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I believe these books are indeed published by Ladybird.  Small books, mostly common domain stories, with a ladybug on the cover of each.  I do get them from time to time, and will let you know when I have some in stock.
Ladybird published a great number of different series in the same format of small hardcover books. The fairytale series referred to was called Well-Loved Tales, and was graded by reading difficulty into grades 1, 2 and 3. Grade 1 included The Elves and the Shoemaker, The Three Little Pigs, The Gingerbread Boy, Chicken Licken, The Enormous Turnip, The Big Pancake, etc. Grade 2 included Sleeping Beauty, Puss in Boots, Rumpelstiltskin, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, Pinocchio, etc. Grade 3 included Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Snow White and Rose Red, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Princess and the Frog, etc. The two remembered are from the Grade 3 level.

About two months ago, I sent in a stumper about a family who sailed around the world in a Chinese junk - my friend couldn't remember much else about the books, just that they were a series. Well, I have since discovered that the books were written by Janet Lambert and are about the Campbell family. So, if anyone else ever asks you that question, here's the answer! Meanwhile, we have found some of the books, and I think my friend wants to just search out the rest on her own. Thanks!
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I am looking for a young adult's book (maybe geared to about 5th grade?), probably part of a series, that was set on the East Coast (New York?) on an army (or other) base in the 1930s or 1940s.  It described the lives of he girls in a military family who lived on base.  One girl's name was Carol and she ended up marrying David, either in that book or a follow-up (if it is a series).  I remember descriptions of bicycling in pedal pushers, making fudge, going for bridemaid dress fittings, etc.  (definitely a girl's book!).  I read this in the 1960s.

Janet Lambert, Introducing Parri, Star-Spangled Summer, Wedding Bells, The Stars Hang High, c.1962.
These books are about the Parrish family and were written by Janet Lambert  the details you mention are correct.  They took place in New York and had a lot to do with West Point.  I've read most of them and they were all wonderful.  Still have my copy of Introducing Parri, "...the 14-year-old daughter of famous actress Penny Parrish. Her trip into New York for a 'sensible' coat ended with a tryout for a Broadway play...and began a whole new life of fun and dating!" 

I have a copy of this story The Lambkin in a big red book, The Classic Volland Edition GREAT CHILDREN'S STORIES, illustrated by Frederick Richardson and published by Rand McNally. It is not a small book, instead it has 17 traditional tales.
L2: This story appears in a skinny British paperback collection of  stories called Rom Pom Pom that I have at home. Will send more details when I have access to the book.
Hi . . . I just wanted to write and say that I had a book as a child called Lambykins.  It was a Tell-a-Tale book, and the story was as the person that wrote the e-mail described. (The lamb fooled everyone and rolled away in a drum).  Hope this helps.
I am looking for a children's book (like a Golden Book , but not one of theirs) which is called The Lambkin or The Little Lambkin. It was one of my favorites, and now that I am expecting a baby I would like to include it in his "library." Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!! 

I'm still trying to figure out the very old children's book with a color illustration of a rather rotund man with rosy cheeks (wearing a morning coat?) standing next to a tree with a door.  After the boy walks away, he looks back to see only a bird--a robin, I think--in the tree.  The door and the man are not there.

Maybe it is Little Boy Lost by W.H. Hudson, but with the colour illustrations by Dorothy Lathrop, published by Knopf 1920. I've seen one picture from this edition, showing the little boy lying on a ledge speaking to the Ocean, personified as a huge old man with a wide mouth and trailing white weed-like hair and beard. There's an incident in Little Boy Lost very similar to the robin incident cited, where the boy speaks to a little man who won't answer sensibly, then walks away and turns to see a burrowing owl(?). I don't know whether Lathrop illustrated that incident, though.
S30 shapeshifting bird: Hard to be sure, but another possibility is Wood Magic (also published as Little Sir Bevis), by Richard Jeffries, published Longmans in the 1920s, reprinted several times. "Wind and brook, birds and animals are little Sir Bevis's friends. They vie with one another for his affection and for his sympathy with their very human-like jealousies and intrigues." I've only read excerpts, but I think little Bevis wanders by himself at times. Also, robins are more likely to show up in Bevis's English countryside than the South America of Little Boy Lost.
The suggestion that it might be Wood Magic by Richard Jeffries was a good one as Bevis does converse with many animals; however he does not converse with a rotund little man who then becomes a bird.  I am, therefore, still searching for this illusive, colorfully illustrated children's novel.
Dorothy Nell Whaley & Charles W. Knudsen, The Land of Happy Days, 1938.  Mystery Solved!!  I picked up a book entitled The Land of Happy Days in a vintage bookstore today and there on page 15 was the rotund man (Round Roger)wearing a tuxedo, welcoming a boy and girl to Good Sleep Inn which happens to be the trunk of a big tree.  On page 40, the Inn is simply a tree and Round Roger is nowhere to be found, but we do see a fat round robin who looks "fat and roly-poly just like Round Roger."  Thanks to everyone who tried to help.
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I don't remember much about the book, other than I loved it when I was young!   It was written by a young girl, who apparently disappeared (I'm sure it mentioned that in the preface?)  Anyway, it was about a tiny fairy, was very descriptive and beautiful.  I think the fairy's name started with a "T" and may have been the title, or part of the title, of the the book.  Thank you!

I know one that begins with a "P":  Poppy, or the Adventures of a Fairy by Anne Perez-Guerra.  1931.
Could this be Tatsinda by Elizabeth Enright?
I think that the tiny fairy may be Thumbelina.
This is definitely NOT Tatsinda by Elizabeth Enright
The clue that it was written by a young girl makes me think it's Opal Whitely's The Fairyland Around Us.  The fairy named "Twilight, the child of Day and Night, came and led Liloriole forth in search of the homes of Fairyland."  There's a website with the entire text at http://www.liloriole.net.
I checked out the website, and  The Fairyland Around Us is beautiful, but it's not the book I'm looking for *sigh*.  I remember that there was a description in the story of the fairy/girl waking up inside of a flower which had been covered with ice during the night...it seemed so beautiful to me, the way it was written. Maybe that will ring a bell with someone?  Thanks!
I'm wondering about The House Without Windows and Eepersip's Life There by Barbara Newhall Follett, published by Knopf, 1927 "The story of a little girl who was "rather lonely" and who left home one day to explore the meadows, fields, and woods near by. But she became so enamored of life in the woods that she decided to "live wild" and never go home anymore. She goes to the mountain and she goes to the sea, then back to the mountains, where on one beautiful summer day she becomes a dryad. A rarely lovely book, and the only instance we know where a child has been able to record that longing common to many children under ten to be one with nature. The book was written by the author at nine and rewritten at twelve, as the original manuscript had been burned." There's a book about the young author: McCurdy, Harold (edited by) BARBARA: the Unconscious Autobiography Of A Child Genius Published by University of North Carolina Press: 1966, 146 pages, with b?w photos. "She was educated at home in New England by literary parents, Wilson and Helen Follett, and at the age of four she began to type out her own imaginative stories. By thirteen she had already published a novel and, with the publication of her second novel a year later, she seemed launched on a literary career. Then the events of her inner life and her outer world seemed to conspire against her vivd energy - the separation of her parents, the Great Depression, her own frustrating and unhappy marriage. Finally she fulfilled a prophetic vein in her writings, which sought flight from the human world to an enchanted, unsoiled world of nature. In the winter of 1939, in a mystery that has never been solved, Barbara Newhall Follett disappeared."
Dorothy Nell Whaley & Charles W. Knudsen, The Land of Happy Days, 1938.  A tiny fairy named Twinkle appears in a mirror and leads two children, Betty and Jack, into the enchanted forest.

I wish I remember the title for sure, because I remember this book from my childhood as well (early 60s). However, I think it belonged to my mother so was from the 40s. I think it was called something like "Land of the Lost". The boy and girl find all kinds of things under the sea that are lost above, and sometimes never sought--lost socks but also buttons, watches, treasures, dolls...
Hewson, Isabel Manning, Land of the Lost, illustrated by Olive Bailey, NY McGraw-Hill 1945.  I would suggest this. The fish's name is Red Lantern. "Billy 13, and Isabel, 11, fishing from their rowboat, catch Red Lantern, the Guiding Light of the Land of the Lost. In return for letting them go, Red Lantern takes them to the wonderful kingdom under the sea where all lost things eventually arrive. Here they find the doll Henrietta that Isabel had lost overboard, and the toy soldier Sergeant Pine who is now a captain. Then there is the villainous Kid Squid and his band of cuttlefish, who nearly prevent Isabel and Billy's return to earth. Best of all are the Knives of the Square Table, with Billy's lost Jack Knife, the Great Horn Spoon, Sir Keen Carver and Lavinia Ladle. These fascinating stories have been developed from Isabel Manning Hewson's Blue Network radio program: The Land of the Lost, which as this book goes to press is carried on more than 80 radio stations throughout the United States. Mrs. Hewson also reports that there are more than 3500 Land of the Lost Clubs and the number is growing daily." (from the dust jacket) There were also at least 2 Land of the Lost cartoons made, one dealing with the Jack Knife story, the other with a pocket watch. The animation and art were similar to the Caspar the Friendly Ghost cartoons.
Isabel Manning Hewson, Land of the Lost. (1947)  God - just glad that there are people out there who have heard of this book.  I own a copy and wondered if any one else had heard of it.  The illustrations are a very strange updated version of '\''Alice in Wonderland'\'' but quite wonderful.  I would love to know more about the author though.'

Albert J. Harris & May Knight Clark, Lands of Pleasure, 1965.  This was my first grade reader, too, and I have a copy of it. The exact story of naming Zipper the cocker spaniel is in here. The twin boys are named Jim and Jack Jones.

Day, Veronique, Landslide!  1958.
Veronique Day, Landslide!1966.  You're pretty close---it's a landslide that traps the children!  Two sets of siblings are trapped in the remote hillside home of an elderly couple who happen to go to town that day.  No one is looking for the children: their parents believe they are on vacation, and their host believes they have gone home.  Escape is impossible, so the children must figure out how to survive until help arrives.  Eventually, the children send a Morse code signal that is seen by the sick boy, but because they have mixed up the letters of the Morse alphabet, the schoolmaster must help the sick boy decipher the message!  Meanwhile, the eldest child, an introverted and bookish boy who takes charge during this emergency, is becoming sicker and weaker from an infected wound on his arm.  Will he die before help arrives?  One of my favorite childhood books!
Arthur Catherall, Prisoners in the Snow
Veronique Day, Landslide, 1961.  Five children are trapped in a lonely cottage when a landslide hits during Christmas vacation. The owners'\'' pet bird dies of shock, and the only thing the children can hear is a cuckoo clock. They send signals in Morse code using a large mirror.
Landslide.  btw- the boy who sees the flashes is home with a sprain, not allergies.
Veronique Day, Landslide, 1963.  Five children (from two families) on vacation without their parents are hiking and get caught by a landslide in an elderly acquaintance's house. After a few days some snow falls away from a window and they use a mirror and morse code to signal for help, which is seen by a boy home sick from school. I believe the book was originally in French and translated.
Veronique Day, Landslide!  1963.  I am certain this is the book you are looking for.  Five kids - two sibling groups - are on vacation in the mountains.  They go to see the oldest boy's friend, an old man named M. Nortier.  He is not there.  They go in and go to sleep.  While they are sleeping there is a landslide and they are trapped.  No one knows they are there and no one is looking for them because the parents think they are somewhere else.  After being trapped for days, they are able to send a message by flashing a message into the snow in Morse code using a mirror when the sunlight hits just right at a certain time of day.  A boy in the village is home with a sprained ankle and sees it.  With the help of the village teacher they figure out the message and the children are rescued.
Landslide!  Yeah!  Thank you so much!  In addition to my own collection, I'm working on a Christmas present for my sister.  These were all books we both read as kids, and still talk about finding again.
Just wanted to say that Prisoners in the Snow is about 2 children that see a plane crash and watch the pilot parachute out.  The plane causes an avalanche.  The kids run in and warn their grandfather (the parents had taken advantage of the nice day to ski down to the village).  The house is buried.  While they are moving their cows to safety, they realized that the pilot is buried in snow on the roof of the cowshed.  The young boy has to try and rescue the pilot as great risk to himself.  The pilot badly needs a doctor, so the boy again has to make a dangerous attempt to reach the outside world.  Anyone who enjoyed Landslide! would probably like Prisoners in the Snow.

L3  I'm pretty sure you're thinking of Sally Watson, who wrote Lark in 1964 and wrote several other books in the 50s, 60s and 70s.  Some other titles include Jade and Linnet, Watson's books feature young girls in different adventures and are set in various times and countries.

Gertrude Crampton, The Large and Growly Bear, 1961.  Although the version pictured here is a book/record combination, that's the cover I remember--and it is pink!

Daniel Manus Pinkwater, The Last Guru.  I think the kid in this book invents 'Zenburgers'- the only other detail I can recall involves lamas or priests who 'all look a little like Anthony Quinn'.
Daniel Pinkwater, The Last Guru, 1978.  That was fast, it just took one day!  I went to Daniel Pinkwater's site and confirmed that The Last Guru was the book I was searching for.  Thank you very much, I look forward to reading it again and Pinkwater's other books as well.

Julie Edwards, Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles.  Must be this book. The Whangdoodle has a daisy on his sweet tooth.
Julie Edwards, The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles.  Three children and a professor go to Whangdoodle land and try to help the Whangdoodle get his hearts desire. He does indeed have a "sweet tooth" with a flower on it.
This sounds like the Last of the really great Whangdoodles I think I've got that right by Julie Edwards (the married name of Julie Andrews). The last Whangdoodle is a strange creature with antlers and a sweet tooth marked with a flower. Three children come to his land with the assistance of a scientist friend. I haven't read it for 20 years but it was definitely psychedelic.
Well done you ! After all this time wondering, you solve the mystery overnight.Thanks everso.

Interpreting Condition  Grades

Edwards, Julie.  The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles.  Harper & Row, 1974.  Original hardback edition, a beautiful copy.  F/F  $24 Edwards, Julie.  The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles.  HarperCollins, 1989 paperback reprint.  New pb, $5.99  pending availability.

There's something called The Last Out by Jerry Taylor, but that's certainly not it!
Wilfred McCormick, The last put-out : a Bronc Burnett story, 1960.  Possibly?  I'm not familiar with this series, but this is a kid's fiction book about baseball.
How about The Last Put-Out: A Bronc Burnett Story, Wilfred McCormick, Grosset & Dunlap, 1960.  Sorry, no description other than the subjects Baseball and Juvenile fiction.

Donald J. Sobol, Angie's First Case, 1982.  I can't be sure, but this rang a bell of a book I used to frequently check out of my library. Angie helps her sister, a police officer, with a case involving a gang called the Wolf Pack or something similar. I believe both she and her boyfriend were kidnapped. It's by the author of the Encyclopedia Brown books. I couldn't find a picture of the cover online.
Janet A. Stegeman, Last Seen on Hopper's Lane, 1982. A teenage girl (I can't remember her name) is exploring an abandoned house when she comes across two men who are doing a drug deal. They kidnap her (they take her bike too). One kidnapper is kind while the other is very harsh. I think this may be your book.
I had a stumper that was posted as # G423 a couple of weeks ago, and to my surprise and abounding happiness, it was solved by the second poster (in purple)!  It is indeed Last Seen on Hopper’s Lane.  I was far off on the name (thinking it had the word kidnapped in the title kept me from moving on to other guesses, I think), but that is the book!  I have already found it on ebay and it arrived today, and I am in much bliss!  Thank you SO much!  I have been unable to remember for years and had almost resigned myself to never knowing!

a huge thanks for getting the book for me, i am so thrilled after all these years of searching for it. It seems so ironic that i'm getting a UK edition from the States, yet over here in the UK my search has proved fruitless! :)
Just wanted to let you know that the book arrived safely. My  word, how strange it felt opening that package, and viewing the cover of the book. It was exactly how i remembered it! And i felt very nostaglic. The child in me had to read it again, of course :)and i found it so hard to believe that it was 28 years ago that i first read it!! For years i have had a chant in my head, and i couldn't remember where it had come from. I had to laugh when i actually saw it in the book, and realised that it had come from there. I feel sure my neice and nephew will be thrilled with it, just as it thrilled me all those years ago. The book was in excellent condition. Many thanks.
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I took this book out of the library numerous times but cannot remember the name or author. It's about a witch who gets banished to a little girls' rhodedendron bush in her yard, starting the day after Halloween until the following Halloween.  The witch conjurs from a picture on a serving tray, a tiny flying Chinese Dragon.  This dragon and the little girl become fast friends, and the dragon grows bigger throughout the book.  He belonged to an ancient Chinese magician who taught him all good and powerful magic.  We go through the year with these three.  The witch is a fairly dangerous character being that she's decidedly two-faced.  The book culminates with the Halloween bachanalia the following year, where the witch and her cronies are defeated, and an escape back to ancient China with the dragon where we meet his master.  The dragon ends up returning the girl, and disappears back to his own time. HELP!

Fegan, Camilla, Late for Hallowe'en, Methuen 1966.  This turned up as the solution to a stumper on Booksleuth, and sounds like a good bet: "Judy made her way to the little cave-opening under the bushes and ducked through. 'Come in, won't you? And thank you for knocking!' a thin crackly voice remarked. Judy has found a witch living in the shrubbery--a witch called Murgatroyd and her cat, Hornsbydale. Murgatroyd makes a dragon from an old tray. But.." The dragon is called Chinquintafizz and his master is Fly-by-the-Moon.

Kenneth Mahood, The Laughing Dragon.  The dragon Hojo starts out as a pet to the Emperor of Japan, and every time he laughed he would burn things. Because he laughs uncontrollably, he is exiled. A turtle teaches him to control his laughter, so he returns to Japan just in time to save everyone from the cold. The turtle helps him keep the laughter under control, but tells Hojo his funniest jokes for the fireworks displays.
The Laughing Dragon.  I agree, 100%...The Laughing Dragon is the book you are looking for! It was one of my childhood favorites too :)
The Laughing Dragon. Yes, that is the one!  Thanks so much!

I solved my own stumper - H13's Humpty Dumpty story is actually called Lauraby Binette Schroeder.  I happened to be in the Strand Bookstore in NYC and I was so shocked when I saw it!

Andre Norton, Lavender-Green Magic.  When the Wade children go to live with their grandparents in the country, they explore an old garden maze that leads them back through time to a witch's cottage.
Norton, Andre, Lavender Green Magic, 1974.
Andre Norton, Lavender-Green Magic
Andre Norton, Lavender-green magic, 1974.  This was a wonderful book!  The heroine is the oldest child, and she's angry for a variety of reasons, not least that she must live at the junkyard with her grandparents.  But what a junkyard!  I wish -I- could live there!
I read this book also, and the girls were sisters, I believe they were African American, and they lived with their grand parents who were caretakers of a garden, or an estate. The pillow itself had a maze like pattern sewn on it and a pleasant smell associated with lavender on one side and a smell of decay on the other. I also seem to remember that they found the pillow somewhere on the property. I don't recall the author or name of the book, but perhaps these clues can help you further your search.
I just came across your "Stump the Bookseller" web site and finally, after years of searching, found out the title and author of Lavendar-Green Magic! I read that book when I was in 4th or 5th grade in the 70s, and the story stuck with me but nothing else had. I have been trying to discover what that book was for years, but did not discover it until I stumbled across your web site.  Thank you so much! 

Owen Johnson, The Lawrenceville Stories, 1910. This is one of Owen Johnson's popular Lawrenceville School stories, starring boy heroes "Dink" Stover and The Tennessee Shad, among others.
P247 Chapter 2 of The Prodigious Hickey is called The great pancake record.

It's way too simple to think this might be Ray Bradbury's short story "The Veldt," right?
Could H11 by Lazy Tommy Pumkinhead by William Pene du Bois a picture book in which machines do everything for the boy including getting dressed.
Most likely "Lazy Tommy Pumpkinhead" by Willem Pene du Bois. Very funny. This was supposed to have been part of a "Seven Deadly Sins" series, another being "Call Me Bandicoot" (about avarice) but the series was never completed.
Thank you very much.  Your stumper answer sounds right!  Now I want to get the book.  I looked for it online. holy cow, the lowest price was $180 used !!!  Unfortunately, my upper limit is around $30.  if you see the book cheaper (but in decent condition), please let me know. Thanks.
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story about a boy who lives in a mechanical house that pours him out of bed and into the shower machine, dressing machine, he's got mechanisms for making breakfast etc.

L28: Same as B79 - Lazy Tommy Pumpkinhead by William Pene du Bois. Part of a Seven Deadly Sins series. This is the best, IMHO, of the four actually written - the second best is Call Me Bandicoot.
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Help! I am looking for a children's book that I read as a child (late 60's early 70"s) about a little boy who doesn't like to do things so he invents machines that will do the tasks for him (i.e. brush his teeth, etc). At first the machines work fine but then start to malfunction, i.e. brush his toes instead of his teeth. Have you heard of it? I would love to get it for my son. Thanks so much.

Lazy Tommy Pumpkinhead (1966) by William Pene du Bois, I believe. Very funny. Check it out in the Solved Mysteries page. The only other books in that series I heard of were Pretty Pretty Peggy Moffitt (1968),
Porko von Popbutton (1969), and Call Me Bandicoot (1970).
#L28--Lazy boy:  Several stories contain these elements.  The introduction to William Pene du Bois'sThe Twenty-One Balloons notes its similarities to F. Scott Fitzgerald's story "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz."  I started to read the Fitzgerald story, but it's not nearly as good as "The Twenty-One Balloons."  In "The Twenty-One Balloons," these magical devices are the work of industrious Americans rich on a huge diamond supply, while in "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz" the diamond discoverers rely on slave labor.  When I got to the part about how the whole scheme wouldn't have worked except that the slaves placed absolute trust and complete belief in their masters, *poof,* that was it for my suspension of disbelief!  William Pene du Bois said some of the similarities were obvious but he couldn't account for how he and F. Scott Fitzgerald would choose to spend their money in identical ways!  The other story that has some of these elements is "The Veldt," the most famous of a number of stories Ray Bradbury wrote on the theme of what did not then exist but are now known as "smart houses."  In "The Veldt," Peter, the boy, complains to his father, "I didn't like it when you took out the picture painter."  "I want you to learn to paint your own pictures," father replies.  At last father disconnects one too many "lazy" devices and plans to take the children off to "rough it," which the children put to an end through rather violent means.  (If what you read was this--or any other Bradbury story--you'd probably never forget the ending.)  His other famous "smart house" story, "There Will Come Soft Rains," involves no people, but rather a "smart" house which goes on working even though all its occupants have been killed in a nuclear holocaust.
L28 Lazy Tommy Pumpkinhead -more info. appears on your Solved Mysteries page ~from a librarian
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I loved this story! It was about a lazy boy who didn't want to do anything for himself (either that, or he was an inventor boy). He made this contraption that did everything for him (got him out of bed, got him dressed, made him toast & eggs, etc.). I believe that the contraption may backfire in the end of the story. I think it's a picturebook. Definitely from the mid-seventies. Thanks!
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Seeking a child's book about a lazy boy who is fed and dressed by machines - machines break during a storm

Lazy Tommy Pumpkinhead (1966) by William Pene du Bois.   See more on Solved Mysteries.
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I had a picture book in the mid to late '70s about a boy who lived by himself in a fully automated house.  Every morning, machines in the house would wake him up, get him dressed, feed him breakfast, etc.  One day, something goes wrong and he's put into his clothes upside down, the toothbrush is used on his feet (?), and I think he winds up with scrambled eggs in his hair.  That's all I can remember, but it's a vivid memory!

HRL: Lazy Tommy Pumpkinhead by William Pene du Bois, 1966.  See Solved Mysteries!
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Hello Looking for a book about a boy who lives in an automated house it gets him ready in the morning and cooks his breakfast and then something happens possibly a power outage and he gets backwards so his clothes go on backward the bath is backward and his breakfast is served on his feet. Loved it as a child.

William Pene du Bois' wonderful and rare Lazy Tommy Pumpkinhead, 1966.
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This was a book I used to beg my mom to read me daily in the 1980's.  It was about a boy/man who lived in a house that took care of him.  There was a machine that woke him up, another that put him in the shower, dressed him and made him breakfast.  One day all these inventions go crazy and the shower is cold, it tries to feed scrambled eggs to his feet and general mayhem ensues.  I have no ideas on what the title or author could possibly be.  Any help is appreciated.

William Pene DuBois, Lazy Tommy Pumpkinhead, 1966. I bet this is Lazy Tommy Pumpkinhead.  Tommy lives by himself in a fully automated house just as the seeker describes.  Things go awry one day with very funny results.
William Pene Du Bois, Lazy Tommy Pumpkinhead, 1966. A spoiled/lazy boy is awoken, washed, dressed, and fed his breakfast each morning by an automated house.  One day the machines get mixed up and he goes through this process backwards -- his toes are shampooed, he winds up with his pants on his head, etc. It is on the Solved page L.
Willem Pene du Bois, Lazy Tommy Pumpkinhead. This sounds the the popular Lazy Tommy Pumpkinhead.  He has an automatic house that does everything for him and one day everything goes wrong and he get breakfast served to his feet, he gets bathed in ice-cold water, ect.
DuBois, William Pene, Lazy Tommy Pumpkinhead, 1966. See more information under Solved Mysteries.  This definitely sounds like the book!
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The book I'm looking for was a favorite I used to check out of the library in the early or mid '70's, so it was probably printed in the late '50's or '60's.  A boy hated to get up in the morning, so either he or a parent invented a machine that got him up, dressed him and made him breakfast.  Any help would be appreciated!!

Lazy Tommy Pumpkinhead (1966) by William Pene du Bois.   See more on Solved Mysteries.

This is William Wise, The Lazy Young Duke of Dundee (Rand McNally, '70), ill. Barbara Cooney.
I'm happy to offer a copy of The Lazy Duke of Dundee:
Wise, William.  The Lazy Young Duke of Dundee.  Illustrated by Barbara Cooney.  Rand McNally, 1970, 1st printing.  Some light soiling and edgewear, VG.  <SOLD>

There is a book called Ride with the Sun: Folk Tales and Stories from all Countries of the United Nations, compiled by the U.N. Women's Guild in1955.  I have a copy right here (F/F, $12) but I can't find the two stories you mentioned listed (unless they have different titles, of course).  Then again, there could be another volume....
Thanks so much for your reply.  Unfortunately I've seen this book in  libraries and it's not the one I remember.  Your website is wonderful, with  some of the most reasonable prices I've seen for old books;  I'm having so much fun sharing the memories and trying to help solve the stumpers.  I'm  sure I'll think of more I'd like to find.  Thanks again!
Perhaps Legends of the United Nations edited by Frances Mary Frost, published by McGraw 1943, 323 pages? 47 stories from Britain, Poland, China, Norway etc. Contents list includes "Blue rose" and "Ys and her
bells". Hm, think we have a match.
Oh my goodness, I think that's it!  "Frost" rings a bell.  Thank you! 

Jack Williamson, The Legion of Time.  This is definitely THE LEGION OF TIME, by Jack Williamson.  First published as a serial in ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION in 1938.  First book publication around 1950, I think, and several subsequent paperback reprints.  Most recent reprint as part of a Willimson omnibus collection, SPIDER ISLAND, in 2002 (Haffner Press hc):  " One of Williamson's most famous novels, "The Legion of Time," appears here in the form it took when it ran as a three-part serial in Astounding Science Fiction. Dennis Lanning holds the fate of two different timestreams in his hands. Will he heed the innocent supplication of good girl Lethonee, or respond to the primal allure of bad girl Sorainya? Whatever his choice, one woman must remain forever unborn."
Amazing! You guys solved it! I'm so happy. Three plus decades wondering what the heck the title of my favorite childhood book was. The Legion of Time, by Williamson, is definitely it. Thanks again for your help.

E19: Most likely the Trick series by Scott Corbett! The first one, I think, is The Lemonade Trick, where he gets the chemistry set from Mrs. Graymalkin. He also wrote a couple of pleasantly scary books (1st or 2nd grade) about a boy, a dog and Merlin - Dr. Merlin's Magic Shop and The Great Custard Pie Panic. I WISH they were in print!
These are the "trick" books by Scott Corbett.  Mrs. Graymalkin gives Kerby and Fenton her son Felix's old chemistry set which seems to have a touch of magic and the boys have many adventures. There are at least ten
books in the series published from 1960 to 1977. The first one is The Lemonade Trick. The Mailbox Trick is my favorite.
More on the suggested series - Lemonade Trick, by Scott Corbett, illustrated by Paul Galdone, published Atlantic-Little 1960, 103 pages "Kerby delights to receive a magic chemistry set from Mrs. Graymalkin (who might be a witch?). Ordinarily he faces household chores and choir duties in the manner of any real boy we'd know; how he handles them after a few drops of her magic fluid, which makes him feel 'good', will also be believed because Mr. Corbett has built up so real a personality and situation for his very down-to-earth hero." (Horn Book Apr/60 p.128)

Carl Stephenson,Leningen vs. the Ants. Short story, not for the faint of heart. Online here:
Carl Stephenson, Leiningen and the Ants. This is it, a frequently anthologized short story
Carl Stephenson, Leiningen Versus the Ants, 1938. There's no science fiction element, but given description and the "Leningrad ?" note,requestor must be thinking of "Leiningen Versus the Ants."  Description at here:
carl stephenson, Leinigen versus the ants. Maybe Leinigen versus the ants?  This short story is in lots of collections.
Also a 1950s Charleton  Heston Movie called "Naked Jungle"
This story was made into a film entitled "The Naked Jungle" starring Charlton Heston.

Stephen Cosgrove, Leo The Lop Series, Serendipity Books, 1978.  This sounds a lot like the Leo the Lop series, which I read in the early 80s.  There are very colorful, late 70s style forest illustrations and the characters are all rabbits.  they learn things like "I'm normal and so are you," and at least one was called  Grampa Lop.  That one was reprinted as Leo the Lop: Tail Four in 2002 by Price Stern Sloan.

Interpreting Condition  Grades

Cosgrove, Stephen. Grampa-Lop.  illus by Robin James. Price/Stern/Sloan, 1981.  1982 printing. the magic of olde folks' stories.  paperback original, very good.  Serendipity Books  $6 Cosgrove, Stephen. Leo the Lop.  illus by Robin James. Price/Stern/Sloan, 1978.  21st printing 1986.  self-image; courage; bravery.  paperback original, a bit of surface damage, otherwise very good. Serendipity Books   $5

Diana Shaw, Lessons In Fear, 1987. There is no question in my mind that this is the book -- I read it when I was young, and still have my copy from then.  I even did a book report on it at one point!

I'm the one who posted this stumper and have some information to add:  when I say it "seemed Japanese," I was referring to the photographs/an original edition--the actual book was an English (language) edition, most likely published in the United States.  Also, the title *could* have been something like "A Day in the Park" or "A Day at the Park."  I'm fairly certain that the dog and cat (dolls) were using a little swingset in one of the photos.
 Let's Go to the Park, Photographs by Gerry Swart, no date in book.This book is a Golden Book. No author noted and no book date.  Marked as Golden Press Western Publishing Co, Inc. Racine, WI. World Rights Reserved Printed in Japan Photographs by Gerry Swart.
I have this book.  It is exactly as you describe.  The pictures are actual photographs and the siamese kitten and puppy ride a motorcycle (on cover), slide on a slide, visit the zoo, ride an elephant, go swimming, have a picnic & look at an fish tank.  Not many words in the book.

C225 I have not read it or seen it, but THE FULL COLOR FAIRYTALE BOOK (also listed as THE FULL COLOR FAIRY TALE BOOK) by R.C. Scriven, Gramercy Pub., 1974 includes, among other stories, "Cinderella" and "How to Catch a Leprechaun". The summaries indicated that it had beautiful illustrations, and that the front cover showed a giant eating soup surrounded by other characters from the fairy tales. So I have no idea if this is the right one, but it might be worth checking into. ~from a librarian
Let's Pretend.  This sounds a lot like my mother's wonderful Let's Pretend book of fairy tales, published in the 1940s or so. The stories include Cinderella (and I think that her dress was white with ermine), Rumplestiltskin, a story about Childe Rolande and his sister Elaine, Little Moonbeam (a Chinese fairy tale), and an Irish tale about a man with a crooked back who catches a leprechaun and wishes to be straight and tall to attract a girl.
C225/I48: Same book perhaps?
The dress and hair remind me of the Cinderella found in a Walt Disney collection I had.
Just wanted to add to the info I sent in before, regarding my mother's book: Let's Pretend, by Nila Mack, illustrated by Catherine Barnes (Racine, WI: Whitman Publishing Company) 1948   Contains five stories “adapted from the famous radio program Let's Pretend heard over the Columbia Broadcasting System”: Cinderella, The Leprechaun, Childe Roland, Princess Moonbeam, Rumpelstiltskin.
I have checked my Full Color Fairytale Book by Scriven to see if it is a match- unfortunately Cinderella does not match.
Nila Mack, Let's Pretend, 1947-48.  THere is absolutely NO Doubt that the book the Stumper seeker wanted was Nila Mack's Let's Pretend, published by Whitman Publishing c. 1947.   I got my copy in 1952-  and like others who posted -- remembered the color, the size, etc. but not the title.  My mother threw mine out ca. 1960-61 as I had totally worn it out--covers torn, off etc.  She never knew how much I loved the book.   I searched for it-- not remember author, title-- but only the chartreuse green cover, and the best lovely illustrations of fairy princesses, princes, roses, knights, etc.  Found a copy in an quaint antique shop driving on I94 between St. Paul and Chicago this August -- and I've been forever grateful.  Mine was very inexpensive -- but check E-bay once in a while.  Today -- Dec. 9- or yesterday, they had a copy that at last check was going for over $100.00  There is no doubt this is the book-- Cinderella indeed has ermine on her dress.  But note-- much of the nostalgia in remembering this book is due to its fabulous illustrations -- these were done by Catherine Barnes. I've been doing more research into her various illustrations in the 50s.
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When I was in first grade I got a book that had stories from different countries.  It was yellow and about the size of today’s coloring books but hardcover. This was about 1952-53.  One story had a girl that was supposed to go to the emperor; she had earthly parents but was actually the daughter of the lady in the moon.  She cried tears and they became pearls and the Moon Mother took her from earth so she didn’t have to go to the emperor.  Another story was in Ireland and was about a girl names Colleen and a boy named Michael that had a hump on his back and he was trying to catch a leprechaun to make his back straight so Colleen would love him.  Turned out she loved him anyway.  There was a story about and tower where a lady was imprisoned, the tower was covered in jewels and there was a man named Roland.  Cinderella was one of the stories also.  This was the only story that I have ever seen in any other book.  I feel pretty sure that there were other stories but I don’t remember them at this time.  This book had the most beautiful illustrations I have ever seen.  I have been looking for this book for years as I gave it to a friend’s children when I was 16 and they tore it up.

Nila Mack, Let's Pretend, 1948.  This is definitely the wonderful book of stories from the Let's Pretend radio show, with Cinderella, Rumpelstiltskin, Childe Roland, the Leprechaun, and Princess Moonbeam. The illustrations are by Catherine Barnes. You can read more about it in the Solved Mysteries.
Mack, Nila, Let's Pretend, 1948.  Found this on the web--could it be the one?  I know that the Princess Moonbeam story was on a Let's Pretend record my children had in the seventies.
1948 Let's Pretend, by Nila Mack, illustrated by Catherine Barnes (Racine, WI: Whitman Publishing Company).  Contains five stories “adapted from the famous radio program Let's Pretend heard over the Columbia Broadcasting System”: Cinderella, The Leprechaun, Childe Roland, Princess Moonbeam, Rumpelstiltskin
Just a few extra bits: the story of Roland was the "childe Roland to the dark tower came" one where he has to go widdershins around the tower and rescue someone (his sister?).  And Cinderella had three dresses, an ermine-trimmed one (illustrated), a silver one (not illustrated) and a gold one (illustrated).
Nila Mack, Let's Pretend.  Thank you for reminding me of this book which I received as a child and still have.  It has some of the most marvellous illustrations I've ever seen and I still like to look at them from time to time!
When I was in grade school I picked out a fairy tale book from a book sale. I took it to my grandmother's house for a long weekend. She saw the lime green cover of the book and was sooo ecited. She had a copy when she was younger and it was lost. It quickly became "our" favorite book and stayed at her home. Grandma passed recently and between the funeral and grief, I forgot about the book. When I remembered, the house and her belongings were dispursed. I was sick. Today my uncle found the book and I can't tell you how good it is to have this beautiful book back. I hope that you find a copy and treasure it forever. The book is Let's Pretend by Nila Mack illustated by Catherine Barnes, 1948 by Whitman Publishing Co. Racine:Wisconsin

The Letter People -- Reading Readiness Program. I'm almost certain you're looking for The Letter People reading program.  We used it in kindergarten in 1975-76.  The one we used had each consonant as a "Mister" and each vowel as a "Miss."  Mr. T with Tall Teeth, Mr. M with a Munchy Mouth, Miss A with "Achoo!" etc.  A word of warning, though, it apparently was completely redone in 1996, so if you go to buy it, look for an older version published by World Book or Childcraft.

John Bellairs, The Letter, the Witch, and The Ring, 1976.  This is absolutly what you are looking for. In this, the third book in the Louis Barnavelt series, Louis' tomboy friend Rose Rita goes on a roadtrip with her friend Mrs. Zimmerman, and they have to defeat an evil witch. You can see a picture of the cover online.
John Bellairs, The Letter, The Witch And The Ring.  This is it!  Thanks so much.  I will definitely use this site again.

Kathryn Jackson's The Santa Claus Book?  A Big Golden Book, 1952.  It's big, but also nicely illustrated.
Here I am again. Looking up books when I should be working. Could S19 possibly be the LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF SANTA CLAUS by L. Frank Baum.of Wizard of OZ fame.
Tolkien wrote a book about how Saint Nicholas got to be Saint Nicholas, but I can't remember the title.
Oh, this is fun!  I'll bet your listing number S-19 (a book regarding Santa Claus) was a childhood favorite of mine. The title is The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by Julie Lane, illustrated by someone named simply Hokie. It was originally published by The Santa Claus Publishing Company of Boston, Massachusetts in 1932, and was re-published by University Microfilms, A Xerox Company located in Ann Arbor Michigan in 1967. The total pages of this book, however, number 144.  The book describes how Nicholas, a fisherman's son, is orphaned by a terrible storm. He is temporarily adopted by the individual families of the fishing village. They each agree to take him for a year and then he will move onto the next family. Nicholas begins giving toys to the children of the families as a gift on the day that he leaves them -- Christmas Day and continues it throughout his young life. It goes on to describe how during his eighteenth year he goes to live with a bitter old woodcarver, but through his good nature changes the old man's life and becomes a skilled woodcarver himself over the years. After the old man goes to live with his sons, Nicholas maintains his affection for the children of the village and continues to carve toys for them. The book goes on to describe how he gets his red suit (sewn by a lady who created it thinking of the size of his heart, not his slender figure) and how he eats to fill it out so her feelings won't be hurt. It describes how Holly is named for a little girl who conquers her fears to bring him the bright beautiful berries from the dark woods because she had been ill and could not bring him flowers. It describes how he acquires his reindeer and shiny red sleigh and why he began using a chimney to deliver his gifts. It covers how children began to hang stockings for him to fill and how the first Christmas trees came to exist for the gypsy children who were spending their Christmas in a forest. It covers his entire life until our beloved Nicholas, now a very old man, dies sending the village into grief. However, as reward for the faith of a young boy named Stephen, Nicholas continues to bring joy to the children of the world even after death on Christmas morning. It even covers how one of the village children, too young to refer to his as Saint Nicholas as the older people do, manages to stammer out "Sant' Claus".
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Hello!  Once I was one your site looking at all the wonderful books people are looking for, when I found one that I had had about st Nicholas. The story was very loosely based on St Nicholas, it was mostly fiction. It started at boyhood. THe illustrations were done in green ink. He found a little girl named Holly who got lost in the woods. Anyways, it was a solved mystery and I thought I would remember it but now I cannot find it on your site. Can you help??? Thanks!

Lane, Julie, The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus.  There is a long description of this book on the Solved Mysteries pages.
S144: This IS in Solved Mysteries, it's The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by Julie Lane, NOT to be confused with the book by L. Frank Baum! It's not an accurate picture of St. Nicholas, which they admit, but there are links to his life in it.

Cherie Bennett, Life in the Fat Lane.  The description of the book says that a girl named Laura with a supposedly perfect family wins homecoming queen, then starts gaining weight.  She has to deal with the metabolism problem and with her family falling apart because her father is having an affair.  eventually she triumphs over her problems.
Sounds like LIFE IN THE FAT LANE by Cherie Bennett, 1998~from a librarian
Cherie Bennett, Life in the Fat Lane, 1998.  "Sixteen-year-old Lara, winner of beauty pageants and Homecoming Queen, is distressed and bewildered when she starts gaining weight and becomes a fat girl."
Bennett, Cherie, Life in the fat lane, 1998.  Beautiful Lara Ardeche has it all -- she is named homecoming queen her junior year, she has the ideal boyfriend, and a sweet personality to top it off.  Until she gains more than 100 pounds.  At first Lara blames her allergy medicine, but when she keeps gaining despite a strict diet and exercise routine, she seeks a new explanation.  When she is diagnosed with a metabolic disorder, she faces the awful truth that she may spend the rest of her life trapped in a fat suit!  Lara finds out who her true supporters are when she embarks on the most difficult battle she has ever faced.

George Dawson and Richard Glaubman, Life is So Good, 2000.  From your description, I'm almost sure the book you're looking for is called, "Life is So Good." It was written by George Dawson and co-authored by Richard Glaubman. The copyright date is 2000 and it was published by Random House.
George Dawson and Richard Glaubman, Life Is So Good  (ISBN 0-375-50396-X) 2000.Richard Glaubman and George Dawson's tutor were featured speakers at our agency's fundraiser.   Dawnson's story is very interesting and inspiring. He passed away at the age of 103 in July of 2001, I think.
George Dawson, Life is so good.2001, approximately.
George Dawson, Life is so Good, 2000 (Random House).
George Dawson, Life is so good, 2001.  I wouldn't really consider this a children's book, although it is a very
uplifting story and a quick read.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.  For finding out the name of the book for me. (Life is so Good). I couldn't believe my eyes when I turned on my computer today and found that my stumper had been solved.  I will go to my library tomorrow and I will also ring up a couple of our BIG book stores to see if I can get it.  Thank you again.   It was $2.00 well spent.

Burton, Virginia Lee, Life Story, 1950s.  Begins w/ prehistoric times, continues to the present -- some of the final sequences show Burton's house in spring, with apple trees in bloom.  Burton's standing at the side of the stage with her easel.

Beverly Butler, Light a Single Candle, 1962.  This sounds a lot like Light a Single Candle - the boy and girl friends (Pete and Cathy), the school and the seeing eye dog.  I'm not positive about the auburn hair.
Two suggestions:  Beverly Butler, Light A Single Candle.   Mine for Keeps by Jean Little
Butler, Beverly, Light a Single Candle
Butler, Beverly, Light a Single Candle, 1962.  I'm pretty sure this is the one.  Cathy is slowly going blind, and her condition affects her life-long friendship with the boy next door.  She goes away to a boarding school for the blind, and then eventually comes home and goes to a regular high school with her guide dog Trudy.
Light a Single Candle (1962) by Beverly Butler, maybe? The sequel is Gift of Gold. Also, see E113. She's written at least five other books.
Re: B519....THAT'S IT!!! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I searched for it to see if I could get the blurb and once I saw the cover with the girl and her long,flowing red hair with her wonderful guide dog, I knew that was it! Oh, how I loved this book when I was a young teen! I'm so excited now I will be able to read it again!  I can't thank you enough! KUDOS!! I simply cannot believe how quickly it was solved! You ALL are wonderful! Hugs all around! I have recommended your site already to all my family and friends and NOW they are going to just freak when they hear how fast this was solved! YAY! Best $$ I have EVER spent! I can see I will visit again and again! LOL!
Beverly Butler, Light a Single Candle, 1962.  I think this clinches the deal:  from page 8 of Light a Single Candle, "She did not even dawdle over combing her short hair, as she usually did, sqinting into the mirror to see if it were showing any signs yet of darkening to the glowing auburn of her mother's.  Everyone, aunts, grandparents and friends, kept predicting that someday it most surely would..."
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A coming of age story about a girl (maybe her name is Elizabeth) who has brown hair. She goes blind and gets a German Shepard as a seeing eye dog. It may be a series of books about this one character. I remember she has a boyfriend who wants her to move somewhere with him but I think she decides against it. Through the story (stories) she is waiting for her brown hair to turn to a beautiful red color which happens to the women in her family. At the end, although she can't see it herself, it does turn red. The story may be from the early 80's. Thanks!

Same book as B519?
This sounds like B519. Is it Light a Single Candle?

P147: This is almost certainly The Light Princess by George MacDonald, 1864.  Here's a link.  It's described briefly in M154. The prince gets saved from drowning in the end and the princess cries non-stop when he opens his eyes - plus, the rain also pours non-stop till the lake is full again. Maurice Sendak did indeed illustrate one edition of it! Arthur Hughes was the first, but I prefer William Pene du Bois' edition - the illustrations are humorous in just the right fashion and it's also necessarily abridged. MacDonald was seldom this funny! Lots of puns and Freudian implications. Here's a link  for Princess & the Goblin with lots of gorgeous illustrations.
George MacDonald, The Light Princess,1864.  I strongly suspect this is the story, though some details are different I have no idea what edition, though, since it was written in the 19th century (though it looks like it was illustrated in one edition by Maurice Sendak -- those might be your haunting black and whites). "It is the tale of a princess who is cursed by a mean, jealous, witch so that she has no gravity, both weightlessness, and lack of gravity in her character.In the way of things, a Prince appears, falls in love with the Princess, and thwarts the curse by the selfless behavior, which results in the Princess recovering her gravity: not an unmixed blessing, but one which her new maturity allows her to realize is best in the long run." The Prince is the one who puts himself in the situation to be drowned in order to save the Princess. 

The book in L-3 is  Lightning Strikes Twice  by Marguerite Dickson.
Hi, I wrote looking for Lightning Never Strikes or a book title similar to that.  I bought it in a used bookstore the other day.  It was called Lightning Strikes Twice and was by Marguerite Dickson.   It was from 1946 and was close to what I remembered.  Thanks so much. 

Mavis Jukes, Like Jake and Me.  This is a picture book about a boy adjusting to having a stepfather.  His pregnant mother grows something in a jar- it could be a peach but I think it was a pear.  At the end the boy saves his stepdad from a spider and feels proud of being brave.  It's a caldecott book.
It's already been solved! Like Jake and Me is exactly the right book! Thanks for an excellent website.

If the title in question was a poetry collection, here's a solve:  Love is Like the Lion's Tooth:  an Anthology of Love Poems.  Frances Monson McCullough (Editor).  New York:  Harper and Row, 1984.  An anthology of love poems.
Contents: A Painful Love Song by Yehuda Amichai, To Carry On Living by Yehuda Amichai, Lullaby by Wystan Hugh, Auden Verses Of The Same Song 9 by Wendell Berry, Deep In Love by Bhavabhuti, 2. by Bible, Insomnia by Elizabeth Bishop
Marjorie Bradley Kellogg , Like the Lion's Tooth, 1973.
Marjorie Kellog, Like the Lion's Tooth, 1972.  The description that I came across mentions that the book deals with some abuse issues and that while it's a YA novel it's probably too disturbing for most teens.
Marjorie Kellogg, Like the Lion's Tooth, 1972.  "The world of Like The Lion's Tooth is a world of children, specifically children who find themselves the almost unknowing victims of their parents' savagery or obliviousness or simply misguided love."
Love is Like the (a?) Lion's Tooth.  I think that this book is by Marjorie Kellogg.  To the best of my recollection, it involves 2-3 children who have rough lives(abuse, etc.) living together and making a place for themselves in the world.  I'll double-check my copy and let you know if the specifics match.
Like the Lion's Tooth.  I re-read this last night and here are further plot details: it takes place in/around a children's reform school.  Two of the children, Madeline and Ben, have constructed a shack out of an abandoned piano crate on the banks of the Hudson River.  It is a really disturbing book---focuses on the abuse that many of the children suffered prior to coming to the school.
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This was a book I read in the late 70's, very early 80's.  It shocked me because it was the first graphic book I read concerning child abuse.  I believe the book was not long, written for kids or young adults, and was paperback.  There were two teens or older kids in it. (Boy and Girl)  I remember the boy's father was a sailor and he tied up the boy and raped him.  The mother and rest of family were in next room.  The boy and the girl may have wound up in some sort of protective facility but I am not sure.  I was a young teacher at the time and it taught me to watch for child abuse.  Very powerful book but no one remembers it!

Kellogg, Like the Lion's Tooth.  This may be Like the Lion's Tooth.  I don't recall the detail of the father being a sailor but know that it does fit the time period and is about abuse.  There is a brief description on the solved mysteries page.
C302 just a guess: Bradbury, Bianca. Those Traver kids.  il by Marvin Friedman.  Houghton, 1972.  stepfathers - juvenile fiction; child abuse - juvenile fiction.
Hi!  You found one of my books!  I am C302 and the book IS Like a Lion's Tooth by Marjorie Kellogg!  Now I hope
someone comes up with T216!  Thank you so much!! =)
Kellogg, Marjorie, Like the Lion's Tooth.I'm sure it's this book.  The main boy and girl meet in a protective facility, and both have been sexually abused.  The father of the boy was a sailor, and the family had tried hard to hide from him.

G178 Could it be this? Norris, Gunilla Lillan.    illus by Namcie Swanberg. Atheneum    1968  divorce; Sweden

Interpreting Condition  Grades

Norris, Gunilla.  Lillan.  illus by Namcie Swanberg. Atheneum,1968.  Ex-library; jacket in plastic, cloth and pages all very good.  Overall, G+.  [21379YQ]  $9

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Children's fiction book ordered from Scholastic in early to mid 1970s about a girl who lives in Stockholm  (post WWII I believe)and wants to buy a little pink porcelain elephant for her mom but can't afford it.

Norris, Lillan, 1968.  Maybe??  "A young girl's father divorces her mother in Stockholm in the early years after WWII. They have to rent out part of their appartment to make get by and Lillian wonders if she or mother will ever be happy again."  It was published by Scholastic.
Lillian.  I read this recently & it does have a porcelain elephant. Lillian actually steals it at one point-- but thinks better of her actions & returns it. Her mother's new boyfriend ends up buying it for Lillian's mother.
Now that you mention the title, Lillian, you are exactly right.  Thank you for solving the mystery.  I am not even really interested in finding a copy of the book, I just wanted to remember the name of it.  I have third grade twins now, and I spend a lot of time trying to remember books that I loved in my pre-teen years.  This was just one of those things that nagged at me and I could not remember!  I look at your site regularly now and hope someday I can solve a mystery for someone.

Lavell, Edith, Adventure series of Linda Carlton, 1940's. I am not entirely sure, but this is a series of a young rich girl who flies and solves mysteries. They were published in the early 40's and other than that, you could shoot for the stewardess series similar to the Nancy Drew books.  I think that character's name was Vicki...one of the books was called Silver Wings for Vicki.
Julie Tatham ( also author of Cherry Ames), Vicki Barr series, 1950s.  Could this be the old series Vicki Barr, Air Stewardess series by Julie Tatham? (1950s).She solves mysteries  there are many in the series. OR could it be the even older books by Harrison Bardwell?(1930s) Airplane Girl series or Girl Sky Pilot series? These seem to all be mysteries,too. Roberta Langwell seems to be the main character. She sounds like she has money! Hope this is a fit!
Edith Lavell, Linda Carlton, Air Pilot,1931.  This is definitely the book -- it fits the poster's description exactly. I'm looking at it right now and the first paragraph talks about Linda's eyes being bluer than the blue paint on her car. Linda has a father but her Aunt Emily has cared for her ever since Linda's mother died when Linda was a baby. The dust jacket flap
reads in part, "No sooner does Linda Carlton graduate from high school than she begins to study flying. ... Using her plane in her travels, she recovers a string of pearls stolen from a friend, proving the innocence of the instructor at the flying field ..."

Linnets and Valerians
I remember this book from reading it in the mid-1960's. Three children are sent to their uncle's house, arriving in the middle of the night in cart drawn by a pony or I think a rather large dog. the uncle has an owl, and eventually we find that he is a warlock who has some pretty magical powers. I thought the book was by the adult novelist Elizabeth Goudge, but that book was only about one little girl. This story takes place in Britain, possibly at the turn of the century. Thanks for any help you can provide.

Cooper, Susan, Over Sea, Under Stone.  One of the Dark is Rising Series. The three Drew, Jane, Barney and Simon, children are on vacation in Cornwall, at the old sea-house with their Uncle Merry (not an actual relation). At first all is well. But while searching for adventure, the children stumble into a crumbling old map - a map dating back to King Arthur's time. But this map is not just an antique curio - but the key to finding a mystical grail...
This could be Linnets and Valerians, by Elizabeth Goudge.  (The book by her about one girl is probably The Little White Horse.)  It's four children, rather than three, but they do arive at their uncle's house in a pony-cart, and the uncle is a magician.
Elizabeth Goudge, Linnets and Valerians. This is indeed by Elizabeth Goudge, just not the one you're thinking of (it's _not_ Over Sea, Under Stone).  Probably the best book she ever wrote, IMHO, and one of the easiest to get hold of.
There's no way this is Over Sea, Under Stone---the children arrive by train and there's no beekeeping.  Their uncle is kind of a wizard and the only owl association in the story is that the enemies hoot like an owl to communicate danger to each other.
Elizabeth Goudge, Linnets and Valerians.  Four children sent to live with their nasty grandmother run away and hitch a ride in a cart drawn by a pony to an old man's house.  This happens to be their great Uncle Ambrose.  He is a minister and former teacher who lives with a servant, Ezra, and has a pet owl.  He agrees to take the children in a raise them since their father is in the army.  The children get involved in a mystery concerning an old
lady, Lady Alicia, and her missing husband and son.  They also run into another old village woman, Emma, who is reputed to be a witch.  While Uncle Ambrose is not a wizard, there is reference to magic in the book because Ezra believes that the bees in the beehives in the backyard should be paid respect.  One of the children also finds notebooks containing magical spells and a voodoo doll.  Ezra makes his own good magic voodoo dolls to protect the children.
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I think I read this book in the mid-70s to late 70s.  I think it takes place in England.  Either one or two children come to live in small village.  In the village there is a woman who lives in a large house, her son went missing a long time ago.   I recall a scene with a ‘mandrake root’ or some sort of root with pins stuck in it, a spell was cast on her son to cause him to go missing.  I think there is also a young man who was a gardener or something and I think it turns out that he is her son?  In the end her son comes back to her.

Elizabeth Goudge, Linnets and Valerians.  It's been a while since I read this but I think this is the one you're looking for.
Elizabeth Goudge, Linnets and Valerians.  It's been a while since I've read this book, but there seem to be a lot of similarities:  children going to live with an uncle in a village, an old woman with a missing son, mandrake root, and a memorable gardener.
Elizabeth Goudge, Linnets and Valerians, 1964.  This is one of my favorite books for children!  Linnets and Valerians is the story of the four Linnet children who are sent to live with their grandmother in England while their father travels in Egypt.  The children end up running away to live with their Uncle Ambrose in a small English town.  One of the women in town, Emma Colby, is a witch who uses a mandrake root to make Lady Alicia's son mute.  Other wonderful characters include Moses, Lady A's singing servant, Ezra, Uncle Ambrose's helper, and the bees!  Elizabeth Goudge also wrote the delightful story, The Little White Horse.
Elizabeth Goudge, Linnets and Valerians.  Still one of my favorite books! See Solved Mysteries for more info.
Elizabeth Goudge, Linnets and Valerians, 1964.  I think this may be the book you're thinking of.Not all the details matahc but it seems to have the same 'flavour' The four Linnet children (Robert, Nan Timothy and Betsy) are sent to stay with an eccentric great uncle in the country. There is a gardener (with a wooden leg) and a missing son who turns out to be a local hermit. There are definantly Mandrake roots, used to curse people. the book is set in about 1890, if that helps.
Elizabeth Goudge, Linnets and Valerians.  It's four children instead of two, but I'm almost certain it's the right book.  A witch fashioned mandrake roots into dolls that she stuck with pins and cast spells on.  It caused a husband and son to lose their memory and wander off. The doll of the son had pins in his tongue, so he was also mute.  In the end the dolls were found, the spell erased, and the men returned to their family.  Most of the story of Linnets and Valerians deals with the four children, but the bit with the mandrakes and the lost son and husband is definitely in there.
I just had to write to you to THANK YOU so much for your Stump the Bookseller website.  I still can’t believe how quickly my bookstumper was solved. I have been trying to recall the name of one my favorite books for decades and in just a few short days of placing my stumper M334 on your website it was solved!!!  Many thanks to you and all those who helped solve my stumper.

Perhaps - The Lion's Bed, by Diane Redfield Massie, published Weekly Reader, 1974 "All the animals unite to outwit the lion who is coming to their neighborhood. They make him a soft bed, but coconuts fall on him, ants crawl over him, pecarries play tag over him. He decides that to get a good night's sleep he will go away."
This same query was posted on the Alibris board, and I contacted the seeker by email to ask about The Lion's Bed. She confirmed that it was the correct title and that her husband had posted the stumper here. 

I'd suggest Lisa and the Grompet, written and illustrated by Patricia Coombs, published New York, Lothrop 1970. "Tired of being told what to do, Lisa runs away from home. When she stops to rest and 'think about things' she encounters a grompet. This tiny, furry, winged thing longs for what Lisa abhors - someone to boss him around. Lisa appoints herself master and takes him home, where they presumably live happily ever after. Softly modeled illustrations in black and white with pink and brown overtones - Lisa changes from belligerent to sad to happy while remaining delightfully untidy; the grompet is a cute, cuddly creature." (SLJ Book Review 1969-70 p.4)
Thank you!  This is indeed the book I have been searching for for over 20 years!  Thank you!!!
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It is a tiny book about a grumpy little girl.  She doesn't like to tie her shoes, wash her hands, or brush her hair. She talks to a tiny hairy creature/man who does't like to do those things either.  Sometimes he sits on her shoulder or on the sink.  I think he helps her become more cooperative.

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

Doing a search of the web, I found this entry:
Holl, Adelaide Lothrop, Lisette, illustrated by Roger Duvoisin (NY: See & Shephard, 1962). 30pp. Lisette comes to the USA aiming for immediate movie stardom; instead, gets lost in New York City. Sounds very similar to what was described in L1 (though the publisher should probably be Lee & Shepard).
I believe my grandmother still has my story about the poodle who got lost.  I’ll check with her next time I’m out her way, and let you know.  I know it was from the ‘60s.