Children's book title redux

December 28, 2007 12:47 PM

I'm looking for the title of a children's book I read while growing up (early 80s) about a condemned house.

I don't remember much other than that there's a small cottage tucked between two larger buildings. It's going to be torn down and replaced by a similarly large building, but some neighborhood kids get involved and clean it up. In the last scene, the contractor comes storming in just as they've finished baking cookies (possibly with an elderly lady living there). He's furious but is ultimately won over by the cookies and so the cottage survives (possibly as a bakery).

posted by anonymous78 to media & arts (5 comments total)

I can't remember the details, but it sounds kind of like The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton.
posted by vytae at 1:25 PM on December 28, 2007 [1 favorite]

No, it is definitely not the Little House. (I'm reading it right now). Sorry, your book does not sound familiar to me.
posted by saucysault at 1:51 PM on December 28, 2007

But, poking around, does the cover of The Tiny Little House by Clymer look familiar? It was later turned into a play.

From this page: "A charming story somewhat reminiscent of both Virginia Lee Burton's The Little House and Rachel Field's The Yellow Shop and every bit as delightful as both of those. Two little girls fall in love with a small, abandoned house and help an older lady turn it into a home and a cookie shop."

It is actually kind of funny how many books were written for children about small houses that are unwanted in the city.
posted by saucysault at 2:03 PM on December 28, 2007 [1 favorite]

Do you remember if it was a British book? There are two I vaguely remember that sound a bit like this (I think one was called "The Battle of * Street" or "The War of * Street"), both by women, both British. If it was British I'll go on trying to remember what these were.
posted by paduasoy at 2:55 AM on December 29, 2007

It was definitely the Tiny Little House! Thanks saucysault.
posted by anonymous78 at 7:28 PM on December 31, 2007