# Looking for children's picture book from 1960's. Boy's artwork of altered animals that comes to life, like an 8-leg mammal **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [December 13, 2020, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-childrens-picture-book-from-1960s-boys-artwork-of-altered-animals-that-comes-to-life-like-an-8-leg-mammal/927942 "2020-12-13T04:21:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Squire\_Of\_Gothos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_squire_of_gothos/32/4703_2.png) [@The\_Squire\_Of\_Gothos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Squire_Of_Gothos)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2020, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-childrens-picture-book-from-1960s-boys-artwork-of-altered-animals-that-comes-to-life-like-an-8-leg-mammal/927942/1 "2020-12-13T04:21:15Z")
Looking for vintage children’s picture book, likely from the early-to-mid sixties, I borrowed from our school library in California in 1969. The plot centred around a boy, who I seem to remember was homebound possibly due to an illness, or maybe because of bad weather. He liked to draw animals and then alter their anatomy. These creatures would come to life from his easel and would befriend him. I distinctively recall one animal he drew was an eight-legged mammal (possibly a bear, weasel, otter or some large rodent). But when it came to life, it could not walk properly because it tripped over his crowded legs. So the creature hops back to the drawing paper, and the boy erases four of the animal’s legs and redraws them on its back. When the updated animal comes back to life, he’s able to walk normally, or flip on its back and walk with it’s head upside-down with those legs. He drew other creatures, but this is the only one I recall. Would love to find the name and author of that book for memory’s sake. Thanks in advance. reply | edit | delete | flag \* ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2020, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-childrens-picture-book-from-1960s-boys-artwork-of-altered-animals-that-comes-to-life-like-an-8-leg-mammal/927942/2 "2020-12-13T17:35:29Z")
You could try [Stump the Bookseller](http://w1.loganberrybooks.com/stumpthebookseller/) at Loganberry books. I searched on a few of your keywords, but nothing relevant came up. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Squire\_Of\_Gothos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_squire_of_gothos/32/4703_2.png) [@The\_Squire\_Of\_Gothos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Squire_Of_Gothos)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2020, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-childrens-picture-book-from-1960s-boys-artwork-of-altered-animals-that-comes-to-life-like-an-8-leg-mammal/927942/3 "2020-12-14T00:25:43Z")
If I can find four dollars to submit a formal query there, I just might do that. Thank you, virgin. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2020, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-childrens-picture-book-from-1960s-boys-artwork-of-altered-animals-that-comes-to-life-like-an-8-leg-mammal/927942/4 "2020-12-14T00:45:43Z")
Long shot, but just to be sure: not _Roland_, by Nelly Stéphane? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Squire\_Of\_Gothos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_squire_of_gothos/32/4703_2.png) [@The\_Squire\_Of\_Gothos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Squire_Of_Gothos)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2020, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-childrens-picture-book-from-1960s-boys-artwork-of-altered-animals-that-comes-to-life-like-an-8-leg-mammal/927942/5 "2020-12-14T01:25:41Z")
Not a long shot, others on have suggested the same title, but it’s definitely not _Roland_. I wanted to state in the original post that it was not _Roland_, but I was apparently disabled from editing it after a time expiry. Nor was what I was looking for _The Magic Paintbox_ by **Denise Trez** or _Harold and the Purple Crayon_ by **Crockett Johnson** (if I had a brat like Harold, I’d give him a good spanking with the back of a stiff heavy hairbrush and a visit to the psychiatrist for an ample prescription of Ritalin). As I recall, the artwork was not unlike **Syd Hoff** who illustrated _Danny and the Dinosaur_, but I searched as many of his books as I could with no success. Thanks anyway, Pep. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Squire\_Of\_Gothos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_squire_of_gothos/32/4703_2.png) [@The\_Squire\_Of\_Gothos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Squire_Of_Gothos)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-childrens-picture-book-from-1960s-boys-artwork-of-altered-animals-that-comes-to-life-like-an-8-leg-mammal/927942/6 "2023-10-12T06:22:25Z")
Found it, a year ago on Goodreads. _The Crazy Zoo that Dudley Drew_ by **Carl Rose** , 1963. [THE CRAZY ZOO THAT DUDLEY DREW on Kirkus Reviews](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/a/carl-rose/the-crazy-zoo-that-dudley-drew/) You can all sleep easily now. Thanks for nothing. Happy reading. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-childrens-picture-book-from-1960s-boys-artwork-of-altered-animals-that-comes-to-life-like-an-8-leg-mammal/927942/7 "2023-10-12T06:31:41Z")
Congrats! Looks like an interesting book. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Squire\_Of\_Gothos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_squire_of_gothos/32/4703_2.png) [@The\_Squire\_Of\_Gothos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Squire_Of_Gothos)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2023, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-childrens-picture-book-from-1960s-boys-artwork-of-altered-animals-that-comes-to-life-like-an-8-leg-mammal/927942/8 "2023-10-13T00:06:37Z")
Thanks. You should find _Melissa_ (2022, age 10+) by **Alex Gino** much more interesting.