Favorite obscure books from childhood that no one else seems to know about? (cover, children)

[Tracysherm]

We've had lots of threads on favorite books from childhood, and those discussion always include lots of classics and very popular books. But what about those books you had as a child that you read over and over, that you remember fondly, and that no one else seems to remember but you? They never became best sellers or classics, but they were to you.

Please don't just share the title, but a quick few words on what the book was about, why you loved it, etc. Maybe we'll inspire others to find these books second-hand and make them favorites to others.



Mine was The Terrible Mr. Twitmeyer

It was a hardcover book from 1952 with great illustrations. I used to borrow it from my local library over and over as a kid (this was the early-mid 70s). Then when I was in high school, the library had a book sale, and I bought it, and still have it. I used to draw a lot, and I would copy all the different dogs. I did see a 1988 paperback version on amazon, but it doesn't have the same art work as the original hardcover. There are several copies of the 1952 one on ebay.

I've always been a dog lover, and it's a real dog-lover's story (no dogs get killed). It's about a man who is the town dog catcher, and all the kids are afraid of him, thinking he's really mean. Whenever he catches a dog, it's never ever seen again. No one knows what terrible things he does to all those dogs. Then at the end, we learn that Mr. Twitmeyer actually LOVES dogs, and he's been bringing all the stray dogs to his home and keeping them, giving them a wonderful life.

[fleetiebelle]

Never Tease a Weasel was a family favorite growing up, but I've met very few people who've ever heard of it: Vintage Kids' Books My Kid Loves: Never Tease a Weasel The illustrations are kind of dated, 60s-ish looking, but my sisters, parents and I will quote from it all the time ("Never tease a weasel/not even twice or thrice/the weasel will not like it/and teasing isn't nice.")


Funnily enough, my family never had a copy of Where the Wild Things Are. that book is not at all part of my childhood reading memories

[theatergypsy]

When I was 12 or 13, I read Ann Porter, Nurse. The plot concerned a young woman who had left her home to enroll in a nursing school under an assumed name. She was fleeing a wealthy family to make it on her own.

Although it was recommended for "older teens", I never let that stop me. I read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn when I was 10. I think the current crop of teens would find Ann Porter a rather sappy book, but to me it was wholesome and inspiring.

I have never met anyone who read Ann Porter, Nurse and for a long time, I believed the book never existed except in my imagination. Upon checking amazon, I was glad to find out that it did, indeed, exist.

[Tracysherm]

Originally Posted by fleetiebelle

Never Tease a Weasel was a family favorite growing up, but I've met very few people who've ever heard of it: Vintage Kids' Books My Kid Loves: Never Tease a Weasel The illustrations are kind of dated, 60s-ish looking, but my sisters, parents and I will quote from it all the time ("Never tease a weasel/not even twice or thrice/the weasel will not like it/and teasing isn't nice.")


Funnily enough, my family never had a copy of Where the Wild Things Are. that book is not at all part of my childhood reading memories

I MUST get that weasel book!
Yeah, we never had Where the Wild Things Are either. I read it at some point at another kid's house, and thought "Meh" way back before "meh" was cool. Also never had Good Night Moon. I think the tons of obscure books I had were much better.

[John Dark]

Don't know about their level of obscurity, but three of my favorites were:
The Pushcart War, a alt-future telling of a "historical" battle between trucks and pushcarts in NYC
The Secret World of Og, a fun and silly little adventure about four siblings trying to retrieve their kidnapped baby brother from a band of subterranean creatures.
and a non-fiction trivia/folklore/word games/activity book called Good Times: Every Kid's Book of Things to Do. This one had more stuff packed into it than any book I've ever seen in my life. I still recall little snippets and factoids from it to this day.

[Rob Allen]

In fourth grade I loved The Teaspoon Tree, a fantasy/adventure quest book. One detail that I didn't remember until I looked for the book online a few years ago is that the protagonist is female.

The Teaspoon Tree by Mary B. Palmer

[FlightAttendant]

When we were kids we discovered a very old book in our attic. It was called Con of the Misty Mountain...it probably dated from the 1910's. My sister and I read that book so many times. I have never found anyone else who ever heard of it. Anyone here?

[njkate]

http://europeisnotdead.files.wordpre...f-the-moon.jpg

East of the Sun and West of the Moon, read it countless times

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_of...st_of_the_Moon

[Lost Roses]

Originally Posted by FlightAttendant

When we were kids we discovered a very old book in our attic. It was called Con of the Misty Mountain...it probably dated from the 1910's. My sister and I read that book so many times. I have never found anyone else who ever heard of it. Anyone here?

No, I've never heard of it. I see it's available on Amazon though.

Mine was Deegie and the Fairy Princess. A bad wind blows away all this little kid's animal friends and he makes new ones out of clay and they come to life. Found out later it was an allegory for the author's family who had to escape the pogroms of WWII and found a new life in America. Who knew?

[melaniej65]

Betsey, Tacy & Tib books by Maude Hart Lovelace; the story of three friends from early childhood to young womanhood set in the turn of the last century.

Also- The All of a Kind series; stories about a Jewish immigrant family in the turn of the last century New York city.

Hmm...I am sensing a theme here!