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Chiang Yee, Dabbitse, 1955
Daddy's
Birthday Cake
This was a Golden Book, perhaps illustrated by Corinne
Malvern.
In the book, a little girl makes a birthday cake
out of clay for her Dad. We hope you or someone else out
there
might know the titles of these books. Thanks so much!
There's a chance this may be Daddy's Birthday Cake (Rand McNally,'53), by Miss Frances (Frances Horwich) of Ding Dong School fame. The Ding Dong School books resemble Golden Books.
F71 fairy/robin: could be Wild Robin,
written and illustrated by Susan Jeffers, published
Penguin
and Dutton 1976, pbk edition 1986 "Wild Robin, a lazy and unruly boy,
longs
for home after he is captured by the fairies, but he must wait to be
rescued
by his brave and loving sister." The story is based on one from Little
Prudy's Fairy Book, and is a reworking of Tam Lin, where a young man is
stolen by the fairies and rescued by his pregnant lover, Janet.
Jeffers, Susan, Wild Robin,
illustrated by author, NY Dutton 1976. The names are reversed,
but
this has a similar story. Robin is a wild and lazy young boy who is
stolen
by the fairies and rescued by his loving sister. I haven't read it so
can't
say about the carving, but it sounds worth checking out.
Margaret Greaves, The dagger and the bird
: a story of suspense, 1975.
It could be this, but I haven't read it to know for sure. There
is
no Birdie, though. "When Luke and Bridget discover a changeling
in
their family, they set out for the mysterious fairy world to find their
real brother."
The girl's name is different, but maybe this
will ring a bell: The dagger and the bird : a story of
suspense
/ Margaret Greaves Laszlo Kubinyi, 1975 New York :
Harper
& Row. "When Luke and Bridget discover a changeling in their
family,
they set out for the mysterious fairy world to find their real brother."
Margaret Greaves (author), Laszlo
Kubinyi
(illustrator),
The Dagger and the Bird: A Story of Suspense, 1971. The
book
is NOT Wild Robin, as was previously suggested. That is
a
fairly short picture book, there are only two siblings instead of
three,
the abducted boy is not replaced by a changeling, and the girl does not
have a carved wooden robin. This is definitely
The Dagger and
the Bird: A Story of Suspense. It's a children's book
with
fifteen chapters, but it's only 133 pages long. The girl's name
is
Bridget, but her nickname is Biddy---easy to confuse with Birdie,
because
"biddy" is another name for a hen. Bridget's elder brother, Luke,
makes the carved bird for Bridget's birthday, but accidentally cuts his
finger and stains its breast with his blood. Bridget's younger
brother,
Simon, is emotionally unstable and vicious, and refuses to go near
their
blacksmith father's forge because he is a changeling and cannot abide
cold
iron. When Bridget and Luke discover Simon's secret, they all
travel
to the world of the fairies to recover the real Simon, who was abducted
in infancy.
Damon
and Pythias
My husband remembers a book from his childhood
about two deer named Damon and Pythias.
It told about them growing up and being hunted and how they avoided the
hunters. I would love to find a copy for him. Sorry I don't have
have more into but if you have any suggestions please let me
know.
Thanks.
This must be your book. Terhune is best
known for his dog stories, but he wrote some other animal stories too.
Terhune, Albert. The Story of Damon
and Pythias.
<SOLD>
A lady asked about a book with two deer named
Damon and Pythias. The book she is searching for is DOUBLE
CHALLENGE
written by Jim Kjelgaard in the 1940s.
Dance,
Dance, Amy-Chan!
A picture book I read around 1975, but may
have been older. A little Asian girl (possibly Japanese, but I am
not certain) is the main character, and one of the things she does is
practice
several different traditional dances with other little girls (maybe
preparing
to perform at a festival of some kind?). One of the dances is a
"butterfly"
dance.
Is the book poetry or prose? If it's
poetry
and there's also a section where the girl talks about being a nurse,
I'm
searching for the title too! My copy never had a cover---we
always
called it "the Ling book" but I don't think that has any relation to
the
actual title.
Hawkinson, Lucy, Dance, Dance, Amy-Chan! 1964. I am
the one who posted this stumper, but I have found the answer
myself.
Amy and her little sister Susie visit their Japanese grandparents in an
American city, where they prepare to dance in a street festival.
Amy misses the beginning of the dancing when Susie is lost and she must
find her, but makes it back in time to perform her favorite dance, the
"butterfly dance".
Dance for
Susie
Can't remember the title or author but I'm trying to find a book
about a girl who always wanted to be a ballerina - she learns
labanotation
(a way to write down choreography) along the way and when she's hurt
and
can't dance any more, she realizes through her disappointment that she
really enjoys choreography. HELP!
One Fainting Robin? in Dancers,
Dancers,
Dancers. Are you sure it was a whole book, not a short
story?
I remember one story in the book Dancers, Dancers, Dancers,
called "One Fainting Robin", and I'm almost
sure it was about a young girl who has to stop
dancing after an injury/accident, and decides to teach/do
choreography.
It may not be what you're looking for, but the story is similar.
Lee Wyndham, "Susie" series: A Dance for
Susie etc. 1950's or 60's.
I
am certain the book you are describing is one of the Susie books by Lee
Wyndham. Susie is an American girl studying ballet and befriends a
French
ballet family and in the process they teach her Labanotation.
These
books hardback are almost impossible to find and quite pricey but
Scholastic
reprinted these in the 60's and these are more readily available.
---
Story about young ballet student - 2 books in series, I think -
one about dancing in the nutcracker and one about ballet notation
systems.
B197 This is the Susie series
by Lee Wyndham---it's on the solved mysteries page, which I
remembered
because there
aren't that many books on labonotation!
Dancers,
Dancers, Dancers
Well, here's a stumper for you! I am looking for a book I
read between 1965 -1975. I think it was called either "Dance,
Dance,
Dance" or "Dancers, Dancers, Dancers." It was a collection of
stories
about dancers (duh), and I believe that the first story was about
Salome
dancing at a banquet. As I recall the hardcover book had a blue
cloth
cover. I would dearly love to find this!
#D44: Try Phyllis Reid Fenner as
editor. All her anthologies had the title word repeated three
times.
Re D 44 - thanks, and that's a logical suggestion, but
unfortunately,
I cannot find anything by Phyllis Reid Fenner having anything to do
with
dance! So I'm still looking....
I found the book! Well, actually, someone else found it for
me, for which I am very grateful. It's Dancers, Dancers,
Dancers
by Lee Wyndham.
This doesn't answer the main request, but the
book about the prince in disguise might be Frances H. Burnet's The
Lost Prince.
I remember reading a young adult biography (whose
title and author I don't remember) about the young Anna Pavlova, who
left
her poor family in order to study ballet in pre-revolutionary St
Petersburg.
I wonder if this might be the same book.
M Kay, A Circling Star. Also
wrote a book about girl in Russian revolution called "Masha"
Gladys Malvern, Dancing Star,
1960. I read a young-adult biography of Anna Pavlova which sounds
a lot like this, too. It was called Dancing Star - hard cover,
pale
blue (I think), a few line illustrations.
Don Freeman, Dandelion.
Lion gets his hair fixed to go to a party, but the hostess doesn't
recognize
him all dressed up.
This is definitely DANDELION by
Don
Freeman~from a librarian
Don Freeman, Dandelion.
I remember this one! It's by the author of Corduroy, Don
Freeman. The lion has his mane done up in curlers. It was one of my
little
brother's favorites.
Don Freeman, Dandelion,
1964. Are you thinking of this classic book, in which the
usually-sloppy
Dandelion the Lion decides to get himself "dandied up" for a friend's
party,
only to be turned away when the hostess does not recognize him all
groomed
and well-dressed? It has a yellow cover and is still in print.
Don Freeman, Dandelion
Don Freeman, author and illustrator, Dandelion,
1964. Dandelion the lion decides to gussy himself up for Jennifer
Giraffe's Tea and Taffy Party. He gets a haircut and manicure and
wears a spiffy new coat, and is turned away from the party when the
hostess
doesn't recognize him! As the stumper requester remembers, the
cover
of the book is yellow.
This sounds like Dandelion by Don
Freeman. The lion gets all dolled up for a party, but then no
one recognizes him. I believe this book is still being published.
Hope this helps.
I just want to thank you and your users for
solving my submitted stumper! When researching the author, Don Freeman,
I saw that he also wrote ANOTHER of my favorite childhood books – Mop
Top. The wonderful memories of sitting in my room as a little girl
and reading for hours come rushing back. I’m thrilled to be able to
share
these books with my daughters! Again, you provide an amazing
service
and I thank you so very much!
Here's what I found: Rankin, Carroll Watson. Illustrated by
Mary
Stevens. DANDELION COTTAGE. Holt, Rinehart and Winston,
New
York, 1966. "When Bettie and Jeanie, Mabel and Marjory dug the
dandelions
from the lawn of the little square cottage near the church they earned
the right to use the cottage as their own for a whole summer. And an
eventful
one it was in the Northern Michigan village on Lake Superior.."
---
Probably 20 years ago or so, I read a book
that I remember that I really loved.. and for years I have tried to
find
it.. so I thought that I would ask you guys if you remember reading it.
Problem is, I can only remember the gist of it, and bits and pieces..
any
of this sound familiar? I *think* 4 girls, young teenagers find
an
abandoned house, and turn it into a club house. I can remember them
cleaning
it up, because it had been abandoned for years. One bit that I remember
is one of the girls trying to sweep the floor, but it was so dusty that
dirt was flying everywhere. She discovered that if she sprinkled just a
bit of water, then the dust didn't fly so much. I seem to
remember
them hanging up red and white checkered curtains, and several pictures
to hide cracks and holes in the walls. And also something about
them
hosting a dinner party in the new clubhouse for their parents.. they
cooked
everything in the house, and invited their parents over. All of this
was
over summer vacation. This is not Foxfire by Joyce Oates,
I've checked that one. Any other ideas?
Kathryn Kenny, Trixie Belden:
Secret
of the Mansion. might be a
Trixie
Belden. The first one of the seires has the Bob-White Club fixing
up an old building
Elizabeth Enright, Gone Away Lake,
1957. This sounds a lot like Elizabeth Enright's Gone
Away
Lake (a Newbery Honor book)....all the details you mention are
there, but while there are four children, they're not all girls. The
story
takes place during the summer when a girl and her younger brother are
visiting
a cousin...they discover a small resort town of (mostly) abandoned
houses
by a lake that has gone away(its marshland now). You might remember the
elderly brother and sister who are now the sole inhabitants of the
"town",
or the children dressing up in old fashioned evening clothes, or the
younger
brother getting stuck in the marsh. Hope this helps! (and just an
fyi...there
was also a sequel, called Return to Gone Away Lake).
Carroll Watson Rankin, Dandelion Cottage,
1966, reprint. I bet it's this one. Four young teens (Bettie,
Jeane,
Mabel and Marjory) have their eye on a cottage owned by a church --
they'd
like to use it as a play house. But there's a catch -- they have
to weed the lawn, which is covered with dandelions. The house is
also dirty and in bad repair -- it does contain a scene the girls
"sprinkle"
the dust with Aunty's watering can before sweeping. They have
many
adventures in the house, but the plot mostly centers on inviting Mr.
Black
(the town banker) and Mrs. Crane (a widow) to dinner. Unbeknownst
to the girls, the two are actually estranged siblings and the whole
town
is pulling for their reunion. This is a terrific and very
touching
book!
This isn't Secret of the Mansion
but it might be a subsequent Trixie Beldon book. In the Gatehouse
Mystery - the third in the series - teens Trixie, her two
older
brothers and friends Honey and Jim discover an abandoned gatehouse and
plan to fix it up for a club house. But first they must solve the
mystery
of a diamond they found in the gatehouse's dirt floor. It's been many
years
since I read this series but I'm certain they didn't get around to
fixing
up the gatehouse in this book, though, but they do eventually.
Rankin, Dandelion Cottage,
circa 1904. This sounds a little like Dandelion Cottage.
Four girls, neighbors, are given permission to use a small cottage
(after
weeding dandelions from the front lawn). They clean it, fix it
up,
briefly rent it to a young woman, almost lose it to a pushy girl (new
neighbor),
and ultimately have a dinner party.
Christine Govan, The Curious Clubhouse,
1967. If there were boys involved as well as girls, this could be
it. There was a mystery involving a sinister looking portrait in
the old house. The children found the old house when their
parents
told them to find someplace to put all of their collections of toys,
junk,
etc. There was a party for the parents at the end.
I was reading one of the solved stumpers about
a book that is published where I work! The book about four girls
and the little cottage they get to have as a playhouse after pulling
all
of the dandelions out of the yard is called Dandelion Cottage.
You
definitely got that right! I just wanted to let you know it is
still
in print and available through the Marquette County History
Museum.
The author lived in Marquette and wrote the story for her daughter and
friends. There actually is a Dandelion Cottage in town which
inspired
the story. It still stands today! If anyone is interested
in
the book or wants any more information about it, check out our website,
marquettecohistory.org
Dandelion
Library
I used to have a boxed set of 12-15 books or so...they were
hardcover
and the distinguishing feature was that each book had two stories in
it.
Each story started at the cover and they ended in the middle, one right
side up, and one upside down. If you turn the book around and start
from
the back cover, then it would be right side up. They included some
pretty
obscure stories. One I remember was about these three horses, Blackie,
Whitey, and Browney who were sad because they had no friends. This man
shows up and teaches them to walk on their hind legs. He gives them
masks
so they look like pretty girls, dresses them up, and takes them to town
to meet the mayor. They are found out, and he is put
in jail. I don't remember it after that. Also there was a story
about a raven or a crow and every page
ended with "...in the garden." I think there might have been some
Babar stories in them too, but I never read those because they were in
cursive and I didn't know how to read it yet. My parents may still have
a few of these around, but most of the set was destroyed by dampness
and
mildew. These might be as old as the 50s maybe older. I really have no
idea. If anybody knows what the name of the set is, please help!!!!
Worm, Piet. (1958). Three Little
Horses: Blackie, Brownie and Whitey. New York: Random
House.
It's from the Dandelion Library collection. Each book
contained
two stories printed back-to-back but upside-down, so that the book
actually
has two covers. The flip side of the Worm book is a story about a
hippo called Veronica
by
Roger Duvoisin.
I used to have three or four of them, although I can only find the one
containing the stories by Worm and Duvoisin. The reader is right in
remembering
a Babar story in one of the books.
H23: Horses in split books -- The split book
series were the Dandelion Flip Books. The THREE LITTLE
HORSES-BLACKIE, BROWNIE, AND WHITEY
book had VERONICA on the flip side and were by Roger Duvoisin
and
Piet Worm.
H-23 - I don't know the name of the series, but
the second story that is described, with the crow and the reiteration
of
"...in the garden," is probably L. Leslie Brooke's Johnny
Crow's Garden. Perhaps one could work backward and find
out
in what books that story has been anthologized and get an answer that
way.
Hmmm, looks like this might be a hard nut to crack. i am
writing
to share with you that I sent the inquiry to the Bookshare volunteers
and
you would be surprised (or not) to know how many immediately thought i
was referring to Lord of the Flies. This is partly
because
in trying to discuss my reading of the book i mentioned that the
talking
book was narrated by William gladden, whereupon they confused that with
author William Golding! I had tried to be specific about names, and I
even
threw in another detail about condensed milk, but I suspect most of the
guessers hadn't read Lord of the Flies in quite some time if at
all. Or perhaps they just don't trust my memory, at which i take
no offense, not trusting it all that much myself. Mr. golding
wrote
a far more compelling and horrifying book than the mystery one we're
looking
for; this is just a nice little sea adventure where eventually everyone
lives happily ever after and nobody gets his brains scattered over the
beach. Still, it's fascinating to me that my description led to
this
interesting conclusion.
A search in the National Library Service website
for books narrated by William Gladden showed two anthologies of
sea stories: True tales of the South Seas (Selected and
edited
by A. Grove Day and Carl Stroven, 1966) and Post true stories of
daring and adventure (selected by the editors of the Saturday
Evening
Post, 1967). The titles in the second one sounded more like WWII
stories,
while the first contained stories by several famous 'sea tale' authors.
This story may be in one of those anthologies.
Sorry, but F189 is not a short story and not included in an
anthology
to my knowledge, it is an independent novel. Also, the
young
men are wearing oilskins during part of the book if that helps
any.
I don't think there was any reference to World War II or any other, but
that's debatable.
Danger Rock, 1960.
Richard Armstrong, Danger Rock, 1960. The person who
suggested
this title was right. I found a copy and am reading it now.
I had begun to give up hope but should never underestimate the readers
who flock to this site. Many thanks! It's great to have
this
exciting sea adventure to enjoy all over again.
Dangerous
Edge
This is Robert Daley, The Dangerous Edge (S&S,'83). The "master criminal" responsible for the heist, Alberto Spaggiari, also wrote an account, Fric-Frac: the Great riviera Bank Robbery ('79). (The film, The Great Riviera Bank Robbery, also came out in '79). The robbery takes place in Nice; Spaggiari engineered similar heists in Marseilles & Nice.
Dangerous
Island
I6: This was a Weekly Reader Book Club book
called
something like Dangerous Island...can't think of
author.
(late 1950's - 1960.)
Mindlin, Helen Mather-Smith.
Dangerous
Island. New York: Dodd,Mead & Co., 1956. Weekly Reader Book
Club
A bit more information on the suggested title:Helen
Mather-Smith Mindlin Dangerous Island NY, Dodd, Mead, 1956,
Weekly Reader Children's Book Club Edition, 178 pages. Illustrated by
Manning
de V. Lee. "When three young children are carried out to sea on a
raft,
they become modern day Robinson Crusoes on a remote island. They
discover
buried treasure too."
Wow! That question was months ago!
Imagine my surprise to get an answer now. Thanks for the
information.
I'll see if I can find a copy of the book, to confirm that it really is
the story I was trying to remember. I'll let you know if I want
you
to search for me. Thanks again!!!!
---
This book is about kids who are looking for shells (I think) and
end up on a very small island. They find gold bars on this island
and, of course, someone else wants the gold. At the end, a
helicopter
rescues the kids and the gold and the island sinks into the
ocean.
I always thought it was called "The Lion's Paw", named for one of the
shells
they were looking for.
in reading through your list, someone's reply to T90 seems to be the answer to my stumper. I am looking for a story about kids who are looking for shells and find an island with gold bars and they get rescued at the end by a helicopter and the island sinks. Is this Dangerous Island? I don't know the plot of that book....can you help me?
Robb White, The Lion's Paw.
I'm not sure if this is the right book, but The Lion's Paw
is about a boy and girl who stow away on a boat. The girl's name
is Penelope, and the owner of the boat ends up sailing someplace
tropical
and I think they do find treasure. And yes, the lion's paw was a
seashell. I don't remember a sinking island, but it's been years
since I read the book.
White, Robb, Illustrated by Ray, Ralph
and Beck, Charles , The Lion's Paw, 1968.
You
remembered the title correctly yourself, I believe... my fourth grade
teacher
read us "The Lion's Paw" one chapter at a time. An online search
gave this: "Ben, Penny and Nick are running away. Searching for them
are
Ben's uncle, the Coast Guard, everybody. Will they make good their
escape?
And will they find the Lion's Paw?" (must be the cover teaser.) I
remember
distinctly that the tide comes in and they bearly escape... thus the
"sinking
island".
White, Robb, The Lion's Paw, 1946.
This book has absolutely nothing to do with a sinking island. It
concerns two orphan children, Nick and Penny who stow away on another
kid's
(Ben's) boat. They sail across Florida to Sanibel Island where they
look
for a rare shell (the Lion's Paw). There is a happy ending. This is
probably
the most beloved Florida children's book. It is scarce as a
hardback
except through librarys. Paperbacks can be found weekly on eBay for
about
$15. Sorry that this doesn't solve the mystery.
I'm the person who sent in this stumper. The book I was
looking
for is Dangerous Island and I found a copy. The Lion's Paw
is, of course, another book I must have read as a child. I'll try
to find that one as well. Thanks everyone.
---
My stumper: It's called either "Vanishing Island" or "Sinking
Island" I don't have a clue as to who wrote it. It was a
Weekly
Reader book from the 1950's. It's about a couple of kids who get
marooned on an island they didn't know was there. They're reduced
to eating seagull eggs etc. and the island starts sinking and the
tension
rises -- will they be rescued in time... which of course they have to
be
since it was Weekly Reader in the 50s and people weren't allowed to die
back then.
HRL: Mindlin, Helen Mather-Smith. Dangerous Island, 1956.
See Solved Mysteries for more.
You are a marvel!!!! It's solved already and I was surprised at
how many other folks were also looking for it! It was Dangerous
Island by Helen Mather-Smith, 1958. Thanks so very very
much...
now I have a title etc. to go hunting a copy!
|
Condition Grades |
Mindlin, Helen Mather-Smith. Dangerous Island. Illus by Manning de V. Lee. Dodd, 1956. Weekly Reader Book Club edition. G+ $9 |
|
D 140 This biog has quite a bit abt Simon
Girty.
If it helps ring bells, all of the illustrations are brown. Brown,
John
Mason. Daniel Boone; the opening of the west.
illus by Lee J Ames. Random, Landmark series, 1952.
Danny
Dunn series
Hi, I'm looking for a child's book that I
read when I was about 10 years old, which would have been around
1964.
Unfortunately I don't remember the author or title. It was the first
book I ever read that featured a computer.
The boy in the story was also about 10 years old, and he had access to
his father's ENIAC-style, mainframe computer (you know the kind we all
had in our living rooms in the '60's). The boy eventually
programmed
it to do his homework and that of his 'gang'. He had to
troubleshoot
mechanical problems and repair a sabotage attempt by some of his
jealous
classmates. He may have even solved a crime or two and helped his
scientist-father solve a few work problems. When he was finally
discovered,
the school authorities concluded he had probably learned as much
programming
the machine as if he had done the work 'the hard way', and his
punishment
was pretty light. I remember being very inspired by this little
genius,
and would very much like to rediscover this book with my own kids (who
are now very much into discovering their own way around the
computer).
Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Stumper C5 sounds like it might be Danny
Dunn and the Homework Machine by Jay Williams and Raymond
Abrashkin.
I am pretty sure this is Danny Dunn and
the Homework Machine by Jay Williams and Ray Abrashkin.
Congratulations ! You and your readers solved
my stumper (formerly C-5), Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine.
Once armed with a title and author I was able to conduct some other
online
searches and found several sources for the book. When I saw a
picture
of the cover, I recognized it instantly, though it's been over 35 years
since I'd last seen it. I was even more pleased to learn that there was
a series of Danny Dunn books, so now I will be acquiring even
more.
Your service is so great because I have previously made this same
request
to other long-time book dealers and children's book specialists, but
none
had a clue.
---
This book had a sci-fi flair to it, it wasn't exactly a children's
book but more of a young adult's adventure kind of story. It
seemed
to predict the advent of virtual reality. The story involved a
young
boy who befriended a scientist who had developed a flying device with
"eyes
and ears". It was in the shape of a dragonfly. A person
could
control this dragonfly by wearing goggles and putting on a pair
of gauntlets. Everything the dragonfly saw could be seen
through
the goggles and its claws could be controlled by the gauntlet. It
was really cool because it was like you actually "were" the
dragonfly.
At the end of the story the dragonfly is destroyed in a fire of some
sort,
because I remember the boy's hand feeling really hot. I don't
remember
the author or title, but if any of you recognize this please let me
know!
G3-Danny Dunn, Invisible Boy
I think I can confirm the red poster's guess
on the second story as Danny Dunn, Invisible Boy by Jaw
Williams and Raymond Abrashkin, illustrated by Anne Mieke,
published
1974, 134 pages. "When Professor Bullfinch invented ISIT (the
Invisibility
Simulator with Intromittent Transmission) it seemed just as fascinating
toy. For his young friend Danny Dunn and his friends Joe and Irene the
'flying' of the dragonfly-like probe opened up a whole exciting new
world
of experience." The cover illustration shows Danny with a
motorcycle-type
helmet with a visor (much like a VR helmet) and gauntlet gloves with
wires
leading to a box. The mechanical dragonfly hovers in the air above him.
On page 125 "The clear plastic of the dragonfly's body burst into
flame.
It had not occurred to Dan that he would feel the pain of the burning.
Involuntarily he snatched his hands away from the controls. But they
were
still in the gauntlets, and he could still feel the fierce, terrible
heat."
---
This was a funny, lighthearted book I read
sometime in the 70's that would be extremely dated now and I'm sure
it's
long out of print. A boy and a girl - I distinctly remember her
name
was Irene- have something to do with computers. These were the
giant
computers of the 60's or whenever that filled entire rooms. I
remember
that Irene tried to use the computer to write a homework assignment at
school, but the computer produced page after page of gibberish (I guess
programming code). I have a mind picture of Irene standing at the
front of the class trying to read it aloud. Does that ring a bell
for anyone?
Sounds like Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine by
Jay
Williams and Raymond Abrashkin. to me. Check out
the other postings and copies for sale on the Solved
Mysteries page.
Yaayy, that must be it! Sorry I didn't see it on the solved
mysteries page - I'll go back and plow through all those for more.
---
There was a series of books I read in the
late 70's that had a boy who was something of a scientist. He had
many adventures through the use of science and his
inventions.
As I recall he lived at home on the second floor and possibly only
lived
with his mother. I believe there were also a couple of friends (a
boy and a girl?) who often helped him.
Jay Williams, Danny Dunn series,
1960s. The description sounds like the Danny Dunn series
Jay Williams?, Possibly the Danny
Dunn series.
Jay Williams and Raymond Abrashkin, Danny
Dunn series, 1958. This is a series of books about a boy
who lives with his mother and an inventor (Professor Bullfinch). In one
story he invented a homework machine (a computer). In another, he
travels back in time. His bedroom is on the second floor of the
house
he lives in.
Jay Williams, Danny Dunn and ....
try looking at the Danny Dunn series by Jay WIlliams.
Jay Williams, Danny Dunn
books. S417: Series of books about boy scientist who lives at
home.
I think these are probably the Danny Dunn books--Danny
Dunn and the Antigravity Paint, etc.
Jay Williams, Danny Dunn and...
early sixties. This sounds like the Danny Dunn series. Danny and
his mom live with "the professor, I think. Danny is always inventing
things,
like a Homework Machine. His best friends are Joe (a writer) and Irene
(a scientist). Great books!
Jay Williams & Raymond Abrashkin, Danny
Dunn and... (series),
1960's
- '70's. This is a possibility: Danny Dunn lives with his
mother
and a science professor, Euclid Bullfinch (his mother is the
professor's
housekeeper his father is long dead). Danny and his
friends,
Irene Miller and Joe Pearson, get into a lot of adventures involving
the
professor's experiments and projects. Irene wants to become a
physicist
Joe is often reluctant to follow Danny's enthusiasms, and composes
poetry
while he waits for disaster to strike. Some titles are Danny Dunn
and the Homework Machine (about an early computer), Danny Dunn and the
Automatic House, Danny Dunn and the Anti-gravity Paint.
This sounds like the Danny Dunn
books. His mother rented a room to Prof. Bullfinch, a scientist.
Danny's
friends were Joe and Irene. One title was Danny Dunn and the
Homework
Machine. There were several books.
---
1970. This is not The Mad Scientist's Club.
I read this book in the mid '70s and would guess that it was written
about
1970. Two teenage boys are involved in a number of amateur
science/engineering
adventures. For example, they mount an ultrasonic generator on the back
of a jeep to use in suppressing brush fires. In another, they conceal a
miniature military surplus homing proximity fuse inside a golf ball to
steer it toward the hole. Each chapter was another of their escapades.
The stories had a "serious" tone. The father of one of the boys was an
engineer, I think in the aerospace field. I also remember that the
events
were set in California. It seems that most of their endeavors failed to
go as intended. The copt that I read had a blue cover.
Could this book be earlier than 1970?
Because
it sounds a little like one of the Rick Brant Science Adventure series
books. (Either The Flaming Mountain or the Flying
Stingaree--I can never remember which is which of those
two).
If it is Rick Brant, the author was John Blaine. Rick and
his friend Scotty work for Rick's father, who runs a scientific
foundation
off of Spindrift Island in New Jersey. They help him out and
usually
end up solving some mystery in each of the books through science. The
series
started in the 50s (or maybe even late 40s) and the last volume was
written
in the late 60s.
This is not from the Rick Brant/Spindrift
Island series. (Thank you for the suggestion!) I remember reading the
first
three or four of these books and what I am looking for is not one of
these.
While I don't think that I made it as far into the series as the titles
that you have mentioned, I do clearly recall the characters Rick and
Scotty.
I should have also mentioned that the book I remember is not the Carl
&
Jerry adventures in electronics series that appeared in Popular
Electronics
magazine, or the Brains Benton mysteries. What I remember had a
"backyard"
or a "down the street" feel about the individual stories. Each account
was a chapter and there was, as far as I know, just one book about
these
two boys. These stories weren't the grand adventures of Rick Brant. I
am
reasonably confident that they were written about 1970. That was the
period
for the hardware that the boys used.
Not sure- but maybe one of the Danny Dunn
stories??
Danny Dunn series, 1950s
- 1970s. 'The basic setup sounds like the Danny Dunn stories.
Danny
Dunn is a young teenager whose mother is a housekeeper for Professor
Bullfinch,
an absent-minded genius inventor/professor. Danny and his pal Joe
Pearson get involved in all kinds of adventures with Danny's
inventions,
none of which ever work out the way Danny expects them to.
Several
of the books also featured a female friend Irene Miller who also wants
to be a scientist. Each of the books has one 'main' invention
that
drives the plot, but most of them also have several other side plots
involving
other inventions.
|
Condition Grades |
Williams,
Jay and Raymond Abrashkin. Danny Dunn and the Anti-Gravity Paint. Illustrated
by Ezra Jack Keats. Whittlesey House, 1956. Children's
Weekly
Reader Book Club edition, 1957. Pages acidic, otherwise
VG/VG.
$20
Williams, Jay and Raymond Abrashkin. Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine. Illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats. Whittlesey House, 1958. Children's Weekly Reader Book Club edition, 1959. Pages acidic, otherwise VG/VG. $20 Williams, Jay; Abrashkin, Raymond. Danny Dunn and the Fossil Cave. illus by Brinton Turkle McGraw 1961 Young Pioneer edition 1967 boards rubbed, soiled; pages good [YQ8313] G $7 Williams, Jay & Abrashkin, Raymond. Danny Dunn and the Swamp Monster. illus by Sagsoorian, Paul McGraw 1971 Weekly Reader edition boards good; a few page corners crunched [EQ19573] G $10 Williams, Jay and Raymond Abrashkin. Danny Dunn, Scientific Detective. Illustrated by Paul Sagsoorian. McGraw-Hill, 1975. Ex-library with the usual marks, mended dust jacket. G/G $8 |
|
Possibly Dapple Gray, the
story
of a rocking horse by John Symonds, London: G.C. Harrap,
1962.
"Even though his new
owner is a nice little girl, a rocking-horse
decides to run away to find his old master and clear up some unfinished
business."
---
At night a boy's rocking horse (or perhaps statue of a horse?)
becomes
real. The horse is white with a black mane and tail. It's
possible
that, like Pegasus, the horse flies. I think this was a short book,
with
lots of illustrations. The illustrations were bright and
colorful,
and rather cartoonish and flat, not realistic.
Dapple Gray, the story of a rocking horse by John
Symonds,
London: G.C. Harrap, 1962. See more on the Solved
Mysteries page.
Hi, I was just reading part of the description
of Dapple Gray. Part of it said a boy's statue of
a
horse comes to life and flies like Pegasus. I owned several of
these
books when I was a child. They were about the size of Little
Golden
Books and the illustrations were indeed colorful and cartoonish.
The boy's name may have been Timmy and the horse's name may have
started
with an L. The boy would chant, "O winged horse of (something
something),
Oh, take me on a magic flight!" The horse, which was a statue on
the boy's chest of drawers or bedside table, would then turn into a
real
winged horse and the the boy would ride it on all sorts of all
adventures.
It was definitely a white horse with a black mane and tail, not a
dapple-gray
rocking horse.
Dar
Tellum:
Stranger from a Distant Planet
Looking for a book from my childhood. I don't recall the title or
author. I do think it was published by Scholastic Book Club. I would've
had this book in the mid-70s, so it was published then or earlier. The
little that I can remember of the story: there is a boy whose father is
a rocket or space scientist of
some kind. This young boy is in (telepathic?) contact with a boy
on another planet. The father's project is endangered somehow and no
one
can come up with a solution... but his son, with the assistance of the
other-planetary boy, figures out that they need to put algae on the
spacecraft
to generate oxygen? Somehow, I seem to recall that the words "Tom" or
"calling"
may have been part of the title. I know it sounds weird, but that's how
I remember it.
B122: Dar Tellum: Stranger from a
Distant
Planet, by James R. Berry, 1973. Global warming and
melting
polar caps are the problems, and Ralph and his E.T. friend figure out
the
solution is to scatter a special algae that will turn the gases into
cool
oxygen with the help of a rocket. The main tools used are telepathy and
telekinesis - and careful deception, since Ralph generally knows better
than to expect anyone to believe him.
Susan Cooper, The Dark is Rising
Susan Cooper, The Dark Is Rising, 1973.
On his eleventh bithday, Will finds out that he is one of the 'Old
Ones',
destined to protect the world against the evil Dark. His first quest is
to find the six signs that must be joined to aid in the battle. He
keeps
the ones he has found looped on his belt. There is a prequel and three
sequels to the book.
Susan Cooper, The Dark is Rising.
This is definitely The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper.
It's part of a series of books- Over Sea, Under Stone, The
Dark is Rising, Greenwitch, The Grey King, and Silver on
the Tree.
Susan Cooper, The Dark is Rising,
1973. This is Susan Cooper's Newbury Honor book The Dark
is
Rising. Part of the Dark is Rising sequence, which also
included
Over
Sea, Under Stone, Greenwich, The Grey King and Silver on
the Tree.
Susan Cooper, The Dark is Rising,
1973. You all have no idea how great this is to finally get to
reread
this book (and the rest of the series). Thank you all so much!!!
---
It has 5 parts, split between two different sets of sibling main
characters, with an old "great uncle" as a thread connecting
them.
This "uncle" is a wizard (if not Merlin himself), and the children (I
am
fairly certain) are from different time periods. The uncle sets
them
on mini quests. In one instance, the kids have to travel into a
sea
side cavern to get a piece of cloth or the holy grail or
something.
The first and third books focus on one set of kids, while the second
and
fourth focus on the other set. Your help will be greatly appreciated.
Susan Cooper, Dark is Rising series.
Sounds like the Dark is Rising Series...one set of
children
do refer to the wizard character as their "Uncle Merry," but Will
Stanton
(in The Dark is Rising) calls him Merriman.
Susan Cooper, Dark is Rising series.
This is the Dark is rising series which includes Over Sea, Under
Stone in which Jane, Simon, and Barney search for the grail
under
the guidance of their great-uncle Merriman; The Dark is
Rising
in which Will Stanton realizes his role as an "Old One" and gathers
together
the symbols of power; Greenwitch in which Jane
shows
compassion to the Greenwitch and completes another part of the quest; The
Grey King in which Bran Davies, son of King Arthur is
introduced;
and Silver on the Tree in which all the children work
together
to vanquish evil. A classic series.
Cooper, Susan, The Dark is Rising series
Susan Cooper, The Dark is Rising series.
Definitely!
Susan Cooper, Dark Is Rising series. Books
in the series are: Over Sea, Under Stone, The Dark Is
Rising,
Greenwitch, The Grey King, Silver on the Tree
Susan Cooper, The Dark is Rising series.
a
great series of 5 books, still in print.
T289 is possibly Susan Cooper's The Dark
is Rising sequence: Over Sea, Under Stone,
The
Dark is Rising, Greenwitch, The Grey King, The Silver on the Tree. 1
& 3 are particularly about Simon, Jane and Barney Drew. Will
Stanton features in 2, 3, 4 & 5. Great Uncle Merry or
Merriman
is the old man in all of them and there is travel to other times and
places.
Currently available in UK Puffin as a collected book of all 5.
Susan Cooper, Dark is Rising,
1973. This is the Dark is Rising sequence by Susan
Cooper. Titles are: Over Sea, Under Stone (1965), The
Dark is Rising (1973), Greenwitch (1974), The
Grey King (1975) and Silver on the Tree (1977). Dark
is Rising was a Newbury Honor book, The Grey King
won the Newbury Medal. The two families are the Drews (3 children) who
first appear in Over Sea, Under Stone, and the Stantons (a large
family,
Will Stanton, the protagonist and last of the Old Ones is the 7th son),
who appear first in The Dark is Rising. The Merlin
character
is Merriman, another of the Old Ones, known as Great-Uncle Merry or
Gummery
to the Drews...Merriman appears in all of the books. A fantastic
series,
luckily all still in print.
Could this be part of THE DARK IS RISING
series by Susan Cooper? Titles includes OVER SEA, UNDER
STONE;
THE DARK IS RISING; GREENWITCH; THE GREY
KING,
SILVER ON THE TREE~from a librarian
Easy stumper. This is absolutely Susan
Cooper's The Dark is Rising series. The underwater
cave
with the grail is from Over Sea, Under Stone.
---
I'm looking for a book/series that I read
in the eary 80's. The subject of the books is a boy that has to
collect
these medallions and place them onto a belt. It seems that the
story
takes place in Europe, Wales area. I remember there was alot of
references
to crows/ravens when something bad was going to happen. People
have
pointed me to Deltora Quest but that wasn't out when I read this
series.
Thank you for the help.
Susan Cooper, The Dark Is Rising,1973.
This is the first book in a series of 5. The Dark Is Rising
chronicles the adventures of Will Stanton as he struggles to find the 6
signs (or medallions) that will hold back the Dark and allow the Light
to triumph in the final battle. This is his path as the last of
the
Old Ones, which he discovers he is on his 11th birthday. Once he
has found the first sign (which is brass) he starts threading them on
his
belt in order to keep them together and safe. The ravens are
agents
of the Dark and, as you remember, frequently portent something ominous
or downright evil occurring.
Cooper, Susan, The Dark is Rising.
On
his eleventh birthday, Will Stanton discovers that he is the last of
the
Old Ones, destined to seek the six magical signs that will one day
enable
his kind to triumph over the evil forces of the Dark. This is part of a
5 part series.
Susan Cooper, The Dark is Rising.
And
its sequels.
Susan Cooper, The Dark is Rising. Will
Stanton is the last of the Old Ones. His quest is to seek the six
signs,
circles quartered by a cross. He does keep them on his belt until
he has all six.
Susan Cooper, The Dark Is Rising,1970.This
is the book you are looking for (soon to be made into a movie).
The
first, or second (depending upon how you look at it), of a series by Susan
Cooper and one of my favorite books of all times. "When the Dark
comes
rising, six shall turn it back,/Three from the circle, three from the
track/
Wood, bronze, iron/ water, fire, stone/ Five will return, and one go
alone."
With these mysterious words, Will Stanton discovers on his 11th
birthday
that he is no mere boy. He is the Sign-Seeker, last of the immortal Old
Ones, destined to battle the powers of evil that trouble the land. His
task is monumental: he must find and guard the six great Signs of the
Light,
which, when joined, will create a force strong enough to match and
perhaps
overcome that of the Dark. Embarking on this endeavor is dangerous as
well
as deeply rewarding Will must work within a continuum of time and space
much broader than he ever imagined."
etc.
Cooper, Susan, The Dark is Rising. Thank
you! That is exactly the one I was looking for!
there's The Dark of the Cave,
by
Ernie
Rydberg, illustrated by Carl Kidwell, published McKay 1965 "Ronnie
and Garth each have a secret. Since 9-year-old Ronnie cannot see his
new
friend, Garth, his choice of friend shows the natural unprejudiced
values
of a youngster." At some point they are both trapped in a cave, and
Ronnie
is blind, so this may be it.
Dark
Sunshine
It's about a girl who has just recovered from polio or another
debilitating
disease, and is using crutches to walk. The two main themes are her
determination
to ride again (I think her horse is a mare named Goldie or
Gold-something)
and her pursuit of a college scholarship. She studies diligently and
ends
up class valedictorian, I think. I read this in the late 60's or early
70's. Thanks.
This is Dorothy Lyons' Dark
Sunshine
-- pretty easy to find used.
Possibles: Vian Smith Tall and
Proud
Archway, 1970 "A little girl recovering from polio finds that love for
her horse and his faith in her, will help her learn to walk again." Dorothy
Lyon Dark Sunshine Voyager, 1951 "When a young girl
named
Blythe with polio moves to an Arizona ranch with her family, she
eventually
decides to ride horses. One one ride she finds Dark Sunshine, a
magnificent
buckskin mare trapped by a landslide and sets about to save her."
More on the suggested title - Dark
Sunshine,
by Dorothy Lyons, illustrated by Wesley Dennis, published
Harcourt
1951. "This newest book by the author of Copper Khan and Golden
Sovereign
portrays a girl's valiant struggle against the crippling effects of
infantile
paralysis. Blythe's efforts to train her horse, Dark Sunshine, for an
endurance
ride have more far-reaching results than she anticipated. Ages 12 up."
(Horn Book Sep/55 p.285 pub.ad)
Ray Bradbury, "Dark They Were, and Golden
Eyed",
1949. Ray Bradbury's short story "Dark They Were, and Golden
Eyed"
has this basic premise. I don't recall it well enough to say if it
matches
the exact plot points given. It's also been published as "The
Naming
of Names." It's been reprinted in several anthologies and in
several
Bradbury collections, including S IS FOR SPACE and A
MEDICINE FOR MELANCHOLY.
Various Authors, Three Green Men and Other
Stories, 1966. The title story fits your plot pretty
well.
Here's a detailed summary I found, no mention of grass turning green or
three eyed cows, though :( "Once, many years ago, three men
in space suits went to Mars. The Martian exploration team enjoyed the
red
planet... but there was something odd about it. Everywhere they looked,
there were green cukes growing. Each cucumber was about the size of an
eggplant and covered with pretty patterned leaves. Two of the
astronauts
were afriad of the cukes. But the third man wasn't afraid of the
cucumbers.
He noticed that they didn't seem to be bad, or growing poorly. Most of
them were about the size of an eggplant... only green and cucumber
shaped.
So one day... when the other two slept... he snuck out and got a
cucumber.
He ate it with his breakfast... and didn't notice his skin was turning
green. With each bite, his skin became greener and greener... until it
was green as the cucumber. He also found it changed him around on the
inside...
it changed him so he could live on Mars. He slowly convinced the other
two men to eat the strange cucumbers as well, so they could conserve
their
food supplies and oxygen...Then their spaceship broke, and they were
stranded
on Mars. Many, many years later... more astronauts came to Mars.. and
were
surprised to see a colony of Martians, who looked strangely human...
only
with green skin."
Ray Bradbury, Dark They Were, and Golden Eyed, 1949. Dark
They Were, and Golden Eyed is definitely it. As soon as I saw
the title I knew it was the story I remembered. I found a copy
online
and was pretty close on some of the details - The grass turned purple
and
the cow grew a third horn. Now I just need to pick up one of the
Bradbury collections with this story. That was fast! Thanks for
your
help.
I was the person who suggested Bradbury's
"Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed." I've since had a chance to
reread the story and I'm pretty much certain this is the story being
asked
about. (The cow grew a third horn rather than a third eye,
though.)
Also I should have made clear that Bradbury has used "The Naming of
Names" for two different stories -- that was the original title for
this story when it first appeared in a magazine, but he later reused
that
title for a different story when he changed the title of this one for
book
reprints. All rather confusing, actually...
Alan Dean Foster, Cachelot,
1980.I don't remember a blue triangle and you don't mention how old you
were when you read it, but this is about humans (a mother and daughter
figure prominently) who crash on a planet colonized by relocated whales
and dolphins. I think it's out of print.
Cachelot doesn't ring a bell and I don't recall a mother
and daughter. I remember the dolphins were telepathic
however.
I would have been about 12 when I read it. Thanks for the
suggestion
though.
David Brin, Startide Rising,
1984. Ok, how about this one? It is about an adult human
crew
who fly a spaceship along with modified dolphins and chimpanzees.
The theory is that humans must "uplift" client species. They
crash
land on a watery planet, chased there by a host of intergalactic
enemies.
One of the humans is a young boy. The dolphins communicate with
one
another and with the humans using modified haiku.
Have done some more hunting around and think this may be a book
called The Dark Triangle by H Walters. Does anybody else
think
this may be correct?
The Dark Triangle. I have managed to track down a copy
of this book and I think it's the right one! I can't wait to read
it and find out that it is! :o) Thanks to everyone for their help
No idea on the book, but could the poster mean
"incubus," rather than "Icarus"? That word would fit the
character's
description more accurately.
Pierce, Meredith Ann, The Darkangel: The
Darkangel Trilogy vol 1. c.1998. classic YA fantasy
novel.
Protaganist is Aerial, the gnome is the duarough and the darkangel is
called
Icarus.
Pierce, Meredith Ann, Darkangel,
1982. Could this be Meredith Ann Pierce's The Darkangel,
first book of her Darkangel trilogy? Aeriel is the name of the
main
character, and the dark-angels (vampire-like, indeed) are also called
icarus.
The other books in the trilogy are A Gathering of Gargoyles and
The
Pearl of the Soul of the World.
Meredith Ann Pierce, The Darkangel,
1982. I daresay lots of people will answer this one! It's
very
atmospheric and memorable - I read it from the school library fifteen
years
ago and I still have vivid recollections. It was reprinted (in
the
US) a few years ago, so it should be easy to find. Oh, and it's
the
first of a trilogy. Opinions seem to vary rather on the third
one,
but I gather the second is well worth reading too.
Pierce, Meredith Anne., Darkangel.Boston,
Little Brown 1982. I was going a little crazy, because I knew I'd
read this and couldn't remember the name! The servant girl
Aeriel's
friend and mistress is stolen by the Darkangel, a vampire-like being
with
black wings. When she follows, she finds that her mistress has already
had her soul sucked out by the Darkangel, and is a wraith like his
other
wives. Aeriel is to be his last wife and make his power complete. She
stays
to care for his wraith wives (and her friend) but finds herself falling
in love with her captor and wanting to redeem him - which leads to a
strange
quest through dangerous desert lands and a revelation of his true
nature.
First part of a trilogy, the others being A Gathering of
Gargoyles
and
The
Pearl of the Soul of the World.
DarAngel. That's it! That's the one! Thanks
so much - I've already ordered it and can't wait to read it
again!
(what an awesome site this is)
Date with a
Career
In this book, a young girl wants to be a clothing designer, and
at one point designs a skirt with appliques that look like fall leaves.
Another girl gets wind of this and copies it, wearing it before the
first
girl is finished.
A possible - Designed by Suzanne,
by Kathleen Robinson, published Lothrop 1965. "A warm,
sympathetic
novel in which Suzanne faces the decision of whether to embark on an
early
marriage or a career in designing clothes. Ages 12-16." (Horn Book
Apr/65
p.133 pub.ad)
This sounds very familiar to me. I vaugely
remember a book like this from my childhood, and for some reason I
remember
it as being by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. Does this ring any
bells?
L36 leaf skirt: here's another - Design
for Ann, by Darlene Geis, published Crowell 1949 "How
Ann
made her love of beautiful things lead her to be a famous designer.
Girls
12-16." (HB May/49 p.177 pub.ad)
L36 leaf skirt: another designer-career book
is Flair for Fashion, by Betty Ferm, published
Messner
1967. "Set against the background of the fascinating multimillion
dollar
fashion industry, this is the story of a girl who learns you can't cut
corners to achieve success." (HB Oct/67 pub ad)
L36 leaf skirt: another possible is Whirl
of Fashion, by Marjory Hall, published Westminster
1961.
"A career story about a girl who has few clothes and fewer friends -
until
she becomes interested in dress design, and by talent and hard work
wins
a fashion scholarship to Paris. Girls, 12 to 15." (HB Oct/61 p.487 pub
ad)
1950's or early '60's. I'm sorry my books
are in storage, so I don't have the title or author, but I remember one
about a teenage girl named Saphronia (!) who wanted to be a designer.
(Eventually
someone uses her middle name, Lee, which *may* be in the title.) She
goes
to live with her grandmother while her mother is on tour or something,
and tries to make friends and fit in in a small rural town in New
England.
The episode about the autumn-leaf skirt is part of her rivalry with the
other girl, including competing for the attentions of a boy named
Jonathan
she also makes hooded capes for a Christmas-carol group. There are
several
other subplots, including a boy, Sidney, with a jalopy and a
little
girl, Louisa, who plays the piano. I hope this will jog someone's
memory
to give you more data. If this sounds right, I can try to dig it out.
Styles by Suzy. I'm pretty
sure I remember the leaf skirt being part of the collection of Tyrolean
stuff Suzy designed.
I hate to reopen a Solved Stumper but I have
come upon a book that fits the "leaf skirt" book perfectly but it is
not
Styles
by Suzie! (Actually this solution was never confirmed. Someone
did list some detail correctly but didn't have the title.)
Saphronia
Lee Adams goes to live with her grandmother Mrs. Saphronia Endicott in
Fairmeadows, Mass. while her actress mother is on tour in Australia.
Lee,
as she is called, is interested in fashion design but she has little
sewing
experience. Her boyfriend's (Jock's) mother, Mrs. Bradford offers to
help
Lee with her original design, the Autumn Leaf skirt, to be worn at the
big Square dance. Mrs. Bradford brings the skirt to her sewing circle
to
complete the applique, inadvertently setting the stage for the
duplicates!
When Lee arrives at the dance, Beverly (the archrival) and her five
member
dance committee all have on the same leaf skirt!! The book: Date
with a Career by Jan Nickerson (Funk and Wagnalls
Co.-1958)
I can't remember the title either but it isn't
any that anyone has named so far. It was a children's book club
selection
in the late 60's or early 70's. The girl had a rival who stole her
designs
and showed up in school wearing them. I definitely remember that the
girl
used real leaves as templates for her appliques. This book is probably
still in my mother's attic, but she has gotten very funny about anybody
going up there...
Jan Nickerson, Date with a Career.
This is a long shot but there is a part of the book where the main
character
(Lee) makes an autumn skirt with leaves on it. The names don't
match
what you remember, though. Look in the solved section for more
detail
about this book- maybe that will help you rule it in or out.
thanks so much for a terrific service! My search was
answered within 24 hours of being posted! I was able to
locate
the book, purchase it, and it arrived today! I am
thrilled!
Thanks again!
Jan Nickerson, Date with a Career.
More info available on Solved Pages.
This book is “Date With a Career,”
by Jan Nickerson, published in 1958. Saphronia Lee Adams dreams
of being a clothes designer. She spends her senior year in high school
living in a small town with her grandmother while her actress mother is
working in Australia.
Jan Nickerson, Date with a Career. Thank you so much
for the help. I was able to order the book from an out-of-print
website
and have just received the book. I'm looking forward to reading
it
again!
Janny Wurts (author), Daughter of
Empire, (1991). A series by Janny Wurts. The first
is Daughter of Empire (1991), next is Mistress
of Empire
(1993), and finally Servant of Empire (1997). The
ant-like
creatures are the Cho-Ga, I believe. (This series is linked to
another
by Raymond Feist, beginning with Magician: Apprentice.
There
are about a dozen of those.)
Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts,
Daughter
of the Empire, 1987. Definitely Daughter of the
Empire,
jointly written by Feist and Wurts. Book 1 of a Trilogy
featuring
Mara of the Acoma. I'd class it as fantasy, not science fiction. Feist
had previously written Magician, which featured a character Pug being
taken
prisoner by invaders who came from another world. This other world was
the setting for the Empire trilogy and expanded the reader's view of
the
invaders world, politics and mindset, as well as a being a good read
and
a strong female character. It's one of the ones that started me reading
fantasy.
N27: Sounds like Daughter of the
Mountains
by Louise Rankin and illustrated by Kurt Wiese. Written in
1948.
In the last days of the British Empire, a Tibetan girl named Momo
(under
age ten, I think) gets a pet she's always dreamed of - a rare red-gold
Lhasa terrier named Pempa. The dog is stolen by a caravan because a
rich
(kindly) British woman in Calcutta has requested one. Momo rushes
straight
after the caravan and all the way to Calcutta in search of her dog.
Lots
of cultural detail, such as how to greet another person in Tibet (stick
out your tongue) and Momo's amazement when meeting foreign people who
carry
packs rather than having pack-mules to do it for them.
Could N27 be Daughter of the Mountains
by Louie Rankin? I don't remember an astrologer in it
&
I don't think that the dog had the same name as the child, but the plot
says that Momo (who lives on a trade pass in the Himalayas) wants a
Lhaso
Alpso (sp?) desperately. When she finally gets one, it is stolen,
and she travels down from the mountains into India and actually finds
her
dog.
N27 Nepal or Tibet: Sounds like Daughter
of the Mountains, by Louise Rankin, illustrated by Kurt
Wiese, published New York, Viking 1948, 191 pages. Nine year old Momo
leaves
her Tibetan village and crosses the Great Trade Route in her tireless
search
for her beloved red-gold dog, which had been stolen.
This has to be Daughter of the Mountains
by Louise Rankin. I got my copy at a book fair in the
school
library around 1973 and still have it. Momo's Lhasa terrier is
stolen
by traders passing through her Tibetan mountain village, and she
travels
alone all the way to India to find him. Wonderful adventure.
David
and the Phoenix
I'm searching for a book I read in my grammar school library in
Shelton, CT probably between 1960 and 1965. I recall it was a
hardback.
It was a story about a boy who had a close friendship with a Phoenix,
which,
as I recall, had a nest somewhere in the boy's backyard woods. I
recall them having some adventures, and toward the end of the book the
Phoenix does what Phoenixs do, that is, dies and is reborn, but I think
not remembering the boy from its past life. Not much to go on, I
guess.
Sounds like David and the Phoenix to me. Check the Most Requested pages for the reprint now available.
V3 vardon, beth: the poster might want to
contact
Purple House Press, and ask what the steps are to check whether
copyright
has expired, etc. This isn't exactly a lost-book inquiry, but I guess
there's
no other place to
put it.
Helen Adler, Davy Deer's New Red Scarf. Chicago: Rand McNally, 1966.
George MacDonald, The Day Boy and the
Night
Girl, 1882, approximately.
The
story sounds like one of George MacDonald's fairy tales, variously
known
as "The Day Boy and the Night Girl" or as "The Romance of Photogen and
Nycteris." The collection sought might be one of MacDonald's
collected
fairy tales (or, of course, might be an anthology that reprinted that
MacDonald
story among others). The story is online
here along with many other MacDonald fairy tales.
George Macdonald, The Day Boy and the
Night
Girl. From an online
review: "I absolutely love this story! George MacDonald has a
lovely
sort of grandfatherly style, and this is perfect to be divided up as a
series of bedtime stories. A boy who has never seen night and a girl
who
has never seen day help each other cope with their fears." Was
the
story you had part of a larger collection?
George McDonald, The Day Boy and the Night
Girl. This is The Day Boy
and
the Night Girl, one of George McDonald's fairy tales. You can probably
find it in one of his collections. It may also have been printed
separately.
And since he's out of copyright, you could probably find the text
online
easily enough.
G360: Oooooh, this is a beauty! There's more
than one collection of George MacDonald's short(ish) fairy
tales,
but that particular tale goes under two names - The Day Boy and
the
Night Girl (The Romance of Photogen and Nycteris) and Son
of the Day, Daughter of the Night. You can read it online
here - it's from the 19th century. The first lines are:
"There
was once a witch who desired to know everything. But the wiser a witch
is, the harder she knocks her head against the wall when she comes to
it.
Her name was Watho, and she had a wolf in her mind. She cared for
nothing
in itself -- only for knowing it. She was not naturally cruel, but the
wolf had made her cruel." (Since C.S. Lewis said that practically every
work of his has a "quote" from MacDonald, I wouldn't be surprised if
that's
where the remark about Eustace Scrubb comes from ("though he didn't
care
much about any subject for its own sake, he cared a great deal about
marks
(i.e., school grades)...") The Green Tiger Press has a
description
of SOTD&DOTN as follows: "Softcover with Dust Jacket. Wonderfully
illustrated
with full color tipped-in illustrations by Lyn Teeple. 41 pages. One of
George MacDonald's last fairy tales and one highly praised by C. S.
Lewis."
Enjoy!
MacDonald, George, The day boy and the
night girl, 1904. A curse
from
a witch decrees that a boy will never wake at night nor sleep during
the
day while a girl is doomed never to sleep at night nor wake
during
the day, until a twist of fate brings them together.
George MacDonald, The History of Photogen
and Nycteris [“The Day Boy and the Night Girl”],
1879. This could be from any of a number of collections. The
story
described is The History of Photogen and Nycteris, by George MacDonald,
but I have encountered it in several different volumes. It's available
online
here.
Charles Finger, Tales from Silver Lands
There is a short story in this book that involves a witch who imprisons
two children, but lets out the girl by night and the boy by day.
The children eventually escape from her after overcoming their fears
(the
girl was afraid of the day and the boy afraid of night). I think
they escape using a magical flying stone.
#W47: Winkie the monkey: this may
be pretty far off, but there's a story in Volume 4 of the 1956 edition
of Childcraft, Animal Friends and Adventures, called
Wappie's Surprise Cake, and it is about a monkey.
From The Horn Book Sep-Oct/42, p.296, ad for
Viking Junior Books Little Lost Monkey by JoBesse
McElveen
Waldeck "... All sakiwinki monkeys have a bump of curiosity,
but
Winki had the biggest of all. It involved him with the Bushmaster
Snake,
and with the terrible wild pigs, but as it also made him such friends
as
the Labba, the Deer, and the Iguana, in the end he wasn't really sorry
- only wiser than before. Illustrated by Kurt Wiese. Ages 8 to 11.
October.
$1.50." There's a line drawing beside it of the little monkey
squatting on a tree branch and scratching his head. The monkey's name
and
the date sound about right.
Maybe the series of Quinlan Basic Readers,
including
Day
By Day, by Myrtle Banks Quinlan, published Allyn and
Bacon,
1949. These are stories featuring Winky the Monkey, Jane, Billy &
David.
w47 winkie book: a possible title in the readers
series - Winky The Monkey, (Quinlan Readers) also
featuring
Billy and Jane, dated 1939, "easy reading for the young learner, great
monkeyshines and graphics throughout" 46 pages, 6 x 7 3/4 inches.
In reference to Book Stumper #W47, I don't have
a solution but was wondering if the book she is looking for is also one
that I would like to have. I'm not sure of the title but is
about a Monkey named Winkey that went to school. There was also a
song in the book about things that happen to him that went something
like
this: I am a monkey, I go to school, I do I do I do, I was so
hungry,
I ate my crayons, I did I did I did and also something about I
missed
the nail and hit my tail, I did I did I did. We had this
book
many years ago (50 to 60) when I had just learned to read and probably
belonged to one of my older sisters. I think it was a book that
was
used in school as a reader. I loved that book.
A
Day in Fairy Land
I don't remember the pet caterpillars, but this could be the popular
The
Golden Books Treasury of Elves and Fairies again. See
more
on Most Requested Books. But
that's
really more poetry than story. If it's really that oversized,
then
perhaps it's the rare and elusive A Day in Fairy Land
by Sigrid Rahmas. I've found two editions: Little Neck,
New
York: Ramborn Corp., pictorial boards, no date stated, elephant
folio.
And surely a later printing: Charlotteville, N.Y., Story House
Corp.
[1967]. "The fairies and elves celebrate the fairy queen's
birthday
in a wonderful and delightful way."
---
Fairy Queen's Birthday? c. 1946-50 What I remember is an
oversized,
whitish book with a brown fuzzy spine. Published in Europe. The
lllustrations
were magical to a little girl. Fairies wore beautiful
ballerina-type
outfits. Plot was fairies and elves preparing for the fairy
queen's
birthday party.
A Day in Fairy Land by Sigrid Rahmas.
Pretty magical to adults too; it's quite a book production. See
more
on Solved Mysteries.
This sounds like it could be one of John
Jakes'
American
Chronicles series...The Bastard (1974),
The
Rebels (1975), The Seekers (1975), The
Furies
(1976). I think those were the four I read before I lost
interest
I don't know which one it was, but one of them was very similar to your
description. There's 8 books, total, in the series, following the
Kent family through the Revolutionary war era. A list of all the
titles can be found on this website.
This story line sounds like one of F. Van
Wyck Mason's historicals, available in my local library in the late
1960's and the 1970's. I checked www.bookfinder.com but couldn't
pick out the precise title -- have your poster look through his titles
to see whether any of them strikes a spark.
Agnes Sligh Turnbull, The Day Must Dawn,
1942. I still have this book. The back of the dust jacket
encourages
us, the readers of books, to protect freedom by buying war bonds. I am
a librarian who has just discovered your web site and am
hooked!
Day
on
the Farm
D113: Title may be (A girl's name) Day in the Country. Small, thin,
picture book (like a Golden Book, c. 1955) with colored illustrations
and
a few lines of narrative. One page was of a girl walking down a country
lane. On her left was a (white? fenced horse paddock with a (brown?)
horse
in it. There may have been a dog running along with the girl. Also, I
believe
the lane went down a hill toward a house.
There are several Little Golden Book editions (#407, #203-1, #203-31, #304-56) called A Day on the Farm by Nancy Fielding Hulick, and illustrated by J.P. Miller in 1960.
Yikes, now that I have this in hand, I'm not sure it's the correct solution at all....
|
Condition Grades |
Hulick, Nancy Fielding. A Day on the Farm. Illustrated by John P. Miller. Golden Press, 1960. Little Golden Book #407. Minor wear, but overall VG. $8 |
|
I don't have full details for this one, but
could
the person who's looking for a book about a boy squashed flat by a
steamroller
be wanting The Day the Cow Sneezed? It's about a
bizarre
chain of events that does include a
runaway steamroller that squashes people
flat.
The narrator's brother chases a rabbit instead of bringing the cow in,
so the cow stands in the stream and catches cold. The cow
sneezes,
and one thing leads to another, including fireworks and a runaway
ferris
wheel, besides the steamroller. It was published in the 1950's but
there's
a much more recent paperback copy of it at our pediatrician's
office!
My son, now 3, always digs it out for me to read to him.
Flora, James. The Day The
Cow Sneezed. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1957.
Just guesses, but possibly One Monster
After
Another by Mercer Mayer or The Five Chinese
Brothers
by Claire Huchet Bishop. Both have parts that deal with the sea
drying up.
Both are on the Solved Mysteries pages too; check out the comments
there.
Wallace, Ian, Very Last First Time,
1980's?.
Newer than the enquirer indicates, but maybe worth checking ?
A picture book about a little Inuit girl who
goes under the ice to collect shell fish while the tide is out.
Spillane, Mickey, The day the sea rolled
back, 1979. Actually a
mystery,
two boys in the Caribbean discover amazing things on the day the sea
rolls
back for miles.
A more fantastical take on this idea is The
Plug at the Bottom of the Sea, by R. Lamb, illustrated
by
M. Hopkins, published Allen & Unwin 1968, 143 pages. "Craig and
Cindy find themselves washed up on the side of a windmill when their
dinghy
capsizes in a storm. However, this is no ordinary windmill for its
sails
only move when struck by lightning. The children shelter there and in
the
morning awaken to a strange world that has been completely drained of
water.
So begins a strange journey to replace the plug at the bottom of the
ocean
and restore the world to normality. On their journey they are joined by
a host of strange characters. There is Moses the old sea captain,
Captain
Tiny who is searching for gold, Windmill the seagull, the seahorse
which
they carry in a bottle, the penguin, and not least of all the beautiful
mermaid who is searching for her ten children." (JB Apr/68 p.104)
Day
Willie
Wasn't
This book is about a plump little boy with a girl cousin who teases
him about his weight, calling him Willie the Wisp to be mean. He
becomes quite thin and then scares her when he's almost
invisible.
We checked this book out of a library in a suburb of Philadelphia
repeatedly
in the 70's, and were quite disappointed when we moved to Miami in 1978
and couldn't ever find it again in any library. We were told the
book was out of print when I tried to order it at a bookstore (maybe in
1980). My children and I would be ecstatic if we could find a
copy!!
I think there's something on the Solved Mysteries pages similar to
this,
but I didn't find it on first run-thru.
William Corbin, The day Willie wasn't,
1971. "After his visiting cousin teases him about being fat,
Willie
overdoes his reducing campaign."
Dean's
Gift Book of Fairy Tales
also Dean's Book of Fairy
Tales
and Dean's Mother Goose
Book
of Rhymes
see also Most
Requested Anthologies
I am looking for a book of fairy tales that belonged to my
Great-Grandmother
that I loved as a child. It included the stories Sleeping
Beauty,
Puss in Boots, Thumbelina, Tom Thumb, The Frog Prince (but I think
i was named somthing else. The princess had a golden ball that
she
lost in a pond), and most impotantly The White Cat. There
was another stumper where the searcher described this book, but none of
the answers were the book I'm looking for. The book might have
been
quite old. The illistrations were very detailed and beautiful.
All
the princcesses had very long hair, with curls at the very end.
One
illustration from The White Cat showed a hallway with arms on
the
walls holding torches. This book was quite large, slighly larger
than the dimensions of a piece of paper. It was about 1 1/2
inches
thick. It was hardcover and the cover was a greyish blue. I
can't remember what was on the cover, the name or the
author/editor.
Please help!
I believe this is The Fairy Tale Book by Marie
Ponsot
and
illustrated by Adrienne Segur. It was a lavishly
illustrated
volume, one of my most requested, which has at last been
reprinted.
It is now available again at an affordable $20, and I have copies
available.
Your stumper had me fooled for a while, because "The White Cat" is
named
"Queen Cat" in this version, but your illustration is there.
Sorry. This is not the book I'm looking for. I say a
description
of it from another stumper. The key is
that the story in it i loved the most was The White Cat.
Dean?, (Dean's) A book of Fairy Tales,
1977, reprint. After reading this, I was amazed to recall reading the
very
same story. It all came back to me, very vividly. I adored this story
as
a small child, and frantically searched for it. I hoped it hadn't been
sold at a garage sale, like many of my childhood books were. I was a
"big
girl" then, and wanted to get rid of "kid's books" to show it. It was
among
the last box of books. I was grateful that my mother had the
forethought
to save a few of the best books... Here is is bit of extra info,
gleamed
from the inside coverpage: Published by: Playmore Inc.,
Originally
Published as: Hans Christian Anderson Fairy Tales; Janet
and Anne Grahame-Johnstone Gift book of Fairy Tales; Gift Book of Fairy
Tales; The White Cat. Hope this helps!
The solution submitted by a fellow visiter
to the site was indeed correct! I found the book on an ebay
auction and will be bidding on it shortly!
thank you so much for providing this service! I have been