There are some books that have been out of print for a while that I’d like to see come back into print. Some of the books I’ve included here are ones that I know other readers have been asking about. If anyone else is thinking of a book that has been long out of print that deserves a comeback, feel free to comment below.

Mystery

The Mystery of Sara Beth (1981)

When a new girl named Sara Beth joins their class, Becky and her friends go out of their way to make her feel welcome. However, Sara Beth barely acknowledges their attempts to make friends with her. Can Becky find out why and help her? This is a picture book, but I put it under mystery to emphasize the genre.

Fantasy

Magic Elizabeth (1966)

When Sally goes to stay with an aunt she’s never met before, she finds a portrait of a young girl who looks very much like her wearing old-fashioned clothes and holding a doll. This young girl, also named Sally, used to live in her aunt’s house many years ago, and Sally begins to have visions of the older Sally’s life there and how she lost her beloved doll, Elizabeth, who is a little bit magic and is still in the house, waiting to be found.  Part mystery, part fantasy.

The Plain Princess (1945)

A spoiled little princess learns about friendship and hidden depths and finds her own inner beauty when she is sent to live with a family of commoners for a time. By Phyllis McGinley.

I put it under fantasy because of the fairy tale atmosphere, but the solution to the princess’s problems isn’t a magical one. This is more what I call Pseudo-Fantasy. The real magic is in a beautiful, well-told story.

Picture Books

The Grumpus Under the Rug (1981)

I have to admit that I didn’t like this book when I was a kid, and I insisted on getting rid of it years ago. Now, I’m kind of sorry because it has become a collector’s item, and I kind of wish I could read it again.

The Grumpus is a strange creature who lives under a rug and comes out to play tricks which are blamed on the boy of the house. Eventually, the mother catches the Grumpus and throws him up in the sky, where he becomes the moon.

When I was a kid, I was pleased that I figured out that the Grumpus was the moon, based on their description about how he appears differently at different times. However, he was a weird, ugly, little creature, and I didn’t like how the boy was initially blamed for what he did. Based on reviews of this book on Amazon, I’m not the only one who objected to the creature’s appearance, but this book does carry a lot of nostalgia for people who remember it.

Katy Comes Next (1959)

Ruth’s parents own a doll hospital, but because they are often busy, Ruth’s doll Katy gets neglected.  Finally, Ruth’s parents realize that they need to make Katy a priority, and she gets the attention she deserves.

Patty Paints a Picture (1946)

Patty wants to paint a picture of her kitten to hang in her room. She has trouble creating a painting that truly satisfies her, but through her efforts, she comes to learn more about art. The fun part of the book is when Patty takes her kitten to her art class, and she studies all of the different ways her friends in class draw the kitten, seeing how everyone looks at the kitten differently and uses different art styles, some drawn better than others because all the artists are children. The children’s pictures look like pictures by real children. The book explains how Patty learns new art techniques to make her painting look more realistic. By Laura Bannon.

Starlight in Tourrone (1965)

Children in a small village in France revive an old Christmas tradition that brings life back to their town.

The Tale of Corally Crothers (1932)

A little girl is lonely because she has no sisters or brothers. She goes in search of a friend and finds … you, the reader! The story is told in rhyme. By Romney Gay.

I’ve seen people asking about this book on other sites. I haven’t found a copy of it myself, but you can see pictures of this book on this site.

Weeny Witch (1968)

A young witch who never seems to fit in with the other witches decides to warn the fairies that the witches are planning to attack them and discovers that she herself is a fairy, having been kidnapped by the witches as a baby. By Ida DeLage.

It’s a beautiful book but long out of print and a rare collector’s item!  I found a post on another blog which describes the book and shows pictures.

The White Marble (1963)

A boy’s parents take him to the park on a hot night, and he ends up sharing the evening with a girl he knows from school, appreciating the beauty of the park together. Gentle, slice-of-life story. There are different editions with different pictures. I think that the set of pictures I like the best are older ones. By Charlotte Zolotow.

Series

The Land of Pleasant Dreams

Children have dreams in which their stuffed animals come to life and teach them important life lessons. Every story in the series has a moral.

Seeing this reprinted may be impossible, but I’d love it. This is one of the most popular series on this site by views. It was produced by Worlds of Wonder, which has been defunct since 1991. (The same company that made Teddy Ruxpin, for those who remember toys of the 1980s.) The original books were accompanied by tape cassettes with readings of the stories and the songs included in the books. There were also real versions of the stuffed animals in the stories. Some of these are rare collectors’ items now.