Examples of kids puzzle and poetry books I read in the 1980s
July 5, 2017 1:00 PM Subscribe
The first place I would go in the library as a kid was the puzzle section and those right next to it. I remember lots of books that were more of a hodgepodge of games, puzzles, poems and cultural memes. They were really geared towards kids or teens and would have likely been published between 1960 and 1990. What are the likely titles and/or authors of these books?
This is where I learned what S.W.A.K. meant, that dandelions held on your chin made it yellow and proved you liked butter, and the rules for Seven Minutes in Heaven. This was not a single series, but there were quite a variety of them and some were sequels. I remember that some had the word Nonsense in the title.
This is where I learned what S.W.A.K. meant, that dandelions held on your chin made it yellow and proved you liked butter, and the rules for Seven Minutes in Heaven. This was not a single series, but there were quite a variety of them and some were sequels. I remember that some had the word Nonsense in the title.
Annuals? There was a UK-especially tradition of publishing compendiums of magazines as hardbound books that were sold around the end of the year, and so you'd get a stack of thick books full of articles, puzzles, comics and cute pictures and crafts aimed at different age groups.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 8:07 PM on July 5, 2017
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 8:07 PM on July 5, 2017
Response by poster: Oh, I don't remember The Whim Wham book, but it is by Duncan Emrich, the same guy who did the Nonsense Book of Riddles... and the Hodgepodge book. I remember those two for sure! I am reading the Nonsense Book on Open library right now, so thanks!
posted by soelo at 10:04 PM on July 5, 2017
posted by soelo at 10:04 PM on July 5, 2017
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Steven Caney's Kids' America
Do a Zoom Do (from the TV show)
The Whim-Wham Book
The Book of Strange Facts and Useless Information (a bit more adult skewed)
Of course the Martin Gardner puzzle books
This similar thread names a few more.
posted by Miko at 1:22 PM on July 5, 2017 [2 favorites]