I'd love to share a childhood book with my son.

January 12, 2007 11:23 PM

Childhood book; can anyone help me figure this one out? I'm trying to find the name of a little remembered book, probably from the late '70s. About a child who wished all his food would turn to candy. It did, and at first he enjoys candy green beans, etc., but by the end he decides it's not such a great thing.
posted by moonlite to Media & Arts (12 answers total)

It wouldn't be The Chocolate Touch, would it? Published 1979.
posted by sleeplessunderwater at 1:18 AM on January 13, 2007

Response by poster: I'm quite sure it wasn't about chocolate.
Still picking my brain to see if I can come up with any more details, though...
posted by moonlite at 1:47 AM on January 13, 2007

There's an old Little Audrey cartoon in which she wishes she could only eat candy. She eats lots of candy, falls asleep and dreams of horrific candy ghosts, demons and monsters that taunt her. Wakes up and, you guessed it, eats her vegetables. Anyway, it's something like that, and just on the off-chance that your memory is a little hazy and you'd been thinking of a cartoon instead of a book (a long shot I know), there it is. Little Audrey.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 2:13 AM on January 13, 2007 [1 favorite]

Bread and Jam for Frances is a similar message. Frances wants bread and jam for every meal, gets it, then gets darned sick of bread and jam. It's not about candy so that's probably not what you want, but I'll mention it on the off chance you misremembered the sweet food involved.
posted by litlnemo at 3:58 AM on January 13, 2007

Response by poster: Thanks, everyone. Still none of those, though.
posted by moonlite at 8:20 AM on January 13, 2007

Is it Sweet Touch? It's about a girl though - was your story definitely about a boy? Also, Chocolatina by Erik Kraft, although you said not chocolate...
posted by iconomy at 9:23 AM on January 13, 2007

It wasn't a Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle book was it? That sounds like one of her "cures."
posted by marxchivist at 9:55 AM on January 13, 2007

Response by poster: Hmmm, possibly The Sweet Touch - at least it sounds close, but not sure. If anyone else has a suggestion, I'd love to hear it.
Thanks!
posted by moonlite at 12:13 PM on January 13, 2007

Was it definitely just food that got turned into candy? Or other things too?
posted by iconomy at 12:42 PM on January 13, 2007

There's a discussion of Sweet Touch on this page (search for sweet touch) - looks like there's a small boy-genie in it called Oliver, if that helps.
posted by paduasoy at 1:52 PM on January 13, 2007

This sounds like The Sweet Touch to me, too. If you remember a boy, it could be the genie. Could you have also read both and mixed them together? When I read your post, I thought it was The Chocolate Touch, but then the cover for The Sweet Touch made me realize I'd read both.
posted by acoutu at 1:59 PM on January 13, 2007

Response by poster: Thanks everyone! I'm off to find a copy of The Sweet Touch, to see if that was indeed it.
posted by moonlite at 9:04 PM on January 13, 2007