children's book title

February 9, 2017 12:44 PM

I read a book in my childhood (80's) that has haunted me, and the only identifying detail I remember clearly is there was a room in a house that had wallpaper revealing gory killings by ancient soldiers (roman?), of people and babies. Why this would be in a children's book is beyond me, but have been curious as to the book, and to see if my horrific memory matches the reality of the story.
posted by waustin to Writing & Language (3 answers total)

From 1991, but The Ghost In The Big Brass Bed includes a vivid description of a haunted painting in the parlor, which depicts a gruesome war scene.
posted by milk white peacock at 1:37 PM on February 9, 2017 [1 favorite]

You're thinking of The Red Room Riddle, by Scott Corbett, which was published in 1972. The book had a resurgence when it was made into a CBS Storybreak Episode in 1983.
posted by orange swan at 4:26 PM on February 9, 2017 [1 favorite]

A further note... I watched the CBS Storybreak Episode last night, and they didn't include the Roman wallpaper detail in it, but it is definitely in the book. Just as well, I thought, because it was absurd. Why on earth would a turn of the century American house be haunted by people who were present during the Slaughter of the Innocents in the Middle East in 2 A.D.?
posted by orange swan at 4:41 PM on February 12, 2017