Stump the Bookseller Queries New AB CD EF GH IJ KL MN OP QR S T UVW XYZ

Solved Mysteries Catalog A B C D EF G H IJ K L M N O P QR S T UV W XYZ

Search Loganberry's Website! Return pages containing  ALL ANY   of these words:

How to Send in Contributions   Book Request Book Stumper Solution e-mail

Richard Scarry, I am a Bunny.  Don't know if this is the book but - A Golden book still in print or at least recently reissued
shows a bunny going through the season, chasing butterflieds, blowing dandelion seeds, etc.  Ends with him in a hollow going to sleep (in winter).
Ole Risom, I am a bunny, 1963.  Illustrated by Richard Scarry. Bunny named Nicholas lives in hollow tree  tells of favourite nature-related activities associated with each season. Ends sleeping in hollow tree, dreaming about spring. Possibly a match?
I am a bunny. Author is Risom, illus by Scarry. I've had a few copies but had to make sure my granddaughter had a copy. They were worn, anyway.

Betty MacDonald, The Egg and I  I read this book, too, in the 50s. It would be either The Egg and I or Onions in the
Stew. Both are by Betty MacDonald.
Hi, I love this site.  The book I am looking for took place in the East whereas Betty McDonald's took place in the NW.  I have read all Betty McDonald's books, though similar it isn't Betty McDonald.
Unfortunately this book isn't the Egg and I.   All of the books by Betty Macdonald take place in the Pacific Northwest and the rest of the description doesn't match either.
H81 I just looked at a copy of Betty MacDonald's Egg and I don't think either of her books fits. She was born in the west. She raised chickens, of course, but someboody else must have, tøo. I'm trying to think of other authors with that type of humor; I've decided it's not the Gilbreths/ Ernestine Carey either; nor Lasswell.
Maybe one of Jean Kerr's books like Please Don't Eat the Daisies?  She was more fifties-era, though.
Dodie Smith, I Capture the Castle, c.1948.  Could this be I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith?  Its fairly famous opening lines: "I write this sitting in the kitchen sink. That is, my feet are in it  the rest of me is on the draining board, which I have padded with our dog's blanket and the tea cosy .... " This is definitely a humorous story about a family.

Dr. Frances R. Horwich, I Decided.  I loved this book too!  A little girl (sorry, I don't remember her name) goes out shopping with her mother, and because she behaves well, her mother tells her she may choose a toy, and she has to decide which one she wants.  It's part of the Ding Dong School series put out by Rand Mcnally.  As a little Californian child, I was as fascinated by the girl's green snow suit as by the story!
Miss Frances Horwich, I Decided.  This is the one - if memory serves the author is only credited on the cover as "Miss Frances", but her surname is Horwich.

I Think About God, Golden, 1965.  This book contains 2 stories -- Why / Sue Val, ill. Christiane Cassan  and I Do My Best / Norah Smaridge, ill. Trina Hyman. I Do My Best was also released by itself by Golden in 1968.
Norah Smaridge, I Do My Best (1965)  I was able to locate both copies of the book that was posted in the solution to my stumper. The 1968 edition is exactly like the book I had except for one important difference. My book was soft covered and it was definitely purchased in 1965 or early 1966. Is it possible it was published by Western Publishing Co. as a soft covered Little Angel Book in 1965, the copyright date?
I Do My Best was also released in 1965 by Costello Pub. Co ("A Little Angel Book") and in 1967 by G. Chapman ("My Little Gift Books").  Don't know if the costello book was hard or soft covered.

I have a turtle.  Someone wanted to know how it ends.  I remember it saying: "and that's why...no one will ever know...that in the corner of my room...under my bed...in my mommy's hat box...I have a turtle!"

Mercer Mayer, I Just Forgot  (A Little Critter Book).  Golden Books 18 August, 1999 Paperback.  Could it be...  I Just  Forgot??? Little Critter struggles to remember what he is supposed to do each day. On rainy days he remembers his raincoat but forgets his boots. On school days he gets to school on time but forgets his lunchbox. At home he takes a bath but forgets to use soap. Sound familiar??

Jean Tymms, I Like To See: a book about the five senses, 1973, Racine, Wis. : Western Pub. Co., ISBN: 0307684431.  "Tells of the things enjoyed in seeing, feeling, smelling, tasting and hearing."
Jane Tymms, June Goldsborough (illus), I Like To See (A Book About the Five Senses), 1973, copyright.  A Whitman Tell-a-Tale Book. Front cover is sort of greenish, featuring three children. Boy on left is licking a lollipop and has a blue parakeet perched on his shoulder, presumably chirping in his ear. Girl in center is holding a soft kitten up to her face. Girl on right is smelling a red rose, and looking at a butterfly overhead.
Jean Tymms, June Goldsborough, I like to see : a book about the five senses, 1973, copyright.  Tells of the things enjoyed in seeing, feeling, smelling, tasting and hearing.
Found the answer to my riddle tonight! I was thrilled. It was I Like to See: A Book about the 5 Senses by Jean Tymms.  My daughter will be so thrilled. Thanks for your assistance.  I sure will recommend your site.

Elizabeth Cadell.  There's a customs scene exactly like this in an Elizabeth Cadell novel - but I don't remember which book! But she'd certainly qualify as a light romance author whose books filled a shelf.
Elizabeth Cadell, I Love a Lass, 1956.   This has to be I Love a Lass by Elizabeth Cadell (Eng. title--Bridal Array).  The bridal outfit is used to smuggle diamonds through customs.  The other book mentioned is probably Six Impossible Things, the third part of the Wayne trilogy (the first two are The Lark Shall Sing and The Blue Skies of Spring).

Sara Teasdale, Flame and Shadow, 1920.  The title of the poem itself is "I Remembered."
There never was a mood of mine, / Gay or heart-broken, luminous or dull, / But you could ease me of its fever / And give it back to me more beautiful. / In many another soul I broke the bread, / And drank the wine and played the happy guest, / But I was lonely, I remembered you // The heart belongs to him who knew it best.
Thank you so much for helping me find "I Remembered" with the line "the heart belongs to him who knew it best." I am relieved to find it because my mother sent me a copy of it years ago, and I lost it or perhaps even deliberately threw it out. After she died, I couldn't forgive myself because I thought she might have written it for me. I know now she didn't write it, and I'll be able to find a copy, the best outcome possible.

Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham, of course!  New copy, $8
it's not green eggs and ham...  i know that book. the main character in the book i'm refering to is a mouse. This was a set of early reading books. They were also paper not hardbound...yellow...small...    The "I am Sam" i am looking for is not green eggs and ham.  find anything else? thanks.
Bobby Lynn Maslen, The Bob Books, 1976.  I wonder if this isn't one of the "Bob Books". There are three different sets  small(4"X5"), thin(12 or 15 pgs) paperbacks in primary colors that came boxed in sets of 12.  They were published by Scholastic and are for very early readers (pre-K or K). I have the first set and the book you describe isn't in this set, but I think I remember it from one of the other sets.  Here is a text example from one of my books: Lad had a fat, fat cat.  The cat is Kit.  Kit sat in a box.  The title of set two is More Bob Books and set three is Even More Bob Books.
I remember the book that reads "I am Sam, Sam I am..." as a yellow, soft-covered Scholastic reader with black text.  The book is approximately 5"x7" and could more appropriately be referred to as a booklet. I believe these Scholastic readers were precursors to the "Bob" books, but the concept was the same.  It was the very first book I read in kindergarten in 1971.  There were numerous books in the set;  I believe Sam was a recurring character. I've casually looked for this book myself as it is the first book I can remember reading in school.
This poster should check out Stumper S246. It sounds like he is looking for the same series of books. It is still unsolved, but the info in the Stumper combined with his memories might be enough to solve it!
There's a softcover Scholastic Phonics book I saw on eBay called I Am Sam (32 pgs).
Could this be the old Sullivan Reading Series?  I used it when I entered school in 1973.  The characters were Sam, Meg, Nip, etc.  There were several levels (up to 20?).  Some of the books had questions and you had to write the answers in an answer book.
I See Sam, c.1970.  I am replying to the request for an early reading series  I am Sam.  I have a web site that they can be ordered from.  Hope this helps.
I See Sam is part of a series of "The Rainbow Edition" pamphlets from an educational program called Reading For All Learners by Dr. Alan Hofmeister.  Still being used!
---
S246:  These were yellow paper books with black and white drawings of a Lion named Sam, Mat the Rat, Nate the Snake?, and they were a series of about 55 books.  The first book is Sam, then I Am?, Mat the Rat.  They have humorous drawings, and start the series with one word.  They build on each other, and introduce new characters along the way.  I am trying to find the name of the series, and publishing information.

This poster should check out Stumper I25. It sounds like he is looking for the same series of books. It is still unsolved, but the info in the Stumper combined with his memories might be enough to solve it!
I See Sam, 2001, reprint.  I believe this is also the answer for I25.  I have hunted all over the net for the early reader series  "Sam" books, for my grandaughter.  Both of my children used these books during the 70's  I have found several sources. The following are sources you can check out. Books can be ordered from this website.   You may also want to check out this website for a free download of the fisrt book.  this website also offers some information  Good luck, I do hope this is what you were looking for.

Audrey Erskine Lindop, I Start Counting, 1966-67.  This is the book, no doubt about it.
Audrey Erskine Lindop, I Start Counting, 1962,.  It was made into a movie, starring Jenny Agutter as Wynne, in '69 or '70.

I think I read this story, or its sequel as a Readers Digest Condensed Book many years ago. I've always wanted to read the full book. The relatives (her aunt and uncle) are doing experimental work in their local woods to help reforestation in Vietnam. They live close to the sea. There are descriptions of Quaker meetings. Does this sound like the same book?
Could q3 be I Take Thee Serenity by Daisy Newman. If the original questioner remembers Sara, then perhaps it really was Serenity.
I Take Thee, Serenity, which I also read as a Reader's Digest condensed book, is about a young woman named Serenity, who goes by the name Sara.  I don't remember about her mother dying, but she does go to stay, perhaps for the summer, with two older Quaker relatives who she comes to deeply respect and love.  Her college boyfriend had been pressuring her to "go all the way" and she couldn't decide if it was right to  the time spent with her relatives and their inspiration gave her the
strength to stand by her convictions.  I think they may have ended up getting married in a Quaker wedding, hence the title.

I Think About God, 1977.  It's a Little Golden Book that has 2 stories in one, the first titled "Why".

Betty Miles, I Would If I Could, 1983.  This is an almost perfect description of I Would If I Could, although the girls' fear they had polio was due to having stiff legs before they realized they'd gotten poison ivy. Patty's bike is a gift from her aunt and she's afraid she won't learn how to ride it before the end of the summer.
Betty Miles, I Would If I Could. Thank you so much for solving my mystery.  I can't wait to order this book and re-read.
---
This book takes place back in the 40's or 50's...it's about a little girl named Patti whose father drives her to Ohio to spend the summer with her Grandmother. She has friends there, a little girl named Mary Alice and 2 sisters that are twins and a little on the mean side. The grandmother wins a jingle contest and she learns how to ride a bike. Seems like they listen to Little Orphan Annie on the radio, so it may take place before the 40's. Thanks!

Betty Miles, I Would If I Could. reprint. This has to be the one you're looking for. All the details match.
Betty Miles, I Would If I Could. Thanks so much for solving this mystery...this is the correct book that I was looking for!!!!

Arnold Lobel, Ice-cream Cone Coot and Other Rare Birds, 1971.  Yes, this is a Parents Magazine Press book. "All the birds inside this book are very strange and rare. And if you travel to the zoo, you will not find them there. Don't look for them in nature books, in parks or pet shop cages, and thus it goes. a very entertaining children's book with really great artwork."
I immediately thought of The Ice-Cream Coot, And Other Rare Birds by Arnold Lobel (Parents' Magazine Press, 1971) but we no longer own the book so I couldn't check to be sure.  Here's the summary: "Describes in verse such unusual birds as the shuttercluck, the milkbottle midge, the waterglass goose, and the highbutton bobolink."
Ice-Cream Cone Coot & Other Rare Birds.  This was a Parent's Magazine Press book from the 60's or 70's.
Unfortunately, they don't reprint any of their books so you can only find it used.
Lobel, Arnold, The Ice Cream Cone Coot and Other Rare Birds, Parents Magazine 1971.  "All the birds listed are very strange and rare, and if you travel to the zoo you will not find them there." Sounds like a good bet.
---
My book had fanciful color illustrations of birds that I believe were all in the shape of different types of ice cream cones but my memory may be faulty on that (it was sort of Dr. Seussian but not not quite).  I loved this book and would appreciate any help figuring out my mystery! Thank you.

I know this one.  Of course, I don't have it (not right now anyway, sold a copy last month), but if you want me to search for it, just let me know (I can get one for around $24).  It's a fabulous, fantastic, funny book.  Lobel, Arnold.  The Ice-Cream Cone Coot and Other Rare Birds. Parents' Magazine Press, 1971.
---
Children's book from early 70s.  One illustration was a walking scissors creature.  I don't remember the title or author. I only remember that one illustration was of a walking scissors. The pointy ends of the scissors formed the mouth and the eyes were set in the finger holes. I think there were other images in a similar vein. It was a surreal and fantastic book. I think was hard bound. It did contain many illustrations and not too many pages. I would guess it came from the early 70s.  It probably helps explain why I grew up to be such a nut-job.

Arnold Lobel, The Ice-Cream Cone Coot and Other Rare Birds, 1971.  Might it be The Ice-Cream Cone Coot and Other Rare Birds (see Solved Mysteries)?
Arnold Lobel, The Ice Cream Cone Coot, and Other Rare Birds, 1971.
Ruth Plumly Thompson, The Gnome King of Oz.  There's a Scissors Bird that's a character in The Gnome King of Oz. It looks like a pair of scissors with bird claw feet.
The Ice-Cream Cone Coot and Other Rare Birds.  Thank you for solving my Book Stumper. What a great service!

I remember that poem.  I did some searching for it and came up with the following:
Thomas Gale Joan.  If Jesus Came to My House. London: Mowbray A. R., 1958. Cloth / Hardcover, Very Good, 32mo - over 4" - 5" tall 25th edition,  theboards are mildly soiled, Two tone color illustrations, red
and black.  <SOLD>

Check out D'Aulaire's Greek Myths:  it's a tall picture book with stylized 1930's illustrations, and decent history.  Then again, maybe it was more focused on the Trojan War?
I have not seen any of these  books so I cannot check out illustrations but some possible tltles: Iliad of Homer by Barbara Picard (1966)  Tales of Ancient Greece by Enid Blyton (1953)   The  Wooden Horse and the Fall of Troy by I.M.Richardson (1984) (too late?!)  Faber Book of Greek Legends by Kathleen Liner (1973)  Tales of Troy and Greece by Andrew Lang (1962).
Two more possiblities: Padraid Colum's Adventures of Odysseus and the Tale of Troy, (1918) illustrated by Willy Pogogy  Or Tale of Troy retold from the Ancient Authors (1935?) by Roger Lancelyn Green, illustrated by Betty Middleton-Sanford. Hope this helps!
In a second hand store today I pulled down a large volume from a high shelf and when I saw what it was I thought -Eureka, maybe! It is The Iliad and The Odyssey (surprise!)-the heroic story of the Trojan War, The fabulous adventures of Odysseus adapted from the Greek classics of Homer by Jane Werner Watson.(1956) Simon and Schuster (The Golden Library) Pictures by Alice and Martin Provensen--and what pictures they ARE! They dominate the book, sometimes having the look of wood cuts. The illustrations fill each page: along borders, sometimes along the lower half,sometimes the upper half- sometimes they fill a whole page and flow onto the text page opposite! Figures: soldiers, gods and godesses are large, sometimes 10 or 11 inches high- solid, dramatic! The colors are mostly muted, somber earth tones-browns, tans, slate gray-greens, terracottas, and blacks. It is a gorgeous book. I sure hope this is it! The bold dramatic pictures resemble those featured in the other Provenson book The Golden Treasury of Myths and Legends found under Anthology Finder at this site!
Jane watson , the iliad and the odyssey, 1970.  I am just writing to confirm the fact that the beutiffully illustrated book on the Trojan war and the adventures of odysseus is the book that was found in the second hand book store I have this book .Ihave had it since 1971 as i picked it myself in a book shop in my home town of Paisley for my christmas present when I was 11. On picking it up and opening it, I was transported to another time by the way the paintings just came to life. They are dond like illustrations on old pieces of terracotta from an ancient time.I have lost the sleeve but the rest of the book is still in reasonably good condititon the inside has no maks only my own name and address My copy is about 195 pages and the book is finnished in red cloth with 3 figures in black line and is 13in x10 in It is written by Jane Watson with the illustrations by Alice and Martin Provensen. This is the most special book I have ever owned and would never part with it. No wander it evoked such stong memories. It has with me .I went on to read the full versions when I grew up.and they had a profound effect on me. Hope this is of some use to you
Alice and Mary Provensen/adapted from Homer, The Iliad and the Odyssey. (1956) Absolutely fabulous adaptation and illustrations of Homer's classic tales. I was the only kid I knew who knew this story. I still have the book, which is very tall and has a shiny dark red cover. The illustrations look like classic Greek vase art come to life. Much better than any recent adaptation including that awful movie Troy. Last week I was happy to see a reprint of a Provensen page, translated into German, prominantly featured in the tiny "museum" at the accepted site of the real Troy, in Turkey near the Dardanelles.

Wildsmith, Brian, Illustrated Bible Stories, 1969.  I think this is the book you want. The bible stories are retold by Philip Turner and illustrated by Brian Wildsmith.
Brian Wildsmith (illustrator)   Philip Turner (as told by), Illustrated Bible Stories, 1968.  Words can't describe how OVERJOYED I was to find an answer to this ages-long search. Your information was spot on  I found a copy in a local library, and I am also going to buy my own copy.  Being able to find this book has filled an enourmous void.  Thank you so much. I'm almost speechless. My family is relieved too, because I've been pestering them about this for yours. Thanks again.

Ray Bradbury, The Illustrated Man, 1950.  The story about the tatooed man is very probably Ray Bradbury's "The Illustrated Man," which has been anthologized several times and (as "Prologue") served as the framing story of the Bradbury collection of the same name.  I don't recognize the second story offhand (it doesn't sound to me like a Bradbury story, but might be in an anthology with the other).
Ray Bradbury, The Illustrated Man, 1951.  This sounds like Ray Bradbury's "The Illustrated Man" - the story about the tattoed man with living tattoes is used as a framework for a collection of sf short stories.
The man with the moving tattoos might be from Ray Bradbury's Illustrated Man. The Man's tattoos "tell" the short stories in the book. The paperback copy that I had showed the Illustrated Man on the cover, sitting down, facing away, showing mostly his back and all its tattoos.
Bradbury, Ray, The Illustrated Man. The title story of this collection by Ray Bradbury definitely sounds like what you are looking for. The man is covered in tattoos that are alive and each have a story. I haven't read the entire collection, so I'm not sure if the other story you mention is in there or not. Hope this helps.
Ray Bradbury, The Illustrated Man.  This is probably the "man with tattoos" book.  The illustrated man has tattoos all over his body and they move and tell stories.  I don't remember the other story so it may be in a different book but it's entirely possible my memory is faulty!
Ray Bradbury, The Illustrated Man, 1951.  Sounds like Bradbury's Illustrated Man, which uses the story of a man with magical, living tattoos that show the future to frame the other 18 short stories in the book.  Not sure if the one with the out-of-body travel is part of this collection or not, but it does sound like the sort of thing Bradbury would write.  If it's not in this one, you could check out some of his other anthologies.
Check out the Illustrated Man, by Ray Bradbury.  His tattoos morph into various stories.

I have not seen it, so I can't confirm all the details, but you might want to investigate ILLUSTRATED MINUTE BIOGRAPHIES; 150 FASCINATING LIFE-STORIES OF FAMOUS PEOPLE, FROM THE DAWN OF CIVILIZATION TO THE PRESENT DAY, DRAMATIZED WITH PORTRAITS AND SCENES FROM THEIR LIVES. Designed and illustrated by Samuel Nisenson.  Text by William A. DeWitt. There are different editions (1949, 1953, 1964, 1970). Each biography is a page long. I did see that Cleopatra was listed in the 1964 one, but it wasn't a complete listing of all 150 people included, and I couldn't tell whether they had the subtitles for each person. But it might be worth looking into~from a librarian
My stumper has been solved! The librarian who speculated that the book might be ILLUSTRATED MINUTE BIOGRAPHIES was absolutely right--I was able to locate a copy of the 1953 edition to verify. This is the book I had 40 years ago; I'd been looking for it for years. Many, many thanks to both you and the librarian.

A170: I remember that ALL those stories listed were in this book. MARGARET E. MARTIGNONI, THE ILLUSTRATED TREASURY OF CHILDREN'S LITERATURE, 1955. over 9¾" - 12" tall. "A remarkable and comprehensive collection of the greatest of literature for children. Consisting of 49 famous stories, 20 fables and legends, a complete picture abc, 44 fairy tales, 50 mother goose rhymes and 79 childhood poems, from writers such as Lewis Carroll, J.M. Barrie, Kipling, Prokofieff, Beatrix Potter, A.A. Milne, Kenneth Grahame, the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, Aesop, Dr Seuss amongst many many others. The illustrators sound like a Who's Who of the art including Frost, Crane, Cruikshank, Caldecott, Greenaway, Pyle, Tenniel, Pogany and Rackham to name but a few. 509pp plus index, this is a marvellous introduction to literature for any reading child.....Lear, Thornton Burgess, Flora Annie Steel, Andrew Lang, Jean de Brunhoff, Palmer Cox & many others."
Margaret Martignoni, The Illustrated Treasury of Children's Literature, 1960.
---
Possibly titled A Treasury of Childrens Stories  - this is a guess - 1940's to 1950's.  This book is a compilation of children's poems (such as The Goops) short stories (such as The Little Match Girl) and fairy tales all with black and white illustrations.   The book was a light blue hard cover (perhaps cloth) and a dark blue spine perhaps with gold
lettering. If there was a paper cover to protect the book I don't remember it. The book measured about 12 inches in length and 8 inches in width and was approximately 100-150 pages in length.  I loved this book as it was given to me by my mother for Christmas in the mid 1950's. I would think the book is now out of print but I have a vague recollection of a New York and London publishing house.

Might be The Illustrated Treasury of Children's Literature, edited by Margaret Martignoni (Grosset&Dunlop, 1955). Fits much of your description. It has 512 pages!
Both your stories are in it, and without dust jacket it does have a blue and gilt spine and light blue cover.
I received the Illustrated Treasury over the weekend and I can not thank you enough!  The book is in great condition (probably better than the one I had as a child) and I immediately looked up my most favorite stories.  That book was such a treasure for me and I am so glad to have it back.  Thanks again for locating the book and having one on hand for me.  It was meant to be!
---
I am searching for a book my Grandmother read to me as a child.  It was about 12x12, with a light yellow cover.  It contained Hans Christian Andersen stories such as Princess and the Pea, The Emperor and the Nightingale, and Thumbelina.  The illustrations look like water colors. This was in the mid-70's that she read it to me, but the book could be much older.  I would love to read it to my children.  Hope you can help!  I'm not sure of the title, but would definitely recognize a photo of the book. Thank you!

I also remember there being some Grimm Fairy Tales in this book...something about a husband who tells his wife to have sausage ready when he gets home, and the Frog Prince.
It could be Illustrated Treasury of Children's Literature, edited by Margaret Martignoni, 1955.  I loved my copy when I was a child.  It's a mix of Anderson, Grimm, and others, and includes watercolor illustrations.
If you haven't already, peruse Loganberry's Anthology Finder to see if any look right...
Hans Christian Andersen, Fairy Tales.  This may be the Illustrated Junior Library edition of Andersen's Fairy Tales.  I have my copy from when I was a kid in the 70's and the cover is yellowish with very colorful pictures.

Interpreting Condition  Grades

Martignoni, Margaret, editor.  The Illustrated Treasury of Children's Literature. Grosset and Dunlap, 1955, later printing.  Book in excellent shape, dust jacket has closed tear and small nick out of front cover.  VG+/VG-  $45

A321: Possibly the 1950s The Illustrated Treasury of Children's Literature, ed. Margaret Martignoni? See Solved Mysteries.
This book may be The Illustrated Treasury of Children's Literature edited by Margaret E. Martignoni and Published by Grosset and Dunlap. The copyright is from 1955, but the copy I have says over one million are now in print. I believe the copy I have is from the early seventies. It also mentions that this printing is made from completely new plates. It has all the titles you mentioned. It also contains a story titled Brownie Year Book by Palmer Cox which is about what brownies (elf-like looking creatures) do every month of the year. It has easier stories and poems in the front and somewhat more difficult stories and excerpts from the classics in the back. I couldn't find a story about a dog that had eyes like plates, but if someone knows the title of this story I will look for it. If this is your book, it was truly strange that today I was moving my small collection, which of course, involved looking at my books again, and I opened this book to the Brownie story. I thought it was different and I hadn't remembered it. I happened to be perusing to my own stumper when I saw yours and thought, " I have that Brownie story."  I hope this helps you. It shouldn't be that hard to find with a million copies in print.
The Illustrated Treasury of Children's Literature, 1955.  Edited by Margaret E. Martignon.  My book is 512 pages.  It's a blue hardback with a leaf print cover, and came in a blue cardboard box. It's got all of the stories you mentioned.  The original copyright is 1955, but I got my copy about 1970, so it may have had a different cover originally.
Hans Christian Anderson, The Tinderbox.  The story with the dog with eyes like plates is probably "The Tinderbox" which can be found in many fairy tale anthologies.  When a witch sends a soldier down into a hollow tree (to fetch a magical tinderbox for her, and gold and jewels for himself) he encounters three dogs: one with eyes as big as saucers, one with eyes as big as millstones, and one with eyes as big as the round tower. The dogs are guardians of the treasure, but by using the witch's magic apron, the soldier is able to get by them.  He keeps the tinderbox for himself, and through it, is able to summon and command the dogs to fetch treasure for him, fetch him a beautiful sleeping princess, and finally save his life and win him the hand of the princess.
The illustrated treasury of Children's Literature,edited by Margaret Martignoni,1955.

Dirksen, Joan, I'll Find My Love, 1957.  According to M138b in the Stump The Bookseller Archives, the unconfirmed (though the poster is quite definite) answer is I'll Find My Love.  Click on 'MN' in the Stump the Bookseller Queries link (blue  boxes at the top of this page) and scroll down to M138b to see the entire message.
Dirksen, Joan, I'll Find My Love. This is it!!  Check the Solved Mysteries.  My dear cyber-buddies solved this one for me, and then the wonder-workers at Loganberry found me my own copy.  Well worth a re-read!
I am so happy to tell you that my Book Stumper--T376 was solved!  Also, I just ordered the book from Alibris and can't wait to re-read it.  I had the title of the book completely wrong.  Obviously there were others who loved this book!  Thank you for this service as I have looked for this book since I lost it in the late 1960's.  While I am now 50, I still love to read the books I loved as a pre-teen.  Also, I wished you store had been around when I lived in Cleveland in the early 1980's.  My sister still lives there so I will tell her about your store.

There were two of these books about baby elephants learning to use the potty - I'm a Big Boy Now featured a boy elephant, and of course, I'm a Big Girl Now had a girl elephant.  There was no author listed (and no date, either, but they were definitely available in the late 70's).  They were published under the series title "The First Years" by Kiddie Products.

Anderson, Mary, I'm Nobody, Who Are You?.  This might be the one-  I can't remember a lot about it as I read it years ago but your post brought this title to mind.
Mary Anderson, I'm nobody! Who Are You?
I sumitted this stumper, and I think you are right...I've found the book, and the first 2 paragraphs seem right on target. I never would have found it without this help. Thank you very much! I'll confirm that it is truely solved when I've read more. Thank you!

Elswyth Thane, Tryst.  You'll get a lot of responses to this one!  Hilary returns to England as a ghost after being killed in WWII, only to find Sabrina and her family living in his boyhood home.  A real tearjerker.
The lead character might be named Emily.  Her friend is a girl around the same age, I think.
Sefton, Catherine, In a Blue Velvet Dress.  Jane loves to read.  She has to stay with an elderly aunt for the summer because her parents are away and she takes a large suitcase full of books with her.  Unfortunately, the suitcase is accidentally switched with her father's suitcase full of work-related materials.  Now she is stuck in a small country town with no friends, no books, no library.  Someone starts leaving books by her bedside while she's sleeping.  That someone turns out to be a girl who lived in the house many years ago- a ghost in a blue velvet dress.  They become friends.  I can't remember the ghost's name- it's been a while since I've read this book.
Sefton, Catherine, In a Blue Velvet Dress. Thanks for solving this mystery!

I believe R42 is Katia by E.M. Almedingen, in which a motherless little girl in tsarist Russia is sent to live with wealthy relations.  (In my library, it was shelved with the biographies.)
More on the suggested title - Katia(UK title Little Katia) by E.M. Almedingen, illustrated by Victor Ambrus, published Farrar 1967, 207 pages. Based on the author's great-aunt Catherine's memoirs (published 1874),
describes Katia's life when as a child of five she went, after the death of her mother, to live with various relatives in the Ukraine and St. Petersburg.
Mara Kaye, In Place of Katia.  1960's.  I think you may be looking for In Place of Katia.  This was a favorite of mine back in the '60's when I was in elementary school.  It took place in Russia during the Revolution and the  part that I always remembered was the exciting escape when the girl was hidden in labyrinth.  I searched high and low for this book so that my girls could read it.  Finally found it at a library on the Central Coast of California (Santa Maria?).  Received it through library loan and the kids enjoyed it.  I know the book is out of print.  Mara Kaye wrote other books of children in Russia, so if this isn't it, maybe it is one of her others.

This 1946 Caldecott Honor winner comes to mind:  Marie Hal Ets. In the Forest.   "Join the fun! There is a parade and a party in the forest."  It's been in print almost since its publication.
I was thrilled to find out the name of the book I had you post.
---
When I Went for a Walk in the Forest is a children's book that I read in the mid 1940s.  It has black & white illustrations & is about a little boy wearing a boat-shpaed hat made out of newspaper who goes for a walk in the woods.  He eventually has a parade of animals following him & after each animal joins, there's a refrain: "When I went for a Walk in the Forest". His father comes to take him home for dinner.

This is it: Marie Hal Ets,  In the Forest.

Interpreting Condition  Grades

Ets, Marie Hall.  In the Forest.   Viking, 1944. Caldecott Honor Book. used ex-library copy, library bound, 1950 printing, G, $6 first edition, top of spine worn, o/w VG-  $60

I think you'll get plenty of responses to this! It's In the Keep of Time by Margaret J. Anderson. The story is based on a real Scottish keep called Smailholm Tower. The youngest, a 5-year-old girl (Ollie), actually falls into a misty room in the keep near the beginning and when they rush to find her, she's turned into another entical-looking girl (Mae)and they're back in 1460, just before King James drives out the English - and the kids are English, so they have to keep quiet about it. After the battle, they manage to get home and they take Ollie-Mae with them, but she is still Mae and they have to train her to be Ollie and adjust to the 20th century. They learn to cooperate as a loving family as a result, but they still can't get her to remember her life as Ollie. They (all four) go into the tower again, into the future, and find an old blind woman, Vianah(sp?) whose tribe has not yet returned and she needs them to get food from Kelso. They see her in daylight finally and she looks just like the old aunt (Grace) they're vacationing with. When they get back to Grace's home in Scotland, Ollie apparently remembers some of her modern life in London but won't answer questions. They find the same thing happened decades ago to Grace that happened to Ollie, so they both have a stronger and more abstract understanding of "family" than they did before. What is also fascinating but somewhat  secondary is how Anderson subtly paints how "primitive" societies can be patriarchal or matriarchal and how each system can learn from the other. (Elinor wants nothing but to run back to the 20th century in the first half - especially since the women have nothing to do but hide and wait for days to hear if their loved ones have been killed or not - and Andrew's shocked and horrifed to find the 22nd century to be anything but high-tech and needs Elinor's methods to prevent him from getting completely lost at one point.) Beautiful and thought-provoking. There's a sequel of sorts, with mostly different characters and some chilling remarks about guns and bombs being common in the 20th century. They were both written before the mid-80s, I think.
Sounds like it might be IN THE KEEP OF TIME by Margaret J. Anderson, 1972 4 children slip back and forth in time in an ancient Scottish tower. There were two other books with the same kids.
YES, YES, YES!!!!!  I am so excited.   If you can find a copy that would be great. The girl's name (Ollie) was the thing that did it, because I remember thinking that was an odd name.  Phew!!
So excited...I got the book today!!!  Could you keep your eyes peeled for the others in the series?  Thanks!!! (I'll see if I can solve some more stumpers for you).
---
I read this book in the mid-1980s. Four or five children (siblings or cousins) are vacationing (or perhaps sent to live) near the ruins of an old castle. The children like to go there to play or picnic. One day the inside of the castle is all misty. They children climb up as far as they can go, and then the youngest (maybe a boy, and maybe blond-haired? but maybe not...) falls down into the mist. The other children are afraid he's hurt or maybe even dead, and they rush down to him, only to find that he has disappeared. It turns out that he has gone back in time, to the time when the castle was inhabited. He has become a peasant boy who lives outside the castle walls. The children in the present can actually see their sibling/cousin in the past, but he can't see or hear them.  The children in the present must travel back in time to get their cousin/brother back to the present. It is possible that there is also something about a golden key and some green hills, but I'm not sure.

Norton, Andre, Steel Magic.  Copyright 1965, but just re-released by Starscape books- it's one of a series. There are 3 kids-Greg, Eric and Sara, and exploring the castle takes them to Avalon. They can't get back until they have found and returned three "tokens of power" for the good guys. Hope this helps.
Margaret J. Anderson, In the Keep of Time.  It's in the solved pages so you can look there for more details.
The details don't quite match, but I'd check Solved Mysteries for Margaret J. Anderson's In the Keep of Time (1977).

Ruth Stiles Gannett, My Father's Dragon. Possibly the My Father's Dragon/Elmer and the Dragon/Dragons of Blueland trilogy?
Ruth Stiles Gannett, My father's Dragon, 1940s?  Could you be thinking of the 3 books written by Gannett in the 1940s?  One won a Newbury?  The books are about the author's father, Elmer Elevator, and his adventures with a baby dragon, which Elmer helps return to Blueland.
Try Elmer and the Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett. It is the second book in the series of My Father's Dragon (third is the Dragons of Blueland). It stands alone well too. It has been a long time since I have read this so I am not sure of all the details you mention. But the name is close and your cover description seems familiar. Good luck!
Seton I. Miller and S.S. Field., Pete's Dragon, 1977.  May not be the correct solution but it sounds very much like the Disney movie "Pete's Dragon."  It was made into a book. In New England in the early 20th century, Pete is a nine-year-old orphan escaping from his brutal adoptive parents, the Gogans, with his only friend, a cartoon dragon named Elliott. Pete and Elliott successfully escape to Passamaquoddy, Maine, and live with Nora, a lighthouse keeper, and her father, Lampie. Elliott is sought for medicinal purposes by the corrupt Doctor Terminus.
Maybe some more details would help.  It's defintely not Pete's Dragon, or Elmer and the Dragon.  This is a childrens picture book, 30-40 pages at the most.  It was a medium size, probably 8.5 by 11, and it was just a simple little story, not a triolgy or part of a series.  Thank you for all the suggestions so far!!
Janice Elliott, The Incompetent Dragon, 1982.  This sounds like it has a good chance of being what you're looking for, although I've misplaced my copy so I can't check on the boy's name.  I don't think it's Elliott, but maybe you got it mixed up with the author's last name?  Anyway, the cover is mostly dark, with the boy riding on the back of the dragon, who is green.  They are above the earth at night, almost in outer space.  In the story, the boy's parents are acrobats or something, and leave the boy with his mean-tempered aunt while they go off to sea to perform or something.  The aunt feeds her cat (also mean-spirited) better than the boy, and everything is grey and dark.  Then the dragon falls down the chimney one rainy night, asks for cucumber sandwiches, and then he and the boy go on adventures.  The dragon turns the cat into a dog and the aunt into a frog, but then feels guilty and turns them back.  Only when they get turned back, they are miraculously good-tempered and kind, and then the parents return at the end, so everything ends well.  Sound familiar at all?  I wish I could find my copy so I could give you all the names.
In The Incompetent Dragon, the boy's name is Christopher Magnifico, the aunt's name is Aunt Pen, and the cat is Black Cat. It is a British book. Here is a picture of the cover.
Could B450 perhaps be The Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Grahame, the man who wrote The Wind in the Willows?  I remember almost nothing about the book, but maybe?
What a wonderful site!!  The Incompetent Dragon was EXACTLY the book I was searching for.  Thank you very very very much!  This puts an end to two years of searching!  I will definitely recommend this site for any of my friends who are in a similar situation.

Hideo Miyazaki, Future Boy Conan.  The person looking for this can find more information on the movie and book online here. I found it by searching 'conan anime' on Google (anime is the proper name for Japanese animation).  According to the website, the movie was adapted from a book called The Incredible Tide by Alexander Key. One wonderful thing about this movie, it was made by director Hideo Miyazaki, who just won an Academy Award for his latest movie, 'Spirited Away'. All his stuff is wonderful and well worth watching if you can find it!
Alexander Key, The Incredible Tide, 1970.  This seems to be the book that the requester is looking for. It has a hero named Conan with a friend named Lanna, and was made into a Japanese anime series called "Future Boy Conan". It takes place after a nuclear holocaust and the world in the book is now mostly covered with ocean.
Alexander Key, The Incredible Tide, 1970.  Funny I should come across this today -- I just saw the first three episodes at a  fan convention on Saturday. The animation is titled "Future Boy Conan", directed by the famed  Hayao Miyazaki  ("My Neighbor Totoro", "Spirited Away", many others).  A quick Google search shows that it was based on the book The Incredible Tide by Alexander Key. Since the book is so rare, I recommend visiting this link for a treat.

I16 - Is called Indian Bunny and is by Ruth Bornstein.  My daughter got a copy from Scholastic in first grade.  Cute little book.
I16 indian bunny: More on the suggested title Indian Bunny, written and illustrated by Ruth Bornstein, published Scholastic 1973. "One day a bunny said, "Good-by, I'm going to be an Indian."

I just recently purchased a lot of horse books on eBay, and I think one of them is this book.....copyright is 42, but this printing is a paperback from 1960.  Story is of the son of an Indian chief who tames his horse, son of a mare his father gives him, but runs away, he follows the horse and spends a year taming him, the story ends when Little Falcon rides "Shadow" back into his camp.  The horse is a paint....Sure sounds like this would be the correct book!!
You were right in thinking it was a Little Golden Book, for here is exactly the story you seek:
Zolotow, Charlotte.  Indian Indian.  Illustrated by Leonard Weisgard.  Simon & Schuster, 1952.  Little Golden Book #149.  First Edition.  Worn at top and bottom of spine, otherwise VG.  $12 <SOLD>
I received the book today and am thrilled beyond belief.  I had forgotten parts of the story but it essentially was the same as I recalled.  Being 53 now, it is so interesting to see how a book had such an impact on me.  I am now a pet sitter and a local columnist on pet issues.  Even then, animal connections were important to me.  Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

N.I. Vilenkin, Stories About Sets.  I think this *might* be the book, as the subject matter is as you describe it did contain some black-and-white drawings and it was intended for both adult students, and teenagers with an interest in mathematics. The author was, however, male and Russian.
I've looked at two books by N. Ia. Vilenkin -- Stories About Sets, and In Search Of Infinity, but neither are the one. Could you put it back on the active list?  thanks!
Lillian Lieber, Infinity, 1953. So I solved my own stumper. Some searching through the National Library of Canada's
online catalogue turned up the book, and I was able to find it at a local library.

Could this be Mind Call (1981), by Wilanne Schneider Belden, or either of its sequels, Mind Hold (1987) or Mind Find (1988)? Here's a plot description for Mind Call:  "Following a disastrous earthquake, a group of exceptionally bright, precognitive youngsters must outwit several dangerous relatives, under unusual circumstances before their future is assured."
I don't think that Mind-Call is the right one.  I remember only one girl, taken from her family, isolated by herself rather than a group of youngsters.
Irma Walker, Inherit the Earth, 1981.  The details specified made me think at once of this book I read first in 1982 in my school's library. The main character, Shea, was a mindreader living in a secret government research facility in Kentucky, being educated by the scientists who were studying her. One of the Scientists thought he could block her telepathy by thinking constantly of advertising jingles. The facility eventually burned down and Shea was taken in by a local mountain family. Eventually she found herself in California, the prisoner of a wealthy man who wanted her to produce a child with his son. She discovered that she was a member of an entirely new species, and set out to find another of her own kind. It was a fantastic story, and I was sad to find that the writer moved almost entirely to Romance novels. I searched for this book for more than 20 years before I found a copy last year, even tho I already knew the title and author.
Inheirt the Earth is the one!  I feel like a piece of my past has been put back together.  After rereading the book this weekend, it was very interesting to see how the details one remembers mesh with the rest of the story.  Thank you so much.
Belden, Wilanne, Mindcall, Mind Find, Mind Hold.  I think you should check these out.  I've read them and they have a very similar storyline to your stumper.  Mind Call starts out with the girl isolated from everyone, her brother eventually comes into the story to help her. The others are about children with mind powers similar to theirs. The other possiblity could be The Girl with the Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts.

I forgot to put the twin girls/twin cats in time--I would have read it around 1943-45.
Charims (illustrator), Inky And Pinky, 1936.  New York: Grosset & Dunlap. 28 pages. Jane (good twin) & Judy (bad twin) have kittens. Judy is sometimes mean to Inky.

H. E. Bates, Fair Stood The Wind For France, 1975.  Is this it? John Franklin was the name of the pilot. H.E. Bates is fairly well known he wrote the popular Darling Buds of May. Penguin have just reprinted this in the Modern Classics series.
Robert Daley, The Innocents Within, 1999. 

Kim Platt, Big Max.  Your description made me think of a book my daughter had when she was little, Big Max.  He was a little guy, who wore a Sherlock Holmes hat and cape, traveled by umbrella, and ONLY LOOKED AT THINGS THROUGH HIS MAGNIFYING GLASS, so he missed a lot of what went on around him.  He was called the "world's greatest detective."  I know this was an "I Can Read" book and that there were several Big Max and the Mystery of the . . . books.  Since I haven't seen them all, I don't know if there was one with a dog and monsters.
I75 It might be worth looking at PROFESSOR WORMBOG IN SEARCH FOR THE ZIPPERUMP-A-ZOO by Mercer Mayer. The professor is looking for a specific monster, and meanwhile all kinds of monsters and things are going on around him and he doesn't notice. The cover does show him looking at a giant footprint while his companion dog-sized (but not a dog) monster looks at the monsters hovering behind the professor. It was recently republished. Not all the elements match, but take a look at the cover online.~from a librarian
George Mendoza and Peter Parnall, The Inspector.(1970)  I had been searching for the specifics on this book for some time and have finally found them. It is a picture book by George Mendoza and illustrated by Peter Parnall. Happy to see I am not alone in my adoration of this book!
George Mendoza and Peter Parnall, The Inspector, (1970). The contributors listed in I75 have correctly identified the book I was looking for.  Thanks ever so much!

Probably Inside and Outside by Annette Tison & Talus Taylor (who also did the Barbapapa books):  "Herbie and his dog look at many kinds of houses to find a style just right for a doghouse.  Some ill. accompanied by superposed colored transparent overlays."
Tison, Annette & Taylor, Talus, inside and outside. (1980)  C.E. Merrill Pub Co Herbie and his dog look at many kinds of houses to find a style just right for a doghouse.  The catalog record says some illustrations are accompanied by superimposed coloured transparent overlays.  Part of the "Color Magic Series"
Laurie and the Yellow Curtains.  Try this book, it is about a young girl who is friends with the neighborhood handyman, and follows him around on his Jobs. He builds a henhouse, a doghouse, etc., while the girl asks him to make it with a yellow door and yellow curtains in the window. She is put out with him because he wont, and explains why each animal wants an ordinary house. Then the little girl goes visiting, and when she returns he has built a tree house in her backyard... with a yellow door and yellow curtains of course! My old copy had a full color cover, but the illustrations inside the book were in tricolor black, white, and yellow.
Inside and Outside by Annette Tison & Talus Taylor.  This is the correct answer.  The version I had was a hardcover book from the early 70's and not the 1980 version.  Thanks to everyone.

I have this one sitting on my bookshelf right now.  The title is Inside Out, and it is indeed by Ann M. Martin. 

Nicholas Wilde, Into the Dark, 1987.  Absorbing and suspenseful, this novel concerns a blind boy who, vacationing on the English coast, meets a unique friend.
Nicholas Wilde, Into the Dark, 1987.  Matthew is a blind boy who is bored on his summer vacation at the shore, until he makes a new friend named Roly who has a frightening secret: he's a ghost.
Wilde, Nicholas, Into the Dark, 1987.  Pretty sure this is the right one--the boy named Matt, the ghost, it's all the same.

William Sleator, Into The Dream
William Sleator, Into the Dream, 2000, reprint. I loved this book too!  I remembered the title and looked up the author using the ubiquitous Amazon. Hope this helps!
---
book about a boy and a girl who communicate telepathically.  Their connection is their mother's who were both at the stardust motel/hotel during a UFO landing.  for some reason i keep remembering an amusement park or ferris wheel. i thought i might have imagined this, but my husband remembers it too! i read it in the late 70's or early 80's.

William Sleator, Into the Dream, 1979, copyright.  Two schoolmates, Francine and Paul, find that they have been sharing the same dream. It leads them to another telepathic boy named Noah who is being chased by a secret government agency. The climax comes when the agents catch up to them on top of a ferris wheel at an amusement park.
Keys, Alexander, Escape to Witch Mountain, 1968, copyright.  It sounds a little like this or perhaps Zenna Henderson's "People" stories...
William Sleator, Into the Dream.
William Sleater, Into the Dream, 1994, reprint.  I can't beleive this! I told my sister about my quest and she did a search on google and was directed to this website...it has been solved by Loganberry Books and is filed under the solved mysteries page IJ! This is such a great website!!
William Sleater, Into the Dream, 2000, reprint.  I am a school librarian.  We have this book in our library, and I just reread it.  (I, too, remember this book from my childhood).  You are correct with just about everything you remember.
William Sleator, Into the Dream, 1979.  There's a ferris wheel on the cover, which may be why that stands out so clearly!

Pamela Stearns, Into the Painted Bear Lair,1976.  Mark this one solved - I love this book.  The boy crawls under a table in a toy shop (marked "Bear Lair"), and finds himself in another land ... he befriends Sir Rosemary ( a female knight) and a bear, they go on a quest, etc.  Houghton Mifflin.
Stearns, Pamela and Strugnell, Ann. Into the Painted Bear Lair.  Houghton Mifflin, 1976.  "Entering another world through a toy store, Gregory joins Sir Rosemary and a gourmet named Bear on a journey involving princesses, magic spells, and hidden passages."
Pamela Stearns, Into the Painted Bear Lair, 1976.  '"Entering another world through a toy store, Gregory joins Sir Rosemary and a gourmet named Bear on a journey involving princesses, magic spells and hidden passages."
Harriett apparently needs this book herself...

Dean Marshall, Invisible Island, 1948.  Dean Marshall's INVISIBLE ISLAND, a classic of its kind.  Plot summary online here.
Hey, I never knew Dean Marshall was a woman!  Thanks for the great link.
L.M. Boston, Green Knowe series.  Reminds me a bit of the adventures Tolly had with Ping, etc. exploring the waters around Green Knowe.(which one was that?) Stumper requester might look at T317 and see if that series looks familiar.
Wow, you guys are amazing, and so fast!  ''The Invisible Island" is definitely it, and how cool that there are two others by the same author.  I have been trying to remember this title for 30 years.  Now, I just have to find a copy for less than $155 (what the cheapest used bookseller is listing it for). Thanks again SO much, I am very grateful.
---
A family of children--oldest is a girl, and there are maybe 2 others--camps out for the summer on an island on their new country property. The island is in a little brook that they dam up to make swimming hole, and I think that isn't quite a real island as it is divided from land on one side only by a tiny stream of water. There are surprise gifts left by someone in the woods. I read the book in the 1950s or early 60s.

DEAN MARSHALL, INVISIBLE ISLAND.  IF THIS IS THE CORRECT BOOK, IT WAS ILLUSTRATED BY CHRISTINE PRICE AND TAKES PLACE IN CONNECTICUT.
Irwin, Inez Haynes, Maida's Little Island.  Could this be it?  Though, there are eight children in this book.  It's been too many years since I read this to remember details, but Maida and her friends have a whole series of adventures (i.e. Maida's Little Shop, House, Camp, Zoo, etc.) thanks to Maida's father, who is incredibly rich.
Dean Marshall, The Invisible Island, 1948.  This sounds like it could be it.  Try this link.
F209, The Four Story Mistake/Spiderweb for Two.  Could this have been more than one book?  Elizabeth Enright wrote a series about the Melendy children and I have seen at least one version which compiles all of the books into one volume.  The Four Story Mistake includes a chapter where the children create a dam in order to dam up a brook to make a larger swimming hole. Spiderweb for Two is the story of a treasure hunt created by the older ones who are off at boarding school to keep their younger two siblings occupied/from missing them.  It involves them finding clues both around their house/property/barn and in at least one instance that I recall, in the countryside around it.
Dean Marshall, The Invisible Island, 1948.  This is definitely the book.  I had it in the 1950s as a Junior Literary Guild selection.  Now my daughter has my copy and her son read it last summer!  There was a sequel, Dig for a Treasure.  If you can find a copy of either book grab it!!
Invisible Island. The Invisible Island is definitely it! Thanks!
---
Three siblings – I believe two boys and a girl – are on summer vacation from school. They go out the back door of their house, cross a creek at the end of their backyard and set up a tent/camp on the other side. I don't remember much more but they had fun and felt grown up.  I think they eventually brought their parents out to see their camp hideaway although at first they were trying to keep it secret.  I believe I read the book in the mid to late 1950s, but I don't remember the title or author or details about the story. Just remember liking the book a lot.  Thank you for your help.

Arthur Ransome, Swallows and Amazons, 1930, copyright.  The three Walker children sail a borrowed dinghy to an island and camp there, but other than that the plot sounds very similar.
Dean Marshall, The Invisible Island, 1948, copyright.  This sounds like "The Invisible Island" by Dean Marshall.  The island is invisible because it's really just a section of land with creeks that flow on all sides, making it, in a way, an island.  Four siblings set up a camp and have adventures during the summer.  Their parents let them alone but come to see the camp when it's all set. There are a couple of other books about these children too--they're a great read.
Arthur Ransome, Swallowdale, 1931, copyright.  I agree that it's probably Arthur Ransome but I think it is Swallowdale, the second book in the series, rather than Swallows and Amazons. The four kids who call themselves Swallows set up a camp in a "hidden" valley.  There is definitely a creek which must be crossed, and they find a cave in the valley which they keep secret at first and then reveal. They also bring parents out to see the camp.
Dean Marshall, Invisible Island, 1948, approximate.  Some elements are similar, you might want to check it out.
Did one of the girls in the story have long braids, which she didn't unravel all summer?  And at the end of the summer, they had to cut off her hair, because the braids were moldy?  That's the part I remember the most, but the rest of your memory sounds vaguely like the rest of the book.  If so, it's "The Paleface Redskins" by Jacqueline Jackson, published in 1958.
Dean Marshall, The Invisible Island.  This may be the book - it has a title that would have appealed to me at that time and there are similarities to what I remember.  I found a sample of this book on the Internet with a map of the island that appeared inside the front cover of the book. I do remember that map so I'm going to assume that this was the book.  Thank you to all for your suggestions!

The Invisible Man, 1933.  You're probably thinking of The Invisible Man with Claude Rains.  Once he's invisible, he wraps his face in gauze and only leaves a space for his mouth and eyes.  Here's an image...
This sounds like The Invisible Man, 1933, with Claude Rains. When his bandages are removed --he is invisible!

Monica Hughes, Invitation to the game. (1991)  Found this description: In a future world, Lisse and seven of her friends find themselves unemployed when they graduate from the government school.  Sent to a Designated Area to live, the eight learn to cooperate and build a life for themselves, and then are invited to a mysterious Game. In the Game they must learn to survive. Each time they return from the Game, they seek out new knowledge to help them proceed further the next time. Two more friends from school are added to the group, one with medical knowledge and one from a farm.  these skills complement those of the rest of the group. Then, one day, the Game becomes different instead of returning when someone is in danger, or when they sleep, the Game goes on. The group finally realizes that they have been sent to another planet, to survive there.
Monica Hughes, Invitation to the Game.  That's it - thank you so much!
---
I remember reading this book in a 7th grade reading/language arts class. It was about a group of teenagers in a war torn or crime ridden city. It was set in the future of course. There were all kinds of rules and regulations they had to follow. Some how they got involved in some kind of experiment where they would go in this room and basically learn new skills I guess. At the end of the story they end up being sent to a new world to repopulate and basically restart society all over again and they find other groups of people who were sent to do the same.

Monica Hughes, Invitation to the Game, 1991. Sounds very much like this one.
Monica Hughes, Invitation to the Game, 1991. Yes, I'd say its defiantely this book. Still one of my favourite light reading books :)
Monica Hughes, Invitation to the Game.  Yes! Invitation to the Game.

Elizabeth George Spear , The Witch of Blackbird Pond, 1958.
Probably not The Witch of Blackbird Pond, since that wasn't about an indentured girl (although Kit does feel repressed by her relatives' Puritan community).  If it was a French-speaking girl, it could be Calico Bush by Rachel Field.
Nan Watson Denker, The Bound Girl, 1957.  Some of the key elements I remember about this book (aside from her having to work off her passage by becoming an indentured servant) include her having some jewelry, including a locket, that the family she was working for wouldn't let her wear because it was too worldly. Later on in the book she saves their youngest daughter and they thank her by letting her wear the locket with a lock of the daughter's hair in it. A romance also develops between the bound girl and the son of the couple she works for. I can't even remember the main character's name, but I used to love this book.
Clarke, Mary Stetson, The Iron Peacock, 1966.  Could this be it?  This is from the inside cover: "Joanna Sprague's last link with her happy, gracious life in England was broken on a bleak and sto