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!

So what is the name of the book?

I do remember the Diddakoi.

I loved kizzy. I wanted to call a daughter that if i had one. I watched it again on YouTube quite recently. It seems so dated and the acting so bad now but it still brought back memories. I loved lizzie dripping too.

This has sent me off on an Amazon wormhole. I’ve just downloaded ThenKingdom of Carbonel by Barbara Sleigh. I wonder if it will be as good as I remember? I’m also eyeing up Gobbolino the Witches Cat but that’s pricey on Kindle.

I've just looked up The Water Babies by Charles Kinsley which was a school book when I was in primary school C 1963 - a quote from Wiki
and I found it sad.
Here is a quote from Wiki - In the style of Victorian-era novels, The Water-Babies is a didactic moral fable. In it, Kingsley expresses many of the common prejudices of that time period, and the book includes dismissive or insulting references to Americans,[4] Jews,[5] blacks,[6] and Catholics,[7] particularly the Irish.[8][9] These views may have played a role in the book's gradual fall from popularity
Wow, not the bits that I remember!

@Rowan10 We have a copy of the hobbyahs! It’s dh’s from his childhood. His favourite story in it is the one about the dog!

@Bluemoooon

I've just looked up The Water Babies by Charles Kinsley which was a school book when I was in primary school C 1963 - a quote from Wiki and I found it sad. Here is a quote from Wiki - In the style of Victorian-era novels, The Water-Babies is a didactic moral fable. In it, Kingsley expresses many of the common prejudices of that time period, and the book includes dismissive or insulting references to Americans,[4] Jews,[5] blacks,[6] and Catholics,[7] particularly the Irish.[8][9] These views may have played a role in the book's gradual fall from popularity Wow, not the bits that I remember!

Well that’s went right past me! I loved the water babies - must give it a re read. Mine had lovely illustrations.

I remember the Hobyahs story, but the dog (Little Dog Turpie!) does get all his limbs back, and eventually defeats the Hobyahs!

There’s a great subreddit called Tip of my Tongue which normally yields great results whenever I want to remember something!

@Quarantimespringclean

This has sent me off on an Amazon wormhole. I’ve just downloaded ThenKingdom of Carbonel by Barbara Sleigh. I wonder if it will be as good as I remember? I’m also eyeing up Gobbolino the Witches Cat but that’s pricey on Kindle.

I have recently read The Kingdom of Carbonel, Quarantinespringclean. I'd only read Carbonel the Witches Cat as a child. I enjoyed it. I love Gobbelino too so hope you can treat yourself soon.

Tangelafangela has identified it as Maggie and the Chickens .

If anyone has a copy you are rich! Second hand copies are £60-70!

Does anyone remember a book that was about a girl and tube stations with made up names and she used to go on adventures there and it turns out it was all a figment of her imagination caused by stress or an illness or something? I'm not explaining it well but it was discussed on here a while ago, I wanted to track it down but forgot the name of it.

@Quarantimespringclean I bought Gobbolino for my kids a few years ago, only because it popped up on Red House Children's Books (double RIP now its successor the Book People has folded too!!). It's stil good.

I loved Kingdom of Carbonel and Carbonel. I read them in the wrong order - Kingdom first, and then went back and got Carbonel. Lovely books.

I did the same thing with the Princess and Curdie, and the Princess and the Goblins - not sure how I kept managing to read the second books first!

I'm so glad I kept most of my childhood books for my DC! Some of them sell for silly money, and even more have been rewritten/reillustrated and I like the originals.
Although at some point I'll have to thin them out as I'll inherit all my mums, who inherited all her mums. We have 3 copies of some things.

I've just bought the Dolls house.. I am down the Amazon wormhole as well .. looking at the Family from one end street which liked as a child...

Im going to go and raid the DCs book shelf

@Quarantimespringclean Carbonell and Gobbolino - that brings back memories I loved both of those. We sang the song a out Gobbolino in primary school. Happy memories.

I'm a similar age as OP and this thread reminded me of a book we had to read in primary school - The Hobbyahs.

I've heard about this story via an Australian film where the central character is a girl who read it. A good movie. But a bit disturbing.

It was called "Celia", the link below may contain plot details, so probably skip it if there's any chance you might watch it.

www.imdb.com/title/tt0094849/

An imaginative and somewhat disturbed young girl fantasizes about evil creatures and other oddities to mask her insecurities while growing up in rural Australia.

I remember the Kizzy TV series. Judi Dench played the woman who fosters Kizzy.

Not to hijack your thread but I have a similar experience of remembering a book from when I was little that I can't for the life of me find now. I remember my Mum got it for me from book club when I was in primary school...

All I remember is the beautiful pictures and how it was about a boy who lost either his jacket or scarf (or maybe it was a backpack?) and he was searching for it outside... and there was snow so it was set in winter... and at some point he sees a cow and says "how now brown cow". I tried searching for it last year but could not for the life of me find it.

It would have been early 90s when I got it but for all I know had been around for years. Or I have completely made it up and it never existed.

AramintaLee
That sounds a lot like an old book we have called The Winter Bear by Ruth Craft & Erik Blegvad. The children of the family go for a long winter walk and along the way find an old teddybear stuck in a tree. They take the teddy home and repair it. On one of the pages it says "One stroked a rough back. How now brown cow (Even a cow wears a sensible coat just now.)"

Someone’s put Kizzy on YouTube!

@Tangelafangela OMG I think that's the one!! You've just solved a mystery that's been going on for years! I was sure it was a coat or a scarf but as soon as you said bear, I remembered! Thank you so much!!

In The Diddakoi, The grandmother's caravan was burned completely due to traditional practises when she died.

Kizzy is given a smaller replica which she accidentally sets alight whilst trying to impress Prudence by lighting a fire. It's that one which was "only scorched" and they manage to repair.

OP we seemed to have derailed your thread but I think someone did name your book!

i also loved Gobbolino the witches cat.