Loganberry Books: Solved Mysteries: QR

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'Quack!' said Jerusha
Quack Said Joshua is the title of one story in a book of children's stories. If my memory serves me right the book had a green hardbacked cover. But I don't know the title of the book. I remember that the illustration on the last page of the story was a duck carrying a basket of potatoes and the duck was tumbling down a hill. This story holds a lot of memories for me and I would be so grateful to locate this book or any book that has this particular story in it.

I'm not sure of the name of the book you're looking for, but I think the duck's name is Jerusha.
Q4 quack: can't identify the anthology yet, but the story mentioned is 'Quack!' said Jerusha, by Mildred Plew Merryman, published Sears 1920s?, "an infectious nonsense in verse."
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It was a story of Jerusha the duck who lived in a barnyard with other animals and had an identity crisis, or got lost. She went around the barnyard spending time with each of the animals saying "I think I am a cow....I think I am a pig...." I remember it it as a short story inside a larger book of children's stories from the 1950's. The most vivid memory is from the end of the story when the little duck, after comparing herself to other farm animals throughout the barnyard, proclaims "Quack," said Jerusha, "I think I am a duck." It sounds a bit like "The Ugly Duckling" it is not.

It's a hard book to find, but it's already on Solved Mysteries: 'Quack!' said Jerusha, by Mildred Plew Merryman, published Sears 1920s?, "an infectious nonsense in verse."
My mom has a copy of this. It was my favorite. It is not nonsense, but a darling story of a baby duck who has some cute adventures and grows up to meet her mate and have little duckies of her own! Great rhymes.
I also remember Jerusha the duck. It was in a book of stories for children published by Whitman Publishing Co., Racine Wisconsin, perhaps in the 1950's. My aunt worked there, but I do not know the title of the book. I would like to find that book.
Hey!! Thanks to a highly detailed and footnoted scientific paper(which quoted from "Jerusha" in a chapter heading!), have found the following citation:
"Children's Stories" , pub. Whitman Publishing Company, Racine, WI, 1950, pp.117-136 Author: Mildred Plew Merryman, sometimes listed as Meigs

Queen Anne's Lace
I read this book in the early 1970's. The genre was probably more young adult than children's. It had a blue or blue/green dust jacket with a white building that I think was a church. The book was a mystery and it had references to the flower Queen Anne's Lace in it and it's possible that the dust jacket had Queen Anne's lace on it also. I don't remember specific character names but the main character was a young female who was attempting to solve a mystery that involved the church/white building. Also, involved searching through local woods, etc. The book was mysterious and after reading it I still had many unanswered questions.

I'm pretty sure I've read this too--it was the first time I learned that the root of Queen Anne's Lace is poisonous. Mary Downing Hahn comes to mind, but I'm not certain that she was writing that early. Most of her books do feature adolescent girls and abandoned buildings, though.
Queen Anne's Lace by Frances Parkinson Keyes.

Queen of Spells
I'm looking for a young adult type book about a girl who lives on a farm--she wakes up on her birthday, when she's allowed to sleep an extra hour, but she hears her mother complaining that she's lazy and her Dad trying to defend her and it stresses her out so she gets out of bed anyway. Somehow she meets a fairy-man, who promises that he'll come back for her in 7 days, but in fairyland each day is one mortal year, so he comes back 7 years later. They make love and she becomes pregnant, but some Evil Queen has him or something. Her Dad is very upset and lines up all the helpers on the farm and tells her to just point him out so they can get married, but she won't say who got her pregnant. Her Dad dies. She goes to a carnival or something and rescues her lover from the Evil Queen by holding tight onto him even when he turns into a snake.

#B231--Birthday farmgirl pregnant by elf lover: If you go to the reference page at the Tam Lin site, by reading descriptions of titles listed there, you can find the ballad on which the story is based and at least determine books it isn't.
Dahlov Ipcar, The Queen of Spells, 1973. A young girl, Janet meets Tom Linn in an old abandoned farmhouse surrounded by roses, and she plights her troth to him. He promises to return when she is grown-up, in seven days. He returns in seven years, and she becomes pregnant. He is not a free man, though, having been captured by the Queen of Spells when he fell off his horse as a boy, and he became the Queen's Knight of Roses. On Halloween, he will ride in her entourage, and if Janet can pull him off his horse and hold on to him no matter what he changes into, the Queen will lose all power over him. She pulls him down, and finds herself at a circus. She holds a serpent, which becomes a cold iron bar, a hoop of fire, a bear, a Tarot card, a valentine card which catches on fire, etc. She holds on to the objects until at last he turns into burning coals, which she throws into well water. When she comes to, she is in a gypsy wagon, with Tom beside her. They return and wed the next day, to discover that months have passed and her father has died. The story is a retelling of the scottish ballad Tam Lin.
One of the many versions of Tam Lin. Several can be ruled out: Cooper's, Pamela Dean's, Wynne Jones', Storr's, Pope's. Can't find a description of Never Let Go by Geraldine McCaughrean, but the title is promising. Here's a link that might help.
Dahlov Ipcar, Queen of Spells, 1973. New York: Viking Press, 1973. (Simultaneous publication in Canada by Macmillan) Childrens'/Young Adult Fiction. Chapter-book set in the more likely nineteenth century Janet is the daughter of a land-owning farmer who gives her the abandoned house on his property as a gift. She meets "Tom" Lynn there, and he gifts her with roses, which she returns to pick subsequently. Seven years pass between their first meeting and the occasion on which Janet, then eighteen, is impregnated. her father then, following the ballad, is both kind but disappointed and determined to find her a mortal husband. The unusual time-component of Tom's capture has him spending alternating time in both the real world and faerie through his childhood, thus allowing him to be known in Janet's community and of her age, while having dwelt for many years as the chosen of the Faerie Queen. Janet's Halloween rescue of Tom takes place over the course of an entire night of nightmare images in an otherworldly gypsy carnival, which is found to have been a six-month period by the following "morning" Janet's father dies during this time, allowing an element of price-paying and darkness into the story. The ballad (Child 39 A) is reprinted on the final pages. (C+P from the Tam Lin Pages)
I can't identify the specific book but it is clearly based on the old Scottish folk ballad of "Tam Lin" the plot as described sounds like a slight modernization of that of the song.
This sounds like a retelling of the Tam Lin story, although it is not the one by Pamela Dean.
Jane Yolen, Tam Lin, 1990. If this isn't the Jane Yolen version, it certainly sounds like _some_ version of "Tam Lin" (an old Scottish ballad which has been rendered into story numerous times -- it's not Pamela Dean's, however, so don't even bother to go there). A description of this version: "In this retelling of an old Scottish ballad, a Scottish lass, on the Halloween after her sixteenth birthday, reclaims her family home which has been held for years by the fairies, and at the same time effects the release of Tam Lin, a human held captive by the Queen of the Fey."

Queen Zixi of Ix
I read this book in the late 80s or early 90s, but I got it from the library and I feel like it may have been written much earlier--possibly 60s or 70s, though I'm not sure. I remember the following details: Someone had a magic coin purse that always had money in it. There was a boy and girl traveling with a witch and a donkey. They may have come across the purse at some point. There was a walled city that they traveled through that got attacked by some strange bulbous creatures bouncing down from the hills. The cover may have had pictures of the creatures on it. There was a woman (witch?) who used magic to make herself look young. I think that the title had a made up word in it--I keep thinking of "Quixley" and "Id", but haven't been able to come with anything using those. Thanks!

Baum, L. Frank, Queen Zixi of Ix, 1905, copyright. You're right about this book being older than the 80's!! It was written near the turn of the century by the author of the Wizard of Oz books. Dover published a paperback edition in the 70's. Bud and his sister Fluff travel with the aid of a magic cloak. Queen Zixi is 685 years old but looks 16. The Roly Rogues roll down from the hills to invade the city.
Baum, L. Frank, Queen Zixi of Ix.
L. Frank Baum, Queen Zixi of Ix, 1905, approximate. Thank you so much! That's exactly it. I'm thrilled to finally know!

Quest
The Long Road? 1975. A very German young boy and his teddy bear go wandering off near the Western Front in WWII. Accidentially, he wanders across the front lines and is taken in by some Russian soliders. Since Russians love their children too, they take care of the boy as best they can. Eventually, however, they must move their camp and cannot take the child with them. They hand the boy and his teddy over to....another culture. I think it is Mongolian horse herders of the steppes. Through the course of the story, the boy goes to India, China, and many other countries, experiencing all the cultures first hand. He picks up many different things from these cultures, such as eating oatmeal not by using a spoon, but by scooping it up with a peice of bread. In the end, there is an ambassador (or someone) who recognizes (in India, I think), that the boy is obviously out of place. A search is done, and they find his mother in Germany and ship him back there. (You never meet the mother.) The boy, now around 12, asks, do you think I should take Teddy with me? Do you think she will recognize me? The man answers, that yes, he should take Teddy with him, and she will recognize them both.

Stephan Hanna, The Quest, c. 1968. (Originally published in England and Germany under the title: The Long Way Home). "Fact-based story of a 5-year-old German boy who is captured and adopted by a Russian officer during World War II and spends the next nine years wandering throughout Asia in an attempt to return home to a mother he only vaguely remembers."
I wanted to write and thank you so VERY much. All three of the books I sent in as stumpers have been solved. It was so fun to go to your website and check for results - a little like waiting for Christmas. Your service is wonderful, and I thank you a hundred times over. The books you found for me were: O67 - "Orphan girl" which was Faraway Dream I71 - "Indian boy," which was Komantcia And G236 "German boy," which was The Quest.

Question of Time
Syd, a girl from NYC moves with her parents to Parkersburg at the beginning of the summer. She is bored out of her mind and after much prodding from her folks, she rides her bike downtown to check out the shops. One shop she is particularly interested in is a dollmaker's shop. Later, she meets a girl named Laura who plays marbles on the sidewalk all day. They become friends but Laura is very evasive about her family and personal life. After meeting Laura, Syd returns to the doll shop and notices that one of the dolls looks exactly like her new friend. After doing some research she finds that Laura and her family drowned in a boating accident some years prior. The dollmaker is Laura's brother who was the only one of the family who was not involved in the accident. He goes on to make a doll in the likeness of all his deceased family members. I read this book in 1981 and it was purchased through Weekly Reader Books. I seem to recall, however, that the book had a copyright date in the 1970's. I'm not positive, but I think that the title may have contained the words "Remembrance" "Time" or "Past"; however, this could be completely off base.S248 This is just a shot in the dark, but the description reminded me of A

S248 This is just a shot in the dark, but the description reminded me of A QUESTION OF TIME by Dina Anastasio, 1978. It was also published as a Scholastic Club book (but not a Weekly Reader). And the town is in Minnesota. I don't remember many details, but after a young girl moves to a small town, she becomes intrigues with carved wooden dolls in that look like her ancestors. I can't confirm that there's a girl ghost who plays marbles. It might be worth looking at though. ~from a librarian
S248 is NOT Bianco The doll in the window
[S248] This one rings a bell. Could the name Laura be in the title, or Sydney?
A Question of Time--that's it!! Thank you so much as I have been looking for this book for years.

R is for Rocket
Thanks so much for the help with my last "stumper". My next stumper (and last, I think, but I will continue to check the board to see if I can help with stumpers) may or may not actually be written for children. It was a required reading short story in my seventh grade - about 1976. The story centered around time travel, and the main character was allowed to go back into time PROVIDED he did NOT touch anything. He was told to walk on a certain beltway they had built and that if he stepped off the belt or did anything but observe, it would make a change in history, and he would see the changes when he "got back". He was sent back to an all natural time, no people, no cities or technology, just nature. He of course did fall off the path, and crushed and killed a butterfly. He thought this would be of no concern, but when he "got home" he didn't even understand the language they were speaking. End of story. Any ideas as to what this was? It was only a short story and may have been included in a group of others. Thanks!

T19 is the short story Sound of Thunderit is in R is for Rocket by Ray Bradbury and maybe other collections.
T19 is a short story--The Time Machine--by Ray Bradbury found in R is for Rocket and probably in later collections as well. Try to find R is for Rocket, though, because it's a very nice selection of thought-provoking stories, crafted with care. Just remembering it makes me want to read it again right now.

Thank you so much! I gather you don't have one for sale. I think your site is the neatest! Will continue to check back, meanwhile I will look for the book on the auctions, etc. thanks again!

Rabbit and Skunk books
I remember a book when I was young, most likely a Parent's Magazine Press 1968 or approx. It was about a raccoon I believe and he dressed like a ghost to scare a group of characters called the Wiley boys or the Rowdy boys. Does this sound familiar to anyone or am I nuts??

The person MAY be thinking of the Rabbit and Skunk books by Carla Stevens and illustrated by Robert Kraus. I don't which title it was though - RABBIT & SKUNK AND SPOOKS; RABBIT AND SKUNK AND THE SCARY ROCK and there may be others. I wouldn't want the person to spend the money and not have it be the right book, but maybe they can do some online searching or ask their local library. But maybe the person can't find the book because it's not a raccoon?
I have a copy of Rabbit and Skunk and the Big Fight, in which Rabbit and Skunk dress up as a ghost to scare a big woodchuck, until Rabbit plays dead and all three decide it's better to be friends than enemies. No Rowdy boys, but definately ghost tactics.
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I remember this at about 8 years old; I'm 34 now, 2008. But it was at an older relative's house, so it may have been from her children, who are approx 15-20 years older than I am. It was about an animal (bunny?) that got a pumpkin stuck on his head. He ran around hollering "OOOOOOOOHH" because he was scared/in pain, and he scared everyone else. I seem to remember simple pictures, maybe a hollowed out tree stump. He had a few animal friends. Thanks!

Ariane, Gustaf Tenggren (illus), The Lively Little Rabbit, 1943, copyright. Possibly this one? A Little Golden Book, reprinted many times. A squirrel, several rabbits, and an owl disguise themselves as a dragon/monster, to frighten a weasel who wants to eat them. They shout "Ooo! Ooo! Ooo!" in loud voices & the owl flaps his wings, and they chase the weasel away.
Carla Stevens, Rabbit and Skunk and Spooks, 1976, copyright. This was part of the Rabbit and Skunk series. R and S were friends, but they did tend to argue a lot. In this book Skunk insists on dressing Rabbit in a ghost costume with a pumpkin head that gets stuck on Rabbit's own head. There are a few scares and a lot of confusion, of course everything turns out okay. Hope this helps.
I think I have the answer to Book stumper B625! I think this person is looking for Rabbit and Skunk and Spooks, by Carla Stevens, pictures by Robert Kraus, 1967. Skunk brings Rabbit a pumpkin to wear on his head for a Halloween costume and it gets stuck. Hope this is the right one!
I sent in Stumper B625, and 2 people have the answer! Rabbit and Skunk and Spooks is totally it! I found a picture on the internet and confirmed it. Thanks so much for this fabulous resource! I am SO excited!

Rabbit Hill
I am looking for a children's book, circa 1950 which had a blind mole. It won a Caldecott.

Checking lists of Caldecott : nearest one so far: 1993 Honor bk Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young (Philomel Books)
Could this be a version of Thumbelina? A blind mole is part of the story.
Could it be the 1943 Newbery winner, Have you Seen Tom Thumb?
kenneth grahame, Wind in the Willows, 1908. I know it's the wrong year, but definitely has a blind mole.
Robert Lawson, Rabbit Hill, 1944. This won the Newbery, not the Caldecott, but it does seem to fit the description. There is a Mole character in it, who is blind, along with a lot of other animals most of them have names but he is just referred to as The Mole.
Jim Moran, Sophocles the Hyena, 1954. There is a blind mole in this story named Miff who plays the bagpipes anthologized in the series Best in Children's Books).
The name of the book I remembered was Rabbit Hill. Thank you to your helpers.

Interpreting
Condition
Grades Lawson, Robert. Rabbit Hill. Viking Press, 1944, New paperback edition. $6

Rabbit Island
late 70's early 80's. I am looking for a beautiful picture book about two rabbits who are living in a factory or some sort of laboratory. The book had illustrations of the cages inside the factory as well as the ventilation system that the rabbits escape out of. There are at least two rabbits who escape, one young and one older. Once they get outside the older rabbit is frightened and decides to return to the factory.

ooooo, I remember this one... A slick North-South publication perhaps, or akin to Gregoire Solotareff's Don't Call Me Little Bunny (also a great book along these bizarre lines, but not the one you're looking for). I'll keep thinking.
B361 ??? Lloyd, David Thomas the rabbit Barbara Firth Scholastic 1985 escapes - juvenile fiction; rabbits.
Steiner, Jorg, Rabbit Island, Bergy Pub. Group, 1984. "Follows the adventures of two rabbits after they escape from the rabbit factory."

Rabbit's Revenge
1950s? A story about how rabbits dig lots of burrows to divert the river, and the flooding river washes away their enemy, Old Man Shivers, who likes to shoot rabbits. He floats away down the river in his longjohns, yelling....

Wiese, Kurt, The Rabbit's Revenge, Coward-McCann, 1940. Old Man Shivers planned on killing rabbits for a coat. The rabbits found out and made a plan to stop him. The rabbits, with the help of nature, caused the old man's house to float away and they never saw him again.

Rabbit's Wedding
I'm looking for a children's book I believe is from the forties. I don't know the title but the story concerned two families of brown and white bunnies. I believe the title had "bunny" in it but I'm not sure. There was a little white bunny named Rosie who got lost and was helped by a family of brown bunnies. It was a book about tolerance and at one point there is a picture of the two bunny families at a huge table having a picnic. This was my favorite childhood book (my brother remembers it too) and I would love to find a copy of it. Thank you.

I think this is Garth Williams' The Rabbit's Wedding, a classic early children's book of racial tolerance. I'll hunt for a copy for you.

Race the Wild Wind
This has been bugging me for 25 years! Would love to find this book. From my memory the main character is a girl named Marty who's family operates a ski lodge. She has an older, pretty & popular sister named Glory, and an older brother Jerry who died in a skiing accident. Marty skis competitively but feels different than the other popular girls on the team. She is a bit of a loner and struggling with her brother's death. She meets a boy (Garth?) who helps her with her self-confidence. Marty overcomes her fears to compete in the biggest race of the season on the same ski run where her brother was killed. I would've read this book around 1968-1971. Any suggestions are welcome!

Amelia Elizabeth Walden, Race the Wild Wind, 1965. This is definitely Race the Wild Wind by Amelia Elizabeth Walden, 1965. I have a copy, and I doublechecked to make sure that all the characters are there--Marty, Glory, and Garth.
Amelia Elizabeth Walden, Race the Wild Wind, 1965. I think that Amelia Elizabeth Walden is the author you are looking for. The name Marty rings a bell. Unfortunately I can't dig up my Walden books to doublecheck this and she wrote about 3 skiing books. The title Race the Wild Wind came to mind but I'm not sure if this is the title.
I've been so busy I almost forgot to check back on my book stumper. I cannot thank you enough!! I am absolutely THRILLED to find the name of this book which has been puzzling me for so long. Now I can purchase it. This service is absolutely wonderful!!

Rackety-Boom
I had to read this to my little brother in the 50's, maybe a Golden Book don't remember. I just remember "Rackety Boom the old blue truck, the kind of truck that always gets stuck, in the mud on a hill or anyplace with a smile on his face..." And that ungrateful brother of mine doesn't remember the book at all! Any info would be appreciated because if I ever find it I am going to send it to the stinker for making me read it and read it. :-)

This is Rackety-Boom by Betty Ren Wright ('53).
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This was a story of a "nice old truck." It was blue, I think, and got stuck in the mud at the top of the hill and took the family to the fair. I can't remember much more, but it was generally the story of a faithful family truck.

Ok, so maybe I should have read a little more before sending the stumpers--I found my old blue truck in the solved stumpers. Its called Rackety-Boom by Betty Ren Wright and I'd love to get a copy of it. Can you tell me how much a copy would cost?

Racketty-Packetty House
See Also Granny's Wonderful Chair
This was in the back of my Peter Pan book, so may be a Barrie tale, but I have never seen reference to it...about a doll house in a nursery that is shoved behind a door when replaced on a birthday by a newer, grander doll house. The dolls in the old house become shabby and watch the finer dolls give parties, etc. The name might have been The Rackety- Packety House.... I would love to own these books again. This is a great idea for the web/net and I thank you most heartedly!

Finally I got it. I knew the title was familiar. Rackety packety house is Racketty packetty house by Francis Hodgson Burnett. These are fairly available used. I was interested to see that Harrison Cady is the illustrator.
I've also been racking my brain about a series of books I read in around 1982-1984 about a dollhouse of dolls that were alive, although I'm going to see if Rumer Godden's books are they. Are there any other books that spring to mind about living dolls?
There seem to be a lot of stumpers about dolls and doll houses. Two different books we have are Moppet and Rackety Packety House.
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The story I'm searching for was about 2 little girls who found a doll house in their attic, I think. They played with it...the dolls were living their own lives when the girls weren't around...and at the end I believe the royal princesses (so I'm guessing this was set in England) took the doll house back to their home and refurbished it???? Sound familiar?

Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Rackety Packety House. I'm pretty sure this must be what you're looking for. It's about family of china headed dolls and their dollhouse which are passed from generation to generation. The dolls have their own life though they are much loved by each little girl in turn. They are neglected by the most recent descendant of the family when she receives a brand new dollhouse complete with dolls. At the end of the book, the granddaughter (great granddaughter?) of Queen Victoria comes to visit her since the first little girl's grandmother was something like a lady-in-waiting to the queen. Queen Victoria's granddaughter ignores the fancy new dollhouse and falls in love with the old dollhouse and dolls. I think she takes them away with her.
D184 Not sure, but try THROUGH THE DOLLS' HOUSE DOOR by Jane Gardam, 1987~from a librarian
I think that's the one!!! I'm so excited...I can't wait to track down a copy to read. Thank you very, very much.
Frances Hodgson Burnett, Racketty Packetty House

Interpreting
Condition
Grades Burnett, Frances Hodgson. Racketty-Packetty House. As Told by Queen Crosspatch. Illustrated by Harrison Cady. Derrydale Books, 1906, 1992. Modern reprint, small format, glossy cover. VG. <SOLD>

A Rag, a Bone and a Hank of Hair
This is a kind of fantasy/sci-fi story that I read in middle or high school during the late 80's. It involves some non-traditionally born beings that resemble humans, I can't remember if they are clones or robots or whatever, but they are programmed with memories and lives and I believe are observed. They are always talking about this fictional uncle, who from what we the omniscient observer knows, does not exist, but they talk about him and remember him so much, that at like the last scene, someone knocks on the door, and he appears because their belief has created him. Thanks for any help.

Nicholas Fisk, A Rag, a Bone and a Hank of Hair. No question about it. In a post-apocalyptic future, the government is experimenting with cloning and creating false memories. They send a young boy in to monitor a family that has been cloned from 20th-century remains. They think they are in London during WWII, and that the boy is staying with them because his uncle is off at war. The scientists stage fake bombings so they will be afraid to try to leave their (fake) house. Toward the end, the boy realizes he himself is a clone and that the experiment will be ended by killing them all. Then a knock comes at the door, and his fictional "uncle" mysteriously appears. But is he another clone?
Nicholas Fisk, A Rag, a Bone and a Hank of Hair, reprint. This could be the one you're thinking of. A futuristic novel set at the end of the 22nd century. The government is cloning new people and has manufactured a 1940s wartime family who are unaware that nothing they know is real. As I recall, the clones are because so few children are born, and the main character thinks he is a natural child but ultimately learns that he is cloned, just like the war-time family he is observing. (I think they were cloned as a WWII family as air-raids etc give an excuse for keeping them in a very restricted area) There is an 'uncle' (Possibly in the Army or RAF) who does not exist but who they hear, and, I think, smell cigarette smoke. The book was recently re-printed - ISBN 978-0192718242.
Fisk's story is it! Thank you so much!

Railroad ABC
I am looking for a childrens book about trains. It is an alphabet book that uses the letters to tell about all the different parts and functions of a train, as well as, all relevant materials used on a train. I do not know the author or title I just know that the book begins with "A is for all clear as the signal goes up, B is for baggage including the pup" My grandmother read this book to my father when he was little, he was born in 1940 so it had to have been published before then. Any help in finding this title is greatly appreciated! Thank you!

I posted this response on another board that had the same query, but there was no indication that the poster saw it. So here goes again: I found a book called Railroad ABC by Jack Townend (note there's no 's' in his surname), published in 1944. It was adapted from a British book called Railway ABC by the same author. It's 57 pages with color illustrations, and the size is 11 cm tall and 14 cm wide. Illustrated by Denison Budd. I found several copies for sale, but note that for some reason, the books are in there with the illustrator's name, not the author's. I also found an interesting picture from this book on this webpage (look at the fourth picture up from the bottom of the page). It shows that "N is a night train running full speed." That seems to have the same rhythm as the A & B - so this could well be it! If you'd like to know for certain before ordering, most booksellers will be happy to look at their copies and can tell you whether it matches your Gram's memories.
Some wonderful person who visits your fabulous website posted a possible soultion to my posting. Thanks soooo much!

Rainbow Dress and Other Tollush Tales
A little girl's family is so poor that she takes salt sandwiches to school every day for lunch and she is ridiculed for the plain, raggedy clothes she wears. She admires all the other little girls in their brightly colored dresses and so her mother/grandmother(?), who is the town seamstress(?), makes her a new dress from various scraps of fabric. She wears the dress to school and her schoolmates become envious of her dress. Checked this out of a school library as a child and have fond memories of it, but can't recall the title or author. Have tried Googling with no success. I'm hoping someone else will remember.

Similar to The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes, but not quite....
I solved this one on rec.arts.books.childrens a couple of years ago. It's The Rainbow Dress and Other Tollush Tales by Ilse-Margret Vogel. "Tollush and her mother live at the edge of a village and are very poor. But with love and imagination, a salt sandwich tastes heavenly a birthday-party dress looks as beautiful as a rainbow a rocking chair becomes part of a magical journey through the sky and pieces of autumn and a forgotten photography make a cherished Christmas gift. Four stories which capture Tollush's world with beguiling warmth and imagination. Author's b/w illus enhance the timeless old-fashioned flavor of this charming little book." (Thanks to Deja Vu books of Bolingbrook IL for providing such a detailed description!)

Raising Demons
There was a story in my 7th grade reader (1981) that I think was called "Home on the Range". It was a very funny story, so much so that when called upon to read aloud, I was laughing so hard I couldn't continue, & the teacher had to call on someone else. I vaguely recall it was about kids trying to cook & their mishaps; the "range" in the title being the stove. I thought it was written by Shirley Jackson of "The Lottery" fame, even though it was a completely different style. I assume it was an excerpt from a longer book, though I'm really not sure. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated as I believe my children would get a kick out of the story.

Shirley Jackson, Raising Demons or Life Among the Savages. sounds like a part of one of these 2 books by Jackson, don't have them available to check.
There is part of a chapter in the Raising Demons book that involves the kitchen, but it has to do with a foul odour that is thought to come from a malfunctioning refrigerator.

Ralph of the Round House
the books that i am looking for are a series, probably published in the 1930's, called "Ralph of the Roundhouse" and concern a boy's railroad-related adventures. I read about five or six in the series when I was a boy in the 1940's.

Ralph on the Railroad: four complete adventure books for boys in one big volume by Allen Chapman, illus. by Clare Angell and Charles Nuttall, Grosset & Dunlap, 1933. Contents - Ralph in the round house [sic] / Ralph in the switch tower / Ralph on the engine / Ralph on the Overland Express. Ralph of the Roundhous: or, Bound to become a railroad man was also published separately by Grosset and Dunlap in 1906.
R68 Allen Chapman, Railroad Series, 1900s through 1920s. Only one book is called "Ralph of the Round House" (note the break in the last word). Titles include Ralph of the Round House, Or Bound to Become a Railroad Man; Ralph in the Switch Tower; Ralph on the Engine, Or the Young Fireman of the Limited Mail; Ralph on the Overland Express; Ralph on the Army Train (#6); Ralph on the Midnight Flyer (#7) Or, the Wreck at Shadow Valley; Ralph and the Train Wreckers (#10).

Rand McNally Book of Favorite Animal Stories
I am looking for a Wonder Book with a green cover from the early 60's. I think it was called "Forest Animals" or "Forest Friends." The opening line was, "Hello World!" said Buffin. Buffin was a bear. That's all I know! Any ideas?

This story is called Forest Babies. I have it in an anthology of stories called The Rand McNally Book of Favorite Animal Stories. My anthology lists the author of this story as Jean J. Parrish with illustrations by Elizabeth Webbe. The line "Hello, World!" begins the story of "Buffin Goes Everywhere." He visits some ants and gets his nose stung. Then he falls out of a tree into a cocklebur patch. Finally the Mother and Father Bear find him. My book also includes "Roly and Poly Get Dizzy", the story of raccoon twins and "Little Deer Gets a Name." I loved this collection of stories as a child.
This story is called Forest Babies. I have it in an anthology of stories called The Rand McNally Book of Favorite Animal Stories. My anthology lists the author of this story as Jean J.Parrish with illustrations by Elizabeth Webbe.
Thank you for solving this for me!!!! This definitely is the book! I hope I can find it!! I remember my parents reading this to me often. Thanks again!
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The third book was a collection of four stories. It was a large red, glossy hard back with four pictures of the different animal stories on the front. One of the stories was about an elephant or hippo who gets his clothes wet and they shrink, another was about a mother cat and her kittens and the first story although I don't remember what it was about it had a picture of a goose carrying long greenish candles with a bunch of other animals to some kind of a party. I hope you can help me I have been looking for so long. Thank you.

I remember a hardback book that I either had in the 60's or had for my children in the late 70's that was a sort of 4-in-1 book that contained 4 Little Golden Book titles. It had one of those cheap cellophane covers that disintegrated after a few years. The cover showed the complete covers of the 4 books (including the gold bindings.) The elephant book was The Saggy, Baggy Elephant and I believe one of the other titles was about a "scraggly??" lion.
The story about the lion is titled The Tawny Scrawny Lion. I don't remember the titles of the other two books included in this particular edition, but I believe that all four were originally Little Golden Books.
Would suggest - Favorite Animal Stories, published Rand-McNally Elf Books 1959. Contains these stories: The Little Mailman of Bayberry Lane; Forest Babies; Little Bobo and His Blue Jacket; and Mommy Cat and Her Kittens. Little Bobo is an elephant whose blue jacket is shrunk in the wash, and I believe one of the animals in Bayberry Lane is a goose or duck who makes bayberry candles.
A55 animal stories: the Rand McNally book Favorite Animal Stories was reprinted in 1980, and a photograph of the cover on Ebay shows a red book with 4 pictures on it, which include the little elephant Bobo in his blue jacket, and the little chipmunk with his postman's hat and jacket. Unfortunately the photo was too fuzzy to provide clear detail on the other two pictures, but the contents do seem to match up fairly well.
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I believe this was an oversized children's book. The characters are animals dressed like people. There is a pig lady who is always waiting for her squirrel mailman by the mailbox. He feels bad because she never gets any mail. I remember how sad her face looked! He and the other animals in the community decide to have a party so she can be invited. There is a picture of her after she gets out of the tub, and she's drying herself off with a towel. There's some misunderstanding, and no one shows up for her party. The other animals save the day by having a surprise party for her. There are other stories in the book too, but this is the only one I remember.

HRL: This sounds like the Rand McNally Elf Book: The Little Mailman of Bayberry Lane by Ian Munn and illustrated by Elizabeth Webbe, 1952 (see Solved Mysteries), which chronicles the travels of a chipmunk mail carrier. It's small though, so perhaps you remember a larger book anthology that had several Elf books reprinted?
Ian Munn, The Rand McNally Book of Favorite Animal Stories, 1959. You've got it! Thank you so much, it was driving me crazy! I have found a copy and I bought it. Thanks for your site!
This book was reprinted in 1956 as a Rand McNally Giant Book (40 cm tall).
I had an oversized copy of The Little Mailman of Bayberry Lane. It was one of my first books. Still have it, somewhere:)

Rand McNally Book of Favorite Pasttimes
I'm looking for a hardcover, oversized children's book that I enjoyed reading in the late 60s early 70s. The book was divided into 4 separate parts, each describing an activity: 1) The girl was a twirling majorette. She wore white boots with pom poms and marched with a baton, 2) Showed a little girl horseback riding. She wore a complete equestrian outfit and it showed her taking care of and riding the horse, 3) The little girl was a ballerina in a tu tu. There was a mirrored wall with a bar that she stretched at, I think some of the steps were shown and labeled and 4) a swimmer. I believe she wore flippers and a snorkel mask. I think it showed her learning how to swim and doing some of the strokes....I vaguely remember that items on the pages were labeled, so the reader could see all of the different equiptment or movements for each activity. The 4 activities were divided by pages that had a small picture representing each activity. For example, before the equestrian section, there was a picture of a hat and "whip" that the girl wore. I treasured this book and would appreciate any clues. Thanks!!

Rand McNally Book of Favorite Pastimes, 1963. I'm not sure if this is the book since it includes boys as well as girls, but
here's the description: "Boys and girls in these four stories work hard to master ballet dancing, riding, baton twirling, and swimming." The four stories are Little Ballerina (D. Grider), Little Horseman (M. Watts), Little Majorette (D. Grider), Little Swimmers (V. Hunter).
Hi, My stumper was solved!!! L93- the book is definately The Rand McNally Book of Favorite Pasttimes. I can't believe that someone recognized this book from my clues! I am so happy to have the title. Now, my quest is to find the book. Any suggestions? Thanks, again.

Ransom
five kids get kidnapped while on the bus home from school (fake bus driver). they're taken to some cabin and held for ransom. they eventually escape but it's a really dark book from the 70s or 80s.

#K27--Kidnapped: Paperback title is Five Were Missing, author is Lois Duncan, and there's a different, hardcover title, which escapes me at present.
I think this one is The Solid Gold Kid by Norma Fox Mazer and Harry Mazer. The protagonist is a 16 year old rich kid named Derek Chapman who is standing at a bus stop with four other teenagers when they hitch a ride in a van to escape the rain. They are kidnapped and held for ransom.
Lois Duncan, Ransom, 1993, reprint. Glad to help!
Pretty sure this is a Lois Duncan book.
Lois Duncan, Ransom. The solution to K27 is Ransom by Lois Duncan, one of her great mystery/suspense novels I read in the late 70s or so.
K27: Could it be Ransom by Lois Duncan? Five were missing--a terrifying ride into a nightmare! In the beginning it's just another bus ride home from school. But the driver is a stranger . . .
The Solid Gold Kid. I'm not sure if this is it, as I read it when I was seven, and was so terrified I've blocked almost all memory of it.

Ransom for a Knight
This book must have been written sometime before the early-mid 1970s. For some reason the grown-ups on the manor don't know or understand that the girl's father (a knight) is being held for ramson. But she realizes that she must save him. She sets off with one companion (I think it is a little boy who is a servant) and they travel to Scotland. They use up all their ransom money on the trip but once they actually find the Scottish chief who is holding the father prisoner, he is so impressed with the girl's bravery that he lets the father go without insisting on the ransom. A scene that I remember is shortly after the kids have entered the Scottish lowlands they realize that they would be detected as foreign if they speak (the Scots are speaking a blended language and have an accent very different than that which the children use) so when they go into a town to buy bread, the girl simply points and pays. She either doesn't know the value of money (a silver penny I think) or the value is so different in Scotland that she shocks the woman when she almost walks away with out getting change. The children might have had a horse with them.

Barbara Leonie Picard, Ransom for a Knight. (1956) Alys and a boy servant travel across medieval England to Scotland to ransom her father and brother, taking with them a horse, Blanche, who has a foal on the journey and has to be left behind. Alys takes her dowry, her dead mother's jewellery, to pay the ransom. They can't use the jewellery to pay for the journey and their money runs out so they nearly starve. The Scottish lord is so impressed with Alys' bravery that he gives her back her dowry and trusts her father to send the ransom when he gets home.
Yes!!! That is it. Thank you so much! I see that I was mistaken about a few of the details, but that is certainly the story.

Ratha's Creature
I read this book about 15 years ago. It starts out with a fire being started by ligtning in the forest. The animals are all freaked out by it. one of the saber toothed cats, a female, keeps the fire. I don't really remember too much about it. i don't even remember the carachter's names. She eventually has a mate and babies. The cover was either dark green or black with a picture in the front of a saber toothed tiger holding a burning branch. (If i remember correctly)

Clare Bell, Ratha's Creature, 1983. This book is definitely Ratha's Creature. Here is the description from the back of the book: "Conquering the Red Tongue, Ratha claims the flickering creature as her own, for no wild cat before could tame mysterious fire. But now the bold she-cat must suffer for her triumph: the jealous leader of her clan orders her into exile. Banished, Ratha ventures to the enemy's domain, where she must at every turn outwit predators who stalk her. With no one to protect her, Ratha must gather strength and cunning to survive." There is a sequel, "Clan Ground," in which Ratha struggles to overcome the tyranny of her old clan's worship of the fire. According to the book jacket, the first book was made into a CBS Storybreak Special.
Clare Bell, Ratha's Creature. Thank you so much for solving this. It's been making me crazy. I'm going to see if I can find an affordable copy, and then i'm going to re-read it.
This is Clare Bell, author of Ratha's Creature, Tomorrow's Sphinx and others. I think your site is wonderful! I just wanted to let you know that Ratha's Creature and the other books in the series are being reprinted by Viking Penguin Children's Books in the Firebird line, along with a new novel, Ratha's Courage. They are due out in Spring 2007. Thanks for including my work on your site. I thought you might like to check out my new little website. I'm still building it.

Ratsmagic
I owned this book sometime between 1976-1980, and it was in new condition. No idea of author, title or subject (too young) but my younger sister remembers it too, so I didn't make it up! The book was large, hardcover, and illustrated with 'dark' images, heavy use of black and dark colors, dark oranges, yellows, greens. There were 'scary' eyes in trees, I remember being mildly scared by the illustrations and would only read with my parents. Specific animals I remember: toucan, tiger or large jungle cat, maybe a snake. The pages were glossy, each had a lot of text not suitable for a beginner reader, opposite to a full-page illustration. Sorry neither of us can remember the plot. There were no human characters that I can remember, but it was a story as opposed to an informational book. I have been searching and googling keywords with no success. Finally found you and hoping I can finally put this nagging to bed (and buy us each a copy of the book.) NOT: The Jungle Book, Where the Wild Things Are

Wayne Anderson , Ratsmagic, 1976, approximate. "The evil witch steals Bluebird for the contents of the egg she is about to lay. The animals of the Valley of Peace count on Rat to save her." The illustrations freaked me out a fair bit as a kid. The eyes in the trees were nothing compared to the frozen witch and the Kate Bush/"Never For Ever"album cover-style menagerie of creatures. There was also the repeated phrase, "'Um,' said Rat," that always comes to mind when I think of this book.
Thank you- someone replied and I am almost certain it is the same book- Ratsmagic by Wayne Anderson. I have googled it and now purchased a copy online, just to be sure. I am so excited I am calling my sister in italy to tell her!!

Read Aloud Funny Stories
This book was from the 60's or 70's. It is a young reader level compilation of short stories with morals. In one story a poor, downtrodden woman is given a vase of flowers. She puts them on her kitchen table and notices how dirty her table is and so she paints it, then notices the walls and paints them, etc. until she has a nice clean and newly painted little house, inside and out. The only other story I can remember has to do with either a dog or cat that is scared to climb either up or down the stairs and has to overcome that fear when the family moves in to a new house and the children sleep upstairs. Could these stories be part of the Mrs. Piggle Wiggle series? Or am I combining two different books?

Edward Ormondroyd, Michael the Upstairs Dog, 1967. This is the story of a big German Shepard named Michael who lives in the city in a second-floor apartment. He is sad because he has to stay inside all day, so the owners put a ladder up to the back window. Unfortunately, Michael teaches all the neighborhood dogs to use the ladder and they destroy the apartment! In the end, the family moves to the country. Illustrations are by Cyndy Szekers.
I have re-read the Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books, and this is not one of them.
#M206--Messy Woman Cleans House: Anyone know what Pink Like the Geranium, by Lorraine Babbitt, is about?
Pink Like the Geranium : "A Mexican American boy is unwilling to start school until his grandmother changes his mind."
This is definitely not a one-story book. There is a central plot which uses stories told by the central character to give examples of how different people overcome problems, i.e. the dog learns to overcome his fear of stairs, the poor woman learns how to improve her own life rather than blame others for her problems, etc.
this is the same book that is being asked about in book stumper # M-206. It was definitely one of several short stories in a
book.
Jane Thayer, Read Aloud Funny Stories, 1958. I am the original requester of this stumper. I have since found the book in a box. Thanks for all of your input. Also, I believe this is the same book that is requested in M-55 of the stumper list.
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My wife read the book in 2nd grade. Sorry the info is so sketchy. The storyline is of an owner of a house in a run-down neighborhood. He begins repairing his home and later places a potted geranium on his stoop. Neighbors begin copying his actions and soon the whole neighborhood is uplifted. We would appreciate any help you might give.

I'd love to get a copy of this story, which may have been included within a short stories anthology. It's about a woman who's a real slantern and can't cope, but someone then gives her a magic geranium, which she puts on the kitchen table. After that she sees that the table is broken and rickety, and so she fixes and paints it. Etc. with the kitchen chairs, and then cleaning the kitchen, making curtains ... until the whole house is sparkling new and painted. At the end of the story her husband comes home to a brand new house and happy, cleaned up wife!

#M55--Magic geranium: the best-known book along these lines is Miracle of the Flower Boxes, by Peggy Mann, about black and hispanic juvenile gang warriors who come together to plant flowers. When I was in first grade, my mom sent my friend and I to the library for The Secret Garden and we came home with a book called The Hidden Garden, which proved to be about city dwellers converting a vacant lot into a garden (the stump about the vacant lot into a baseball diamond reminded me of this). A New Home for Billy by May Justus, also concerns urban renewal. Don't know whether any of these is the book in question but they are all great stories of urban renewal.
Another book on the same theme is Kate Seredy's A Tree for Peter published Viking 1941 "When lame Peter was given a little red spade it became a sword to fight ugliness and to plant the seeds of beauty and contentment and hope. A lovely story of the transformation of Shantytown from a dingy, discouraged settlement to a town with grass and gardens and white painted homes."
if these are two different books, the first may be - Little Red Flower, by Paul Tripp, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman, published Doubleday 1969, 48 pages. "To a dusty mining town where nothing ever grew, except children, came Mr. Greenthumb to live, and in a window sill flower pot he grew a bright red flower. Astounded, the citizens laid the miracle to the man's green thumb (accidentally stained with paint). When he became ill and neglected the little flower, Joseph, the doctor's son was the only one who thought he could save it, and in the process taught the town a lesson."
M55 magic geranium: this is kind of off-the-wall, but The Clean Pig, written and illustrated by Leonard Weisgard, published Scribner 1952, 34 pages, has a very similar plot - "transformation of a run-down, broken-down farm after a clean little pig arrives. The "string-bean farmer looking like a mussed-up bed" becomes "a farmer proud as a father", and his wife "dirty as a potato root" is "all polished rosy red like an apple". The grinning little pig now smelled like a geranium!" (HB Jun/52 p.170) Why renovation is associated with geraniums I do not know, but I had to send this because the pig smells like one.
Sniff out those book stumpers, that's what I say...
The Magic Rose Geranium, 50's ??? My copy was typed from the actual book (which I don't own). Unfortunately, it doesn't have the authors name on it. The story follows the summary exactly. Here are the last few lines of the book - "May I ask what has caused this remarkable change in our poor old shabby house?" Mrs. Wistful looked at Mr. Wistful. She looked at the rose geranium in the middle of the table. Then she smiled. Mrs. Wistful said, "It is all because of this wonderful, beautiful magic rose geranium!"
Just a title match- Flowerpot Gardens by Clyde Robert Bulla. I don't know if this is fiction or non-fiction.
this is the same book that is being asked about in book stumper # M-206. It was definitely one of several short stories in a
book.
I think we are talking two different books here. The first looks just like Paul Tripp's The Little Red Flower. (Doubleday and Company, Inc.-1968) In the dusty dismal mining town, where no grass, or trees, or flowers grow, there is great debate throughout the town as to what that red and green thing in Mr. Greenthumb's window is! It is a flower! Lines start snaking through town as people walk by to view this phenomenon. Soon everyone' minds are dwelling on this geranium!-children are drawing flower pictures in their classrooms, women are whistling and humming as they scrub and clean-the men with their pick axes down the mineshafts are all dreaming of the flower. At story's end every home and storefront window has a geranium in it!
Jane Thayer, Read Aloud Funny Stories, 1958. I am the original requester of M206. I have since found the book in a box. Thanks for all of your input. Also, I believe this is the same book that is requested in M-55 of the stumper list.
Jane Thayer, Read Aloud Funny Stories, 1958. This book contains 21 short stories, including The Magic Geranium. In this version of the Magic Geranium, it is the kitchen that is transformed by the flower being placed on the table. The woman, Mrs. Wistful, repaints the table, the chairs, the walls, hangs new curtains, etc. The rest of the stories are just as short, cute, and have a moral as well. The author is Jane Thayer, and the illustrator is Crosby Newell.
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Margaret Weyworth Johnson ? Story of an old lady living in a rickety old house. She receives a red geranium. Displays it on her kitchen table. The red geranium made the table look horrible, so she fixed it up and painted it. This made the chairs look shabby, so she painted them. This made the rest of the kitchen look horrible, so she proceeded to fix up her whole house. End of story is the lady and her house sparkled and flourished all because of the red geranium. I read this in grammer school and have not been able to locate the book or even the story.

This appears under Solved stumpers. Read Aloud Funny Stories-Jane Thayer, 1958. The story is called The Magic Geranium.

Hello! I am 51 years old (born in 1953) and for at least 25 years I have been trying to remember and then find a short story about a geranium that transforms a woman's house. Today, as if by magic, I stumbled upon your web site and found "Read Aloud Funny Stories" by Jane Thayer, published in 1958, in which "The Magic Geranium" appeared. I am SO GRATEFUL to find the short description (below). After all these years of longing for this story, it is absolutely delightful to know who wrote it and have the ability to locate it on a rare book site and buy two copies. Thank you so much for this service. Melinda Hawley

Jane Thayer, Read Aloud Funny Stories, 1958. This book contains 21 short stories, including The Magic Geranium. In this version of the Magic Geranium, it is the kitchen that is transformed by the flower being placed on the table. The woman, Mrs. Wistful, repaints the table, the chairs, the walls, hangs new curtains, etc. The rest of the stories are just as short, cute, and have a moral as well. The author is Jane Thayer, and the illustrator is Crosby Newell.
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I'm looking for a book I read as a child about 40 years ago. A woman was poor and while at the store bought a flower pot. When she brought it home she placed it on the table and realized the rest of her home needed fixed up. She made curtains, painted and worked until the house looked bright and cheery. The illustrations were basic, it seems like mostly black and white and stick type drawings. Thank you.

Read Aloud Funny Stories (and other versions). This stumper was driving me nuts: I remembered the story very well also, and that the flower in question was a geranium, but nothing more. So I did a keyword search on the internet and found the solution, believe it or not, right here on Loganberry, under solved mysteries. Look under R for a couple of different versions of the story.

Read-Aloud Nursery Tales
When I was little I remember reading a book of stories which contained stories like The 3 Billy Goats Gruff, Red Riding Hood, Henny Penny, Puss-In-Boots-and stories like The House that Jack Built. The last story in the book, I believe, was The City Mouse & The Country Mouse. The book might have been called, Read Aloud Nursery Tales. Is anybody sure what this book is?

Caroline Kramer, Read-Aloud Nursery Tales, 1957. Hey, I'm the one who printed this in the first place. I happened to find the answer on another site. The book is titled Read-Aloud Nursery Tales retold by Caroline Kramer and illustrated by Pheobe Erickson. On another site I saw these comments "An oversized book containing some ten children's stories, the last of which is TMCM(59). Both mice are female and dressed, the city mouse elegantly.There are five lively illustrations for his fable like all the illustrations in the book, they alternate between color and black&white." This was enough for me to realize that this indeed is the book I was remembering. I'm very happy to have accidentaly solved my own mystery.
I sent in a book stumper recently about a book my sister and I are trying to find. I spoke to her yesterday and she sent you a stumper on it too. Well, we found the book. It is Read-Aloud Nursery Tales by Caroline Kramer. Thanks for offering the book stumper area on your web site. It has great info on old books. We used it as a starting point for our quest.

Read-It-Yourself Storybook
Hardback,pink cover. 1980s Collection of children's stories including following titles: Eddie's Moving Day, Emily's Moo, Follow That Ball. The first story was about a monkey and a bee. There was a story about a lion who let the birds have his hair to make nests. Also a story about Danny who wanted a pet dog, but went through several pets before he proved to his mom that he could take care of a dog.My own children loved the stories in this book. I put it in my classroom library about 8 years ago and it disappeared. I've looked in used book stores off and on since then.I think Reader is somewhere on the cover.I would love to find this book!

Jacobs, Leland B., comp., The Read-It-Yourself Storybook, 1971. Contents: The monkey and the bee, by L. B. Jacobs.--Tony and his friends, by K. Wagner.--Emily's moo, by T. Gergely.--Come on! Play ball, by I.-M. Vogel.--Peek-a-boo, by I.-M. Vogel.--Eddie's moving day, by J. Deering.--Too many Bozos, by L. Moore.
Leland B. Jacobs (editor), The Read-It-Yourself Storybook, 1971. A Deluxe golden book. Contents: The monkey and the bee, by L. B. Jacobs.--Tony and his friends, by K. Wagner.--Emily's moo, by T. Gergely.--Come on! Play ball, by I.-M. Vogel.--Peek-a-boo, by I.-M. Vogel.--Eddie's moving day, by J. Deering.--Too many Bozos, by L. Moore. Republished in 1996 with a different cover and possibly interior illustrations.
Leland B Jacobs, Read-It-Yourself Storybook. This is a solution to my stumper but it was already posted on your site. I found the title in Stumpers Solved soon after I sent my request. I don't know how I missed it the first time I looked. Thank you so much! It's fun to read about the books people are looking for.

Ready, Set, Remember
I was given this book when I was a kid some time in the early 80's. It was a picture-word association memory book strictly about state capitals. It would show a picture to associate the words of the state and it's capital. For example: Alabama. He would break the word down to Alley-Bam. The capital Montgomery would be broken down to Mount-Gum-Hurry. So it would show an illustration of a kid hurrying down an alley while chewing gum towards a mountain as a firecracker went 'BAM!' I have other examples, but you get the idea. This book is the only reason I remember any state capitals! I just wish he had broken down his name! I've tried google and other search engines to no avail. I work in a library and have asked the librarian, nothing.

Jerry Lucas, Ready, Set, Remember, 1978. Maybe this one: "Presents systems for remembering the states and their capitals, Presidents of the United States, and the multiplication tables. Also presents techniques for remembering spelling and vocabulary words." Lucas has a website, and sells the state capital book separately now. Here's a link to a sample (Arkansas).
My stumper has been solved!!! Yeah! Thank you so much for this service! How great is that? Now I will be on the hunt for my book armed with the title and author's name.

Really Real Family
I am looking for a photo essay type book containing black & white photos, and no illustrations. It is definitely not a novel, and would be aimed at a younger reader. It was published prior to 1966-68, which is when I enjoyed it. However, the clothing styles, etc. depict an earlier era, possibly 1950's. It is the story of a little girl (younger than 10 years old, I would say). She is Oriental and I recall that her name is Elaine. She is either leaving Hawaii or going to Hawaii to a new foster or adoptive home. The photos depict her preparations, anticipation, and travel. I have the impression that this book may be part of a series of photographic essay type books of the 1950's-early 1960's aimed to reassure and help children in various life situations. I find your Book Stumper site an endless source of fascination and peruse it whenever I get a chance. Many thanks for such a wonderful service!!

In the book The Family Nobody Wanted, a true story written by Helen Doss, one of the adopted daughters is named Elaine, and she comes to the family from Hawaii with her half-sister, Diane. I wonder if it could be her story that you are remembering.
Thank you for these extremely significant clues! I hadn't remembered a half-sister named Diane, but this is now ringing faint bells. I do think this could be the story, and the 1954 publication date sounds right, but I'm not sure this is the actual book I have in mind. The book that I read was geared for elementary school children, and was mostly comprised of b&w photos. I used to borrow it from my elementary school library. Is it possible that it is another book written by Helen Doss, based on The family nobody wanted, a kind of abridged version for kids? I did a search and have come up with The really real family which she wrote in 1959. It seems to contain photos, but I cannot verify if it is the story of Elaine and Diane, specifically. In any event, I do want to read The family nobody wanted. Thanks again for steering me in what appears to be the right direction!
E72 Yes new poster set me on the track. I speak of a diff book by Doss: Doss, Helen [Hellen]. The really real family. photos Little c1959. photographs illustrate how orphan sisters, Elaine and Diane, are adopted into the large, multi-ethnic family made famous by Helen Doss' book, The family nobody wanted.
I can verify that the book the poster is seeking is indeed The Really Real Family by Helen Doss, first published in 1959.
Thank you everyone for your clues and your confirmation that the book I was looking for is The really real family by Helen Doss! From reading the segment where Elaine and Diane join the family, I realised that they definitely were the girls in the book I have been searching for. However, as I suspected, this is not the actual book, wonderful as it is.

Really Spring
A city is eagerly awaiting the coming of spring. In desperation they paint the city vividly with colorful flowers, grasses etc. to make it look like spring has arrived. That night a huge rain storm washes away the paint and in its place the real thing appears magically! The city is awash with spring! 1952?

Gene Zion, Really Spring, 1956. This is a terrific book by the author of Harry the Dirty Dog. The town paints flowers
and plants all over buildings only to have them wash off in the rain which starts the real spring.

Really Weird Summer
I read this when I was in middle school in 1983, so it has to be from that year or earlier. The story is, four children: Nels, age 12, Stevie, 9 (his turning ten is a big plot device), Rory, 8, and Jenny, 6, are spending the summer at an inn owned by their aunt and uncle while their parents' divorce is being finalized. The two younger children are happy as clams playing with the housekeeper's daughter, but the older two are very disaffected. Nels is getting into that moody teenager thing, and Stevie is all needy. Nels finds a closet in one of the rooms that opens onto a tower. A guy his own age, who is perfectly on his sci-fi geek wavelength, lives in there with his wonderful, perfect parents. The two of them hangs out in the tower every day. The aunt and uncle don't seem to know anyone lives in the tower, and Nels doesnt tell anyone he has this friend. Meanwhile, Stevie is completely out of the loop, so he finally ends up going to the park nearby where some older teenagers hang around they kind of humor him, which is better than nothing. The aunt is impatient with him, the uncle is a space case, Nels brushes him off and ultimately blows up at him. Stevie just gets no love! He's looking forward to his tenth birthday, and on the day, he gets caught sneaking a box of ice cream bars out of the inn's store so he can host his own birthday party. Of course, this is the first time anyone remembers that he was having a birthday, and Nels is overcome with guilt how could he have forgotten his brother's birthday, when he even remembers the birthday? Nels goes to confront Alan and ask him once and for all: who is he, and how can his family live in this tower without anyone knowing about them? Alan won't give him an answer, and when he asks Alan's parents for an explanation, they fade away like apparitions. Then he can't get out of the entrance room. Stevie finally hears him pounding on the door and lets him out. Turns out there IS no tower. He must have hallucinated the entire thing. I'm stuck on the title and the author, except that the author's name was somewhere in the middle of the alphabet, maybe M-something or Mc-something, because I can picture the book being in that part of the stacks.

Eloise Jarvis McGraw, A Really Weird Summer,1977. While staying with relatives who live in an old inn, twelve-year-old Nels finds a secret passageway to a part of the building that no longer exists and meets a strange boy whose family is trapped in a leftover pocket of time.
A really weird summer. Eloise Jarvis McGraw. 1977 While staying with relatives who live in an old inn, twelve-year-old Nels finds a secret passageway to a part of the building that no longer exists and meets a strange
boy whose family is trapped in a leftover pocket of time.
McGraw, Eloise Jarvis, A Really Weird Summer. NY Atheneum 1977. I agree with this suggestion. The date is right and the plot description is very close, including names: "Summary: Four children in Oregon spend the summer of their parent's divorce with a little-known aunt and uncle. There 12 year old Nels finds a long-unused room, sees a mysterious image in a mirror, and finds his way into a secret world that is secure and happy." "Isolated during his parents' divorce in a strange old Oregon inn in the care of his withdrawn great-aunt and uncle, Nels retreats from his younger siblings to the happy world of the secret tower. Did he invent his new friend Alan, or is he real?"

Reason for Gladness
Late 50's, mid 60's, juvenile - This was a series of perhaps four or five young adult fiction books about an Irish family. The parents had come over from Ireland. They had nine children: Patrick, Katie, Peggy, Paul, Brendan, Rose, John, James and Mary. The father was a police officer. As adults, Patrick also became a police officer, Brendan became a priest and Mary a nun. This is all I remember. I would have read them in the mid 60's, I think. The books took place from the 9 kids childhood to adulthood.

I remember reading a story like this (probably an excerpt from your book) in one of my mother's magazines around 1960. I was fascinated by the large family, and I remember Katie feeling responsible for the others. Brendan was only about 4 or 5, and I think was injured somehow, which made him quiet and thoughtful growing up. It was either in McCall's or the Ladies' Home Journal, probably the former as it published a lot of fiction.
Cunningham, Julia Dorp dead illus by James Spanfeller Pantheon 1965 orphan - juvenile fiction; apprenticeship - escape from - juvenile fiction; England - juvenile fiction; by award- winning author
I just leafed through Dorp Dead, and I think it's fairly safe to say that it is not the book that the original poster is looking for.
Mary L. Wallace, A Reason for Gladness,1965. I believe this is the book asked for. It's about an Irish-American family who lived in Boston. Brendan was the youngest and a separate book called that was about him as a grown-up was published in 1966. They were both in McCall's, as well, I believe.
I submitted this stumper awhile back and just checked again. SOLVED! Wonderful. YES! This the book. I have been looking for this one for ages. Thank you so much.'

Reasons and Raisins
A yound fox steals the rasins for his mom's cookies and runs away, has adventures, and comes back to a spanking for stealin'! But then get cookies & cuddles in the end anyways...(late 70's or early 80's)

Josephine and Richard Aldridge, Reasons and Raisins. "A naughty little fox takes the raisins his mother tells him not to touch and then his adventures begin."
figured it out.... Reasons and Rasins! Now I just have to Google for the author...

Reb and the Redcoats
A young revolutionary soldier (sailor) is captured and sent as a sort of POW to an estate in England. The story is told from the point of view of the young daughter of the family that owns the estate. After recovering from wounds, the soldier/sailor is placed on house arrest and becomes a tutor to the children of the family. Eventually he becomes beloved by all the family. Critical plot elements include the little girl's doll, that is placed outside his door each night to indicate that he is honoring his house arrest, and him teaching the children how to make wax fruit as presents for their parents. While making the fruit, he makes a copy of the doll (which has a wax head) and places the new doll outside the door instead. Then he escapes. The family is devastated that he broke the trust, but then discovers that it was not the "real" doll, but a copy. At the end of the book, the young man comes back and falls in love with the (now grown-up) girl.

I answered my own stumper, or rather, my sister did. It's The Reb and the Redcoats (1961) by Constance Savery. She has a copy, so now all I have to do is pry it out of my niece's fingers.
Constance Savery, The Reb and the Redcoats, 1999 (reprint). The book was originally published by David Mackay in 1961 or earlier, but has been reprinted by Bethlehem Books. "In an interesting turnabout, the Revolutionary War is seen through the eyes of a British family to whom an American prisoner of war has been entrusted.Technically the young prisoner is in Uncle Laurence's custody, but the children soon forge a forbidden friendship with him after he nearly dies in an attempted escape. He becomes the Reb and they, his Redcoats. But when they learn of some events leading to his coming to Europe, even Uncle Laurence, embittered by the unjust death of a friend in America, thaws toward him—but this doesn't stop the Reb from scheming to escape. As usual, Constance Savery deftly weaves themes of trust and forgiveness into an interesting plot with likeable characters.

Rebecca Of Sunnybrook Farm
Set in America sometime before cars, a girl lives with her strict aunt and doesn’t always appreciate the ways of her aunt. The girl has the opportunity to go to school, and at some point in the book spends some time with her father and his wife (he was a widower). While the girl very much likes her father’s wife, she is uncomfortable with some of her habits such as leaving dirty dishes overnight, something her aunt would never do. It seems to me there are some early scenes in a school house, but that she is later able to go to college – somehow she is a writer. There was a boy who was attentive to her for help with his studies. She had to figure this one out on her own. Her father’s mother taught at the college. I recall a boy pursuing her and the girl having to be very bold with him. I think one of the contemporaries becomes pregnant, but the topic is not discussed overtly. Somewhere along the way she prefers living with the aunt in the big old house and following her disciplined way of living. I fear I am mixing up this novel with Up a Road Slowly and Girl of the Limberlost, but it really is another title. I also have a scene in my mind about the girl and her friend selling soap to make money and a handsome gentleman buying it all. He ultimately becomes the girl’s benefactor and falls in love with her (it may have been love at first sight and then benefactor), but I cannot even remember if this is the same book! Oh, you can see what a muddle I’m in. Thank you so much for your help!

Kate Douglas Wiggin, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm I'm not sure whether you may be recalling more than one book, but the episode with Mr. Ladd and the Excelsior Soap Company is from Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (there may also be a bit of New Chronicles of Rebecca in your recollections).
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm The soap-selling scene is from Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.
Kate Douglas Wiggin, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm I think this is what you are looking for.
Wiggin, Kate Douglas, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm This is a guess, because it's been so long since I've read it. She does live with aunts and she sells 300 cakes of soap to a man. The book is available free online and here is the chapter where she sells the soap.
Kate Douglas Wiggin, Rebecca Of Sunnybrook Farm. (1903) The first part of your post does sound like Up a Road Slowly. But the lasr part sounds like Rebecca Of Sunnybrook Farm. In chapter 14 Rebecca sells a great amount of soap to Mr. Aladdin. I believe he helps her with college somehow. She lives with her Aunt Miranda.
Kate Douglas Wiggin, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. I think some, although not all, of what you are remembering is Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, in which Rebecca leaves her loving but slovenly family to live with her strict Aunt Miranda. In particular, there is an episode where Rebecca and her friend Emma Jane go out selling soap door to door in order to raise money for a poor family. Her spiel contains the fact that the soap is so pure that it could be eaten by an invalid "with relish and profit." They meet a young man called Adam Ladd, whom she thinks of as Mr. Aladdin, and charms so much that he buys her entire supply of soap (and we get a pretty strong suspicion that one day the two will fall in love).
Hunt, Irene, Up A Road Slowly. I am 100% certain that this is the correct solution for this poster's query. This was one of my favorite childhood books and I have read it so many times that I have huge passages memorized and often annoy my children with random quotes.
Thank you all. It looks like I was remembering a combination of at least Up a Road Slowly and Rebecca of Sunnybrook (title I had completely forgotten). Thanks for the reminder!

Rebel on a Rock
I read this book in the 80s. A girl goes on vacation to an island with her family. I think she's British. She is red-haired and fair-skinned like her mother, whom she resents. She has two adopted younger siblings who are Black; I think the little sister might be named Alice. While they are on the island, there is a coup. I think the father of the family might be friends with either the deposed leader or the new one. There's a scene where the girl climbs up a mountain with her father and there are tons of blue butterflies the color of faded jeans.

Nina Bawden, Rebel on a Rock.
Thanks! That definitely looks like it!

Rebel Witch
I'm a little vague on the memories for this light fantasy/humor book. It's about a boy from the regular world who is chosen for some reason to be a witch/warlock, or else he already unknowingly has ties or magic. He is taken or travels to an enchanted woods instantly by magic/teleportation, or some device. There is some plot afoot that cause dangers and complications - a power struggle maybe. He has a helper who is often frustrated by the boy's lack of understanding of the situation and his reckless actions. The helper is not quite human. I think he is human-sized, but looks sort of froggish. At one point, when the boy meets up with him he is disgruntled and worried. The boy cheers him up by telling him his new cloak looks "spiffy", and it seems to work. That always stuck with me for some reason. I always thought the name of the book was something Witchwood, but I don't think that's exactly it.

Jack Lovejoy, The Rebel Witch. The Rebel Witch is about a girl, Suzie, who is a witch's apprentice. An evil warlock is about to let loose ghosts and monsters that have been trapped on the alternate world, Veneficon. The warlock imprisons Suzie's teacher. Suzie steals the Wand of Necromancers and attempts to stop him and rescue her teacher. She is aided by twin acrobats (a boy and a girl) and the Wand's Servant, Wumpo, a frog-like man. Wumpo is at first confused because only necromancers use the Wand to summon him. Wumpo is a very vain person and is greatly concerned about his appearance and there is a scene where Suzie compliments him on his cloak. Suzie travels to the alternate world in order to find her teacher and ends up doing battle with the evil warlock. While the protagonist is a girl, many of the plot elements are similar to the description.
Diana Wynne Jones. It sounds like her sort of plot, though I can't identify a specific book.
Thank you! This is definitely the book I was seeking.

Red Car
I am looking for the title of a childrens book I red in the early 1950s. It was about a boy who helped rebuild a wrecked red race car. It was a MG. The Boy had a friend who was a mechanic and helped him do the work. There is one "story" in the book where the boy drops one of the "master mechanic's" tools while working on the car, and then has to use "older" tools

Don Stanford, The Red Car, 1954. Here's the URL for a synopsis.

Red Embers
I don't know the author, title, or character names, but I remember reading a book (may have been part of a short series) for pre-teens or young teens that seemed quite old-fashioned when I checked it out of my middle school library around 1981, so probably written in the 1950s. The main character was a girl, and she and her friends had polo ponies and spent a lot of time practicing for polo games.

Dorothy Lyons, Red Embers, 1948. This matches many of the elements of the book you are looking for. "This is the story of Phil Blake and her desire to play Polo and train ponies. She is the daughter of a renowened polo player and friends with the sons of another ex-player. The story continues with her joining a polo team and seeking her dreams."
Dorothy Lyons, Red Embers. Perhaps it's this one? It's aout a girl from a polo-playing family who then goes on tour with a women's polo team.
Dorothy Lyons, Red Embers, 1948. This sounds like Red Embers by the popular Dorothy Lyons. Not technically part of a series, but one of the dozen girl and horse books she wrote between 1939 and 1973, most with lovely cover art by Wesley Dennis (the cover art for this title also appears in Marguerite Henry's Album of Horses, under Polo Pony). The similar cover art makes many think its a true series, but she had only two recurring characters: Connie in Silver Birch (English pleasure), Midnight Moon (hunter/jumper), Golden Sovereign (western pleasure) and Copper Khan (thoroughbred racing), and Ginny in Java Jive (western and English pleasure) and Smoke Rings (Olympic showjumping and three day eventing). Her other heroines appeared in one book each....Blue Smoke (quarter horse racing), Dark Sunshine (competitive endurance riding), Bright Wampum (rodeo), Pedigree Unknown (hunters/jumpers), Harlequine Hullabaloo - also reprinted by Grosset and Dunlap as Bluegrass Champion (American Saddlebred) and Red Embers (polo). Titles were always the horse's names, and horses were always named based on their color. In Red Embers, the girl begins riding and training polo ponies on her father's ranch....she and her brothers get up matches with boys on a neighboring ranch, but she is the real pro, with the deepest interest in the sport. She goes on to join a team of girl riders, with international hopes....a great read.

Red Feather
Fairies steal human children to do housekeeping and leave a changeling in their place. In this case something goes wrong and the fairy child is (unwittingly) taken back to fairyland. There is a scene in which a fairy wearing white gloves runs a finger on something to check for dust, and there is dust, but it's gold dust.

William Mayne, The Changeling. I haven't read it, but it's a possibility. Another, less likely, possibility is The Changeling by Rosemary Sutcliff
Fischer, Marjorie, Red Feather, 1937. In Fischer's story, mortals are indeed prized for their housekeeping abilities, and
so the Queen of Fairyland wants a mortal maid. The changeling is made, alas, a little too perfect in every detail, and when interrupted in the swap the fairies can not tell for sure which baby is human and which fairy. Was the human or the fairy whisked away to work in Fairyland? In which world does Rosemary and in which does Lisa belong? The Queen does, indeed, inspect for cleanliness by running a white-gloved hand over surfaces she is outraged to find gold dust.
Thank you, thank you, for the solution to my changeling story. I even remembered the right name, but didn't include it in my request because every time I looked up that title I got something quite different (I think it had to do with Native Americans). Now to find the book.

The Red Shoes
1940s. This book has many other stories in it but the only one i kinda remember is a story called the red shoes or the little red shoes.Its about a little girl that puts on the red shoes after she was told not to and she begins dancing and can not stop. Her feet were sore and bleeding and thats all i can remember.My grandaddy would read this to me when i was a child. I am now 71 and would love to read this story again. Thanks for any help you can give me.

Hans Christian Andersen, "The Red Shoes,"I have this story in a collection of Hans Christian Andersen's work. It is a short story of only a few pages.
Hans Christian Andersen, "The Red Shoes,"1850. The story you're looking for is undoubtedly Hans Christian Andersen's "The Red Shoes." The publishing date is a guess on my part based on when his story collections and plays were being printed. It's been included in many, many short story collections since then, so its hard to pinpoint the exact book you might have had....if it was an all Andersen collection, it would probably also have included "The Ugly Duckling," "The Little Match Girl," "the Little Mermaid" and "The Emperor's New Clothes," among others. "The Red Shoes was also the basis for a movie of the same title, released in 1954 and starring Moira Shearer.
This is Hans Christian Andersen's story "The Red Shoes." You can find it in any of his anthologies, but if you're looking for an exact book, you'll need to provide more info -- cover description, other stories you remember, etc.
Hans Christian Andersen, "The Red Shoes."There are different versions of this fairy tale, but I think the one you're looking for is Hans Christian Andersen's version.

Red Sun Girl
Okay... when I was a kid in daycare... prolly around 1987-88-89 era.... I read a children's book about a world with a red sun/moon and blue sun/moon... during one sun/moon, everyone was human...during the other, everyone changed into an animal of some sort. One little girl couldn't change into an animal, and was shunned, or laughed out of the village...I think she wouldn't come outside during the sun or moon that changed everyone into an animal. Anyway, she ran away from the village and wandered out into the desert, and an old lady (somehow) helped her to change into a bird. The book was in color... I remember a page in the book that was telling how everyone turned into an animal, and on that page LOTS of animals were walking around in the village... I remember a mom pushing a baby in a stroller, and both were different species of animal. I hope this helps... I've been looking for this book for a long time.

Marzollo, Jean, Blue Sun Ben, 1984, Dial. "In a world of two suns, Ben, who is a boy during Red Sun and a chipmunk during Blue Sun, falls into the clutches of the Animal Singer, an evil man who changes people and animals into
shapes to suit his own purposes."
Jean Marzollo, Claudio Marzollo, Red Sun Girl, 1983. One of my all-time favorite "easy-reader" books.
Marzollo, Jean and Claudio, Red Sun Girl, illustrated by Susan Meddaugh. NY Putnam 1983. "In a world of two suns, Kiri is the only human being who does not change into an animal each day after the blue sun rises, but a magic ruby and the Animal Singer help her out of her predicament." This is probably it - I read it once, and the Animal Singer is an old woman in the desert. All the people turn into different sorts of animals, and I remember scenes as described. I kept wondering what they ate, and what if one person turned into a predator of another? The book struck me as questionable in several ways. Kiri's family and village are unaccepting of her difference, and she must learn to be the same as them, at considerable risk,
before they welcome her back. The Animal Singer gives her a ruby that keeps her from dying of thirst, and she trades it to another magical person for the ability to transform, but the ruby comes back to her magically, so she never pays for her new ability, nor is it a gift, because the other magical person wanted the ruby and did not return it willingly. When she returns home, no one in her family seems particularly distressed about her having vanished, or the possibility that she might have died of thirst in the desert. I don't demand a moral in children's books, but the morality in this one seemed to be negative!

Redwood Pioneer
A boy moves to northern California, in the redwoods. At first he is frightened of the deep old forests, but he befriends a naturalist and grows to love them. Certain items of this book I remember in great detail: the boy sleeps out in the woods and awakens to find a slug in his hair...the boy loses his fear of the animals in the woods but is still afraid of the big trees...the boy gets a sketch pad as a gift from the naturalist so that he no longer needs to sketch on lined paper. I read it in about 1965, and I believe it dates to the 1950s. It is NOT the book "Kildee House" by Rutherford Montgomery.

Betty Stirling, Redwood Pioneer, 1955. I've been looking for this book for ten years, and I've finally found it. My thanks to all the inter-library loan librarians who've gotten me copies of books that I thought might be this one. (The book in my hands today was lent to me in Ohio by the library of Los Angeles State College.) Unfortunately, it took so long for me to find the book that my own kids are now too old for it... Grandkids, perhaps?

Reggie's No-Good Bird
Looking for a book I checked out at the library as a child. It was about a little boy and a blue jay. This would have been in the early 1970's. Sorry not much to go on.

Possibly Ruth Sawyer Old Con and Patrick Viking, 1946, illustrated by Cathal O'Toole. "Patrick, crippled with infantile paralysis, is given two pets by his grandfather, a puppy and a bluejay with a shriveled leg."
Maybe Reggie's No-good Bird by Burchardt, Nellie, illustrated by Harold Berson, published New York, Franklin Watts 1967, 8vo Weekly Reader "A heart warming story about an inner city boy who rescues a baby blue jay and how as the two grow up he finds a purpose for his life."
B54 bluejay: more on one suggested - Reggie's no-good bird, by Nellie Burchardt, illustrated by Harold Berson, published New York: F. Watts, [1967], 140 p. illus. 21 cm. "When the biggest troublemaker in the class injures a baby blue jay and decides to care for it and raise it, he finds himself without the time or interest to get into trouble."

Reindeer of the Waves
I'm hoping someone can help me locate a book from my childhood that is apparently very obscure! I believe it was called The Viking Ship but I could be wrong about the title. It was not about viking life per se, but rather, about a boy's search for his father, who had been abducted by vikings, aided by a friend who knew the missing man had saved his own father's life because of a twin tapestry in the home of the missing man. The boy and his sister scavenge the beach for amber to finance the search, and the son finally finds the father being sold as a slave at a fair by vikings and rescues him by buying him with the amber. The book would have been from the 50's or pre-50's, likely 30's. As a child I didn't have the sense to pay any attention to the author's name. It may have been published in the British Isles, since I have scoured boxes of cards in the National Library of Congress card catalog (viking, Norsemen, Northmen, etc.) to no avail. Book store book searches aren't feasible because of all the false positives from non-fiction books on viking ships. My only hope is to find someone else who remembers this book who can help me to reconstruct the specifics to be able to search for it. Forgive me for sounding maudlin, but if I can find this book again it will be like having a piece of my own father back (he died when I was a teen) (he brought this book home from the school where he taught, where it was being discarded, when I was a kid, & this was the book I "imprinted" on!). Any help anyone might be able to provide would be immensely appreciated!

V-6 sounds similar to Bjorn the Proud by Madeline Polland. I haven't read it for years though, so I'm not sure that's it. She did write a couple other books about Vikings, I think. It may be worth checking out!
It's not Viking but Norwegian, but there are points - The Secret Fiord by Geoffrey Trease, illustrated by Joe Krush, published Harcourt 1950, 241 pages. "What happened to their father, a master stone mason who was working on the cathedral in Bergen about 1400, is the problem that the twins, Jillian and Roger have to solve. Escaping from their treacherous uncle, they fall into the kindly hand of Adam Dean, who allows them to flee England aboard his trading ship, bound for Norway. Here they feel the power of the Hanseatic League and also find kindness on the part of the Norwegian people, which eventually leads to a happy ending."
Another possibility, but still not really Vikings - Simon's Way by Margery Evernden, illustrated by Frank Newfield, published Walck 1963 "Simon's search for his father leads him from France to Norway, where he
becomes involved in the struggle for the Norse throne in the 13th century." (Best Books for Children 1965)
Rita Ritchie, Ice Falcon. I've kept coming back to this one for months... I give up. I'll just jump in with this even though I'm not sure. I *am* 100% sure I've read the book described, and Rita Ritchie "feels" right as the author. (I dearly loved and focused on her Mongolian novels, but also read and enjoyed all the rest of her historical fiction I could get my hands on.) I'm not sure if ICE FALCON is the right one--and can't find any sort of synopsis, or even a bibliography, to give me a clue. (Very frustrating!) She tended to use her research in more than one book, which means there's probably more than one Viking-related story out there if this isn't the right one.
Ruth Harshaw, Reindeer of the Waves, 1934. You can FINALLY put this one to rest! Cathy, of ExLibris The Lost Boards, has found this for me and returned a chunk of my childhood to me. I have cried my eyes out looking at these pages again after nearly 5 decade! I so appreciate the attempts many of you have made, and did obtain and enjoy some of your suggestions, and just had to let you know the answer!

Reluctant Princess
I had a book as a child, that no one remembers except for me. I don't know the author or the title. Told you is was a stumper. It had a pink paper dust jacket. I believe it was set in India, Thailand, or some similiar place. It starts out with a bird dying in a fire and follows it's reincarnations. A series of stories follow. One involves a family. One a princess (I believe "princess" is in the title) behind a screen being told stories to win her love? It was published before 1976, not sure how long before because I no longer remember how long I had it. Any help you can offer would be so appreciated as I am heartsick that I have lost this book.

Hi! I DO remember this book - think it is at home on my bookshelf. I am almost sure the author is Edith Nesbit, and the book is The Phoenix and the Carpet or The Carpet and the Phoenix - the phoenix in the story is quite a grumpy bird. Hope this helps!
Nesbit, E. The Phoenix and the Carpet. Originally, 1904.

Actually I