Good Questions: Small House/Big House Children's Book?

Hello AT,

Inspired by your Smallest Coolest Month, I have been remembering one of my favorite books as a child (@ the 70's). It was about a small man who lived in a big house and a really big man who lived in a small house. They were both unhappy with their homes. They were really good friends and one day it occured to them that they should switch houses. When they did, they were really happy. Do you know this book and do you know the title? I'd love to find it again.

Anne in Cincinnati (pic: Citymama)

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Dear Anne,

We LOVED this book!

We remember it well and have spent the better part of the past few days trying to find it, thinking for sure we could pull it up on Google. However, the words "small" and "big" when attached to children's books are way to general and we can't narrow down the search.

We are very much hoping that someone has a lead. Anyone?

Comments (7)

I don't know the book, but I know for sure how you can find it:

http://forums.abebooks.com/abesleuthcom

I went through a similar search for a (very obscure, remembered by no one I knew) childhood book, Harry: a True Story, and someone on this forum knew it.

posted by surplusj on April 3rd 2007 at 5:49am
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This is not the right book, but it's so AT-ish in its anti-suburban sprawl message that I have to post it: The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton.

posted by wende in the twin cities on April 3rd 2007 at 6:11am
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I just gave a friend The Little House as a gift. I have to admit that my favorite Virginia Lee Burton book is Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel.

posted by sciencegeek on April 3rd 2007 at 7:10am
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I had a book just like this when I was little, only it was about two dogs rather than people. I loved it! It was called Big Dog Little Dog.

http://www.amazon.com/Big-Dog-Little-Pictureback-R/dp/0394826698/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-7148014-8540810?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1175613378&sr=8-1

posted by ckp on April 3rd 2007 at 7:20am
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I believe you're looking for Benjamin Budge and Barnaby Ball, by Florence Parry Heide! Amazon has the cover art, if that helps everyone remember....

http://www.amazon.com/Benjamin-Budge-Barnaby-Florence-Parry/dp/B000JLZYKQ/ref=sr_1_1/002-5431990-2477665?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1175638404&sr=8-1

posted by Renee on April 3rd 2007 at 1:18pm
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I automatically thought of Big Dog, Little Dog as well. The dogs are dressed exactly like humans and live in human houses and have human names, so I can see why you thought they were men. My copy was the same shape as The Cat in The Hat and Dr. Seuss's ABCs: hardcover, with paper pages. They were all in the same series.

posted by Kate The Great on April 3rd 2007 at 2:29pm
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Oh, I forgot to mention--I found the plot summary on abe.com (just the cover art is on amazon). "Benjamin Budge, a tremendous man, lived in a house that was far too small for him, and tiny Barnaby Ball found his house much too big--so they traded."

If you ever want to find another book, abe's keyword search works MUCH better than any other book store or search engine. I've found several beloved old books this way!

posted by Renee on April 3rd 2007 at 4:00pm
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