Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with children's

Name this children's book and TV series from the 80's

ticktockdoc — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 11:18:49 -0800

Name this children's book and TV series from the 80's...? It's Lord of the Flies meets Follyfoot. Kinda. Plot: Three (?) children [definitely two boys, maybe a girl too...] are living in their grandfather's/stepfather's/some dude's(?) massive house and estate/lands. For some reason(?) they decide to run away, but instead of actually going anywhere, they instead hide out in the land/forrest of the estate. They manage to hide out there for YEARS, within sight of the massive house all the while. They evade many search parties [something about a hollow tree...?] and it becomes rather Lord of the Flies, with them making clothes out of animals and eventually their escapade ending with one of the boys [dark-haired one] returning home to the big house [can't recall if he rats out the other two]. Maybe the dark-haired kid got sick, so that's why he had to go back...?

This was a book , but was also a TV series shown in the UK in the late 80's with similar production values as 'Famous Five' and 'Follyfoot'. I remember it being full of awesome. The closest I can come to remembering the actual title is: 'The Boys of Brendan Green'. But fruitless Googling and Amazon-ing(?) prove useless.

Help me find a book from my youth.

prk14 — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 12:58:35 -0800

Obscure book filter (and I mean really obscure)! Here are the few items that I remember about it:

- I read it while going to a Belgian grade school, it is a children's book.

- I read the book in French, not sure if it was originally in French or was a translation.

- I cant remember what grade I was in but I read it sometime in between 1990 and 1993.

- The protagonist was a young boy, it was some sort of police thriller. At one point a tracking device was put in his shoe that allowed his protectors to find and save him.

- I believe the antagonist was named "Mr Palis" I remember that he met his demise falling out a window onto a palisade which I remember thinking was a ridiculous play on words.

- Part of this final show down took place in a school chemistry lab and someone flung acid or something at someone else.

That's all I've got. I know its not much to go on but if anyone can figure out what book I'm thinking about you'll earn lots of "cool" points!

First chapter book a child reads?

sevenstars — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:50:40 -0800

I was asked in France what's the first chapter book an American child reads on his or her own, and I didn't know whether there is one such book. Do you know of one or have any idea of the most likely titles?

Non-annoying Traditional Kids CD's

Pater Aletheias — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 10:17:14 -0800

I'm looking for a recording of good traditional (American) children's songs. You know, stuff like "Itsy-Bitsy Spider" and "Five Little Ducks." My definition of "good" is that my two-year-old can enjoy it and learn the songs, but it won't drive me crazy to listen to. No silly sound effects, just decent music. Do you know any anything that might fit the bill?

Help me find two books I read as a kid

Caduceus — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 19:41:47 -0800

WhatWereThoseBooksFilter: I'm looking for several unrelated books, or possibly series of books, that I read as a kid. The first involved a family of magic users living in what was the time the modern world. It was probably written in the 80s or early 90s, and I read it in the early to mid 90s (I have the least complete childhood memories of any non-tramautized twenty something I know, so bear with me). If I'm not conflating multiple books, the book was about a family of wizards/magic users who lived in secret in the modern world. I believe it was a YA book, and it focused on the children, though the parents could use magic as well.

I remember that one kid in particular had the gift of throwing small, relatively harmless fireballs, and would get in trouble by using this on his or her siblings. I don't recall if each family member could only do one particular magic act, or if they could all use magic in general and each was just particularly gifted with a single ability. I believe that the kids somehow awoke or pissed off a dragon, and that the family had to band together and fight it. It may have been a series, as well, but I don't remember any details that could have been from other books in the series.

The second book was about trolls. Again, I think it was a YA novel. I remember even less of this one. What I most remember is that they would play this game that I recall as being vaguely like horseshoes, only it would involve throwing what I believe were rocks with etchings filled with copper, silver, or gold in them. The winners would be able to take the losers' rocks. These trolls were fairly Scandinavian, in that they turned to stone in the sunlight, but they were the protagonists of the book.

Children's Book Filter - What was this book?

finitejest — Tue, 27 May 2008 15:25:58 -0800

Children's Book Filter: Help me find a book from when I was a kid. Of course, only limited details remembered... I'm looking to find the title of a children's book that was given to my when I was a child by my aunt. I don't know the age of the book, but I'm in my late 20s, so maybe that helps date it.

Here's what I remember:

The book was about or involved a black dog who, at the beginning of the book, either ran out of or away from the house. It was a softback book (at least the one that I had was) and the most striking thing to me was the illustration style...

I think it looked as if it had been screen printed - only a couple of colors were used. I remember black being a predominate color, with reds or oranges being secondary. Very block-colored illustrations with limited shading.

Ring any bells with anyone?

owen is stuck in a cave, his survival depends on you

phoeniciansailor — Thu, 22 May 2008 20:17:05 -0800

the child otto falls down a hill, sprains his ankle, and then the situation gets worse. help me remember what children's book this scene is from? i must have been in the, like, 2nd grade when i first read this book. or rather, had it read to me. i immediately had my parents take me to the b. dalton bookseller (remember those?) to special order a copy. i believe the main character of the story was a young girl, who for some reason winds up traveling through the (forest/mountains?) where she meets a young boy (otto/owen?) also traveling alone. they set off to (find help?) together, which leads to the pivotal scene (in my memory), which was of the boy falling down into a (ravine/gully/crevasse?) where he hurts his (anke/foot/leg?). the girl thinks she knows how to help, but confuses applying a cold compress with applying a hot compress, and winds up making matters worse. they may have been in a cave at this point. anyhow, the girl goes off to find help and there my memory fades even more. the book was important to me as a kid -- this would have been the late 70's or early 80's -- and i'd like to get a copy. and also find out what happens to otto/owen. poor little guy!

Recommend a Swing Set

spitbull — Sat, 03 May 2008 07:16:51 -0800

Children's backyard play structure filter: recommendations wanted. I am looking for a backyard playset/play structure for kids aged 7-10; let's say I have up to $2500 to spend. Requirements: wood, not plastic; slide, 2 swings, deck structure; durability and safety are key considerations. I can assemble (up to light carpentry). Backyard is pretty level already.

Mostly I'm looking for comments from people who have bought one of these things which they either like or hate, with reasons.

I've written 2 children's books, now I'm looking for an illustrator.

allelopath — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 14:54:38 -0800

I've written 2 children's books, now I'm looking for an illustrator. I am an unpublished author of 2 children's books and I am now looking for an illustrator. I will probably publish using Lulu.com. Any suggestions on how to go about finding an illustrator?

I see this site for example. I've looked through the entire site and found a few that might work, e.g.
Fanterosa Lele
mamewo
jessicadietrich
I'm not sure of the approach I should take when contacting these artists (or others) because I don't want to send the ms all over the internets.

Also, I have to consider how I would pay an illustrator. e.g. a flat fee, or a percentage of sales.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

Help me find a creepy book from my childhood.

svolix — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 13:46:36 -0800

When I was in third grade, there was a book at the library that I would go and find every couple of months. Having since, you know, grown old, I can't remember what it was called. I remember surprisingly little about the book except how it made me feel (a little creeped out by the weirdness, but in a good way - a feeling I have pursued all my life since then). Here's what I do know:

- It was a large book (it seemed huge when I was a kid), but thin.
- The front and back covers both had a title on them, and they were different titles, and both were very long. I wish I could remember what one of them was. They were weird, nonsensical titles something in the vein of "The Magic Mixed-Up Upside-Down Dollhouse Army Nature Spaceship Book." Neither cover had pictures, just the titles in a blocky, retro font.
- Half of the pages inside the book were right side up. Half were upside down. Just like the covers.
- Every page had its own title. Each was a separate feature.
- I can't believe I remember so little about this book - I think it was so weird to me as a kid, so different from any other book, that I didn't know what to make of it. But mostly it was full of delightful, clever lies for children. There was one page where there was a picture of a moth, and the book insisted that moths could talk. They just don't want to. The book said that if you didn't believe it, you should go ask a moth if it could talk. It won't answer - thereby proving that they can but don't want to.

One hundred svolix points to anyone who knows what it is. Yes, you read that right. (They're redeemable for appreciation and good vibes from a stranger on the Internet.)

What are these books I read as a kid?

lunasol — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 07:05:12 -0800

Please help me identify several books I read as a preteen in the late 80s and early 90s. One involved four or five teenagers keeping diaries for school, one was about a girl whose mother was running for mayor, and one was about a boy who lived with his father, a 60s radical on the run! Oh, and one really bizarre book about a girl and her pewter animals. There's Here's what I remember from each:

Four or five teenagers keeping diaries for school: one was the bitchy, perfect girl, one was the preppy nice girl, one was the dowdy, nice girl, and one was the mysterious boy with the shadowy past. There was also the bitchy girl's boyfriend. All very 90210. I recall that the dowdy girl and the mysterious boy get together at the end. Also, the mysterious boy has some sort of horrible family secret, but I can't remember exactly what. Oh, and I believe it took place in Connecticut.

Girl whose mother was running for mayor: I barely remember anything about this book, except that her mother was running for mayor of a small town and lost in the end.

Boy who lived with his father, a 60s radical on the run! Again, I don't remember much about this book, except that the teenage boy falls in love with this girl, and they go see a reggae band together.

Bizarre book about a girl and her pewter animals: lonely latchkey kid develops an alternative fantasy universe involving her collection of pewter animals. This one I read when I was a bit younger, maybe 9 or 10 and creeped me way out.

Ring any bells?

Need Books/Movies for Kids Going to Rome

bjennings — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 15:55:33 -0800

I'm looking for recommendations for books, movies and even music that might be relevant for a group of middle school (7th & 8th grade, ages 12-14) kids who are going to Rome over spring break. I'm a teacher, and I'm leading a group of 20 middle school kids as well as three other faculty members. I'd like to be able to recommend novels, movies and music for them.

They've all read Caroline Lawrence's "The Roman Mysteries" series. I'm very familiar with the range of children's and young adult historical fiction, especially that set in ancient times. I'd love to have any recommendations for novels set in modern Italy. Some of the students have read Dan Brown's "Angels and Demons", but teen and young adult books would be great, too.

I suggested "Roman Holiday"; all of the parents said "Oooh, I love that movie", and all of the kids were bored out of their skull. Fluff like the Mary Kate and Ashley "When In Rome" and "The Lizzie McGuire Movie" is right up their alley.

I figure music is a long-shot, but maybe there are some recommendations there as well. Thanks!

Who wrote this song?

RobotHeart — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 14:47:57 -0800

My mother used to sing a song to me as a child: "It's a rainy day / and we have to stay inside. / The rain is falling down / and we can't go out to play. / Why does it have to rain / anyway?" She swears it's from Sesame Street, but Google seems never to have heard of it. Who composed this song? Where could she have heard it from? Is it indeed Sesame Street?

Please help me locate these books from childhood.

kookywon — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 09:30:17 -0800

Another books from childhood question. Can you help me find these two books? I remember them from the early 80's or so, U.S. Book 1: A very well illustrated book. A kid gets a gift from his uncle(?) who's some sort of world traveler. The gift is a stone. It eventually hatches into some sort of tadpole/salamander type creature which grows quite big. So big that the kid has to sneak it out of the house into a local gymnasium swimming pool where he goes and visits it. It keeps growing and he eventually has to get rid of it and I can't remember how it happens. The uncle sends him another gift, another stone, which hatches into some sort of pterodactyl creature. The book had illustrations on one page and writing on the opposite page.

Book 2: Another illustrated book. This one may be a little tougher. The artist created several children's halloween books. The monsters were large and cartoonish, a little scary but more 'gross' than anything. One book I remember is about the 'big hairy toe', but upon searching that seems to be a fairly common scary story theme. I definitely remember a witch, some sort of shack that the child protagonist hid in, a skeleton, some sort of creature peeping through the keyhole in the shack and a chase maybe through a forest. I think the witch wanted to make a stew with the toe. This book was pretty much picture focused, the images pretty much took up both pages.

I'd love to find out if you can help me locate these books. I've been searching off and on for the last year. My brother and I really enjoyed them as kids. Thanks.

Squirrel Story

Irontom — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 07:23:02 -0800

I would like help finding a book from my childhood. It's about a female squirrel that takes up residence in an attic, and the toy soldiers in the attic defend her from a pack of bad male squirrels.

Children's book title redux

anonymous78 — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 12:47:05 -0800

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).

Alternative Kid's Lit

evilcupcakes — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 13:17:44 -0800

I am looking for some good subtly pagan/world religion themed children's books, toys, movies etc for my 6 year old niece in Arkansas. It doesn't have to be specifically pagan, just something that fits the themes and values of most any earth-based or mystical religion. My niece is stuck in the middle of the bible belt and therefore is given many Christian oriented gifts for the holiday season. Since my sister's side of the family ranges from staunch atheist to various flavors of pagan/other, I would like to at least expose her to other view points without completely freaking out my brother-in-law's family (yes, my sister is hip to this, as long as it isn't too preachy, she wants her to make up her own mind when she grows up). I have already stocked her with numerous fairy tale collections, ancient Egyptian gods coloring books, Native American life pop up books etc, but now that she is a precocious 6 year old, I would like to give her something with a little more complexity without losing the entertainment value. Ideas? Favorites?

Fiction I can read to a 5 yr old?

ohdeanna — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 06:22:29 -0800

I like reading to my 5yr old son at bedtime. We have discovered that we both enjoy reading longer books/ novels with many chapters and some pictures here and there. Our latest was the original "The House at Pooh Corner". Please suggest more!

Chicken Feet!

albernathy0 — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 21:01:07 -0800

Please help identify a children's horror program either on television or VHS (most likely) that I watched as a child in the early 90s. If it was a television program I have a feeling that it would have been on PBS. I am most confident however that it was a VHS video I rented from the library. I associate the words, "Chicken Feet" with what I remember. The scene I remember best is of a children's room, outside is rain and lightning, and suddenly you see this big monster chicken in the closet! That's really all I recall. The movie was live action. Thank you so much for the help!

Philly Filter: Need hotel suggestions

dancinglamb — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 07:23:37 -0800

Need suggestions for a reasonably priced hotel near Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for Oct 11th-13th. My four and a half year old daughter will be having outpatient surgery done at CHoP on October 12th. We live almost two hours away, so I'm planning on going down the night before the surgery and staying there the night of. I've been searching all the usual places (expedia, yahoo, priceline, hotels.com, etc.) and the close ones are all coming up $200-400 a night. Gah!!!!

What I need: A clean, non-smoking room, someplace preferably within 3-5 miles of the Hospital, parking, food on site. I'd like to keep it between $100-200/night. I'm not looking for something crazy opulent, but also don't want someplace that looks like a standing for the Bates Motel (a/k/a Penn Towers).

Name of children's novel?

Sullenshady — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 19:57:00 -0800

For nostalgia's sake, I'm trying to recall the title of a British novel (or maybe it was a series of novels, I'm not sure) about a family of animated rag dolls who live anonymous lives until a human discovers their secret and falls in love with one of them (?) Yeah, it's a bizarre concept, but I remember it being kind of poignant in an Edward Scissorhands-esque way. Since I read the book as a kid, I suppose it would have been published about 15 years ago, give or take.

Long Shot-Children's ABC book from 60s-70s?

MsElaineous — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 13:53:06 -0800

Can anyone tell me the title (or author, ISBN #, any other info) of a children's alphabet book-probably published late-1960s or early 1970s, featuring fantastical creatures chasing other fantastical creatures? Unfortunately, my memory is too hazy to allow me to find this book using google (or it simply doesn't exist anymore). I think it was printed on sepia toned paper, and had simple line drawings for illustrations.

Each page featured a mythological creature (some were "real" mythological creatures, but some may have been "made up for the book" mythological creatures) and a little bit of doggerel, like this:

"The lepus is leaping, as well he might! He is being chased by a..."

And then you would turn the page, and find "A Manticore," or something, who was performing some verb beginning in "M", as well he might!, for he was being chased by whatever "N" creature was on the next page.

I have tried searching on "lepus is leaping" because that is a phrase that sticks in my head. That being said, it may not have actually been a phrase in the book.

Thanks.

The Future of War?

Ryvar — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 03:48:36 -0800

Help me find a series of illustrated children's hardcover books from the 70s/80s about the upcoming technologies of "The Future" When I was 7 or 8 ('87-'88) I remember my grade school library had a whole series of illustrated hardcover books - big and thin (30-60 pages, say) covering the future of various topics. Future of flight, future of space travel, future of robotics, etc. The future of war was a particular standout as it had a very vivid illustration of two robotic hovertanks in combat - I believe it was on the front cover as well. That's the specific one I'm looking for but I'm after the whole series if possible.

Things I'm less sure about, some of these may be red herrings: I seem to recall all the books generally had a white cover (fairly sure of this) with a blue seriffed font for the title (not as sure about this), and all the titles ran along a basic theme that was literally like "The Future of War" "The Future of Robotics", etc. etc.

The art was particularly well-rendered, and generally didn't fall into the category of cheesy 50s-60s space art. Anybody have any ideas?

Help me buy a children's book collection

bananafish — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 13:38:42 -0800

A friend and fellow bibliophile is having her first child. As a baby shower gift, I'd like to get her a nice children's book collection (in the $100 range). The 58-volume Dr. Seuss collection looked awesome, but at $500 is beyond my price range. I thought I'd get some ideas about what children's book collections you or your children have loved. (I'm thinking Hans Christian Anderson collections, etc.) She's having a girl if that makes a difference to your answer.

What is the name of this old children's movie?

koshka — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 17:47:16 -0800

I can't remember the title of this old children's movie I saw long ago. A long time ago I saw a movie in grade school that I really liked, but I have never heard of since. I can't remember the title but I can tell you a few things about it:

- Started off as a movie with real people and a little boy, and then the movie and he became animated (I think he did this by jumping into the TV).

- Film made in the late 60's or 70's (color).

- One character in the film was this Gollum looking creature who liked to do big things in tedious ways (he suggested using a thimble to empty water from a well, use a needle to chisel a boulder).

- At the end the boy goes back to real life and goes to the park to swing. There is a red balloon that flies into the sky in the closing shot.