a luminous alphabet: the Infanta's bundle: the angelic child: the fate of Robert Kirk: the infinite planes of being like Magritte's Summer Steps, ascending, descending, interchangeable."

Iona and Peter Opie, The Classic Fairy Tales. I don't have a copy to check the quote, but this could be one of the Opies' books.

F325: Father trying to get home to daughter
Pretty certain it was a little golden book. She says that it must be from around the '60's or '70's. It is a story about a father who is trying to get home to give a gift to his daughter. Cover has a picture of a car driving through the woods in the snow with the headlights illuminating the sky.

F326: Fairy princess or ballerina
Fairy princess or ballerina. Large, flat book, beautiful, glossy cover. Lovely picture type book. Title might be "Ilona."

G484: Girl, maple tree, cousins farm
Around 20 years ago while I was in elementary school I read a book that was given away years later. I loved that book. It was a hardback book. The cover was red. The picture on the front was (I think a pencil drawing) of a young girl in front of a tree tapping maple syrup. What I remember of the story is that she lives with her two aunts (who overprotect her from everything) until one of them gets sick and they have to move to a warmer state. The Aunts don't get along with their cousins but since they are the only option they ship the girl off to the cousins who live in the country. While there she learns to tap for maple syrup and every once in awhile she drops some in the snow while tapping so that it will harden and she can chew it. She also gets lost with a friend at the fair. She gets to eat until she is full and has several more adventures.

Dorothy Canfield Fisher, Understood Betsy. This is the book you described. Some additional details: Betsy doesn't know right from left when she first goes to live with the country relatives, and at the end of the book she escapes from a deep pit by using a fallen branch.
Dorothy Canfield Fisher, Understood Betsy. Definitely the one. Available online, just do a search for the title and it will come up under digital.library.upenn.edu/ .
Dorothy Canfield, Understood Betsy, 1916, copyright. This sounds a lot like Understood Betsy with only a few details not matching; definitely worth checking out. I did not read this book until I was in my late 40's, but I can tell you I consider it one of the best I have ever read. It holds up even today.
I agree, the book in question is Understood Betsy...however, "Miracles on Maple Hill" by Virginia Sorenson fits some of the maple syrup-type clues, and is also set in Vermont.
Dorothy Canfield Fisher, Understood Betsy. This is most definately the book I was looking for. Thank you!

Interpreting
Condition
Grades

Canfield (Fisher), Dorothy. Understood Betsy. Grosset and Dunlap, 1917. Hardcover with protected dust jacket. G/G. $15
Canfield (Fisher), Dorothy. Understood Betsy. Grosset and Dunlap, 1917. Hardcover w/o dust jacket. G+ $10

G485: Grumpy little girl
Solved: Lisa and the Grompet
It is a tiny book about a grumpy little girl. She doesn't like to tie her shoes, wash her hands, or brush her hair. She talks to a tiny hairy creature/man who does't like to do those things either. Sometimes he sits on her shoulder or on the sink. I think he helps her become more cooperative.

Patricia Coombs, Lisa and the Grompet. I think this is the book you're looking for. Lisa doesn't like being told what to do and she finds a "grompet" in the woods who feels the same.
Patricia Coombs, Lisa and the Grompet, 1970, copyright. Stumper solved! I found a picture of the book and it is definately it! Thank you so much, I've been looking for this book for years!

G486: Girl Presumed Drowned
Solved: The Color of Hope
I am looking for the title and/or the author of a book I read several years ago-before 2005 for sure. The story is about a busy city family of four that goes to a lake or beach house. It is the Dad's birthday I think and they go out for a sail to celebrate. A storm rolls in and they "lose" their teenage daughter. Presumed drowned, she has actually run away and is living with an artist in the local area. She is a “wanna be” artist and her family doesn’t approve. They close up the house and don’t return for quite some time. When they do return it is because their son is going to die and asks to go there. After they arrive they begin to find clues that she is still around - a certain flower is left on the porch, an unfinished bench she and her Dad we