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Richard Scarry, I am a Bunny.  Don't know if this is the book but - A Golden book still in print or at least recently reissued
shows a bunny going through the season, chasing butterflieds, blowing dandelion seeds, etc.  Ends with him in a hollow going to sleep (in winter).
Ole Risom, I am a bunny, 1963.  Illustrated by Richard Scarry. Bunny named Nicholas lives in hollow tree  tells of favourite nature-related activities associated with each season. Ends sleeping in hollow tree, dreaming about spring. Possibly a match?
I am a bunny. Author is Risom, illus by Scarry. I've had a few copies but had to make sure my granddaughter had a copy. They were worn, anyway.

Betty MacDonald, The Egg and I  I read this book, too, in the 50s. It would be either The Egg and I or Onions in the
Stew. Both are by Betty MacDonald.
Hi, I love this site.  The book I am looking for took place in the East whereas Betty McDonald's took place in the NW.  I have read all Betty McDonald's books, though similar it isn't Betty McDonald.
Unfortunately this book isn't the Egg and I.   All of the books by Betty Macdonald take place in the Pacific Northwest and the rest of the description doesn't match either.
H81 I just looked at a copy of Betty MacDonald's Egg and I don't think either of her books fits. She was born in the west. She raised chickens, of course, but someboody else must have, t�o. I'm trying to think of other authors with that type of humor; I've decided it's not the Gilbreths/ Ernestine Carey either; nor Lasswell.
Maybe one of Jean Kerr's books like Please Don't Eat the Daisies?  She was more fifties-era, though.
Dodie Smith, I Capture the Castle, c.1948.  Could this be I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith?  Its fairly famous opening lines: "I write this sitting in the kitchen sink. That is, my feet are in it  the rest of me is on the draining board, which I have padded with our dog's blanket and the tea cosy .... " This is definitely a humorous story about a family.

Dr. Frances R. Horwich, I Decided.  I loved this book too!  A little girl (sorry, I don't remember her name) goes out shopping with her mother, and because she behaves well, her mother tells her she may choose a toy, and she has to decide which one she wants.  It's part of the Ding Dong School series put out by Rand Mcnally.  As a little Californian child, I was as fascinated by the girl's green snow suit as by the story!
Miss Frances Horwich, I Decided.  This is the one - if memory serves the author is only credited on the cover as "Miss Frances", but her surname is Horwich.

I Think About God, Golden, 1965.  This book contains 2 stories -- Why / Sue Val, ill. Christiane Cassan  and I Do My Best / Norah Smaridge, ill. Trina Hyman. I Do My Best was also released by itself by Golden in 1968.
Norah Smaridge, I Do My Best (1965)  I was able to locate both copies of the book that was posted in the solution to my stumper. The 1968 edition is exactly like the book I had except for one important difference. My book was soft covered and it was definitely purchased in 1965 or early 1966. Is it possible it was published by Western Publishing Co. as a soft covered Little Angel Book in 1965, the copyright date?
I Do My Best was also released in 1965 by Costello Pub. Co ("A Little Angel Book") and in 1967 by G. Chapman ("My Little Gift Books").  Don't know if the costello book was hard or soft covered.

I have a turtle.  Someone wanted to know how it ends.  I remember it saying: "and that's why...no one will ever know...that in the corner of my room...under my bed...in my mommy's hat box...I have a turtle!"

Mercer Mayer, I Just Forgot  (A Little Critter Book).  Golden Books 18 August, 1999 Paperback.  Could it be...  I Just  Forgot??? Little Critter struggles to remember what he is supposed to do each day. On rainy days he remembers his raincoat but forgets his boots. On school days he gets to school on time but forgets his lunchbox. At home he takes a bath but forgets to use soap. Sound familiar??

Jean Tymms, I Like To See: a book about the five senses, 1973, Racine, Wis. : Western Pub. Co., ISBN: 0307684431.  "Tells of the things enjoyed in seeing, feeling, smelling, tasting and hearing."
Jane Tymms, June Goldsborough (illus), I Like To See (A Book About the Five Senses), 1973, copyright.  A Whitman Tell-a-Tale Book. Front cover is sort of greenish, featuring three children. Boy on left is licking a lollipop and has a blue parakeet perched on his shoulder, presumably chirping in his ear. Girl in center is holding a soft kitten up to her face. Girl on right is smelling a red rose, and looking at a butterfly overhead.
Jean Tymms, June Goldsborough, I like to see : a book about the five senses, 1973, copyright.  Tells of the things enjoyed in seeing, feeling, smelling, tasting and hearing.
Found the answer to my riddle tonight! I was thrilled. It was I Like to See: A Book about the 5 Senses by Jean Tymms.  My daughter will be so thrilled. Thanks for your assistance.  I sure will recommend your site.

Elizabeth Cadell.  There's a customs scene exactly like this in an Elizabeth Cadell novel - but I don't remember which book! But she'd certainly qualify as a light romance author whose books filled a shelf.
Elizabeth Cadell, I Love a Lass, 1956.   This has to be I Love a Lass by Elizabeth Cadell (Eng. title--Bridal Array).  The bridal outfit is used to smuggle diamonds through customs.  The other book mentioned is probably Six Impossible Things, the third part of the Wayne trilogy (the first two are The Lark Shall Sing and The Blue Skies of Spring).

Sara Teasdale, Flame and Shadow, 1920.  The title of the poem itself is "I Remembered."
There never was a mood of mine, / Gay or heart-broken, luminous or dull, / But you could ease me of its fever / And give it back to me more beautiful. / In many another soul I broke the bread, / And drank the wine and played the happy guest, / But I was lonely, I remembered you // The heart belongs to him who knew it best.
Thank you so much for helping me find "I Remembered" with the line "the heart belongs to him who knew it best." I am relieved to find it because my mother sent me a copy of it years ago, and I lost it or perhaps even deliberately threw it out. After she died, I couldn't forgive myself because I thought she might have written it for me. I know now she didn't write it, and I'll be able to find a copy, the best outcome possible.

Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham, of course!  New copy, $8
it's not green eggs and ham...  i know that book. the main character in the book i'm refering to is a mouse. This was a set of early reading books. They were also paper not hardbound...yellow...small...    The "I am Sam" i am looking for is not green eggs and ham.  find anything else? thanks.
Bobby Lynn Maslen, The Bob Books, 1976.  I wonder if this isn't one of the "Bob Books". There are three different sets  small(4"X5"), thin(12 or 15 pgs) paperbacks in primary colors that came boxed in sets of 12.  They were published by Scholastic and are for very early readers (pre-K or K). I have the first set and the book you describe isn't in this set, but I think I remember it from one of the other sets.  Here is a text example from one of my books: Lad had a fat, fat cat.  The cat is Kit.  Kit sat in a box.  The title of set two is More Bob Books and set three is Even More Bob Books.
I remember the book that reads "I am Sam, Sam I am..." as a yellow, soft-covered Scholastic reader with black text.  The book is approximately 5"x7" and could more appropriately be referred to as a booklet. I believe these Scholastic readers were precursors to the "Bob" books, but the concept was the same.  It was the very first book I read in kindergarten in 1971.  There were numerous books in the set;  I believe Sam was a recurring character. I've casually looked for this book myself as it is the first book I can remember reading in school.
This poster should check out Stumper S246. It sounds like he is looking for the same series of books. It is still unsolved, but the info in the Stumper combined with his memories might be enough to solve it!
There's a softcover Scholastic Phonics book I saw on eBay called I Am Sam (32 pgs).
Could this be the old Sullivan Reading Series?  I used it when I entered school in 1973.  The characters were Sam, Meg, Nip, etc.  There were several levels (up to 20?).  Some of the books had questions and you had to write the answers in an answer book.
I See Sam, c.1970.  I am replying to the request for an early reading series  I am Sam.  I have a web site that they can be ordered from.  Hope this helps.
I See Sam is part of a series of "The Rainbow Edition" pamphlets from an educational program called Reading For All Learners by Dr. Alan Hofmeister.  Still being used!
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S246:  These were yellow paper books with black and white drawings of a Lion named Sam, Mat the Rat, Nate the Snake?, and they were a series of about 55 books.  The first book is Sam, then I Am?, Mat the Rat.  They have humorous drawings, and start the series with one word.  They build on each other, and introduce new characters along the way.  I am trying to find the name of the series, and publishing information.

This poster should check out Stumper I25. It sounds like he is looking for the same series of books. It is still unsolved, but the info in the Stumper combined with his memories might be enough to solve it!
I See Sam, 2001, reprint.  I believe this is also the answer for I25.  I have hunted all over the net for the early reader series  "Sam" books, for my grandaughter.  Both of my children used these books during the 70's  I have found several sources. The following are sources you can check out. Books can be ordered from this website.   You may also want to check out this website for a free download of the fisrt book.  this website also offers some information  Good luck, I do hope this is what you were looking for.

Audrey Erskine Lindop, I Start Counting, 1966-67.  This is the book, no doubt about it.
Audrey Erskine Lindop, I Start Counting, 1962,.  It was made into a movie, starring Jenny Agutter as Wynne, in '69 or '70.

I think I read this story, or its sequel as a Readers Digest Condensed Book many years ago. I've always wanted to read the full book. The relatives (her aunt and uncle) are doing experimental work in their local woods to help reforestation in Vietnam. They live close to the sea. There are descriptions of Quaker meetings. Does this sound like the same book?
Could q3 be I Take Thee Serenity by Daisy Newman. If the original questioner remembers Sara, then perhaps it really was Serenity.
I Take Thee, Serenity, which I also read as a Reader's Digest condensed book, is about a young woman named Serenity, who goes by the name Sara.  I don't remember about her mother dying, but she does go to stay, perhaps for the summer, with two older Quaker relatives who she comes to deeply respect and love.  Her college boyfriend had been pressuring her to "go all the way" and she couldn't decide if it was right to  the time spent with her relatives and their inspiration gave her the
strength to stand by her convictions.  I think they may have ended up getting married in a Quaker wedding, hence the title.

I Think About God, 1977.  It's a Little Golden Book that has 2 stories in one, the first titled "Why".

Betty Miles, I Would If I Could, 1983.  This is an almost perfect description of I Would If I Could, although the girls' fear they had polio was due to having stiff legs before they realized they'd gotten poison ivy. Patty's bike is a gift from her aunt and she's afraid she won't learn how to ride it before the end of the summer.
Betty Miles, I Would If I Could. Thank you so much for solving my mystery.  I can't wait to order this book and re-read.
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This book takes place back in the 40's or 50's...it's about a little girl named Patti whose father drives her to Ohio to spend the summer with her Grandmother. She has friends there, a little girl named Mary Alice and 2 sisters that are twins and a little on the mean side. The grandmother wins a jingle contest and she learns how to ride a bike. Seems like they listen to Little Orphan Annie on the radio, so it may take place before the 40's. Thanks!

Betty Miles, I Would If I Could. reprint. This has to be the one you're looking for. All the details match.
Betty Miles, I Would If I Could. Thanks so much for solving this mystery...this is the correct book that I was looking for!!!!

Arnold Lobel, Ice-cream Cone Coot and Other Rare Birds, 1971.  Yes, this is a Parents Magazine Press book. "All the birds inside this book are very strange and rare. And if you travel to the zoo, you will not find them there. Don't look for them in nature books, in parks or pet shop cages, and thus it goes. a very entertaining children's book with really great artwork."
I immediately thought of The Ice-Cream Coot, And Other Rare Birds by Arnold Lobel (Parents' Magazine Press, 1971) but we no longer own the book so I couldn't check to be sure.  Here's the summary: "Describes in verse such unusual birds as the shuttercluck, the milkbottle midge, the waterglass goose, and the highbutton bobolink."
Ice-Cream Cone Coot & Other Rare Birds.  This was a Parent's Magazine Press book from the 60's or 70's.
Unfortunately, they don't reprint any of their books so you can only find it used.
Lobel, Arnold, The Ice Cream Cone Coot and Other Rare Birds, Parents Magazine 1971.  "All the birds listed are very strange and rare, and if you travel to the zoo you will not find them there." Sounds like a good bet.
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My book had fanciful color illustrations of birds that I believe were all in the shape of different types of ice cream cones but my memory may be faulty on that (it was sort of Dr. Seussian but not not quite).  I loved this book and would appreciate any help figuring out my mystery! Thank you.

I know this one.  Of course, I don't have it (not right now anyway, sold a copy last month), but if you want me to search for it, just let me know (I can get one for around $24).  It's a fabulous, fantastic, funny book.  Lobel, Arnold.  The Ice-Cream Cone Coot and Other Rare Birds. Parents' Magazine Press, 1971.
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Children's book from early 70s.  One illustration was a walking scissors creature.  I don't remember the title or author. I only remember that one illustration was of a walking scissors. The pointy ends of the scissors formed the mouth and the eyes were set in the finger holes. I think there were other images in a similar vein. It was a surreal and fantastic book. I think was hard bound. It did contain many illustrations and not too many pages. I would guess it came from the early 70s.  It probably helps explain why I grew up to be such a nut-job.

Arnold Lobel, The Ice-Cream Cone Coot and Other Rare Birds, 1971.  Might it be The Ice-Cream Cone Coot and Other Rare Birds (see Solved Mysteries)?
Arnold Lobel, The Ice Cream Cone Coot, and Other Rare Birds, 1971.
Ruth Plumly Thompson, The Gnome King of Oz.  There's a Scissors Bird that's a character in The Gnome King of Oz. It looks like a pair of scissors with bird claw feet.
The Ice-Cream Cone Coot and Other Rare Birds.  Thank you for solving my Book Stumper. What a great service!

I remember that poem.  I did some searching for it and came up with the following:
Thomas Gale Joan.  If Jesus Came to My House. London: Mowbray A. R., 1958. Cloth / Hardcover, Very Good, 32mo - over 4" - 5" tall 25th edition,  theboards are mildly soiled, Two tone color illustrations, red
and black.  <SOLD>

Check out D'Aulaire's Greek Myths:  it's a tall picture book with stylized 1930's illustrations, and decent history.  Then again, maybe it was more focused on the Trojan War?
I have not seen any of these  books so I cannot check out illustrations but some possible tltles: Iliad of Homer by Barbara Picard (1966)  Tales of Ancient Greece by Enid Blyton (1953)   The  Wooden Horse and the Fall of Troy by I.M.Richardson (1984) (too late?!)  Faber Book of Greek Legends by Kathleen Liner (1973)  Tales of Troy and Greece by Andrew Lang (1962).
Two more possiblities: Padraid Colum's Adventures of Odysseus and the Tale of Troy, (1918) illustrated by Willy Pogogy  Or Tale of Troy retold from the Ancient Authors (1935?) by Roger Lancelyn Green, illustrated by Betty Middleton-Sanford. Hope this helps!
In a second hand store today I pulled down a large volume from a high shelf and when I saw what it was I thought -Eureka, maybe! It is The Iliad and The Odyssey (surprise!)-the heroic story of the Trojan War, The fabulous adventures of Odysseus adapted from the Greek classics of Homer by Jane Werner Watson.(1956) Simon and Schuster (The Golden Library) Pictures by Alice and Martin Provensen--and what pictures they ARE! They dominate the book, sometimes having the look of wood cuts. The illustrations fill each page: along borders, sometimes along the lower half,sometimes the upper half- sometimes they fill a whole page and flow onto the text page opposite! Figures: soldiers, gods and godesses are large, sometimes 10 or 11 inches high- solid, dramatic! The colors are mostly muted, somber earth tones-browns, tans, slate gray-greens, terracottas, and blacks. It is a gorgeous book. I sure hope this is it! The bold dramatic pictures resemble those featured in the other Provenson book The Golden Treasury of Myths and Legends found under Anthology Finder at this site!
Jane watson , the iliad and the odyssey, 1970.  I am just writing to confirm the fact that the beutiffully illustrated book on the Trojan war and the adventures of odysseus is the book that was found in the second hand book store I have this book .Ihave had it since 1971 as i picked it myself in a book shop in my home town of Paisley for my christmas present when I was 11. On picking it up and opening it, I was transported to another time by the way the paintings just came to life. They are dond like illustrations on old pieces of terracotta from an ancient time.I have lost the sleeve but the rest of the book is still in reasonably good condititon the inside has no maks only my own name and address My copy is about 195 pages and the book is finnished in red cloth with 3 figures in black line and is 13in x10 in It is written by Jane Watson with the illustrations by Alice and Martin Provensen. This is the most special book I have ever owned and would never part with it. No wander it evoked such stong memories. It has with me .I went on to read the full versions when I grew up.and they had a profound effect on me. Hope this is of some use to you
Alice and Mary Provensen/adapted from Homer, The Iliad and the Odyssey. (1956) Absolutely fabulous adaptation and illustrations of Homer's classic tales. I was the only kid I knew who knew this story. I still have the book, which is very tall and has a shiny dark red cover. The illustrations look like classic Greek vase art come to life. Much better than any recent adaptation including that awful movie Troy. Last week I was happy to see a reprint of a Provensen page, translated into German, prominantly featured in the tiny "museum" at the accepted site of the real Troy, in Turkey near the Dardanelles.

Wildsmith, Brian, Illustrated Bible Stories, 1969.  I think this is the book you want. The bible stories are retold by Philip Turner and illustrated by Brian Wildsmith.
Brian Wildsmith (illustrator)   Philip Turner (as told by), Illustrated Bible Stories, 1968.  Words can't describe how OVERJOYED I was to find an answer to this ages-long search. Your information was spot on  I found a copy in a local library, and I am also going to buy my own copy.  Being able to find this book has filled an enourmous void.  Thank you so much. I'm almost speechless. My family is relieved too, because I've been pestering them about this for yours. Thanks again.

Ray Bradbury, The Illustrated Man, 1950.  The story about the tatooed man is very probably Ray Bradbury's "The Illustrated Man," which has been anthologized several times and (as "Prologue") served as the framing story of the Bradbury collection of the same name.  I don't recognize the second story offhand (it doesn't sound to me like a Bradbury story, but might be in an anthology with the other).
Ray Bradbury, The Illustrated Man, 1951.  This sounds like Ray Bradbury's "The Illustrated Man" - the story about the tattoed man with living tattoes is used as a framework for a collection of sf short stories.
The man with the moving tattoos might be from Ray Bradbury's Illustrated Man. The Man's tattoos "tell" the short stories in the book. The paperback copy that I had showed the Illustrated Man on the cover, sitting down, facing away, showing mostly his back and all its tattoos.
Bradbury, Ray, The Illustrated Man. The title story of this collection by Ray Bradbury definitely sounds like what you are looking for. The man is covered in tattoos that are alive and each have a story. I haven't read the entire collection, so I'm not sure if the other story you mention is in there or not. Hope this helps.
Ray Bradbury, The Illustrated Man.  This is probably the "man with tattoos" book.  The illustrated man has tattoos all over his body and they move and tell stories.  I don't remember the other story so it may be in a different book but it's entirely possible my memory is faulty!
Ray Bradbury, The Illustrated Man, 1951.  Sounds like Bradbury's Illustrated Man, which uses the story of a man with magical, living tattoos that show the future to frame the other 18 short stories in the book.  Not sure if the one with the out-of-body travel is part of this collection or not, but it does sound like the sort of thing Bradbury would write.  If it's not in this one, you could check out some of his other anthologies.
Check out the Illustrated Man, by Ray Bradbury.  His tattoos morph into various stories.

I have not seen it, so I can't confirm all the details, but you might want to investigate ILLUSTRATED MINUTE BIOGRAPHIES; 150 FASCINATING LIFE-STORIES OF FAMOUS PEOPLE, FROM THE DAWN OF CIVILIZATION TO THE PRESENT DAY, DRAMATIZED WITH PORTRAITS AND SCENES FROM THEIR LIVES. Designed and illustrated by Samuel Nisenson.  Text by William A. DeWitt. There are different editions (1949, 1953, 1964, 1970). Each biography is a page long. I did see that Cleopatra was listed in the 1964 one, but it wasn't a complete listing of all 150 people included, and I couldn't tell whether they had the subtitles for each person. But it might be worth looking into~from a librarian
My stumper has been solved! The librarian who speculated that the book might be ILLUSTRATED MINUTE BIOGRAPHIES was absolutely right--I was able to locate a copy of the 1953 edition to verify. This is the book I had 40 years ago; I'd been looking for it for years. Many, many thanks to both you and the librarian.

A170: I remember that ALL those stories listed were in this book. MARGARET E. MARTIGNONI, THE ILLUSTRATED TREASURY OF CHILDREN'S LITERATURE, 1955. over 9�" - 12" tall. "A remarkable and comprehensive collection of the greatest of literature for children. Consisting of 49 famous stories, 20 fables and legends, a complete picture abc, 44 fairy tales, 50 mother goose rhymes and 79 childhood poems, from writers such as Lewis Carroll, J.M. Barrie, Kipling, Prokofieff, Beatrix Potter, A.A. Milne, Kenneth Grahame, the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, Aesop, Dr Seuss amongst many many others. The illustrators sound like a Who's Who of the art including Frost, Crane, Cruikshank, Caldecott, Greenaway, Pyle, Tenniel, Pogany and Rackham to name but a few. 509pp plus index, this is a marvellous introduction to literature for any reading child.....Lear, Thornton Burgess, Flora Annie Steel, Andrew Lang, Jean de Brunhoff, Palmer Cox & many others."
Margaret Martignoni, The Illustrated Treasury of Children's Literature, 1960.
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Possibly titled A Treasury of Childrens Stories  - this is a guess - 1940's to 1950's.  This book is a compilation of children's poems (such as The Goops) short stories (such as The Little Match Girl) and fairy tales all with black and white illustrations.   The book was a light blue hard cover (perhaps cloth) and a dark blue spine perhaps with gold
lettering. If there was a paper cover to protect the book I don't remember it. The book measured about 12 inches in length and 8 inches in width and was approximately 100-150 pages in length.  I loved this book as it was given to me by my mother for Christmas in the mid 1950's. I would think the book is now out of print but I have a vague recollection of a New York and London publishing house.

Might be The Illustrated Treasury of Children's Literature, edited by Margaret Martignoni (Grosset&Dunlop, 1955). Fits much of your description. It has 512 pages!
Both your stories are in it, and without dust jacket it does have a blue and gilt spine and light blue cover.
I received the Illustrated Treasury over the weekend and I can not thank you enough!  The book is in great condition (probably better than the one I had as a child) and I immediately looked up my most favorite stories.  That book was such a treasure for me and I am so glad to have it back.  Thanks again for locating the book and having one on hand for me.  It was meant to be!
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I am searching for a book my Grandmother read to me as a child.  It was about 12x12, with a light yellow cover.  It contained Hans Christian Andersen stories such as Princess and the Pea, The Emperor and the Nightingale, and Thumbelina.  The illustrations look like water colors. This was in the mid-70's that she read it to me, but the book could be much older.  I would love to read it to my children.  Hope you can help!  I'm not sure of the title, but would definitely recognize a photo of the book. Thank you!

I also remember there being some Grimm Fairy Tales in this book...something about a husband who tells his wife to have sausage ready when he gets home, and the Frog Prince.
It could be Illustrated Treasury of Children's Literature, edited by Margaret Martignoni, 1955.  I loved my copy when I was a child.  It's a mix of Anderson, Grimm, and others, and includes watercolor illustrations.
If you haven't already, peruse Loganberry's Anthology Finder to see if any look right...
Hans Christian Andersen, Fairy Tales.  This may be the Illustrated Junior Library edition of Andersen's Fairy Tales.  I have my copy from when I was a kid in the 70's and the cover is yellowish with very colorful pictures.

Interpreting Condition  Grades

Martignoni, Margaret, editor.  The Illustrated Treasury of Children's Literature. Grosset and Dunlap, 1955, later printing.  Book in excellent shape, dust jacket has closed tear and small nick out of front cover.  VG+/VG-  $45 <SOLD>

A321: Possibly the 1950s The Illustrated Treasury of Children's Literature, ed. Margaret Martignoni? See Solved Mysteries.
This book may be The Illustrated Treasury of Children's Literature edited by Margaret E. Martignoni and Published by Grosset and Dunlap. The copyright is from 1955, but the copy I have says over one million are now in print. I believe the copy I have is from the early seventies. It also mentions that this printing is made from completely new plates. It has all the titles you mentioned. It also contains a story titled Brownie Year Book by Palmer Cox which is about what brownies (elf-like looking creatures) do every month of the year. It has easier stories and poems in the front and somewhat more difficult stories and excerpts from the classics in the back. I couldn't find a story about a dog that had eyes like plates, but if someone knows the title of this story I will look for it. If this is your book, it was truly strange that today I was moving my small collection, which of course, involved looking at my books again, and I opened this book to the Brownie story. I thought it was different and I hadn't remembered it. I happened to be perusing to my own stumper when I saw yours and thought, " I have that Brownie story."  I hope this helps you. It shouldn't be that hard to find with a million copies in print.
The Illustrated Treasury of Children's Literature, 1955.  Edited by Margaret E. Martignon.  My book is 512 pages.  It's a blue hardback with a leaf print cover, and came in a blue cardboard box. It's got all of the stories you mentioned.  The original copyright is 1955, but I got my copy about 1970, so it may have had a different cover originally.
Hans Christian Anderson, The Tinderbox.  The story with the dog with eyes like plates is probably "The Tinderbox" which can be found in many fairy tale anthologies.  When a witch sends a soldier down into a hollow tree (to fetch a magical tinderbox for her, and gold and jewels for himself) he encounters three dogs: one with eyes as big as saucers, one with eyes as big as millstones, and one with eyes as big as the round tower. The dogs are guardians of the treasure, but by using the witch's magic apron, the soldier is able to get by them.  He keeps the tinderbox for himself, and through it, is able to summon and command the dogs to fetch treasure for him, fetch him a beautiful sleeping princess, and finally save his life and win him the hand of the princess.
The illustrated treasury of Children's Literature,edited by Margaret Martignoni,1955.
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We purchased this in the late 1970's and it had wonderful pictures and included "The Goops," "The Sugarplum Tree," "Over in the Meadow" and at least one Kate Greenway poem.  It was a hardback book about 1 to 1 & 1/2 inches thick. The dust cover was light, possibly yellow, with pictures.

Edited by Margaret E. Matignoni, The Illustrated Treasury of Children's Literature,1955. I have a 1955 edition of this book with a light blue cover. I also have a 1988 reprint that has a yellow cover. It was a childhood favorite and my sister purchased me a new copy when my son was born.  I can still recite the first verse of "The Goops" from reading it so often when I was young! 
Edited by Margaret E. Matignoni, The Illustrated Treasury of Children's Literature,1955. Thank you for finding the answer to my "Stump the Bookseller" question (C740). 

Dirksen, Joan, I'll Find My Love, 1957.  According to M138b in the Stump The Bookseller Archives, the unconfirmed (though the poster is quite definite) answer is I'll Find My Love.  Click on 'MN' in the Stump the Bookseller Queries link (blue  boxes at the top of this page) and scroll down to M138b to see the entire message.
Dirksen, Joan, I'll Find My Love. This is it!!  Check the Solved Mysteries.  My dear cyber-buddies solved this one for me, and then the wonder-workers at Loganberry found me my own copy.  Well worth a re-read!
I am so happy to tell you that my Book Stumper--T376 was solved!  Also, I just ordered the book from Alibris and can't wait to re-read it.  I had the title of the book completely wrong.  Obviously there were others who loved this book!  Thank you for this service as I have looked for this book since I lost it in the late 1960's.  While I am now 50, I still love to read the books I loved as a pre-teen.  Also, I wished you store had been around when I lived in Cleveland in the early 1980's.  My sister still lives there so I will tell her about your store.

There were two of these books about baby elephants learning to use the potty - I'm a Big Boy Now featured a boy elephant, and of course, I'm a Big Girl Now had a girl elephant.  There was no author listed (and no date, either, but they were definitely available in the late 70's).  They were published under the series title "The First Years" by Kiddie Products.

Anderson, Mary, I'm Nobody, Who Are You?.  This might be the one-  I can't remember a lot about it as I read it years ago but your post brought this title to mind.
Mary Anderson, I'm nobody! Who Are You?
I sumitted this stumper, and I think you are right...I've found the book, and the first 2 paragraphs seem right on target. I never would have found it without this help. Thank you very much! I'll confirm that it is truely solved when I've read more. Thank you!

Elswyth Thane, Tryst.  You'll get a lot of responses to this one!  Hilary returns to England as a ghost after being killed in WWII, only to find Sabrina and her family living in his boyhood home.  A real tearjerker.
The lead character might be named Emily.  Her friend is a girl around the same age, I think.
Sefton, Catherine, In a Blue Velvet Dress.  Jane loves to read.  She has to stay with an elderly aunt for the summer because her parents are away and she takes a large suitcase full of books with her.  Unfortunately, the suitcase is accidentally switched with her father's suitcase full of work-related materials.  Now she is stuck in a small country town with no friends, no books, no library.  Someone starts leaving books by her bedside while she's sleeping.  That someone turns out to be a girl who lived in the house many years ago- a ghost in a blue velvet dress.  They become friends.  I can't remember the ghost's name- it's been a while since I've read this book.
Sefton, Catherine, In a Blue Velvet Dress. Thanks for solving this mystery!

I believe R42 is Katia by E.M. Almedingen, in which a motherless little girl in tsarist Russia is sent to live with wealthy relations.  (In my library, it was shelved with the biographies.)
More on the suggested title - Katia(UK title Little Katia) by E.M. Almedingen, illustrated by Victor Ambrus, published Farrar 1967, 207 pages. Based on the author's great-aunt Catherine's memoirs (published 1874),
describes Katia's life when as a child of five she went, after the death of her mother, to live with various relatives in the Ukraine and St. Petersburg.
Mara Kaye, In Place of Katia.  1960's.  I think you may be looking for In Place of Katia.  This was a favorite of mine back in the '60's when I was in elementary school.  It took place in Russia during the Revolution and the  part that I always remembered was the exciting escape when the girl was hidden in labyrinth.  I searched high and low for this book so that my girls could read it.  Finally found it at a library on the Central Coast of California (Santa Maria?).  Received it through library loan and the kids enjoyed it.  I know the book is out of print.  Mara Kaye wrote other books of children in Russia, so if this isn't it, maybe it is one of her others.

This 1946 Caldecott Honor winner comes to mind:  Marie Hal Ets. In the Forest.   "Join the fun! There is a parade and a party in the forest."  It's been in print almost since its publication.
I was thrilled to find out the name of the book I had you post.
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When I Went for a Walk in the Forest is a children's book that I read in the mid 1940s.  It has black & white illustrations & is about a little boy wearing a boat-shpaed hat made out of newspaper who goes for a walk in the woods.  He eventually has a parade of animals following him & after each animal joins, there's a refrain: "When I went for a Walk in the Forest". His father comes to take him home for dinner.

This is it: Marie Hal Ets,  In the Forest.

Interpreting Condition  Grades

Ets, Marie Hall.  In the Forest.   Viking, 1944. Caldecott Honor Book. used ex-library copy, library bound, 1950 printing, G, $6 first edition, top of spine worn, o/w VG-  $60

I think you'll get plenty of responses to this! It's In the Keep of Time by Margaret J. Anderson. The story is based on a real Scottish keep called Smailholm Tower. The youngest, a 5-year-old girl (Ollie), actually falls into a misty room in the keep near the beginning and when they rush to find her, she's turned into another entical-looking girl (Mae)and they're back in 1460, just before King James drives out the English - and the kids are English, so they have to keep quiet about it. After the battle, they manage to get home and they take Ollie-Mae with them, but she is still Mae and they have to train her to be Ollie and adjust to the 20th century. They learn to cooperate as a loving family as a result, but they still can't get her to remember her life as Ollie. They (all four) go into the tower again, into the future, and find an old blind woman, Vianah(sp?) whose tribe has not yet returned and she needs them to get food from Kelso. They see her in daylight finally and she looks just like the old aunt (Grace) they're vacationing with. When they get back to Grace's home in Scotland, Ollie apparently remembers some of her modern life in London but won't answer questions. They find the same thing happened decades ago to Grace that happened to Ollie, so they both have a stronger and more abstract understanding of "family" than they did before. What is also fascinating but somewhat  secondary is how Anderson subtly paints how "primitive" societies can be patriarchal or matriarchal and how each system can learn from the other. (Elinor wants nothing but to run back to the 20th century in the first half - especially since the women have nothing to do but hide and wait for days to hear if their loved ones have been killed or not - and Andrew's shocked and horrifed to find the 22nd century to be anything but high-tech and needs Elinor's methods to prevent him from getting completely lost at one point.) Beautiful and thought-provoking. There's a sequel of sorts, with mostly different characters and some chilling remarks about guns and bombs being common in the 20th century. They were both written before the mid-80s, I think.
Sounds like it might be IN THE KEEP OF TIME by Margaret J. Anderson, 1972 4 children slip back and forth in time in an ancient Scottish tower. There were two other books with the same kids.
YES, YES, YES!!!!!  I am so excited.   If you can find a copy that would be great. The girl's name (Ollie) was the thing that did it, because I remember thinking that was an odd name.  Phew!!
So excited...I got the book today!!!  Could you keep your eyes peeled for the others in the series?  Thanks!!! (I'll see if I can solve some more stumpers for you).
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I read this book in the mid-1980s. Four or five children (siblings or cousins) are vacationing (or perhaps sent to live) near the ruins of an old castle. The children like to go there to play or picnic. One day the inside of the castle is all misty. They children climb up as far as they can go, and then the youngest (maybe a boy, and maybe blond-haired? but maybe not...) falls down into the mist. The other children are afraid he's hurt or maybe even dead, and they rush down to him, only to find that he has disappeared. It turns out that he has gone back in time, to the time when the castle was inhabited. He has become a peasant boy who lives outside the castle walls. The children in the present can actually see their sibling/cousin in the past, but he can't see or hear them.  The children in the present must travel back in time to get their cousin/brother back to the present. It is possible that there is also something about a golden key and some green hills, but I'm not sure.

Norton, Andre, Steel Magic.  Copyright 1965, but just re-released by Starscape books- it's one of a series. There are 3 kids-Greg, Eric and Sara, and exploring the castle takes them to Avalon. They can't get back until they have found and returned three "tokens of power" for the good guys. Hope this helps.
Margaret J. Anderson, In the Keep of Time.  It's in the solved pages so you can look there for more details.
The details don't quite match, but I'd check Solved Mysteries for Margaret J. Anderson's In the Keep of Time (1977).

Ruth Stiles Gannett, My Father's Dragon. Possibly the My Father's Dragon/Elmer and the Dragon/Dragons of Blueland trilogy?
Ruth Stiles Gannett, My father's Dragon, 1940s?  Could you be thinking of the 3 books written by Gannett in the 1940s?  One won a Newbury?  The books are about the author's father, Elmer Elevator, and his adventures with a baby dragon, which Elmer helps return to Blueland.
Try Elmer and the Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett. It is the second book in the series of My Father's Dragon (third is the Dragons of Blueland). It stands alone well too. It has been a long time since I have read this so I am not sure of all the details you mention. But the name is close and your cover description seems familiar. Good luck!
Seton I. Miller and S.S. Field., Pete's Dragon, 1977.  May not be the correct solution but it sounds very much like the Disney movie "Pete's Dragon."  It was made into a book. In New England in the early 20th century, Pete is a nine-year-old orphan escaping from his brutal adoptive parents, the Gogans, with his only friend, a cartoon dragon named Elliott. Pete and Elliott successfully escape to Passamaquoddy, Maine, and live with Nora, a lighthouse keeper, and her father, Lampie. Elliott is sought for medicinal purposes by the corrupt Doctor Terminus.
Maybe some more details would help.  It's defintely not Pete's Dragon, or Elmer and the Dragon.  This is a childrens picture book, 30-40 pages at the most.  It was a medium size, probably 8.5 by 11, and it was just a simple little story, not a triolgy or part of a series.  Thank you for all the suggestions so far!!
Janice Elliott, The Incompetent Dragon, 1982.  This sounds like it has a good chance of being what you're looking for, although I've misplaced my copy so I can't check on the boy's name.  I don't think it's Elliott, but maybe you got it mixed up with the author's last name?  Anyway, the cover is mostly dark, with the boy riding on the back of the dragon, who is green.  They are above the earth at night, almost in outer space.  In the story, the boy's parents are acrobats or something, and leave the boy with his mean-tempered aunt while they go off to sea to perform or something.  The aunt feeds her cat (also mean-spirited) better than the boy, and everything is grey and dark.  Then the dragon falls down the chimney one rainy night, asks for cucumber sandwiches, and then he and the boy go on adventures.  The dragon turns the cat into a dog and the aunt into a frog, but then feels guilty and turns them back.  Only when they get turned back, they are miraculously good-tempered and kind, and then the parents return at the end, so everything ends well.  Sound familiar at all?  I wish I could find my copy so I could give you all the names.
In The Incompetent Dragon, the boy's name is Christopher Magnifico, the aunt's name is Aunt Pen, and the cat is Black Cat. It is a British book. Here is a picture of the cover.
Could B450 perhaps be The Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Grahame, the man who wrote The Wind in the Willows?  I remember almost nothing about the book, but maybe?
What a wonderful site!!  The Incompetent Dragon was EXACTLY the book I was searching for.  Thank you very very very much!  This puts an end to two years of searching!  I will definitely recommend this site for any of my friends who are in a similar situation.

Hideo Miyazaki, Future Boy Conan.  The person looking for this can find more information on the movie and book online here. I found it by searching 'conan anime' on Google (anime is the proper name for Japanese animation).  According to the website, the movie was adapted from a book called The Incredible Tide by Alexander Key. One wonderful thing about this movie, it was made by director Hideo Miyazaki, who just won an Academy Award for his latest movie, 'Spirited Away'. All his stuff is wonderful and well worth watching if you can find it!
Alexander Key, The Incredible Tide, 1970.  This seems to be the book that the requester is looking for. It has a hero named Conan with a friend named Lanna, and was made into a Japanese anime series called "Future Boy Conan". It takes place after a nuclear holocaust and the world in the book is now mostly covered with ocean.
Alexander Key, The Incredible Tide, 1970.  Funny I should come across this today -- I just saw the first three episodes at a  fan convention on Saturday. The animation is titled "Future Boy Conan", directed by the famed  Hayao Miyazaki  ("My Neighbor Totoro", "Spirited Away", many others).  A quick Google search shows that it was based on the book The Incredible Tide by Alexander Key. Since the book is so rare, I recommend visiting this link for a treat.

I16 - Is called Indian Bunny and is by Ruth Bornstein.  My daughter got a copy from Scholastic in first grade.  Cute little book.
I16 indian bunny: More on the suggested title Indian Bunny, written and illustrated by Ruth Bornstein, published Scholastic 1973. "One day a bunny said, "Good-by, I'm going to be an Indian."

I just recently purchased a lot of horse books on eBay, and I think one of them is this book.....copyright is 42, but this printing is a paperback from 1960.  Story is of the son of an Indian chief who tames his horse, son of a mare his father gives him, but runs away, he follows the horse and spends a year taming him, the story ends when Little Falcon rides "Shadow" back into his camp.  The horse is a paint....Sure sounds like this would be the correct book!!
You were right in thinking it was a Little Golden Book, for here is exactly the story you seek:
Zolotow, Charlotte.  Indian Indian.  Illustrated by Leonard Weisgard.  Simon & Schuster, 1952.  Little Golden Book #149.  First Edition.  Worn at top and bottom of spine, otherwise VG.  $12 <SOLD>
I received the book today and am thrilled beyond belief.  I had forgotten parts of the story but it essentially was the same as I recalled.  Being 53 now, it is so interesting to see how a book had such an impact on me.  I am now a pet sitter and a local columnist on pet issues.  Even then, animal connections were important to me.  Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

N.I. Vilenkin, Stories About Sets.  I think this *might* be the book, as the subject matter is as you describe it did contain some black-and-white drawings and it was intended for both adult students, and teenagers with an interest in mathematics. The author was, however, male and Russian.
I've looked at two books by N. Ia. Vilenkin -- Stories About Sets, and In Search Of Infinity, but neither are the one. Could you put it back on the active list?  thanks!
Lillian Lieber, Infinity, 1953. So I solved my own stumper. Some searching through the National Library of Canada's
online catalogue turned up the book, and I was able to find it at a local library.

Could this be Mind Call (1981), by Wilanne Schneider Belden, or either of its sequels, Mind Hold (1987) or Mind Find (1988)? Here's a plot description for Mind Call:  "Following a disastrous earthquake, a group of exceptionally bright, precognitive youngsters must outwit several dangerous relatives, under unusual circumstances before their future is assured."
I don't think that Mind-Call is the right one.  I remember only one girl, taken from her family, isolated by herself rather than a group of youngsters.
Irma Walker, Inherit the Earth, 1981.  The details specified made me think at once of this book I read first in 1982 in my school's library. The main character, Shea, was a mindreader living in a secret government research facility in Kentucky, being educated by the scientists who were studying her. One of the Scientists thought he could block her telepathy by thinking constantly of advertising jingles. The facility eventually burned down and Shea was taken in by a local mountain family. Eventually she found herself in California, the prisoner of a wealthy man who wanted her to produce a child with his son. She discovered that she was a member of an entirely new species, and set out to find another of her own kind. It was a fantastic story, and I was sad to find that the writer moved almost entirely to Romance novels. I searched for this book for more than 20 years before I found a copy last year, even tho I already knew the title and author.
Inheirt the Earth is the one!  I feel like a piece of my past has been put back together.  After rereading the book this weekend, it was very interesting to see how the details one remembers mesh with the rest of the story.  Thank you so much.
Belden, Wilanne, Mindcall, Mind Find, Mind Hold.  I think you should check these out.  I've read them and they have a very similar storyline to your stumper.  Mind Call starts out with the girl isolated from everyone, her brother eventually comes into the story to help her. The others are about children with mind powers similar to theirs. The other possiblity could be The Girl with the Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts.

I forgot to put the twin girls/twin cats in time--I would have read it around 1943-45.
Charims (illustrator), Inky And Pinky, 1936.  New York: Grosset & Dunlap. 28 pages. Jane (good twin) & Judy (bad twin) have kittens. Judy is sometimes mean to Inky.

H. E. Bates, Fair Stood The Wind For France, 1975.  Is this it? John Franklin was the name of the pilot. H.E. Bates is fairly well known he wrote the popular Darling Buds of May. Penguin have just reprinted this in the Modern Classics series.
Robert Daley, The Innocents Within, 1999. 

Kim Platt, Big Max.  Your description made me think of a book my daughter had when she was little, Big Max.  He was a little guy, who wore a Sherlock Holmes hat and cape, traveled by umbrella, and ONLY LOOKED AT THINGS THROUGH HIS MAGNIFYING GLASS, so he missed a lot of what went on around him.  He was called the "world's greatest detective."  I know this was an "I Can Read" book and that there were several Big Max and the Mystery of the . . . books.  Since I haven't seen them all, I don't know if there was one with a dog and monsters.
I75 It might be worth looking at PROFESSOR WORMBOG IN SEARCH FOR THE ZIPPERUMP-A-ZOO by Mercer Mayer. The professor is looking for a specific monster, and meanwhile all kinds of monsters and things are going on around him and he doesn't notice. The cover does show him looking at a giant footprint while his companion dog-sized (but not a dog) monster looks at the monsters hovering behind the professor. It was recently republished. Not all the elements match, but take a look at the cover online.~from a librarian
George Mendoza and Peter Parnall, The Inspector.(1970)  I had been searching for the specifics on this book for some time and have finally found them. It is a picture book by George Mendoza and illustrated by Peter Parnall. Happy to see I am not alone in my adoration of this book!
George Mendoza and Peter Parnall, The Inspector, (1970). The contributors listed in I75 have correctly identified the book I was looking for.  Thanks ever so much!

Probably Inside and Outside by Annette Tison & Talus Taylor (who also did the Barbapapa books):  "Herbie and his dog look at many kinds of houses to find a style just right for a doghouse.  Some ill. accompanied by superposed colored transparent overlays."
Tison, Annette & Taylor, Talus, inside and outside. (1980)  C.E. Merrill Pub Co Herbie and his dog look at many kinds of houses to find a style just right for a doghouse.  The catalog record says some illustrations are accompanied by superimposed coloured transparent overlays.  Part of the "Color Magic Series"
Laurie and the Yellow Curtains.  Try this book, it is about a young girl who is friends with the neighborhood handyman, and follows him around on his Jobs. He builds a henhouse, a doghouse, etc., while the girl asks him to make it with a yellow door and yellow curtains in the window. She is put out with him because he wont, and explains why each animal wants an ordinary house. Then the little girl goes visiting, and when she returns he has built a tree house in her backyard... with a yellow door and yellow curtains of course! My old copy had a full color cover, but the illustrations inside the book were in tricolor black, white, and yellow.
Inside and Outside by Annette Tison & Talus Taylor.  This is the correct answer.  The version I had was a hardcover book from the early 70's and not the 1980 version.  Thanks to everyone.

I have this one sitting on my bookshelf right now.  The title is Inside Out, and it is indeed by Ann M. Martin. 

Nicholas Wilde, Into the Dark, 1987.  Absorbing and suspenseful, this novel concerns a blind boy who, vacationing on the English coast, meets a unique friend.
Nicholas Wilde, Into the Dark, 1987.  Matthew is a blind boy who is bored on his summer vacation at the shore, until he makes a new friend named Roly who has a frightening secret: he's a ghost.
Wilde, Nicholas, Into the Dark, 1987.  Pretty sure this is the right one--the boy named Matt, the ghost, it's all the same.

William Sleator, Into The Dream
William Sleator, Into the Dream, 2000, reprint. I loved this book too!  I remembered the title and looked up the author using the ubiquitous Amazon. Hope this helps!
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book about a boy and a girl who communicate telepathically.  Their connection is their mother's who were both at the stardust motel/hotel during a UFO landing.  for some reason i keep remembering an amusement park or ferris wheel. i thought i might have imagined this, but my husband remembers it too! i read it in the late 70's or early 80's.

William Sleator, Into the Dream, 1979, copyright.  Two schoolmates, Francine and Paul, find that they have been sharing the same dream. It leads them to another telepathic boy named Noah who is being chased by a secret government agency. The climax comes when the agents catch up to them on top of a ferris wheel at an amusement park.
Keys, Alexander, Escape to Witch Mountain, 1968, copyright.  It sounds a little like this or perhaps Zenna Henderson's "People" stories...
William Sleator, Into the Dream.
William Sleater, Into the Dream, 1994, reprint.  I can't beleive this! I told my sister about my quest and she did a search on google and was directed to this website...it has been solved by Loganberry Books and is filed under the solved mysteries page IJ! This is such a great website!!
William Sleater, Into the Dream, 2000, reprint.  I am a school librarian.  We have this book in our library, and I just reread it.  (I, too, remember this book from my childhood).  You are correct with just about everything you remember.
William Sleator, Into the Dream, 1979.  There's a ferris wheel on the cover, which may be why that stands out so clearly!

Pamela Stearns, Into the Painted Bear Lair,1976.  Mark this one solved - I love this book.  The boy crawls under a table in a toy shop (marked "Bear Lair"), and finds himself in another land ... he befriends Sir Rosemary ( a female knight) and a bear, they go on a quest, etc.  Houghton Mifflin.
Stearns, Pamela and Strugnell, Ann. Into the Painted Bear Lair.  Houghton Mifflin, 1976.  "Entering another world through a toy store, Gregory joins Sir Rosemary and a gourmet named Bear on a journey involving princesses, magic spells, and hidden passages."
Pamela Stearns, Into the Painted Bear Lair, 1976.  '"Entering another world through a toy store, Gregory joins Sir Rosemary and a gourmet named Bear on a journey involving princesses, magic spells and hidden passages."
Harriett apparently needs this book herself...

Dean Marshall, Invisible Island, 1948.  Dean Marshall's INVISIBLE ISLAND, a classic of its kind.  Plot summary online here.
Hey, I never knew Dean Marshall was a woman!  Thanks for the great link.
L.M. Boston, Green Knowe series.  Reminds me a bit of the adventures Tolly had with Ping, etc. exploring the waters around Green Knowe.(which one was that?) Stumper requester might look at T317 and see if that series looks familiar.
Wow, you guys are amazing, and so fast!  ''The Invisible Island" is definitely it, and how cool that there are two others by the same author.  I have been trying to remember this title for 30 years.  Now, I just have to find a copy for less than $155 (what the cheapest used bookseller is listing it for). Thanks again SO much, I am very grateful.
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A family of children--oldest is a girl, and there are maybe 2 others--camps out for the summer on an island on their new country property. The island is in a little brook that they dam up to make swimming hole, and I think that isn't quite a real island as it is divided from land on one side only by a tiny stream of water. There are surprise gifts left by someone in the woods. I read the book in the 1950s or early 60s.

DEAN MARSHALL, INVISIBLE ISLAND.  IF THIS IS THE CORRECT BOOK, IT WAS ILLUSTRATED BY CHRISTINE PRICE AND TAKES PLACE IN CONNECTICUT.
Irwin, Inez Haynes, Maida's Little Island.  Could this be it?  Though, there are eight children in this book.  It's been too many years since I read this to remember details, but Maida and her friends have a whole series of adventures (i.e. Maida's Little Shop, House, Camp, Zoo, etc.) thanks to Maida's father, who is incredibly rich.
Dean Marshall, The Invisible Island, 1948.  This sounds like it could be it.  Try this link.
F209, The Four Story Mistake/Spiderweb for Two.  Could this have been more than one book?  Elizabeth Enright wrote a series about the Melendy children and I have seen at least one version which compiles all of the books into one volume.  The Four Story Mistake includes a chapter where the children create a dam in order to dam up a brook to make a larger swimming hole. Spiderweb for Two is the story of a treasure hunt created by the older ones who are off at boarding school to keep their younger two siblings occupied/from missing them.  It involves them finding clues both around their house/property/barn and in at least one instance that I recall, in the countryside around it.
Dean Marshall, The Invisible Island, 1948.  This is definitely the book.  I had it in the 1950s as a Junior Literary Guild selection.  Now my daughter has my copy and her son read it last summer!  There was a sequel, Dig for a Treasure.  If you can find a copy of either book grab it!!
Invisible Island. The Invisible Island is definitely it! Thanks!
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Three siblings � I believe two boys and a girl � are on summer vacation from school. They go out the back door of their house, cross a creek at the end of their backyard and set up a tent/camp on the other side. I don't remember much more but they had fun and felt grown up.  I think they eventually brought their parents out to see their camp hideaway although at first they were trying to keep it secret.  I believe I read the book in the mid to late 1950s, but I don't remember the title or author or details about the story. Just remember liking the book a lot.  Thank you for your help.

Arthur Ransome, Swallows and Amazons, 1930, copyright.  The three Walker children sail a borrowed dinghy to an island and camp there, but other than that the plot sounds very similar.
Dean Marshall, The Invisible Island, 1948, copyright.  This sounds like "The Invisible Island" by Dean Marshall.  The island is invisible because it's really just a section of land with creeks that flow on all sides, making it, in a way, an island.  Four siblings set up a camp and have adventures during the summer.  Their parents let them alone but come to see the camp when it's all set. There are a couple of other books about these children too--they're a great read.
Arthur Ransome, Swallowdale, 1931, copyright.  I agree that it's probably Arthur Ransome but I think it is Swallowdale, the second book in the series, rather than Swallows and Amazons. The four kids who call themselves Swallows set up a camp in a "hidden" valley.  There is definitely a creek which must be crossed, and they find a cave in the valley which they keep secret at first and then reveal. They also bring parents out to see the camp.
Dean Marshall, Invisible Island, 1948, approximate.  Some elements are similar, you might want to check it out.
Did one of the girls in the story have long braids, which she didn't unravel all summer?  And at the end of the summer, they had to cut off her hair, because the braids were moldy?  That's the part I remember the most, but the rest of your memory sounds vaguely like the rest of the book.  If so, it's "The Paleface Redskins" by Jacqueline Jackson, published in 1958.
Dean Marshall, The Invisible Island.  This may be the book - it has a title that would have appealed to me at that time and there are similarities to what I remember.  I found a sample of this book on the Internet with a map of the island that appeared inside the front cover of the book. I do remember that map so I'm going to assume that this was the book.  Thank you to all for your suggestions!

The Invisible Man, 1933.  You're probably thinking of The Invisible Man with Claude Rains.  Once he's invisible, he wraps his face in gauze and only leaves a space for his mouth and eyes.  Here's an image...
This sounds like The Invisible Man, 1933, with Claude Rains. When his bandages are removed --he is invisible!

Monica Hughes, Invitation to the game. (1991)  Found this description: In a future world, Lisse and seven of her friends find themselves unemployed when they graduate from the government school.  Sent to a Designated Area to live, the eight learn to cooperate and build a life for themselves, and then are invited to a mysterious Game. In the Game they must learn to survive. Each time they return from the Game, they seek out new knowledge to help them proceed further the next time. Two more friends from school are added to the group, one with medical knowledge and one from a farm.  these skills complement those of the rest of the group. Then, one day, the Game becomes different instead of returning when someone is in danger, or when they sleep, the Game goes on. The group finally realizes that they have been sent to another planet, to survive there.
Monica Hughes, Invitation to the Game.  That's it - thank you so much!
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I remember reading this book in a 7th grade reading/language arts class. It was about a group of teenagers in a war torn or crime ridden city. It was set in the future of course. There were all kinds of rules and regulations they had to follow. Some how they got involved in some kind of experiment where they would go in this room and basically learn new skills I guess. At the end of the story they end up being sent to a new world to repopulate and basically restart society all over again and they find other groups of people who were sent to do the same.

Monica Hughes, Invitation to the Game, 1991. Sounds very much like this one.
Monica Hughes, Invitation to the Game, 1991. Yes, I'd say its defiantely this book. Still one of my favourite light reading books :)
Monica Hughes, Invitation to the Game.  Yes! Invitation to the Game.

A!!! I just found it!!! It's called "Iris and Ruby." Love your site though, and thank you.

Elizabeth George Spear , The Witch of Blackbird Pond, 1958.
Probably not The Witch of Blackbird Pond, since that wasn't about an indentured girl (although Kit does feel repressed by her relatives' Puritan community).  If it was a French-speaking girl, it could be Calico Bush by Rachel Field.
Nan Watson Denker, The Bound Girl, 1957.  Some of the key elements I remember about this book (aside from her having to work off her passage by becoming an indentured servant) include her having some jewelry, including a locket, that the family she was working for wouldn't let her wear because it was too worldly. Later on in the book she saves their youngest daughter and they thank her by letting her wear the locket with a lock of the daughter's hair in it. A romance also develops between the bound girl and the son of the couple she works for. I can't even remember the main character's name, but I used to love this book.
Clarke, Mary Stetson, The Iron Peacock, 1966.  Could this be it?  This is from the inside cover: "Joanna Sprague's last link with her happy, gracious life in England was broken on a bleak and stormy day in 1650 when her father was buried at sea.  He died on the voyage that was to take them, refugees from Cromwell's persecution...to a new life in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Now at the age of 16, penniless and alone, Joanna faced life as a bondservant, for her father had been unable to pay the full cost of their passage...But there was little to comfort her in the austere Puritan way of life at Hammersmith..."  Things do get better eventually for Joanna, and the book ends with her finding a measure of contentment in her new country.  The dust jacket of the book, printed in mostly white, blue and brown, does show a young woman walking through the Hammersmith settlement.
Clarke, Mary Stetson, The Iron Peacock, 1966.  Yes! This is the book I was looking for. Thank you so much!!! What a lot of time this would have saved me if I had found your web site sooner. Thanks.

Sing A Song Of Safety, 1965, copyright. I found a website w/ info about this. It's called SING A SONG OF SAFETY also known as SONGS OF SAFETY. It may include the songs "Never be afraid of anything", "Talking to the driver" (or maybe "Don't talk to the driver"), "When you swim", "An Automobile has two big eyes", "A Goof plays on the roof", "Keep to the right", "Pop-guns & rifles", "Heroes of peace", "Always hold your umbrella high", "Ice skating is nice skating", "Johnny climbs fences and Johnny climbs walls", "Leaning out of windows", "Let the ball roll", "Safety patrol", "Stay away from railroad tracks", "Striking things", "Wait for the bus to stop", "Walk to the exit near you", "When you're watching a parade", "When you ride a bicycle", "When you swim". The site was http://www.faqs.org/copyright/johnny-climbs-fences-and-johnny-climbs-walls-sing-a-song-of/  In 1938, Irving Caesar and composer Gerald Marks created the Sing a Song of Safety collection of children's songs. I wasn'\''t sure if it was a book with a record, there also seemed to be sheet music for it. I hope this link works - it's the Billboard description of it when it came out:http://books.google.com/books?id=DyAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA32&lpg=PA32&dq=%22sing+a+song+of+safety%22+Irving+Caesar+record&source=bl&ots=UKh4yK
ScTw&sig=At0Cz0HoBtuVzaTcOUpgjBnxZkc&hl=en&ei=DQMXS7qxLNOWtgeV_fHlBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CB0Q6AEwCQ#v=one
page&q=%22sing%20a%20song%20of%20safety%22%20Irving%20Caesar%20record&f=false
Irving Caesar, Irving Caesar's Sing a Song of Safety, 1937, copyright. I found this contents list from a 1960's LP called "Songs of Safety" which seems to be attached somehow to this book/score.  Contents: When you ride a bicycle -- Let the ball roll -- Johnny climbs fences and Johnny climbs walls -- Ice skating is nice skating -- When you're watching a parade -- An automobile has two big eyes -- Never be afraid of anything -- Remember your name and address -- Hot and cold water -- When you swim -- Stay away from the railroad tracks.
Irving Caesar, Irving Caesar's Sing a Song of Safety,1937, copyright. An actual contents listing of the book from a bookseller is a bit different than the LP record:(
(1) An Automobile Has Two Big Eyes;  (2) When you ride a Bicycle;  (3) Talking to the Driver; (4) Let the Ball Roll;  (5) When You're Watching a Parad;  (6) Remember Your Name and Address;  (7) Stay Away from the Railway Tracks;  (8) Keep to the Right;  (9) Ice Skating is Nice Skating;  (10) A Goof Plays on the Roof;  (11) Hot and Cold Water;  (12) Sticks and Stones and Bones;  (13) Leaning Out the Window;  (14) Striking Things;  (15) Never Be Afraid of Anything;  (16) When You Swim;  (17) Johnny Climb Fences and Johnny Climbs Walls;  (18) Pins and Needles and Pins;  (19) Pop-Guns and Rifles;  (20) Heroes of Peace.

Irving Caesar, Irving Caesar's Sing a Song of Safety, 1937, copyright'. I'm so glad to finally find this!

Sean Morrison, Is That a Happy Hippopotamus?, 1966.  This looks like quite a likely prospect for this book.  "When there is a large thumping, the question is asked who is it and various animals are expected, until the end!"

M157: Richard Scarry, 1964, Is This the House of Mistress Mouse? (Yes, that's the whole title.)

Interpreting Condition  Grades

Scarry, Richard. Is This the House of Mistress Mouse?  Illustrated by Richard Scarry.  Golden Press, 1964, thirteenth printing, 1979.  A board book with a cut-out hole with fuzz on last page (end of hole).  Spiral bound.  Ink scribbles on four pages.  G only.  $25

Silver, Jody, Isadora.  Doubleday, 1981.  "A lady donkey who buys a red feather boa instead of a toaster comes to terms with her sense of frivolity." 

Myra Kingsbury, Island of Fog 1974. Thank you everyone, weve done it again! I just got the book and this is it. Its amazing how different romance novels seem when you are in your teens...

Steven Kellogg wrote a book about mice that travel on a boat called The Isle of the Skog.  I don't remember if it involved desert, but I know it would be easy to get ahold of to check.
M56 marshmallow cheesecake: long shot, perhaps Tim Mouse Goes Down the Stream, written and illustrated by Judy Brook, published Lothrop Lee & Shepard 1975. "When Willy Frog is captured by fierce river rats, Tim Mouse sets sail on his little raft to the rescue. A tale of courage in an enchanting pastoral setting. Ages 5-8" (HB Oct/75 p.530 pub ad)
M56 marshmallow cheesecake: might be worth looking at Mouse and Mole's Great Race by Diane Redfield Massie, published Weekly Reader Book Club 1982. "Very cute story. Sometimes between friends someone doesn't play fair and that's when trouble beginds. Look at how Rat cheats to win the boat race! However as in this story justice usually wins." The cover shows the boats on a stream with the boat in the foreground being a raft with a sail.
This couldn't be Bunny Cakes by Rosemary Wells. Two bunnies are making two birthday cakes for Grandma- Max wants an earthworm cake and Ruby is making an angel surprise cake with raspberry-fluff frosting! Over and over Max gets in the way in the kitchen and tips things over. He is sent to the market each time for eggs, milk etc. Each time he adds his own item "Red-Hot Marshmallow Squirters" (in crayon scribbles) to Ruby's list.Grocer can't read his writing! In the end Grandma gets her two cakes and can't decide which to eat!
Steven Kellogg, The Island of the Skog.  This book must be it-  the first page talks about the mice having dessert "Hot marshmallow cheese cake with raspberry fudge sauce".  The book is about a group of mice sailing away on a boat to an island.  There is no recipe for the dessert in the copy I have but I believe it is the book that is being sought.

Harry Mazer, The Island Keeper. This is it!  The girl's name was Cleo...

B338 Prob not the right Blackie:  Palazzo, Tony,  Bianco and the new world.  illus by Tony Palazzo. Viking, 1957  burros; Italy; Sicily; circus; horse: Blackie; juvenile fiction
Walter Farley, The Island Stallion Races.  This is one of Walter Farley's Island Stallion series, and has science-fiction elements.  Jay and Flick are aliens who help Steve bring his horse Flame to Cuba to participate in a race.
Walter Farley, The Island Stallion Races (and others), 1950s.  Jay and Flick were the two aliens in The Island Stallion Races by Walter Farley, who also wrote many Black Stallion books and a few other Island Stallion books.  I loved these as a child, and this particular one did have a magical feel to it.
Hi, I'm the person who suggested The Island Stallion Races.  Just wanted to add that the shipwreck and the black horse come from Farley's better-known Black Stallion series, so the original poster may wish to check both!

Thomas Baum, It looks alive to me!, 1976.  "The exhibits at the Museum of Natural History come alive as a young boy searches during the night for the stolen moon rock." 

B65 could be Down a Dark Hall by Lois Duncan
Could this be Down a Dark Hall by Lois Duncan? In that book, a rather sinister woman enrolls 4 girls with "psychic" abilities in a boarding school. Somehow, the woman is able to use the girl to channel historical figures--one girl is able to play the piano like Schumann, one girl is able to paint, one does mathematics. The woman's plan was to take the art or songs produced by the girls and pass them off as "lost compositions" or "lost masterpieces." It was my favorite Lois Duncan book--very creepy.
B65 my first thought was the Macdonald Hall books by Gordon Korman, but those seem to have been published in the 80s.
I reread Down a Dark Hall and it is a great book but not the one I was looking for this time. I remember it being a boys' boarding school and one of the mishaps was someone breaking their leg (which I believe was the pic on the cover of the hb). The other guess isn't it either, written too early and this was more of a mystery book.
How about It's Murder st St. Basket's (1972) by James Lincoln Collier. The setting is an ancient London boarding school and involves three new friends: an American ,Christopher Quincy, an English student, Leslie Plainfield, and David Choudhry, a Pakistani." A truly macabre and dangerous situation is building up" at this seemingly traditional educational institution.
James Lincoln Collier, It's Murder at St. Basket's.  This book is about 3 friends in an English boarding school, one of whom gets his leg broken by a teacher with a hockey stick.  The picture on the cover of the book shows 2 boys, one of whom has an injured leg.

Andrew Lang, The Red Fairy Book.  Here's the table of contents from the online version at the Gutenberg
site:  The Twelve Dancing Princesses, The Princess Mayblossom, Soria Moria Castle, The Death of Koschei the Deathless, The Black Thief and Knight of the Glen, The Master Thief, Brother and Sister, Princess Rosette, The Enchanted Pig, The Norka, The Wonderful Birch, Jack and the Beanstalk, The Little Good Mouse, Graciosa and Percinet, The Three Princesses of Whiteland, The Voice of Death, The Six Sillies, Kari Woodengown, Drakestail, The Ratcatcher, The True History of Little Goldenhood, The Golden Branch, The Three Dwarfs, Dapplegrim, The Enchanted Canary, The Twelve Brothers, Rapunzel, The Nettle Spinner, Farmer Weatherbeard, Mother Holle, Minnikin, Bushy Bride, Snowdrop, The Golden Goose, The Seven Foals, The Marvellous Musician, The Story of Sigurd.
Nope... not the "Red Fairy Book".. Although there are some stories that are similar in "The Red Fairy Book" to to stories that I am looking for, my quarry had fewer stories, and many of the story names/plots were subtly different. I have remembered that very first story in the book was "The Wonder Stone", and there were approximately a dozen stories in the whole book.
Ruth Manning-Sanders, A book of Wizards,1966.  I don't know if this will help but this was a paperback book reprinted in 1977 by piccolo but first published by methuen in the uk. It has the story Long, Broad and Sharpsight (aparently a Bohemian fairytale) in it along with Aniello, Aladin, Kojata etc.
Oh boy, I found it!!! The cover is exactly as described! Your memory is perfect! IT MUST BE MAGIC by Miriam Blanton Huber and Frank Seely Salisbury, illustrared by Florence and Margaret Hoopes.( Row,Peterson and Company) 1953 (mine is a 1957 printing) It is stated this is Book Four of the Wonder-Story Books, A Unit of the Reading Foundations Program. That would make it part of the Alice and Jerry Reading curriculum, I believe. Perhaps an enrichment or supplementary reader! Yipee!!  I'll add a little additional info in case this is someone else's much loved book! It does, indeed, begin with The Wonder Stone, followed by The Frog Prince, The Doll-in-the Grass, Mr. Possum, Ton Tit Tot, The Squire's Bride, Good-Man on the Hillside, and Little Man in the Red Jacket. Eight more stories with Young Paul Bunyan being the last selection! Hope this helps others.

Norma Klein, It's Not What You Expect. There is a 14-year-old boy who is a gourmet chef...Carla, his twin sister, has a vocabulary that would intimidate some of the most astute college professors...
Norma Klein. I half remmber this one and think it might be one of Norma Kleins many books. I have not been able to find a soruce that describes the titles enough, but perhaps this will be a start.

N.M. Bodecker (translator & illustrator), It's Raining Said John Twaining, Danish Nursery Rhymes, 1973. One of the poems in this book starts like this: "There once was a King who had three daughters.  The oldest he called Sip!  The second he called Sip sippernip!  But the youngest of all he called Sip sippernip sip sirumsip!"  It goes on to tell of a neigboring king with 3 sons, Skrat, Skrat skratterat, and Skrat skratterat skrat skrirumskrat, and the inevitable weddings, ending up with "and Sipsippernipsipsirumsip got Skratskratteratskratskrirumskrat. As simple as that!"
Well, it's not The 3 princes of  Serendip [luckily - since it is expensive]. Google says: SERENDIPITY (from The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 3rd Edition)  The faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident.  [From the characters in the Persian fairy tale The Three Princes of Serendip, from Persian Sarandip, Sri Lanka, from Arabic Sarandib]
Sirip. Had to laugh when I saw this one, kept looking past it but thinking to myself how as children in the car, my sister and I imitated the windshield wipers saying "Sirip... Sirip... Sirip..." Drove Mom crazy! Turns out your book title does have to do with 'wain'  :)

I believe this is J.T. written by Jane Wagner, 1969 (of Lily Tomlin's In Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe fame), with photographs by Gordon Parks.
Neville, Emily, It's Like This, Cat. I see there's a solution up for this, and I can't be sure of my answer either, but it could be worth a look.
#B125--Boy finds cat:  This is definitely NOT It's Like This, Cat, by Emily Cheney Neville.  That boy did live in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of New York, but he was white.  The cat was given him by a neighbor, not found, and he kept it at home.  His father wasn't thrilled about the arrangement, but the cat was never evicted or kept outside anyplace.  There was one scene when the cat got out and the boy was teased by bullies while carrying it home, but the cat was never killed or seriously harmed.  I forgot to mention it is also not illustrated with photographs.
All I can add to this is that I recall seeing an adaptation of the story on television around Christmas.  The boy and his mother are having trouble getting along, both getting by and with each other.  J.T. has been "charging" cans of tuna at the corner store to feed the cat. The Mother comes through in the end gives him a kitten for a Christmas present.

This might be Leo Mero, Jack & Jill Visit the Zoo (Whitman Publishing,'40). Die cut scenes, 12-15" tall.
How Amazing!  Talk about Cast Bread . . . .  I am sure that is right. It would have been in stock after a few years in the war and my mother gave me some other Whitman books too.  My Goodness ,want want want.   I had given up on it. Please let it not be the case that AlephBet books buy this kind because the price will be out of this world. At very worst I may be able to get a colour xerox of it from somewhere. Or have you got a copy? I will look at my list and put some more up I think! Many thanks for letting me know!

Well, I finally got a xerox of Jack and Jill visit the Zoo.  At first I wasn't sure, the cover was not as I had recalled it, the cage bars had become a kind of lattice work at the zoo entrance. No gorilla, but there was the giraffe house with the peaked roof and bellpull and the peanut bags and the monkeys at the end, though not with the vendor.  However, it looked so 1930ish, I kept wondering whether I was just imagining this to be it.  Then I looked at the elephant and I knew the identifiaction was right.  Up welled the old feeling of shock that the elephant was eating his food off the FLOOR and, my goodness, the keeper was EATING one of the elephant's carrots.  I hope he washed it.  Yup, that is the book.   Well done, only about half my clues were right!!

Kitt, tamara, Jake, 1969.  An easy-to-read retelling in rhyme of the old folktale about the simple-minded son who does exactly what his mother says--but in the wrong situations. Illustrated by Brinton Turkle.
Tamara Kitt, Jake, 1969.  This book is definitely Jake by Tamara Kitt.  It is about a son who follows his mother's instructions, but always in the wrong situations.  No doubt about it.

I read this book to my daughter just the other night.  It is James the Jaguar by Mary Lystad, illustrated by Cyndy Szekeres.  Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons.  Copyright 1972.  LC # 76-187562.  It is also identified as coming from The Weekly Reader's Book Club. I bought my copy at a garage sale or library book sale.  I did a search, and it doesn't seem to be in print.
D6 dress-up baby brother: more on the suggested - James the Jaguar, by Mary Lystad, published New York, Putnam's 1972, Weekly Reader, 24 pages. "Charming color illustrations by Cyndy Szekeres on every page highlight this story that tells of young James who is constantly picked on by his older sisters. When his uncle sends him a jaguar suit, James is transformed into a strong willed jaguar who sets his sisters straight."

S60 Supernatural Thriller with Female Teen Protagonist--I think this must be JANE-EMILY by Patricia Clapp, 1969. The female teen goes with her young niece stay with a family in Massachusetts. In the garden, there is a reflecting ball. The ghost of a spoiled young girl is trapped in the reflecting ball.
S60 sounds like Jane-Emily published in 1969 by Patricia Clapp.  Louisa, the main character, is 18 and is sent to accompany her niece Jane to her grandmother's house, where Jane becomes possessed by her dead aunt Emily.  Emily had a reflecting ball in the garden.
Thank you a ton for this service!!  The responses to S60 (my request) were right. I have spent a year trying to figure this out without success asking everyone I know.  I absolutely am addicted to your site now. Only wishing your store was in my town!
Thank you so much!  I have been looking for this book for so long and I am so thrilled.  Your website is a life-saver!!
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G82:  I'm sure it was from Scholastic Books.  It was about a girl at her  grandmother's house for the summer (?) and there was a doll that belonged to her grandmother.  There was a button jar that later turned out to have the original doll's eyes in it.  There was a gazing ball in the yard. The doll was evil (?) and made the gazing ball blow up.  Then the evil was gone.

Aaahhh!! Synchronicity!! I can't solve the puzzle, but I'm very interested in finding the answer! This is a book plot that has been running in my head for YEARS, but no one could ever give me the title---much less even say that they had read such a book.  I've just returned this evening from my first kid-lit book club meeting, where I asked my usual question: "Anyone read the book about the little girl and the haunted witch ball in the garden?" No reply, but one woman pointed me to your website and suggested I post the question there. This is my first visit to your website and what is the first thing I see? "Book Stumper of the Week---Gazing Ball"!! I'm stunned. This means something--I know it. I am finally meant to find the book again after all the years! Can't wait to see the answer!  Thanks!
I can't think of the title, but if it is the book I am thinking of, here are more clues: It is an historical novel, taking place in the administration of President Taft.  It is horror.  A little girl and young woman stay at a house with a gazing ball in the garden.  A young doctor's little girl friend is a ghost with long curly black hair.  At the end, the young woman runs out to the garden and breaks the gazing ball, thus stopping the ghost's revenge, and saving the little girl's life.  The problem is, this seemed to be a romance novel for older girls, since the young doctor and young woman date each other, plus I don't remember a doll!
Clapp, Patricia, Jane-Emily. A gazing ball is a major part of this supernatural type juvenile book.
Lunn, Janet, Twin Spell (Double Spell), 1969, (1968).  I think the original poster is conflating THREE books: 1) Jane-Emily (which is definitely the answer to the second and third poster's stumper - excellent plot description btw)  2) Magic Elizabeth by Norma Kassirer Summary: Sally goes to live with her stern Aunt Sarah and finds an old doll in the attic. She travels back in time to experience three of the doll's original owner's days - another Sally - who turns out to be none other than her (now thawing) Aunt Sarah 3) Twin Spell by Janet Lunn (originally published in Canada as Double Spell in 1968) Cover text of my Dell Yearling copy: "Jane and Elizabeth were almost drawn to the antique store where they bought the old doll. Afterward nothing was the same. And, when they moved to Aunt Alicia's house where the doll 'seemed to belong', the twin terrors began. The girls began to have similar dreams and to feel the possession within them of a cruel person long dead. Stranger and stranger occurrences plagued their lives as they sought out the ghostly secret. Then in an explosive climax, the dreaded terror revealed itself."
Ginnie and the Mystery Doll (C 1960) by Catherine Woolley.Ginnie takes her find Geneva on her family vacation to Cape Cod. The girls get friendly with a Miss Wade who lives in a neighboring cottage. Miss Wade once had an old doll from Paris named Miss Vanderbilt that had belonged to her mother. It had mysteriously disappeared years ago. At an auction the girls spot the doll and spend the rest of the story trying to track it down. While at this same auction Ginnie bids on a big jar of buttons for her mom. Later they discover Miss Vanderbilt's conch pearl necklace in this jar.( very valuable) The gazing ball-evil doll part of the recollection is not here  at all. I think the posted must be combining events from two books.
There is a book by Ruth Arthur called A Candle in her Room. This has an evil doll called Dido who has been handed down and has  frightened other family members who have owned her.  I can't remember a gazing ball in it though.
Patricia Clapp, Jane-Emily.  The button dolls eyes in a jar I think must be from a different book. But the child staying for the summer, the evil garden ball (which is destroyed at the end), and all of the following: "I can't think of the title, but if it is the book I am thinking of, here are more clues: It is an historical novel, taking place in the administration of President Taft.  It is horror.  A little girl and young woman stay at a house with a gazing ball in the garden.  A young doctor's little girl friend is a ghost with long curly black hair.  At the end, the young woman runs out to the garden and breaks the gazing ball, thus stopping the ghost's revenge, and saving the little girl's life.  The problem is, this seemed to be a romance novel for older girls, since the young doctor and young woman date each other" are DEFINITELY from Jane-Emily.
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I read this paperback book in the very early eighties. It was about a young girl who finds herself haunted by the spirit of a very beautiful but spoiled girl from the past (Victorian?) who died by deliberately soaking herself and then sitting by an open window. Spoiled and trying, I think, to make her suitor jealous, she thought she would get ill and make him worry but instead caught pneumonia and died. It was really frightening: she becomes jealous of the main character and tries to kill her. I think the girl keeps seeing the reflection of the evil spirit in mirrors of the house and if I remember correctly the book cover was pink and blue (I want to say Dell Yearling paperback but that could be totally off). Any help would be HUGELY appreciated: have checked your website and it is not Elizabeth, Elizabeth, or A Sound of Crying. Thank you!!

Clapp, Patricia, Jane-Emily, 1969, approximate.  This certainly sounds like the book you are looking for. It has been recently reissued. Lots of informtion on the solved mystery page.
Patricia Clapp, Jane-Emily.  This is definitely the book.  Louisa goes to stay with the mother of her brother-in-law, who along with Louisa's sister died in a carriage accident.  Jane is Louisa's orphaned niece, who is being haunted by Emily, the grandmother's daughter who died in childhood in the way that you described.   It is definitely a scary book!  I made the mistake of reading it for the first time when I was alone in the house on a stormy night.
Pamela Sykes,  Mirror of Danger / Come Back, Lucy.  Maybe? Check the solved stumpers.
Dorothy Macardle, The Uninvited.  This sounds a lot like the plot of the movie The Uninvited (1944 version), which was based on a book by Dorothy Mcardle. (Also goes by the title Uneasy Freehold.) I saw the movie as a kid, and I remember the pneumonia/open window thing gave me nightmares for a while. It's a long shot, though, since I don't think this was a children's book.
Clapp, Patricia, Jane-Emily, 1969.  This sounds like Jane-Emily but instead of mirrors in the house there is a gazing ball in the garden.  "This 1969 psychological horror story is reminiscent of Henry James's The Turn of the Screw. Eighteen-year-old Louisa Amory is off to spend the summer with her aunt and young niece, Jane, who has an invisible friend, Emily. Seems innocent enough, until Louisa learns that Emily was a real girl who died in the house years ago but maybe never quite left."
Pamela Sykes, Mirror of Danger (aka Come Back, Lucy), 1974, copyright.  "11-year-old Lucy was brought up by her eccentric aunt to love all things Victorian. When her aunt dies and she has to move in with modern and loud (though very friendly) relatives, she can�t handle both her grief and the stress of change, and pulls away from her new would-be family. A little girl who lived in the same house in the 1870s, Alice, can peer into/haunt the future house and has become determined to make Lucy her playmate... forever."
Patricia Clapp, Jane-Emily, 1969, approximate.  "Emily was a selfish, willful, hateful child who died before her thirteenth birthday. But that was a long time ago. Jane is nine years old and an orphan when she and her young Aunt Louisa come to spend the summer at Jane's grandmother's house, a large, mysterious mansion in Massachusetts. Then one day . . . Jane stares into a reflecting ball in the garden�and the face that looks back at her is not her own.  Many years earlier, a child of rage and malevolence lived in this place. And she never left. Now Emily has dark plans for little Jane�a blood-chilling purpose that Louisa, just a girl herself, must battle with all her heart, soul, and spirit . . . or she will lose her innocent, helpless niece forever." This is absolutely your book! I distincly remember the part of her dying by catching a self-inflicted cold.
Patricia Clapp, Jane-Emily, 1970s, approximate.  It might be this book; Jane goes to her grandmother's house and is haunted by the spirit of her dead aunt Emily, who died after dumping water on herself and then sitting in front of an open window in the cold.
Patricia Clapp, Jane-Emily, 1969.  This sounds like Jane-Emily...a very creepy ghost story.  Louisa and her niece Jane go to spend the summer with Jane's grandmother, and Jane starts to talk about Emily.  Emily starts to dominate Jane, and terrorize Louisa (who's falling in love with her childhood sweetheart) until Louisa figures out what's going on.  It turned out that Emily was her grandmother's daughter, who died before Jane was born, exactly the way you remember.
Patricia Clapp, Jane Emily.  This is definitely JANE EMILY.  Check it under solved stumpers.  Many have wondered about it, it is one of the more popular ones!  I read it in the 1970s and was scared silly by the final scene with the gazing ball in the garden.
Patricia Clapp, Jane-Emily.  This sounds a lot like "Jane-Emily" because Jane becomes possessed by the spirit of her dead aunt, Emily, who becomes jealous of Jane's aunt Louisa's relationship with a doctor, Adam.  Emily died because she sat in front of a window during a storm to catch a cold so Adam and his father, also a doctor, would come visit her.  Jane sees Emily's reflection in a mirrored ball that's in the garden of her grandmother's house.
Patricia Clapp, Jane-Emily, 1969, copyright.  Jane-Emily is a classic ghost story set in 1912. It is now available in reprint by HarperCollins. The story is about a selfish young girl named Emily who died years earlier of pneumonia due to her own willfulness. Emily's spirit has never left the house. Years later, Jane visits her grandmother's mansion for the summer. Jane becomes increasingly aware of Emily's evil spirit. One day Jane looks into the reflecting ball in the garden and sees Emily's face. Emily is jealous of the life she never had and wants to destroy Jane. Emily also wants to end the romance between Jane's Aunt Louisa and Adam, who she loved as a child. Still a good read, a chilling ghost story.
Thank you so much for your wondeful service - the book I have been looking for for YEARS is indeed Jane-Emily! I have put the new edition on my birthday list and can't wait to be scared silly again. Thank you to everyone who sent it the suggestions (funnily enough I have just read Come Home Lucy - really good and would recommend!) Please post my thanks and looking forward to spending more time on your site - have already discovered many new books that sound so interesting!
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The second book was a slimmish paperback book read during the same time. It was a ghost story. The cover showed a Victorian house with a girl, in a nightgown or that type of dress, I believe. At some point in the story there was the mention of pneumonia, or a girl becoming very ill from being dunked in water and then standing in a window and catching a chill. I remember the book being "just the right amount" of scary. Not too much, not too little.

Clapp, Patricia, Jane-Emily.  See Solved Mysteries.
Patricia Clapp, Jane-Emily, 1969.  Isn't this Jane-Emily? There's a lot about it on the Solved I-J page, also Stumpers E-F -- check there and see if the descriptions match up.
Patricia Clapp, Jane-Emily, 1969, copyright.  This sounds like Jane-Emily. It's on the solved mysteries J page.
Clapp, Patricia, Jane-Emily.  This sounds a lot like Jane-Emily. Its on the solved mystery pages.
This could be Jane-Emily, by Patricia Clapp again.  Check the solved mysteries!
Jane-Emily.   Yes! It is Jane-Emily! The minute I saw the title I remembered it. Thank you!
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Gazing ball, girl, house: Cover was all blue tones-similar to a gothic in appearance.  A large house in the distance, the garden had a gazing ball on a pedestal glowing moon-like. It was also distant/small. No person unless small & in the distance.  The girl didn't normally live in the house. Suspense. Not Jane-Emily. Thanks. More information:  This was a mass-market paperback which I checked out at the library and read in the mid to late 1970's.  I know Jane-Emily seems logical, but have researched extensively and never seen this particular cover (which went through at least 2 printings).  Also, I don't recall whether the gazing ball played a role in the story, and don't recall a younger girl - just a young woman in an unfamiliar setting with suspense and maybe romance (my memory of details about the story is poor...). Hope someone can help. Thank you for the wonderful service.

Wylly Folk St. John, The Ghost Next Door. Didn't The Ghost Next Door have a gazing ball? Check solved mysteries page..
I checked on The Ghost Next Door - good suggestion, but sadly that wasn't it. Thank you, though!
Patricia Clapp, Jane-Emily, 1971, reprint. Are you sure it isn't Jane-Emily? Your cover description sure sounds just like my copy [...]
SOLVED: Patricia Clapp, Jane-Emily. Thank you!  I still cannot find the cover picture that matches my recollection, but based on your feedback (that your 1971 cover matches the description from my memory), I read Jane-Emily again.  YES!  Solved!  Thanks so much!!

Kathryn Worth, They loved to laugh, 1942 (and reprinted).  You might want to give this one a try.  I haven't read it yet, as I've ordered it and am still waiting for its arrival as a possible solution to my own stumper (G254). Your description sounds quite a bit like the online ones I have read and it's on the solved mysteries pages under "T" on this site.
Elizabeth Janet Gray aka Elizabeth Gray Vining, Jane Hope, 1933.  This book is definitely Jane Hope by Elizabeth Jane Gray.  Jane Hope is a tomboy from Philadelphia whose Yankee father has died, and she moves back to the Carolinas with her mother, her sister Mary Louise, and her brother Pierce to live with with her maternal grandparents shortly before the Civil War.  The snipe hunt is there, the balls, her mother being courted by the local doctor, Jane Hope breaking her wrist climbing the grape arbor, etc.
Elizabeth Jane Grey, Jane Hope, 1933.  Yes, I am sure Jane Hope is the book I was looking for!  The name even sounds familiar now that it's been suggested.  Now to find a copy!  Thanks.

Gathorne-Hardy, Jonathan, Jane's Adventures on the Island of Peeg.  London, Ross, 1968.  There can't be too many stories with this plot! "Jarred loose from the ocean floor by a tremendous explosion, an island occupied by a young girl and her two companions floats out to sea under the command of two British sailors who believe that World War II is still in progress."
Just wanted to let you know that indeed this is the right book for my stumper, Operation Peeg. The first title you listed, Jane's Adventures on the Island of Peeg didn't sound right, but the description couldn't possibly be anything other than what I was looking for. As I was trying to find it in our university system libraries, I found out that it went
by the Operation Peeg name as well, and it compeltely clicked. I can even picture the title on the dust jacket that my school library had! One of the libraries indeed had it, and I got to read it last night. None of it seemed familiar, so it was delightful to read it again having no idea how it would turn out! Thank you so much for finding this for me. Last year, I asked some librarian friends for help with no luck. I will be telling them about your site!

T-9  This story appeared in Cricket Magazine.  I remember it.  I believe her name was Janet, and she lived in Ireland with her two brothers and grandma and grandpa.  Their farm was called "Faraway Farm" or something similar, and she had another adventure where her brother George told her not to look in the well or she'd see a horrible creature I can't remember the name of.it.
Thank you for this response from Cyberspace.  Did the story appear in Cricket Magazine recently?  If not, do you remember roughly when?  Years ago, or months ago?  I will contact them.  I'm so thrilled that someone actually remembers this story!
It was Janet of Reachfar, I remember now.  It appeared in Cricket magazine in the late 70's, maybe 78 or 79.  Gosh, I hope I'm  remembering right!  If it's not the right series, then it's terribly similar.  I still remember the pictures of the girl leading the cow past the stones.
Janet of Reachfar - There was a whole series of about 20 books by Jane Duncan called My Friend ... written for adults but with the main character Janet Sandison whose childhood had been spent at the family
croft/smallholding called Reachfar in north-eastern Scotland (not Ireland). Three stories of Janet's childhood were
rewritten for children and published as picture books with illustrations by Mairie Hedderwick. They were: Janet
Reachfar and Chickabird, Janet Reachfar and the Kelpie and Herself and Janet Reachfar. In that part of Scotland people were often called after their property rather than having their surname used when people spoke of them. Jane Duncan wrote a kind of autobiography, Letter From Reachfar in which she indicates which bits of the My Friend and Janet Reachfar books are autobiographical and which imaginary. 

Janice in Tomorrow-land by Emory Holloway published in 1936 by the American Book Company.
WOW!  Thank you!  Another grateful book lover applauds you!  Do you know of anyone currently having Janice in stock?  Many thanks! 

Eric Quayle, The Shining Princess and Other Japanese Legends, 1989. Is there any chance that you could be mistaken about the date?  Because Eric Quayle's book, beautifully illustrated in soft watercolors by Michael Forman, is otherwise a pretty good match.  The front cover shows the princess in an elegant yellow kimono, floating through the sky, with a mountain below her and the moon in the background.  The book also includes the story of Momotaro (the Peach Boy, or Peach Warrior), "The Ogre of Rashomon," and seven other Japanese fairy tales.  If this isn't the version you're looking for, it might at least help your search to know that the story of the Moon Princess, who is found inside a stalk of bamboo by the bamboo cutter and raised as his daughter, is also called Kaguyahime ("The Shining Princess") and Taketori ("The Bamboo Cutter").
I do not have the answer, but I believe I also had this book as a child.  It was the largest book on my bookshelf.  Requester has timeframe right, I had this book in the late 60s/early 70s.  I believe it had a generic sort of title, like "Japanese Folk Tales" or "Stories of Japan."  It also included Urashima Taro (I remember the illustration of the man riding the back of the turtle in a loincloth, how risque! -- this may have been the back cover), The Man Who Made the Trees Bloom (the story of the white dog, Shiro, this one was illustrated with a man holding the bowl of ashes, balancing legs-spread in a cherry blossom tree while the nobleman rode a horse below) and The Tongue-Cut Sparrow.
Shirley Goulden, Tales from Japan, 1961. This might be the one you're looking for.  It's a large, hardcover volume of Japanese Fairy Tales, illustrated by Benvenuti.  Stories are: The Great Timimoto, The Fisherman's Gift, The Odd Oyster, The Moon Child, The Special Sparrow, Nymph of the Pugi Mountains, The Greedy Polecat, The Dancing Tea-Urn, The Maker of Flowering Blossoms.
Mildred Marmur (editor), Japanese Fairy Tales, 1960. Might be worth checking out.  This is a large, hardcover book from Golden Press (A Giant Golden Book), illustrated by Benvenuti.  Stories include: The Story of Issoumbochi, The Legend of Urashima, Sima Who Wore the Big Hat, The Story of Hime, The Sparrow Whose Tongue Was Cut Out, The Magic Veil, The Wicked Polecat, The Dancing Teapot, The Man Who Made the Trees Bloom.
Here are a few possibilities, though the last one is from a later time period: Japanese Fairy Tales by Marmur, Mildred.  Folk tales of old Japan by Shirane, Mitsuo. Contents: The peach boy, The old man who had his wen removed by goblins, The crab's revenge, A fisherman and the sea princess, The rabbit and the raccoon dog, The old man who made dead trees bloom, The old couple and the sparrow, A midget who defeated goblins, The grateful raccoon dog, The story of a grateful crane, The Japanese cornucopia, The magic hood, The man who married a heavenly maiden, The old man and his affectionate son, Gengoro's ascent to heaven, Princess from the moon. Japanese Tales and legends by McAlpine, Helen. Contents: The birth of Japan, The luck of the sea and the luck of the mountain, Tales of the Heike, The Peach boy, The old man who made the trees bloom, The young Urashima. The vanishing rice-straw coat, The tale of Princess Kaguya, The tongue-cut sparrow, The lucky tea-kettle.
I'm not the original requester, I'm the second replyer!  The Marmur is the book I had, and there's a photo on your site:
http://www.loganberrybooks.com/kidcat-big-golden.html  I hope it is the one the requester is searching for, too.  Applause to the person who submitted the solution.
Thank you SO much--this is indeed the book I had as a child.  I'm very pleased to have found the info--will be looking to find one to purchase.  Thanks again VERY much.

Jasper Giraffe
My mother used to have a book in the 60s or 70s about a giraffe and a mailman. She can't remember the title. The key phrase she recalls is where one character would say"o, you don't say" and another would reply "I just did say"

Polly Ferrell, Jasper Giraffe. About getting invitations to a jungle birthday party?
SOLVED: Polly Ferrell, Jasper Giraffe. Thank you so much! It was jasper giraffe! I looked all over trying to figure this out! My mom couldn't even figure it out, and she's a librarian. =) I'm getting her a copy for Christmas! She'll love it. Thanks again!

B117 boy in outer space: I just picked this up at a consignment store - Jed's Junior Space Patrol: a Science Fiction Easy-to-read, by Jean and Claudio Marzollo, pictures by David S. Rose, published Dial Press 1982, 56 pages. In chapter 1, Help! Jed and his parents land on Planet X5. Jed hears a call for help and explores a cave. "He saw a strange animal lying under a rock. He could tell that it was hurt. It talked without moving its mouth. "Please," said the animal. "Take care of my babies." The animal died before it could say more." The babies are 'cogs' something like cats and something like dogs. Jed takes the animals to the ship, but a Planet X5 patrolman takes them away to study at Headquarters. Jed's parents give him a "teddy robot computer. It's programmed to take care of you and to be your friend." The robot is a large teddy bear, about the same height as Jed but wider, with wheels on its feet and antennae. A printout comes out of Teddy's nose (I'm not making this up) telling Jed how to find the cogs at Headquarters, and boy and robot go on a rescue mission. I think this is it.

I love that little rhyme myself.  I think it appears in Eloise Wilkins' Good Little Bad Little Girl (A Little Golden Book), but it must appear in other places too.  I think it's one of those common-domain old-as-the-hills kinds of rhyme that has lost its authorial roots, but I could be wrong about that...
Not a solution to this request... but here is the rhyme that the person is referencing: There was a little girl, who had a little curl, Right in the middle of her forehead. When she was good, she was very, very good,  And when she was bad, she was horrid.
N29: This, according to Louis Untermeyer in The Golden Treasury of Poetry (easily the best poetry book for children as they grow) may have been written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow! See the poem here.   See an additional verse here.
And Longfellow apparently named this little girl Jemima.
I think this rhyme appears in a Junior Elf book called Humpty Dumpty and other Mother Goose Rhymes.

Jennie's Hat
I've been looking for a children's book from my childhood for over 20 years now, so anything you or your readers could do to reunite me would be much appreciated. I used to read this book when I was a little girl, so sometime around the early 80's, there's a small possibility my Mum might have bought this children's book from New Zealand, although it might be from the UK.
Girl watches hats go by from her bedroom window: A little girl (I'm pretty sure she's brunette) is not feeling well so her parents make her stay home in her room. She soon gets bored so she sits at her bedroom window and then sees ladies walking past, I think they're on their way to church. Her window is quite high, so she only sees the hats, and not the ladies faces. Each page features a different hat, and each one is beautifully illustrated with a collage of lots of interesting items. I particularly remember a carmen miranda-type one with tropical fruits and a Toucan bird. I have a funny feeling this little girl's name is in the title, but I'm not 100% sure. Many many thanks.

Ezra Jack Keats, Jennie's Hat. Not sure about this one, but you might want to check it out.
SOLVED: I'd just like to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me solve my book mystery after 20years!! I've been trying to find my favourite picture book from my childhood, and after describing just a few pages some lovely reader has located it...

Vogel, Ilse-Margret, My Twin Sister Erika, 1976.  The date makes this one hard  I don't know of a book about the death of a twin girl written before 1960.  "My Twin Sister Erika" was written in 1976 but definitely tells the stoy of a young girl coping with the death of her twin.  An earlier book is Home from Far by Jean Little (1965), but in that one a girl is coping with the death of her twin brother.  Two other books that do deal with girls whose twin sisters have died (but were published much too recently to be what you are thinking of) are Signs of Life by Jean Ferris (1995) and I Miss You, I Miss You! by Peter Pohl (1999).
I believe the twins in this book were named Jenny and Molly (who died).  I wish I could remember the title.  I really liked the book, too.
The book is Jennifer by Zoa Sherburne, published by Whitman in 1959.   It was a smaller-than-usual paperback (Whitman had a line of such  books -- I think for young adults) with an illustration of Jennifer with her short curly hair, in pastel, in muted shades of yellow and green. After Molly's death, the family disintegrates. The girls' mother becomes mentally ill and self-medicates with alcohol. I believe the father deserts the family. Jennifer at sixteen is her mom's sole caretaker and is ashamed to bring friends home. The story is how a friend of Jennifer's helps her find the right kind of help for her mother.   Family were walking together, Molly ran ahead and turned around to call to Jennifer, ran into the street and was hit by a car. "She had not stopped missing Molly", "They had been ust eight when Molly had died". "Molly hadn't even seen the car that struck her", and assurances from the coroner that Molly had died instantly.   Zoa Sherburne's books often dealt with then-unmentionable issues -- the young women in her stories have abortions, epilepsy, psychotic parents, etc. The Girl Who Saw Tomorrow is about a girl whose family exploit her psychic powers for money. Sherburne is probably best known for Almost April and Girl in the Mirror. All her books are out of print. Jennifer won the 1959 Children's Book Award.
Hi!  A number of years ago I wrote to you asking about a book concerning the death of a twin.  Someone wrote and said they think the dead twin's name was Molly but they couldn't remember the name of the book. The deceased twin's name is Molly.  The name of the book is Jennifer by Zoa Sherburne.  It was published in 1959. Take care!

W118: Sigh, one of my favorites. Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth, 1967, written and illustrated by E.L. Konigsburg. "She is the only author to have received both the Newbery medal and a Newbery honor book award in the same year."  There is so much to say about this one....for starters, the author got the idea for the book - so I
heard - when her very lonely daughter became joyful over having a new friend, the friend came to play and turned out to be a black girl - rare in that neighborhood. Excellent book - even if some modern kids, black or white, may not always understand the isolation Jennifer feels or why she puts Elizabeth through all her trials before accepting her as a real friend. Take the birthday party, when Elizabeth is forced to abstain from so much fun that she's in the same emotional position Jennifer is as someone who was not invited and who would have been shunned if she were. (It's mentioned only once - aside from the
illustrations - that Jennifer is not only black but the ONLY black kid in the whole school. That fact was very subtlely made in the play chapter.) Someone said elsewhere: "Some people objected to the watermelon.  My own theory, which I think is supported by the text and by Konigsburg's body of work, is that Jennifer deliberately picked watermelon to see how Elizabeth would respond to that. Of course, the fact that she could *get* watermelon in January is also a plot point." (I never heard of the stereotype in the late 70s, so it went over MY head completely.) Also, near the end, maybe Elizabeth's calling her "JENNY" instead of something worse was the proof Jennifer needed to rest assured that Elizabeth really did respect her and deserved respect in return. Jennifer's fiercely held dignity, Elizabeth's juicy private thoughts, and two-faced princess Cynthia all shine very memorably. There was a 1970s after-school special called "Jennifer and Me". Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!
#W118--Witch in a Tree:  Jennifer, Hecate, MacBeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth, by E. L. Konigsburg.
E.L. Konigsburg, Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth and Me.  This is the English title  I think the American title was longer. About Elizabeth who is apprentice 'witch' to Jennifer, in a half-believed pretend game. Jennifer is African-American, not African.
E. L. Konigsburg, Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and me, Elizabeth, 1967.  Maybe?  "Two fifth-grade girls, one of whom is the first black child in a middle-income suburb, play at being apprentice witches."
Margaret Mahy, The Witch in the Cherry Tree, 1974.  A bit of a longshot, as it doesn't match all the details, and it's a boy, not a girl, but a possibility: "As David's mother baked cakes, a witch flying over smell them & came down on his lawn. But when she didn't get invited in, she causes problems for David. This is the story of a little boy's interactions with a witch who lived in his cherry tree. On the last page, there is a recipe for Gingerbread Witches."
El Konigsburg, Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth.  Elizabeth first meets Jennifer when she sees her feet hanging out of a tree.  Jennifer is African-American (the book is 1970s, so this is kind of a big deal and brought up often in the text) and believes she's a witch.  Friendship and adventures follow.
E. L. Konigsburg, Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth. Two fifth-grade girls, one of whom is the first black child in a middle-income suburb, play at being apprentice witches.  Being the new kid in town isn't easy for Elizabeth until she meets Jennifer--an honest-to-goodness witch! From the moment Jennifer starts sharing her powers with Elizabeth, their secret friendship is sealed. Each Saturday they meet in the park to cast spells and work on their witchcraft. Then just when they think they've perfected their special flying potion, Jennifer and Elizabeth quarrel over the main ingredient. Will it take a magic spell to make them friends again?
Yes. That's it! I am so happy. I can't wait to read it again and perhaps even my great niece will enjoy it as much as I did! Thank you!
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The book cover had a girl in a brown dog costume. Storyline: a girl who played a dog in a school play (5th grade?) The costume was itchy and hot so she would take off the head. She liked to eat raw onion sandwiches and her stinky breath offended the pretty lead in the play. Published before 1985.

Interpreting Condition  Grades

Konigsburg, E.L. Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth.  Illustrated by E.L. Konigsburg.  A Dell Yearling Book, 1967.  First Yearling paperback printing, 1985.  VG.  $5

I'm still looking for it too... don't despair...  here's another request:

I'm looking for a book called A Gift for Jennifer. The book was set during the late 1890's or early 1900's. It had a rural feeling. Jennifer seemed to be attending school in a one-room school building. It was Christmas time and there was something about gifts (for the teacher? for the other children?). I don't remember much about it besides the title and I may be wrong about that, but it made such a great impression on me that I named my second daughter for the Jennifer in the book. I do vaguely recall the art work on the cover: it seems to me that there was a picture of the heroine dressed in winter clothing - coat, hat, mittens, etc. - and that she was smiling and waving. As I said, I may be wrong about all of this, but after nearly fifty years, I would love to see this book again and determine whether it was as wonderful as I remember it.

Well I certainly hope it is that wonderful, and you're not the only one who remembers it! It must be the same series as the previous search request here, and now if I can figure out who wrote the gem, I hope to find copies for both of you.
News from the field--there are four books about Jennifer: The Jennifer Prize, Jennifer Dances, The Jennifer Wish, and The Jennifer Gift. They were published in the late 40's and early 50's by author/illustrator Eunice Young Smith.
At last! Now the trap is set! . . .
Not only have I discovered the author of your long lost memory, but I found a copy of the book!
Smith, Eunice Young. The Jennifer Wish. Bobbs-Merrill, 1949. Green cloth, ex-library, bottom of cover worn. Binding tight and pages clean. G+. <SOLD>

Would you believe the first  requester called me from England to thank me?!?!  And here's another thanks:
My book arrived yesterday - so exciting to see it after all these years! All very familiar (except I could have sworn the cover was blue, not green...! ) Oh well, the memory plays tricks. Thank you very much for all your help! I can't tell you how many book searches I've tried for this one.
Regarding the "Jennifer" series of books by Eunice Young Smith, your stump the bookseller page states that there are 4 books in the series, actually there are 6. You missedJennifer is Eleven and High Heels for Jennifer. I have been collecting this series for years, and I have all but The Jennifer Gift. Let me know if you have a copy! Thanks!
My second search is for The Jennifer Wish, by Eunice Young Smith.  It is the first of a series of several books
about Jennifer who visits a country home and makes a wish that her family might some day live there. Over the
years, I have often looked in used bookstores and even in libraries for the first 2 books in the series, and I found
the second book, The Jennifer Gift, on eBay a few months ago.  Now I am even more eager to find the first.
 Perhaps you can help??
Yep, that's the story all right!  Got my hands on a copy of the Jennifer Wish, and would also like a copy of the Jennifer Gift.    If I could obtain that, it would be wonderful.
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It's about a girl named Jenny, I think, and it takes place around 1890-1900.  I don't remember much about the story with the exception of a couple of things:  The story seems to center around a pond in the woods.  And the main character used two slang terms throughout the book.  One was "spiffy," and the other was "spondelux (sp?)."  I would love to find this one...have no idea of the title or author.

J9 is possibly Jennifer Wish, by Eunice Young Smith.  Jennifer and her family move out to a house in the country for the summer.  The pond in the story is her wishing pond where she goes to wish that they could live there forever and not go back to the city.  I don't have this book in front of me but I do have the Jennifer Gift, a sequel, and they do use the word "spondelux".  I think there are other descriptions of these books in solved mysteries.
The Jennifer Wish, illustrated and written by Eunice Young Smith, published Bobbs-Merrill 1949. This is the
first story in the JENNIFER series. "And that was how the wonderful summer of 1908 began. For the four Hill children, living on the farm was like a dream come true. They explored the woods, the creek, the barn and the
pastures. What a perfect place to spend a summer! The creek was shallow enough in spots for wading, deep enough elsewhere for swimming, fishing, sailing a raft. The boys could have a menagerie. The girls could have a
playhouse. The barn would hold all the pets they could accumulate, and cat, kittens, pigs and chickens were
soon added to the family. There sere no neighbors to complain about noisy games--the children were as free as the air for two whole months!"
J9 jenny: there's no Jenny, but some other similarities, so perhaps The Lost Pond, by Marguerite Fellows Melcher, published Viking 1956, 190 pages. "A New Hampshire village in the 1890s is the setting for this story of Pauline Franklin's 15th summer in the beautiful old house to which the Winn sisters brought their families every year. There are exploring trips in the woods, a reception and dance for an older cousin, a County Fair, and various family activities; but the story centers around Pauline's growing up, ... She knows that Lost Pond, so deeply hidden in the mountains that it is almost impossible to find, has a special secret meaning for all who do come upon it, and at the end of this last summer of her childhood she herself finds it ..." (HB Dec/56 p.460)
Eunice Young Smith, The Jennifer Wish, 1949.  After decades of searching, I have finally obtained all of Ms. Young Smith's "Jennifer" books and can say with certainty that the book referenced in Query J9 is indeed "The Jennifer Wish".
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Author= begins with P-W,  best guess= S, prior to 1960.  I am searching for a children's book.  A family moves to an old house in the country.  A girl is the protagonist.  She and a friend play with paper dolls.  I think they may have found some of he raw materials or the dolls themselves up in the attic..  I remember that the book was in the part  of the library that housed the end of the alphabet.  Think that the Noel Street books were on an adjacent shelf.  Publ prior to 1962.  PS I got excited that I had found it recently when I found "miracles on maple hill" but this is not the book I am seeking.

Smith,  Eunice, Jennifer Wish.  Slight possibility this might be it.  Jennifer and her sister spend time playing with paperdolls.  Then family goes out to the country to live in a house for the summer, Jennifer's wish is that they live their permanently and in the end they do.   Sequels include Jennifer Gift, Jennifer Prize etc.

#J14:  Jenny becomes a cat--Several people sent this same inquiry into the message board at Alibris, and none of them were quite clear on it either.  One was sure it was about a boy struck by a car, who, while in a coma, becomes a dog named Jenny.  Another was sure it was a cat.  Finally they came to the consensus that the book was Jenny by Paul Gallico.  Jenny was the name of the cat the boy temporarily became.
thanks so much.  i knew the book was called Jenny.  by all means, please search for it
thanks but i live in canada
Jenny by Paul Gallico, About a little boy who loves cats but is not allowed pets. He is knocked down by a car while running across the street to see a cat, and goes into a coma. During this time he 'becomes' a young male kitten, mentored by the street cat, whose name is Jenny. She teaches him how to act like a cat, including the invaluable advice "when in doubt, wash". They have many adventures. By the end of the book Peter is almost a grown cat. 

Gene Inyart, Jenny. I am pretty sure this is the right book, though it have been many years since I read it.
Gene Inyart, Jenny. I'm answering my own stumper!  I accidentally stumbled upon this as I was Googling.  Thanks in advance to anyone who tried to figure this out.  You have a FABULOUS site and I'm so glad I found it!

A longshot: Jenny and the Insects (New York: American Sunday School Union, 1857), 298 p."A children's book written from the perspective of a girl conversing with insects. Contains 7 handcolored plates of butterlies, ant eater, moths, etc."
Thanks!  I'll follow up and see if I can find out more about it.  I didn't think it was that old, but, it may have been reprinted in the edition I read.  It sounds very similar, though, and the right length for the book.
Just another possibility, and a later publication: The Journey to the Garden Gate by Ralph Townsend, published by Houghton, 1920s "Prudence-Anne goes down through the small end of the telescope, and finds herself a companionable size with Bluebottle Fly, Bee, Wasp, and the other creatures encountered in one's garden. Naturally the journey from the house to the garden gate becomes a series of adventures. Entertaining, well-written nonsense for those who like "
Another more recent book in a similar theme is People With Six Legs, by M. Bosanquet, illustrated by R. Reckitt, published Faber 1953, 92 pages. "Belinda, like the immortal Alice, becomes small and goes into a strange world. Here it is her own garden, and the people she meets are insects. Ants, bees, dragonflies and beetles go about their daily tasks and show the little girl how they live. Belinda's visits only occur now and again, as she has her ordinary life at home as well - in fact, when she has been talking to the old Professor who lives nearby, we wonder whether the magic has happened at all, or whether all the adventures have taken place in her imagination only. It is a pity that the woodcuts are for the most part unpleasing and even frightening for a small child." (JB Oct/53 p.176)

I DO remember seeing on another booksite a book entitled : Jenny Lind's Cat, or Jenny Lind and the cat.  I will try to remember which site it was.......
Now I remember!! The book is called Jenny Lind and her Listening Cat by Frances Cavanah.  Thanks to you and everyone who reads your site for continued assistance in recapturing a bit of childhood long gone ! 

Lois Lenski, One of the regional series, 1944-1968, reprint.  This sounds awfully like one of Lois Lenski's regional series - the one still in print being Strawberry Girl.  Look at the synopses of all the books in the series (online here) for possibles.
Jenny, Sam, and Hildegard.  I remember this book, Sam is Jenny's dog and gets hurt and the vet fixes him. I don't remember what Jenny's job was for the rich lady, maybe reading to her? Seems like her son was the vet. For some reason I keep thinking the title is actually "Jenny, Sam, and the Invisible Hildegard, but I may be wrong. The cover was red, with Jenny on the front and a tree.
Mary Kennedy, Jenny, Sam, and The Invisible Hildegarde.  I had this book, it was one of my favorites. I was making sure I had the title right, and found a copy online. Happy Reading!
Mary Kennedy, Jenny, Sam, and The Invisible Hildegarde.  Thank you! This is most definitely the book I remember - as soon as someone came up with the title it rang a bell. Fantastic!

Eugenie, Jenny's Surprise Summer, 1981.  This book is definitely the one being looked for in K11.  This book has been reprinted and retitled Kittens for Keeps. It is considered a Beginning Reader. It is the same book as Jenny's Surprise Summer, but larger and in hard cover with no Goldenbook binding. Inside it says adapted from the Little Golden books.

I asked my famous friend Scott, who sees all, knows all, in the world of animation, and here is his answer:  Not only do I know the information, but I worked as a designer on the special at Hanna-Barbera in 1993, when it was produced.  The special was called "The Town That Santa Forgot". It was based on the story "Jeremy Creek" by Charmaine Severson, and written for television by Glenn Leopold. The entire special was spoken in verse, and
narrated by Dick Van Dyke.  Hope that info helps!  Scott.  Fascinating, the people you can meet online!
That at least answers my question!  I'm sure that is the right book (Though I would still love to be able to find it.)  Thank you so much for your help, you run a great web site!

I'll put World Travels of Jeremy Mouse on my wants list and see what happens!
Hi! I saw the question about Jeremy, the traveling mouse and came up with the following title and author: The Travels of Jeremy Jukes by Bernard Odell. I don't know if it's the right book as I never read it but just thought I'd throw the information your way. Maybe you could find a copy of the Odell book and see what it's about or something like that.
Actually, I did some homework and found out that it's this: Scarry, Patricia M. The Jeremy Mouse Book. Illustrated by Hilary Knight. American Heritage Press, 1969. Large format, 11" x 10". Ex-library copy, edges worn and well-read, but ready for another run down memory lane (in small red convertible, of course). G. <SOLD>
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My sister read this book in the 1970s, maybe early 80s.  It is about a mouse in a car who gets a flat tire.  He sleeps in a train station ticket booth.  He meets a goat and a cat.  The goat owns or works in a general store.  This is not a Ralph the Mouse story by Beverly Cleary.  It had nice illustrations.  The book was large, but thin.

Could this be Stuart Little?  I haven't read it in years, but it's the first thing that popped into my head.
HRL:  actually, I'll bet this is Patricia M. Scarry, The Jeremy Mouse Book. Illustrated by Hilary Knight. American Heritage Press, 1969
M297 Strong hunch that this is Richard Scarry's IS THIS THE HOUSE OF MISTRESS MOUSE? Mouse drives a little red convertible, but I can't remember about the tire~from a librarian
M297 Doublechecked IS THIS THE HOUSE OF MISTRESSS MOUSE? and mouse's car does not get a flat tire. Sorry for a false lead~from a librarian
M297 I just checked Stuart Little. A chapter abt a car is definitely the wrong one.
HRL:  I'm still convinced this is The Jeremy Mouse Book, so unless the original requester writes in to say otherwise, I'm marking it solved...
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Children's book. 1970s or earlier. Mouse arrives by sports car in a small town by a lake. Crashes car (or it breaks down?) and he has to stay for a while. Covered in flour in local shop. Goes fishing through the floor of a house out on the lake. Gets lost while rowing on the lake at night (not sure about that bit). Winds up loving town and staying. I loved that book - hope you can help

HRL:  Is this Patricia M. Scarry's The Jeremy Mouse Book again? Illustrated by Hilary Knight. American Heritage Press, 1969
Brilliant! Looking at the description from the last person to ask for this I'm close to certain this is the right book. Went looking online but couldn't find any more description or a picture of the cover which would have clinched it. Regardless, do you have a copy of this book available? I'd love to buy one... Many thanks.
White, E.B., Stuart Little, 1945.  A long shot--Stuart, the mouse, has a car that crashes without him in it.
Cleary, Beverly. Runaway Mouse, 1970 [or]Ralph S. Mouse, 1982. There seem to be lots of books about mice who drive cars.  Here are two more possibilites.

Philip Ressner, Jerome, 1967.  Illustrated by Jerome Snyder. A frog must do three princely deeds in order to prove to the townspeople that he really is a prince.
I really don't think this is it.  Jerome is a sweet frog who just wants to play in his own puddle.  It was published by Parents Magazine Press, I believe, and has funny, happy cartoonish drawings.  I don't think there are any dragons or scary art.
F76 frog prince: Jerome might match after all. The plot descriptions I've found say that Jerome is a frog told by a witch that she has turned him into a prince (she has actually done nothing, he is still a frog), he goes to the townspeople and they give him 3 tasks to do, which he succeeds in - the crows stop eating the crops, the dragon burns garbage, and the wizard becomes young again. So there is a dragon, and the illos are pretty colourful & rich. 

J10--Jessamy by Barbara Sleigh
#J10, #J11, and #K15 are all descriptions of the same book, which someone identified as Jessamy, by Barbara Sleigh.
This is the book. I would love to own a copy. I assume if you find one, I can decide whether to purchase based on its price.  Thanks--I'm very excited to be able to read again this book.
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I remember a book I use to take out of the library round 1977.  This book is about a young girl (Jamie?)who goes to stay with relatives (couple of old Aunts?).  While exploring the house, she enters the old nursery with faded wallpaper.  Opening the cupboard, she sees markings on the wall where children were measured their heights.  She is then transported back in time to when the nursery was filled with children of which one of them is named Kit.  Could you help me with the name/author/finding a copy? Thanks

J11 sounds like the same search as J10. But the book is Jessamy
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I'm looking for a children's book in which a girl goes into a closet in an old house and is transported back in time (~100 years).  She makes friends with a boy, Kit, and later in her own time, meets him as an old man.

Check out Tomorrow's Children on the Solved Mysteries page.
Thanks for the prompt response.  None of these sound right.  My book wasn't science fiction.  Still looking?
K15 looks like J10 and J11
Thank you so much.  Yes, I would love to have a copy of the book.  Could you tell me what it would cost to find it?
Jessamy by Barbara Sleigh, illustrated by Philip Gough, published London, Collins 1967 "Evocative story of lonely child stepping into family (which, unknowingly, she is linked with) two generations back. Jessamy, a little orphaned schoolgirl, is sent in an emergency to stay with the elderly caretaker of a long-empty country mansion, Posset Place. ("I daresay you won't mind being treated like a grown-up person. I don't know any other way.") A cupboard in the old nursery - the magic link between present and past - takes her back half a century to 1914, and to a family of lively children. From her double time-position she not only learns of her relationship to them, but is able to solve a mystery at last - what became of the Book of Hours when scapegrace Harry went off to the wars." (Best Children's Books of 1967)

Could this be My First Book of Saints, by Louis Savary?  I had a hardback but my friend had the nice leather one like you described.  It included the saints and apostles, their story was on the page to the left, and a color picture on the right.  About 100 pages in all.
Thanks SO much for responding!!  There probably was more than one cover style.  I couldn't find an official copyright date for the Savary book, my book would have been originally published before 1965.  I don't think there were any later saints in my book, just the 12 apostles (perhaps Matthias, Judas Iscariot's replacement was there).  I think 100 pages or less would be about right.
Jesus and the Twelve, 1967, copyright.  Solved it!  Illustrations are photos, taken by Alberta (Sune') Richards.  Published by The Geographical Publishing Company, Inc., Chicago.

T85 train through fictional places: the closest I've found so far is The Train to Yesterday, by Paul Jennings, illustrated by Patricia Casey, published Harrap 1975, 72 pages. "One hot summer's day four children, or is it three, for one is a rather odd boy who does not belong, are transported back into the Victorian age by means of an old steam train. There they meet a sick boy whom, on a subsequent trip, they are able to help." (Children's Book Review, Spring/75 p.16). A similar plot is in The Old Powder Line, by Richard Clark, published Weekly Reader, Nelson 1971, 143 pages, "Fifteen-year-old Brian discovers a railway line that was never there before, that can carry its passengers over the frontiers of time. Ages 12 to 16." "Brian goes for a ride on a mysterious steam train that takes him back into his childhood." "Story of a train that takes 3 people into the regions of their own past, but danger surrounds such adventures and a change in the return trip threatens disaster."  There's an old book by Cornelia Meigs, The Wonderful Locomotive, illustrated by Bertha and Elmer Hader, published Macmillan 1928 (reprinted 1955), 104 pages, but it may be too old, and the plot is not so much magical as about magically fast travel, across the continent in four days and nights.
I browsed through your book stumpers "just for fun", and I think, T85 "Train thru fictional places" might be Jim Knopf und Lukas der Lokomotivfuehrer by Michael Ende (first published in Germany 1960) or the continuation "Jim Knopf und die wilde 13" (first published 1962). The books were published in English as "Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver" and "Jim Button and the Wild 13"   The story is about the boy Jim Knopf and his friend Luke, who live in a very small country called "Lummerland" - an island with two mountains. Together with the engine "Emma" they have the most phantastic adventures with half dragons, emperors, pirates and other phantastic creatures in just as phantastic countries.  These books are very popular here in Germany; "Jim Knopf und Lukas der Lokomotivfuehrer" won the German prize for children's literature in 1961, and there is a very popular adaption by the "Augsburger Puppenkiste" (a puppet theatre), which was shown on TV.  I first hesitated to write to you, because in Germany every librarian for children's books would know Jim Knopf, so I thought that can't be a "mystery". But of course, he may be not as well-known in the USA.

John and Nancy Rambeau, Jim Forest (series), 1959,1967(reprint), reprint. Sounds like the "Jim Forest" series, about a young boy (Jim) who lives with his Uncle Don (a forest ranger in Big Pine Forest). First published in the 1950s, with pictorial hardcovers. The 1967 reprints feature solid-color covers with a simple design of 3 figural pine trees. Each book is a different color combination (e.g. green trees on a blue cover, gold on orange, yellow on blue, yellow on red, etc.) Titles in the series are: Jim Forest and Ranger Don, Jim Forest and The Trapper, JF & the Ghost Town, JF & Lightning, JF & Phantom Crater, JF & the Mystery Hunter, JF & the Plane Crash, JF & Dead Man's Peak, JF & Lone Wolf Gulch, JF & Woodman's Ridge, JF & the Bandits, and JF & the Flood.

I am hoping this is the Jim Forrest series! I hope it is this series. If not, I will keep looking for an answer on this website.

#V19--Vanishing Lessons:  "Jimmy Takes Vanishing Lessons," by Walter R. Brooks, Knopf, 1950, has been published as a book by itself, as well as in anthologies, various times.
Jimmy Takes Vanishing Lessons by Walter R. Brooks is in Alfred Hitchcock's Haunted Houseful, Random House, 1961.
Walter R. Brooks, Jimmy Takes Vanishing Lessons
I think this is actually "Jimmy takes vanishing lessons," which is a short story by Walter R. Brooks.  It has been included in many ghost story anthologies, including Alfred Hitchcock's Haunted Houseful in 1961.  It was also published separately under its title. 

I have the answer to the C7 stumper: Jingle Bell Jack by Miss Frances (Dr. Frances R. Norwich) who was host of the 1950s TV show "Ding Dong School". It is a Ding Dong School Book (similar to a Little Golden Book). Illustrated by Katherine Evans. Copyright 1955. Golden Press. The little red-haired girl's name is Jean.
I believe there's a typo in the response to C7:  the last name of "Miss  Frances" is Horwich.  I hope this helps locate the book.
Yes, this is the book!  I loved this book so much when I was growing up.  I hope that I can find it somewhere.  Thank you for all your help.
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I remember an old book from when I was a little girl during the 70's.  The book was about a little girl who sewed a doll that I believe was a clown.  She took scraps of fabric and cut out circles.  She sewed a simple stitch all around the edges of circle and pulled the thread together to make smaller circles.  Then, she pulled a thread through the center of all of the circles to make the arms and legs.  This was a fantastic book that inspired me to start sewing myself.  I would love to buy this same book to share with my daughter.  Any help would be appreciated.

Horwich, Dr. Frances (Miss Frances), Jingle Bell Jack, Golden 1955.  I think this is probably it - it's a Ding Dong School book, and the cover shows one of those clown dolls made by sewing puffy circles of material and stringing them for the arms & legs. He has bells for his feet and hands and a red tassel cap with a bell. "Cute story about a little girl and her mother who visit a circus and see a funny jester-type clown. The little girl wants to see the clown again and mother suggests that they make their own clown instead."

A possibility: there is a short story entitled Jinx, the Alaskan Husky, in the book "The Hairy brown angel and other animal tails" by Grace Fox Anderson.  It was published in 1977. Description: Twenty-two short stories featuring animals in a religious setting. 

I think this could be a book called, SCAT, SCAT by Sally R. Francis.  I have this book and it is filled with colored pictures and large colored print and features a little girl named "Rosy Runabout."  The cat gets chased away with a broom, but the woman is sweeping the sidewalk.  There is another woman that chases the cat away later in the book that has her hair up in a bun because the cat was causing trouble. The line throughout the book is, "Scat, scat" go away little cat!"  Good Luck!
Is there any way to ask the "answer person" more details. Is there a Negro woman in the book? Scat Scat Little Cat does not sound familiar. I don't think this is the answer.
We'll keep looking!
Relating to J-4, but not an answer, since they already stated that this was not the right story, I remember the story that goes "scat, scat, you old street cat, go away and never come back" or something like that. It was in a collection of short stories and poetry that included a story about a tiny old lady and a fly that stole her omlette off the windowsill,  a man who adopted stray dogs, A little polar bear who swam to an iceberg but I don't remember why, and the poem "the spider and the fly". It was a hardcover book, probably about a foot to 16 inches tall, not
very thick......I would love to find it. I had it when I was 4-5 years old, about.....early 80s but I think the book was published much earlier, judging by condition and style.
I saw the cover of Scat Scat and it's illustrated by coloured drawings, not by photographs. The kitten is white and sheltering under some leaves. possibles: Janet Konkle Once There Was a Kitten Chicago: Children's Press, 1951, illustrated by photographs Blyton, Enid The Laughing Kitten London, Harvill Press, 1954, Black &
white photographs by Paul Kaye
would suggest Joan Wanted a Kitty, by Jane Brown Gemmill, illustrated by Marguerite De Angeli, published Hale 1937, 150 pages. It's illustrated by line drawings and colour plates rather than photographs, but the kitten is found in the rain, and there is an "Aunt Jemima" type black woman who is the housekeeper or cook and 'boss of the house'.
Gemmill, Jane Brown, Joan Wanted a Kitty, illustrated by Marguerite de Angeli,  Hale 1937.  Okay, now that I have a copy to hand, I think this may be the book. It is NOT illustrated by photos, though. There is a black cook, named Maggie, who looks quite Jemima-ish, and a little girl named Joan who desperately wants a kitty. Mother says "And Maggie would not want a kitty under foot in the kitchen. She says 'Scat' to every cat she sees." Below this is a picture of a woman's feet, long skirt, and a broom shooing a cat away. Joan tries to talk Maggie around, but she says she will have to leave if a cat comes to the house. Joan eventually finds a kitten in the rain, with a hurt paw, and Maggie cleans it up, bandages its paw, and agrees to let it stay. Joan names it Fluff. Any of
this ring a bell?

Nothing on this end.  Can you get a bit more info on this Bonner guy?  I found an evolutionary biologists's autobiography, but it's something like "Reflections on the Life Cycle."  Let me know.
That's all I could find-plus some fellow from San Francisco who is the wrong one. If you find something, let me know.
Bunnell, Paul, Thunder over New England, 1988.   The story of a New England tory family during the Revolution and their settlement in Canada after the war. I know this isn't right on, but the similarity in the author's name made me wonder if this could be
Pulse, Charles K., John Bonwell : a novel of the Ohio River Valley, 1818-1862, 1952. Could this possibly be the book?
Pulse, Charles K., John Bonwell: a novel of the Ohio River Valley, 1818-1862. NY, Farrar, 1952.  After some fruitless yahoo and LC searches for a possible author named John Bonner (or something similar), followed by a search through listings for books on the early history of Chillicothe and Ross County, Ohio, I tossed in a partial title search and this came up. It is 436 pages, and the LC subject listings are: Frontier and pioneer life, Fiction and Ohio River Valley, Fiction. It seems worth checking out, since memories can be faulty, and the search for the author John Bonner is going nowhere. Would be nice to know whether the book was fiction or nonfiction to start with ...

Catling, Patrick Skene, John Midas in the Dreamtime,1986. John Midas (from The Choclate Touch) gets bored on a family trip, goes back in time, invents the boomerang and fire, and fights a serpent.
Patrick Skene Catling, John Midas in the Dreamtime,1986.This is a children's book, probably 5th grade range. All the details match.
Patrick Skene Catling, John Midas in Dreamtime, 1986. Yes! That's it! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!

Elisabeth Townsend, Johnny and His Wonderful Bed, 1945.  "....if you wished for something at one minute after midnight on your birthday, without remembering that it was your birthday, then your wish would be granted."  johnny, who is quite poor and living with his grandfather, wishes for a bed and suddenly it appears from under some newspapers he is using to keep warm. he christens the bed, fred. he then sells it to buy food and clothing but fred has other ideas and proceeds to follow him home. many fine (and often flying) adventures ensue. anyway, i am sure this is the book you are thinking of.

I've only been able to find one reference to this book, and it isn't a book; it's a record (and expensive at that).  Here's the info: Walt Disney's Story of Johnny Fedora and Alice Blue Bonnet Western Publishing Inc. 1970, softcover book with 33-1/3 Long Playing Record, 24 Page book.
Do you think that's it, or do you remember a book?  There might have been a book....

Johnny Go Round is a Whitman Tell-a-Tale book from 1960 (#2525)  by Richard Walz and illustrated by Betty Ren Wright featuring a smiling cat on the cover. 

Edith Thacher Hurd and Clement Hurd , Johnny Lion's Book (and others in series)
Edith Thacher Hurd, Johnny Lion Series, 1970's and 1980's.  I know of three books in this series by Edith Thacher Hurd. Johnny Lion's Book, Johnny Lion's Rubber Boots, and Johnny Lion's Bad Day.  Mother, Father and Johnny Lion. They are all "An I Can Read Book".
Thanks for the answer to my request! My brother has been trying to remember this for years but could not give me many details to send in to you. The funny thing is that his name is Johnny and yet he could not remember the names of any of the characters as a clue!

Forbes, Esther, Johnny Tremain.  Johnny works for a silversmith in Revolutionary War era-Boston.  I think there is discussion of a pewter tankard in the book.  Also, widely read in the 1960s.
Esther Forbes, Johnny Tremain.  Maybe - it's set in the American Revolution, there is pewter.
Forbes, Esther, Johnny Tremain, 1943.  This takes place during the American Revolution, and was made into a Disney film.
Forbes, Johnny Tremain.  Could this be it?  The war mentioned is the Revolutionary War, and Johnny is involved with Paul Revere and his shop.  Pewter is mentioned extensively, as well as covert activities leading up to the "Midnight Ride."
Forbes, Esther, Johnny Tremaine.  I am not sure if this is the book - will have to wait until I have read it again. Thank you everyone for your assistance.
Esther Forbes, Johnny Tremain.  I have now read the book and while there were no "light bulb" moments of recognition that this was definitely the book I read as a child, the silver cup was there and also the pewter being melted down for bullets and the war.  I thought I would have remembered such a character and his damaged hand and the character of Rab. Such are the quirks of childhood memories! Thank you once again Harriett for publishing my stumper and the people who contributed to the solution. I am so glad I have found this website - fascinating!
Meadowcroft, Enid LaMonte, Silver for General Washington.  If "Johnny Tremain" isn't right, this could be another possibility.

Sounds like it might be Jolly Old Santa Claus, published by Ideals.  There are a number of editions of this, including a new one that is quite a bit different than the older ones.  The poster may wish to peruse different covers to see if one matches his/her memories.
Yes, this is it!  Thank you very much.

Ian Cameron, The Lost Ones. I believe the secret they are trying to find out is that the "bad boy" was raised by his grandmother, even though he thought she was his mother.  His "older sister" (really his mother) had left town and rarely came home.  Everyone in the sister's generation knew about it (the story is told from the perspective of one of her friends), but all the kids in the "bad boy's" generation were trying to figure it out.  The narrator has a limp, which makes it really hard for her to get around town.
Farley Mowat, Lost in the Barrens, 1960, approximate.Could it have been this book?  Two boys, one Canadian, one a Cree Indian, are stranded in the wilderness in the northernmost part of Canada. They manage to survive and find boy, a decendant of Inuits and Vikings, who end up helping them. In the second book "The Curse of the Viking Grave" they go to look for the treasure, and find even more members of the lost tribe.  I don'\''t think there'\''s a green valley, but there is a slightly more livable area they find.  Maybe worth checking out, anyway!
Elizabeth Coatsworth, Jon the Unlucky, 1964. Hi - I've solved my own Stumper - please post this one as Solved.  The book I was looking for was "Jon the Unlucky," about a Danish boy orphaned in Greenland who gets lost in a snowstorm and finds a tribe of people descended from the lost Viking Greenland settlement, who've been living apart from the rest of the world.

SOLVED: B702: Elizabeth Coatsworth, Jon the Unlucky, 1964. Randomly, I recently stumbled onto the book I was searching for when I posted this request.  From Worldcat.org: "When Jon the Unlucky discovers a hidden Greenland valley populated with descendants of a tenth century Viking expedition he is in danger of losing his life, but his luck changes when the people discover that he can read and write."  Can't wait to read it again!

I wrote to you a few weeks back searching for information about a "Dragon from Kell" story. I received a call today from the Santa Monica Library Research Service.  Someone on their listserv had solved the mystery!   Since it has taken me two years to find this answer, I thought you might like to know it as well.  Apparently the story is Jonathan and the Dragon by Irwin Shapiro.  It was first published in 1962 by Western Press and then in 1969 by Golden Press.  It is no longer in print.  Do you have this book or a way of obtaining it?   If it is possible to obtain it, can you give me an idea of how long it might take and how much it might cost?

I think this is Gladys Malvern, Jonica's Island (NY: J Messner, 1945)
Thank you so much.  Jonica's Island is the right book and I just received it from used book dealer.  What a great site this is!
The only place I had ever come across the name Jonica was in one of Gladys Malvern's historical novels for young people, Jonica's Island.  But I thought of it again when I was expecting our first daughter.  We liked the sound of names like Jennifer and Jessica, but with the family name Smith, we thought we should choose a first name less frequently used.  (It was several years later that we found out that in the Netherlands, where the name is quite common, it is pronounced with the initial sound as "y" rather than "j.")

In Anne Pence Davis' book, Mimi at Camp the children found a crow and I believe attempted to teach it to talk. But "Mimi" is from the 20s, not the 50s so I don't know if it's the one you want.
Is the book you want called Jo-Jo the Talking Crow.  Houghton Mifflin, 1958
t65 - Talking Crow - This may not be correct, but Wylly Folk St. John's The Secret of The Seven Crows has a young girl (Gale) who has a crow that talks (Dracula).  Another character tries throughout the book to tame a crow of his own ...
Bannon, Laura.  Jo-Jo the Talking Crow. Houghton Mifflin, 1958. "...an amusing and attractively illustrated story of a tame crow whose personality and endearing traits made him the children's favorite pet."

Grimm Brothers, Jorinda and Joringel.  This sounds very much like the Grimm fairy tale of Jorinda and Joringel.  "The favorite fairy tale about a witch who turns maidens into birds."

Paula Danziger, This Place Has No Atmosphere. I know this is about a self-centered teen who is unhappy at having to move to the moon for a year, although I don't remember the ending.
Thanks for trying but no, it's not the Paula Danziger book - the main character goes only with her father.  And while it's about maturing, it doesn't have a "teenage trials and tribulations" feel to it (which the Danziger book sounds like).  Any other ideas?  This has been nagging me for ages!
I recall a book that seems somewhat like that.....I recall a teenage girl moving to the moon and having to try and fit in the teenagers that live there.  There was one social clique that was called "Turnips" because they 'turned up' their noses at everyone else...  Close, but no cigar??
no, I think that's the Paula Danziger book again.  The book my sister and I remember wasn't about teenage interactions at all.  Thanks for trying though! Can anyone else help?
Engdahl, Sylvia Louise, Journey Between Worlds, ca1970.  Just read it this summer.  Girl goes off for about a year to accompany her father, a businessman,  figuring she'll return to her boyfriend afterward.  En route, on the spaceship, she meets a young man,  is friendly with him and his family while she's on Mars, and even helps his sister-in-law as a
teacher's aide. As described in the stumper, she initially has problems due to her prejudices about the planet, loses her father in the shuttle explosion (forcing her to stay on the planet), and, after a near-fatal  accident on an excursion to one of the nearby Moons (with schoolchildren and the young man), realizes he's right for her and stays on with the colony.
Solved!  Oh, thank you! 

#B110--Bagnold the doll:  My condolences on the fire.  Most likely this book is The Journey of Bangwell Putt, based on the history of a famous early American doll, but for your sake I hope not, as this is exceedingly rare and hideously expensive!  So I hope your parents were insured if you wish to replace it.
The Journey of Bangwell Putt was written by Mariana, published by Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1965.  Same author as the Miss Flora McFlimsey books. Description from the jacket flap:  "Hand-lettered and hand-colored, this rare little book was first published in a limited, signed edition of a few hundred copies. Still hand-lettered, and still evoking its inimitable atmosphere of long ago, it tells the tale of an old and authentic museum doll.  She is followed on her journey by some other tiny characters who also live in museums and who appear and reappear on the pages like a toy orchestra accompaniment to the beguiling tale."

Journey Outside, Mary Q. Steele, 1969.  The Raft People live in darkness and travel a circular journey on a
underground river. One boy finds his way outside and tries to learn as much as possible so he can ultimately lead his people there to the Better Place. This was a Newbery Honor book for 1970.
Mary Q. Steele, Journey Outside, 1969.  Might be this one -- it's a Newberry Award book, hence likely to have been read in a classroom, and it fits the time frame.  The only different detail is that it's a boy and not a girl.  Publisher Comments:  "Grandfather said they were headed for the Better Place, but Dilar suspected they were headed nowhere, simply following the dark underground river blindly. And so one night he leaped onto a shelf of rock and watched the flotilla of the Raft People disappear. And from there he found his way Outside, into a world so beautiful and strange he could only suppose he had died-a world of day, and sun, of trees and sky." Synopsis: "The Raft People live in darkness and travel a circular journey on an underground river. One boy finds his way outside and tries to learn as much as possible so he can ultimately lead his people to the Better Place."
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In 1974, my teacher read us a book about a boy who lived on river in a cave. His village was made up of a string of rafts and the rafts endlessly traveled through the cave. The people on the raft believed they were traveling to somewhere special. The boy began to think that the rafts were just going in a big circle. So to prove it he jumped off the raft and decided to wait for it to come around. When he realizes it he might starve before it comes back, he begins to search for food and then he finds his way to the surface. never Having seen the sun or the sky he is overwhelmed, (he also gets a real bad sunburn - he is found by some farmers.  -- The teacher never finished reading the book to us because it got lost, and I have always wondered what happened to the poor kid, unfortunately I have no idea of the title or author.

Steele, Mary Q., Journey Outside. A library-provided summary: The Raft People live in darkness and travel a circular
journey on an underground river. One boy finds his way outside and tries to learn as much as possible so he can ultimately lead his people to the Better Place.
Mary Steele, Journey Outside
C275 Gage, Wilson [pseudonym of Mary Christine Govan, Mary Q Steele] Journey outside.  woodcuts by Rocco Negri    Viking, 1969.

This book was a paperback with a dark cover depicting a mountain scene and some figures in a sort of scratchy, abstract style. Two teenagers, (I believe one male, one female, possibly siblings?) are on a walking holiday in England or Wales ( I think). They are primarily camping. They somehow run across a teen Hungarian refugee who is being persued, possibly by English authorities, possibly by some sort of Hungarian secret police. The Hungarian teen, (Female, I think) is trying to get to the safety of, possibly a relatives home or cross some border or something, and is aided by the other teens, with I believe, a happy ending for all and possible young love between her and the brother.

H40 hungarian refugee: Could be Journey With a Secret, by Showell Styles, published Gollancz 1968, 142 pages. "Two young teenagers spending a half-term hiking across Wales are caught up in a hardly credible adventure of blackmail and spies when a mysterious Hungarian girl stumbles into their camp. ... Though they know the girl is hiding from the police as a suspected murderess, they feel no qualms at being alone with her in the remotest placest; and nobody shows the least surprise when all the baddies turn out to be goodies, and the goodies baddies in the end. Nevertheless, the pace and excitement one expects of this author is maintained." (Junior Bookshelf Dec/68 p.387)

Kevin O'Donnell, Jr, The journeys of McGill Feighan Trilogy (Caverns, Reefs, Lava), 1981.  Pubished in paperback in 1981-2 by Berkley, this trilogy Caverns, Reefs and Lava, is about Feighan who is a 'Flinger', one able to teleport goods and people intersteller distances for Fun and Profit.  Feighan is kidnapped at age 4 days for a short period at the behest of the mysterious 'Far Being Retzglaran' and much of the three books involves Feighan trying to find out why, whilst being pursued by the crime syndicate known as The Organisation.  The reptile child, his ward, is called Sam and obtained as an egg in Book 1. We meet the monk, a plant called K'rach'a, in Book 2.
Hooray! Those are the books exactly. I would never have guessed the titles nor the author. I was way off. I just finished reading the whole series. Thanks for ending nearly 20 years of searching.

S-13 might be Joyride by Betty Cavanna though some of the details mentioned by the writer don't seem to match. In Joyride the main character is a girl named Susan who has polio, but I don't know about the rest of what the writer said.
I forgot to say that Joyride does take place in the 1920's, so it seems to be more than a coincidence: girl named Susan; polio, 1920's.

I think I know the answer to C80:  Joy Sparton of Parsonage Hill  It mentions on the back:  "and the Vacation Mix-up,  and the Money Mix-up, And her problem twin."  By Ruth I Johnson,  1958,  Moody Bible Institute of Chicago.  Christian, twins, pastor's kids... I think this is it. 

O'Connell, Carol, Judas Child.  Definitly the one. Gwen is kidnapped after being lured out by previously kidnapped friend Sadie (a lover of horror and practical jokes).

Looks like your title is right-on.  Cross, Genevieve, Illustrated by Ruhman, Ruth.  Judy, Junior Nurse.  Garden City, New York: Cross Publications, 1951. 

This sounds as though it may be one of Eleanor Cameron's Julia Redfern series -- I'm hazy on the details, but the plot sounds very similar and Berkeley (especially the north side where the Redferns lived) suffered a major fire in 1923, which figured in one of the books. And there are sequels  I know the mother gets a job downtown (possibly the reason for moving), and later remarries.
Eleanor Cameron (author), Gail Owens (illustrator), Julia and the Hand of God, 1977.  There are five books about Julia Redfern: A Room Made of Windows (1971), Julia and the Hand of God (1977), That Julia Redfern (1982), Julia's Magic (1984), and The Private Worlds of Julia Redfern (1988).  Here's the tricky part!  They werent written in chronological order, so the proper sequence is Julia's Magic, That Julia Redfern, Julia and the Hand of God, A Room Made of Windows, and The Private Worlds of Julia Redfern.  Julia is six years old in the first two books, twelve in the fourth, and fifteen in the fifth.  The book that features the fire in the hills of Berkeley is the third, Julia and the Hand of God, which takes place when Julia is eleven years old.  Greg Redfern, Julia's brother (two years her senior) is the studious Egyptologist.  Julia, Greg and their mother rent an apartment from Mrs. de Rizzio at the end of this book, and are living in this apartment in A Room Made of Windows.  Julia's father is alive in the first book and dies in the second.  Her mother is a widow in the third, gets engaged in the fourth, and is remarried by the time the fifth is written.

So the girl�s boyfriend manages to get an old printing press working and convinces the dad to start his own paper which he does.  The new paper begins to do some business I think but then the inevitable happens and the dam breaks without warning.  The force of it tears through the town destroying everything and killing dozens of people including the bigwig and a member or two of the heroine�s family.  Just before the blast happened the boyfriend found her at her father�s business and got them to the highest part of the building, and telling her he loves her.  The way he does it is the only warning she has to what�s about to happen.  She wakes up on a river bank, completely naked, her clothes were knocked off of her by the force of the flood.  The book ends with the girl who is now grown up and eventually married her boyfriend and has kids.  I don�t remember too much about the ending beyond that. 

The tone of the book was sweet.  It wasn�t wrought with overt sexuality nor did it jam the bible down your throats either, although you get the feeling there is a spirituality in the message.  The girl seems particularly interested in her boyfriend�s family crest and I�m not sure if this is important to the story but it seemed important to her.  You got the sense that she was very reflective and saw things differently from most people which her boyfriend grew to love.

Catherine Marshall, Julie
Catherine Marshall, Julie's Heritage, 1957. Julie Brownell is a Black high school student in 1950's Westchester, N.Y., struggling to be accepted by her white peers.  Her musical talent is both a help with this and a solace.
Thank you so very much!!!!  Julie's Heritage IS the name of the book.  I ordered it form e-Bay amd just finished the book.  I remember how much I loved the story but hadn't read it in about 46 years.  It was as wonderful as I remembered.  You provide a wonderful service and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

J. Jackson, Julie's Secret Sloth.
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All I remember is that the book is about a girl who has a pet sloth.  I think she tries to hide it from her parents.  I read it sometime in the late 50's, I think.

Hermann Tirler, A Sloth in the Family, 1963, 1966.  A Sloth in the Family was written originally in German, published in Munich in 1963 and reprinted in 1966. It was translated into English and published in London with an introduction by Gerald Durrell in 1966. However, it isn't fiction but an account of a Swiss family living in Brazil who have adopted a few three-toed sloths. The family had two daughters at the time when the book was written, and there are many colored photos of the sloths and the family, especially the girls, with them. The emphasis isn't on the girls but on prividing information on the habits of sloths--who are very charming, of course.
Jacqueline Jackson, Julie's Secret Sloth
Jackson, Jacqueline, Julie's Secret Sloth.  Little, Brown - 1953.  Sorry, I don't have a description, but it's from the 50's so the time frame is right.  You don't mention whether yours was a picture book or a chapter book, but this one is 186 pgs. long.
jackson, jacqueline, Julie's Secret Sloth, 1953.  Little, Brown and Co. Julie, not allowed pets, comes (rather plausibly) into possession of a zoo-rejected sloth, and finds it's hard to keep any living creature secret, even one that does essentially nothing.
Thank you so much to the people who solved my mystery!  Julie's Secret Sloth is most definitely the book I was thinking of.

I emailed you two days ago about a book of which I didn't know the author or illustrator. The more I thought about it, the more I wonder if Paul Brown was the illustrator?  So I looked him up in the Library of Congress search, and saw that he illustrated a book called Jump-shy by Joan Houston.  Could
that be it?  If so, can you locate it for me?  She apparently also did two ther books-- Horseshow Hurdles and Crofton Meadows-- if they are part of a sequel, I'd also like you to find them for me.

I've never read the book, but the description seems to match. JUMPING BEANS by Judith Martin, illustrated by Remy Charlip. It was originally published in 1963, but Scholastic did publish a version in the  1970's.  ~from a librarian
J21: Just wanted to say that I think I saw this as a play in a children's theatre in NYC in the very early 1970s! I remember the adult actors playing the beans wore huge round costumes and not only jumped around but whooped and yelled. Very funny. BTW, is this by any remote chance the same Judith Martin known as Miss Manners? (Though I'd doubt it.)
I've seen the cover of Jumping Beans, by Judith Martin, illustrated by Remy Charlip, and it shows a very simply drawn old woman astonished as big red beans (with faces) jump out of the pot into the air. It was first published by Knopf in 1963, and reprinted several times by Scholastic. I'm not sure whether it's written in play format or whether another version for acting exists - several descriptions call it a play.
Judith Martin, Jumping Beans, 1963.  I had forgotten that I had submitted this question here until I renewed my periodic search for this childhood favorite of mine.  This time around I found a picture of the book at an auction site and was able to get it.  This is the book!  The pictures are slightly different than I remember, but the story is the same.  Thanks for helping me to find this.  Now I can read this favorite to my boys!

My children had this book, many years ago. The title is probably Victoria and the Magic Feather or Victoria and the Golden Feather or Victoria and the Golden Bird. It is a picture geography book in which a little girl rides on the back of a magical, golden bird and sees the world's countries beneath her. the drawings are beautifully colored and rather fantastic.--on a black background, I seem to remember.
G15 Pauline Baynes (as in Narnia books) did a book called Victoria and the Golden Bird. Her drawings have a Persian look to them. It was published in London, but I don't have a date for it.
G15 Golden Feather -- Probably not right, but "The Bird of the Golden Feather" is a collection of 8 Arabic folktales, retold and illustrated by Gertrude Mittelmann, published by Roy in 1969, 125 pages. The illustrations are b/w line drawings and the book is 21 cm, regular octavo size, so that doesn't fit. Stories include "The Rogue from Cairo and the Rogue from Damascus" and "The Talking Nightingale". The review in School Library Journal Book Review says 'there are several quest tales, including the title story ... the exchanging of royal babies with animals ... humor ...'
I don't believe it was Victoria-anything.  I believe it had a young *boy* in the book -- who rode the flying water buffalo or ox.  The golden feather or necklace was around the animal's neck?
Evans, Ruth, The Jungle of Tonza Mara, 1963.  A possibility?  Dust jacket of a small boy riding a water buffalo through the sky. Eight tales about Dekdek, a little Southeast Asian boy, and his water buffalo. Illustrated by Lawrence Beall Smith.
G15 golden feather: it does sound like a good bet - The Jungle of Tonza Mara, by Ruth Evans, illustrated by Lawrence Beall Smith, published Macmillan 1963 "Real and impossible, fun and frightening - this is jungle
fantasy at its best. Not only are the magical adventures exciting and humorous, but the Asiatic setting makes them even more appealing." "Eight amusing and amazing tales about Dekdek a little Southeast Asian boy, and his water buffalo Loy." The cover does show Dekdek on Loy's back flying through the sky, and there seems to be something long and golden around his neck, which could be the golden feather.

I'd say these were Andrew Lang's different colored fairy books, except the story you've described is very likely The Light Princess by George MacDonald (see P147), and that's not in any of his collection.  Also, as a help, the other one you've mentioned is the Greek legend of Atalanta, not Atlanta.
Andrew Lang
Nelson Doubleday (Publishers), Best in Children's Books, '50s, 60s.  ? Idea? These books are a series, each containing several stories, poems, nature and geography sections. About 200 pages each. Hardcover, different colors, illustrated.
Junior Classics.  From Grolier (?). Color and contents description, as well as number AND the inclusion of the Light Princess makes the Junior Classics a good bet.
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late 1940s-early 1950s, a children's book--probably boy oriented--on Heros in history.  Format was short biographical descriptions along with a description of his major contributions.  As I recall another sketch was on Dr. Walter Reed and the medical problem of malaria in building the Panamal Canal.  I had the bood as a boy but it was lost somewhere.  The bio I remembered was Leonidas (Spartan king at Thermopylae).

Junior Classics v. 8 - Stories from History, 1938.  Contents: Leonidas The Greek slave and the little Roman boy / Jennie Hall, etc.

Benson, Sally, Junior Miss, 1941.  L49 is most definitely Junior Miss by Sally Benson. The girl's name is Judy and she is too chunky to wear the fur-trimmed coat she fell in love with in an ad.  Her sister makes snippy remarks, but she is the one who comes up with the solution--alterations!!
That's it!  Thanks for the quick solution to a mystery that's been bothering me for almost 20 years!

Interpreting Condition Grades

Benson, Sally.  Junior Miss. Garden City: Doubleday & Company, 1937, 1941.  Ex-library copy in library binding with usual marks and pocket on front free endpaper.  G.  $9

Carolyn Haywood, Little Eddie, 1947, 1962.  Possibly one of Haywood's Eddie books?  Eddie collects all sorts of "valuable property" (a.k.a. junk) to the dismay of his parents. I don't have these books, but in an exerpt from Little Eddie, titled "Any Old Junk Today?", Eddie purchases an old lantern and coffee grinder for 75 cents.  His parents are about to discard the box containing the items, because they don't want Eddie bringing home more junk, when they see the items and want them for themselves, to fix up & use.  They purchase the items from Eddie for $3, making Eddie a tidy profit on his junk. While this is not the same story you are looking for, the junk collecting theme crops up in several of the Eddie books.  Possibly the story with the wagon is in one of them? Is it possible you are combining details from 2 stories? Little Eddie also contains a story where Eddie must find homes for a bunch of stray cats.  You might also try Eddie and His Big Deals (1955, 1962)
lilian moore,  junk day on juniper street, 1969.  this may or may not be the book you are looking for.  it is actually a collection of several short stories.  but the title of the entire book/collection is junk day on juniper street and it is the first of the 5 or 6 stories.  it seems to fit the description that you gave pretty closely.  hopefully this is it!
Lilian Moore, Junk Day on Juniper Street.  This is a Parents Magazine Press book.  It is actually a collection of easy-to-read stories.  All the junk people have put out ends up going home with someone else on the street.  When the junk man comes to cart it away, all that is left is a big rocking chair, which the junk man takes home for himself!

Yes, that's the title all right.  Junket Is Nice is by Dorothy Kunhardt, 1933, and it's a landmark in American children's publishing for its use of script and child-like humor.  It's highly sought after by collectors; I've had one copy in 8 years.  See more on the Most Requested page.

Palmer Meek, Just Alike Princes.  1966  Whitman Small World Library Book.  Prince Albert Edgar John and Prince Abner Elmer always fight over their toys until their father declares one must have everything blue and one must have everything red.  It's a tall hardcover book, with a green cover and distinctive drawings.  My brother has this book and it was one of our favourites as children.  It's very hard to find now, and somewhat pricey.
Thank you so much!  My Stumper  (S295) was solved in less than a week, and I already purchased a copy of the book!  Your site is just great! All my best!

There was a photographer named Ylla who illustrated several children's books about cats from that time frame. I couldn't find any pictures of them, so I'm not sure which one it might be. Titles include LISTEN, LISTEN CATS and I'LL SHOW YOU CATS.
This sounds like a memory of one or more of the Harry Frees books.  There were several with black & white photos of kitten, puppies, and (I think) rabbits, all dressed in doll clothes.
It's been none of these so far....  My guess is that the book is from the late 1960s...they are very colorful photographs...  i vaguely remember the following: kitties tucked into a bed kitties hanging on a clothes line in a sock the animals in front of a house on the cover, and the sky behind the house was very very blue...so most of the cover was blue...  this is so vague i know! maybe my memory is serving me wrong and it wasn't even cats!  I thought it was rabbits at first, by my mom insists it was cats!
3 Little Kittens. I had a 3 Little Kittens book that sounds just like the one you have decsribed.
Maryjane Hooper Tonn, Just Before Bed Time, 1964, copyright.  I finally found this book online after looking for literally hundreds of hours!  The second I saw the cover I knew I had the right book.  Phew, now both "mysteries" I have submitted to you have been solved!

S54 is almost definitely Just Like Always by Elizabeth-Ann Sachs - red headed Janie and blond Courtney are sharing a hospital room while they wait for surgery and casts for scoliosis.
T54--Just Like Always by Elizabeth Ann-Sachs. The second book is something like I Love You Cow Patty.

Sounds like the Treehorn books illustrated by Edward Gorey, but I don't remember any about a kid-turned-into-a-sheep. Hmm...
I had that book when I was little, & I'm pretty sure it was illustrated & probably written by Robert Kraus.I believe he also did a book called Mr. Meebles (Also Whose Mouse Are You? & Leo the Latebloomer). I think the title may even have been Just John. Hope this helps, if you haven't already found it.
The book where "John eats from a jar of jellybeans and turns into a sheep" is one of my favorites! It's called Just Only John by Jack Kent. We bought it in the 60's from the Parents Magazine Book Club. 

Beim, Lorraine, Just Plain Maggie, 1950.  I solved my own stumper!  I checked it out of a library just recently and loved it!
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I was a Girl Scout in the 1960s/1970s and remember reading a book about a girl who went to Girl Scout camp.  I remember her trying to pass the swimming "cap" levels (blue cap, etc., with white cap being the highest level and the one she really wants to win).  There is also a white bathing suit that either she has or another girl has.  Anyway, the main girl and the other girl don't get along but in the end, one of them gives the prized white bathing suit to the other one and they become friends.  I LOVED this book and read it every summer when I'd visit my grandma in Minnesota.  She died in 1974 so it was prior to that.  Please help!!

Lorraine Beim, Just Plain Maggie.  I loved this book, too.
Lorraine Beim, Just Plain Maggie, 1950.  This sounds a lot like Just Plain Maggie. Margaret ("Maggie") is an only child who goes to a summer camp that emphasizes water activities, but its not a Girl Scout camp. The campers are tested for their water skills and wear caps that designate the level they're at: red=beginners,  green=intermediate, and white=advanced. There is a wealthy, snobby girl (Beth) in Maggie's cabin that gives her a hard time, especially when Maggie makes friends easily and gets her white cap quickly. Eventually Beth and Maggie become friends and Beth gives her a beautiful white bathing suit with blue trim.
Sal Fisher at Girl Scout Camp
THANK YOU!!!  I immediately recognized the title of the book once I saw the solution...I MUST find this book... ha ha!  Thanks so much for your wonderful service and thanks to whoever sent in the information.
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i am looking for a book, i think it's from the 1950's, maybe earlier, about a girl going to camp.  it describes her packing a trunk and convincing her parents to let her go.  she also overcomes fear of water and learns to swim.  i have no idea who it's by.  i think her name was Maggie???

Is it possible that her name is Sallie or Sally, instead of Maggie?  Do you remember an illustration of her getting ready to dive in the lake?
Charlotte Steiner, Kiki Goes to Camp, 1953.  Your description sounds vaguely like this book, especially where Kiki is afraid of things but learns to swim.  I think she also learns to ride a horse, something else she was afraid to do.
M355 Although I don't have more detail, it sounds like JUST PLAIN MAGGIE by Lorraine Beim, 1950.~from a librarian
Lorraine Beim, Just Plain Maggie.  I loved this one when I was a kid.  Made me want to go to camp.
Beim, Lorraine, Just Plain Maggie, 1950.   One of my all-time favorites! I believe it is already featured on the "Solved" pages.
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I think this book was written in the 50s-70s - it is for a young adult and was probably about 150-200 pages.  A girl goes to summer camp for the first time (I think her name was Maggie or Meggie) and does all of the traditional camping things - canoeing, putting on plays, archery.  There is a girl in the book who is a super hyper competitor and I think her name was Beth - there is a part that talks about how she is an amazing swimmer and diver and wants to win all of the awards for everything.  In the end, Maggie/Meggie/someone is friends with the girl.  Can anyone help?

This book is Just Plain Maggie,by Lorraine Beim.
Lorraine Beim, Just Plain Maggie.  I believe this is the book you are looking for.  Maggie wins a swimming contest at the end of the book.
Lorraine Beim, Just Plain Maggie. This is the one you're looking for- Maggie goes to camp, learns to swim well, has a rivalry that turns into a friendship.  A classic going-to-camp book.  I read it over and over as a child.
Beim, Lorraine, Just Plain Maggie, 1950.
Conford, Ellen, Hail, Hail Camp Timberwood, 1978.  Not sure if this is right but the main character's name is Melanie, going away to camp for the first time.  Constantly intimidated by her bunkmate who is good at everything.  In the end, they don't necessarily become friends but Melanie learns to stand up for herself.  Worth checking out at least.

This is definitely not Grandpa's Farm. I just had a copy of this and sold it, but have no idea what it was called. This will bug me to no end, so I'll be working on it!
Just Right by Lilian Moore, illustrated by Aldren A. Watson, Parent's Magazine Press, 1968. In the end the grandson, Tommy shows up with the parents in tow. Robbie, the son, decides to buy the farm  he wants his son to grow up just as he had-" to fish in the pond and play in the meadow"

Rosalie K. Fry, The Secret of the Ron Mor Skerry.  The incredible movie, "The Secret of Roan Inish" was based on this 1940's book.
Rudyard Kipling, Just So Stories- The Butterfly that Stamped.  This scene is from the beginning of "The Butterfly that Stamped", found in Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories. (Make sure to get a copy with the original illustrations!)
Yes, the story is there, but it's just the introduction!  There is, however, a memorable illustration of the sea monster at the harbor with stacks of box trailers and cranes unloading the ship cargoes.

Interpreting Condition Grades

Kipling, Rudyard.  Just So Stories.  Illustrated with the original Kipling black-and-whites, in addition to 11 nice color plates (signed "Gleeson").  Red cloth with pictorial paste-on, spine faded, small stain on lower right of cover, corners bumped. Oversize octavo, nice paper quality and color plates.  G+.  $35

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