Children's stories

May 5, 2006 9:07 PM

Can you help me identify two children's stories/books?

They aren't related, just two stories from my childhood that I can't quite remember. I hope it isn't cheating to get two askme answers at once!

The first is a story about a boat/ship that gets shipwrecked at night - it runs aground somewhere with (exotic?) animals, and it turns out (SPOILER!) that it's a zoo not far from where the boat launched.

The second is a rather twisted fairy tale-type story that may have been in some type of treasury or collection. A young woman is in a kitchen cooking or baking something, and her cat keeps asking her for a taste of what she's preparing, or maybe some milk. She keeps refusing. A man comes to the door to kidnap her and she appeals to the cat for help. The cat refuses, the woman is taken, and the cat helps itself to whatever it wanted from the kitchen.

I would guess that I read these in the early- to mid-80s, but I have no idea when they would have been written.

posted by peep to writing & language (8 comments total)

Do you have a particular phrase from either book that sticks out? I was able to find a book (My Father's Dragon) that my mom read as a child just by googl'ing a phrase that she recited from it (Bum cack bum cack we dreed our nagon).

Dunno if that's any help.
posted by deliquescent at 9:37 PM on May 5, 2006

Try asking over at Loganberry Books: Stump the Bookseller (cheap) or Abebooks BookSleuth (free)
posted by Saccade at 10:49 PM on May 5, 2006

You might also try asking at the Internet Public Library (free, staffed by librarians and library students).
posted by box at 6:07 AM on May 6, 2006

The first one is reminiscent of "Where the Wild Things Are" but I doubt that's what you are remembering.
posted by I_Love_Bananas at 9:38 AM on May 6, 2006

I remember the first book vividly, but I can't place the name. I have an email into my mother, who has an encyclopedic knowledge of children's books.

I think it is primarily a picture book, yes?

IIRC, two children stow away on some scientist/adventurer's boat becuase they want to go on his expedition/safari to africa, and a storm hits when they are at sea, and when they end up washed up on the shore with a bunch of elephants, giraffes and whatnot. They spend the night in a thatched-roof cabin, and when they wake up they are in an animal pen at the zoo.
posted by misterbrandt at 1:18 PM on May 6, 2006

Misterbrandt, yes! That is definitely the first book. I don't remember if it was more of a picture book, but possibly. I would love to see if I can get a copy, so if you can find the title, that would be great!
posted by peep at 2:12 PM on May 6, 2006

peep, I have consulted with a couple of family members -- it is familar to both of them, but neither could recall enough to get an author or title.

A couple of other tidbits that came out of this: the boat was pretty definitely a paddlewheel, my brother says (and I agree), and he also thinks the main adventurer guy was perhaps the uncle of the children?

If/when you ID this book, please email me (in my profile) -- I have now officially driven myself and the rest of my family insane trying to think of it.
posted by misterbrandt at 4:28 PM on May 12, 2006

peep, the first book is: "Uncle Louie's Fantastic Sea Voyage" by Jan Loof (courtesy of my mother).
posted by misterbrandt at 6:58 PM on May 14, 2006