To ask if you remember this VERY strange book from my childhood ...

[eatsleepread]

I'm mid-forties, and I've sometimes wondered about a book I read while at primary school. It really was weird. It's about a dark-haired young girl who lives in a tent with her family. Looking back, I think they were made out to be gypsies.
The girl discovered a tasty herb growing locally, or possibly some sort of salad leaf. She used to pick it and hide it under her duvet. When her father found out, he beat her.
I read it at lower primary, and it was a story/picture book, as opposed to a chapter book.
Reading my post, it makes me wonder how a book like this could ever have existed. But I'm not making it up!

@FindingNormal So glad that that's the right one! It's one of those ones that I read it as a child and really stayed with me afterwards.

Thank you @AbsinthedelaBonchance and @ShrimpSymphony. It was indeed the Talking Parcel. I read it many times. That's made my week! Thank you

@strawberryJam200 I think that's Hilary Boswell's treasury of verse published in 1968 isbn number 0001371037, which contained Eugene Field's poem wynken blynken and nod. We had a copy when we were young and loved it!

This serves me right for reading the thread backwards. This anthology has already been mentioned up thread including pictures of some of the illustrations because it also contains the jumbles who went to sea in a sieve.

The one I've never been able to find was one I read in the seventies about a family. There's something in the story about a ceiling falling down, but it isn't the day the ceiling fell down, and there's also a bit when they find a glass bottle (possibly linked to the ceiling falling down) but it isn't the ghost of Thomas kemp

• NannyKatherine: 'did anyone else Read Robinshugh about a girl who travelled back in time ???'*

Yes, that is great! By Eileen Dunlop, who also wrote A Flute in Mayferry Street - also great!

@TheLittleDogLaughed I had a similar book given to me when I was a child and I loved it and read and read it. Have thought about it for years but didn't know where to start looking but I've found my book! It's The Golden Book of 365 Stories and I knew it as soon as I saw the blue cover. This is one of the stories and this link here www.worldcat.org/title/golden-book-of-365-stories-a-story-for-every-day-of-the-year/oclc/276314 is a complete list of all of the stories, which might ring a bell for you. I really hope you find it, I googled 365 stories 1980 and this came up. The copy I had was from 1972 I think( I must have got given it about 1983). Good luck flowers

@Binglebong interesting- no, Angela was definitely not doing anything as intricate as that! Maybe the author got the name mixed up- I do remember it being called Knitting Nancy by my Mum.

That should read

Does anyone remember a book about a girl who lived in a caravan with just her and her dad and he made her French toast with tomato sauce for breakfast every day ?

@nonevernotever thanks but have looked at the Boswell's one and it doesn't ring any bells, although looks about the right era.

Ddl1 💜 OMG. And it's a film too.
How on earth did you get that from such a sketchy description

'Ddl1 💜 OMG. And it's a film too.
How on earth did you get that from such a sketchy description'

Read it as a youngish adult (uni student) and it was SO strange that it stuck in my memory.

@StrawberryJam200

Both poems were in the Treasury of Poetry. I uploaded the cover and They Went to Sea in a Sieve (Jumbly) poem earlier. Here's the Wynken, Blynken and Nod poem from it.

It looks like this ...

*Purplealienpuke

I don't recall any of these books! I'm a child of the 70s.
Does anyone remember a tv series called 'Maggie ' ? About a Scottish teenager? I can remember the theme tune but can't find anyone else who remembers watching it....*

I don't remember the TV series, but I do remember reading the book series on which it was quite likely based: by Joan Lingard, better known for her series starting with 'The Twelfth Day of July,' set during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. But she also wrote a set of books about a Scottish teenager, who was indeed called Maggie..

Ah man I’ve just discovered this thread and it’s been great but it’s made me remember a book and bla it’s driving me crazy! There was a boy who did graffiti and somehow that made him a superhero or something? There was a woman with big hair and earrings...and I feel like her or someone else spoke in rhyme or in savings? The cover was black with bright colours on...ah man this is going to stop me sleeping! The name paul is in my mind dunno if that’s a character or the author. And I def read another book by the author but not sure if it was a series or just similar vibe. Tried googling but not specific enough!

Have also randomly remembered a book with a teacher called Herbert Sherbert (I might be making up the Herbert part) who has to drive standing up because of his piles.

@angelcakebananabrain

Ah man I’ve just discovered this thread and it’s been great but it’s made me remember a book and bla it’s driving me crazy! There was a boy who did graffiti and somehow that made him a superhero or something? There was a woman with big hair and earrings...and I feel like her or someone else spoke in rhyme or in savings? The cover was black with bright colours on...ah man this is going to stop me sleeping! The name paul is in my mind dunno if that’s a character or the author. And I def read another book by the author but not sure if it was a series or just similar vibe. Tried googling but not specific enough!

Have also randomly remembered a book with a teacher called Herbert Sherbert (I might be making up the Herbert part) who has to drive standing up because of his piles.

Ooh I feel like the first one was something to do with spirals maybe? Argh! This thread has cursed me!

I love this thread, for all the lovely childhood reading memories, but primarily for reminding me about Charlotte Sometimes

I’m trying to remember one that I read in probably the late 80s - I think it was about a young girl who had various coming of age dramas and was worried about the possibility of nuclear war (as a lot of us were at that time!). I remember the cover was bright blue and had a girl blowing an enormous bubblegum bubble on it, but I can’t remember much more detail than that!

Tumeke - I don't know what the book is. But reading a decription of the cover I had an image in my head straight away of it. So I think I had the book at some point. Could it be a Judy Blume? I had alot of those books.

@LipstickTaserrr that's Kasper in the Glitter by Philip Ridley. We must be a similar age as this was my FAVOURITE as a child. Kasper's mum made banoffee pie with a dollop of marmalade on top. Loved Chris Riddell's illustrations too.

@TuMeke

I love this thread, for all the lovely childhood reading memories, but primarily for reminding me about Charlotte Sometimes

I’m trying to remember one that I read in probably the late 80s - I think it was about a young girl who had various coming of age dramas and was worried about the possibility of nuclear war (as a lot of us were at that time!). I remember the cover was bright blue and had a girl blowing an enormous bubblegum bubble on it, but I can’t remember much more detail than that!

The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson ( who wrote Bridge toTerabithia) had a girl blowing a very large pink bubble on the cover. But doesn’t sound right apart from that.

Could it be Just As Long As We’re Together by Judy Blume? The main character’s little brother was worried about nuclear war.

@ddl1 the Joan Lingard book is called Across The Barricades

Thanks for the lovely pictures @Mothership4two but am afraid they're not the lovely pictures which are in my memory.....