Have you seen this book?

July 13, 2009 7:10 AM

Another lost children's book: This one was published no later than the ‘60's. It was a large hardcover, green with black line drawing, with B&W drawings inside. The story is about a boy who wishes desperately for a dog, then falls asleep and dreams about a giant sheepdog (?).

The dog and the boy embark on some challenging adventures, including climbing a seemingly endless staircase in the sky. Perhaps at one point the dog tells the boy he must continue on his own. It’s all very dream-like but not a happy dream. At the end of the book, the boy wakes up--to his new puppy, jumping up on his bed and into his arms. Some of the illustrations are creepy but not Gorey-like, and the whole book feels vaguely eerie.

And now I want to find it again! Does this ring any bells among the MeFi Olds?

posted by dogrose to media & arts (8 comments total)

Phantom Toolbooth?
posted by apetpsychic at 8:49 AM on July 13

Tollbooth.
posted by apetpsychic at 8:51 AM on July 13

It took me a while to track down, but I found it here. I loved this book as a child.

The Wish-Tree; Ciardi, John. illus. by Louis S. Glanzman. Crowell, 1963.
K-2 93p. (Modern Masters Books for Children).
A read-aloud story illustrated by black and white drawings of variable quality. A
small boy goes to bed the night before his sixth birday, and has a long, fanciful dream
that relates to his wish for a puppy and to the fact that his father has told him he
would have to find a Wish-Tree. When the boy wakes, he finds on his bed a brown
puppy. The story begins with great simplicity, and the dream sequence is introduced
smoothly, but it seems drawn-out.
posted by Izner Myletze at 8:56 AM on July 13

Thanks, and I can see why you thought of Tollbooth. But this book is for younger kids -- a lot less text and more pictures.

(It was fun to see Tollbooth again!)
posted by dogrose at 8:57 AM on July 13

Here is the cover.
posted by Izner Myletze at 9:26 AM on July 13

Drat my non-previewing ways!

That's it, Izner M.! Thank you so much! This has been driving me and my brother crazy.

Did you remember it? Or are you just a genius researcher? Either way, THANKS!
posted by dogrose at 9:37 AM on July 13

There's a great website for just this kind of question.
posted by stuck on an island at 10:04 AM on July 13

There's a great website for just this kind of question.

Yes, I would second the Loganberry site as an excellent resource, although unfortunately in this case B687 was unsolved.

Dogrose, you deserve the thanks here. Once in a great while I would distantly remember this as one of the favorite stories of my youth - a great big creepy book with the word tree in the title - but not with enough detail to find. It was one of those hazy half memories I wasn't entirely sure was real until I read your description. You gave me the additional information necessary to track it down.
posted by Izner Myletze at 11:08 AM on July 13