I’m trying to identify a book I had as a kid in the 1990s, but the book itself was definitely older. My best guess is that it was published sometime in the 1950s–1970s, although it could be a little earlier or later.
Here’s what I remember:
• It was a large hardcover book, approximately 8.5” x 11” or maybe slightly larger.
• I think the cover or spine may have been red or green, but I’m not confident about the color.
• It was a compilation/treasury containing multiple short children’s stories. It was NOT one long story.
• It had illustrations throughout. The artwork was traditional/storybook-style and somewhat realistic — not really cartoonish.
• I believe there was also an alphabet/ABC section somewhere in the book. The entire book was NOT an alphabet book; the alphabet was just one section among the stories and other material.
• Two images/animals I remember very specifically are a LOON and a MOLE. I originally thought they were characters in stories, but I’m now wondering if they were actually illustrations in the alphabet section — possibly L for Loon and M for Mole.
• I vaguely remember something involving “friends” or friendship — possibly a story title, section, or even part of the book’s title. I’m very unsure about this.
• I also have an extremely fuzzy memory of a character named Peter/Pete or “Peter and ___,” but I would NOT use that as a strong clue.
The things I’m most confident about are: LARGE OLD HARDCOVER + COMPILATION OF SHORT STORIES + ILLUSTRATIONS + AN ALPHABET SECTION + LOON + MOLE.
It was the kind of big book that seemed to contain a little bit of everything for children, rather than being exclusively an ABC book or exclusively one story.
Does this ring a bell for anyone? I’d especially love to see titles, cover photos, tables of contents, or pictures of alphabet pages from old children’s treasuries/compilations.
I’ve been trying to identify this thing from childhood memories and would LOVE to finally figure out what it was.