On The Trail of The Jelly Bean Trail: Identify this Children's Book

January 21, 2018 2:57 AM

Asking on behalf of my lovely friend: She remembers a book from her childhood- so maybe from early to mid 80s- about a young girl traveling through the wilderness- maybe forest or rolling hills- following a trail of jelly beans. The pictures were all a kind of lifelike painting- she remembers lots of earthy colours.. but most of all the vivid colours of the jelly beans themselves, which she remembers as being bright like jewels. Maybe she was dropping them along the way, Hansel & Gretel style, to find her way back home?

Can Ask help us in our hour of need, as it is so excellently reputed to do? Apologies for vagueness in the details!

As far as we can tell, it's not Valerie and The Jelly Bean Trail

posted by Philby to Media & Arts (4 answers total)

No jelly beans, but this description immediately made me think of the book The Talking Eggs.
posted by phunniemee at 5:33 AM on January 21, 2018 [1 favorite]

Maybe Jellybeans For Breakfast by Miriam Young?
posted by oomny at 10:45 AM on January 21, 2018 [1 favorite]

This absolutely jogged my memory of a book I read in the eighties as a little one because of the vividness of the colors in the story. I know your friend remembers a little girl and jellybeans but could it have been "Winnie the Pooh and the Pebble Hunt"? I remember making my mother read this Little Golden Book to me over and over again as a kid.
posted by Merinda at 11:27 PM on January 21, 2018 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks very much for these suggestions, guys! Unfortunately- no dice thus far. Any more leads would be super appreciated!
posted by Philby at 12:04 AM on January 23, 2018