There were a few books I remembered reading as a child which for many years I could never find online, usually because some other book with a title that matched the concept I was looking for would take up most of the search results.
Here are three books I have recently identified, much to my relief!
Polly Pig and the Bee
By Lucy Kincaid, illustrated by Pamela Storey
In which a rude bee keeps demanding sweets.
“Buzz”, said the bee. “I want some sweets
Where is Cuddly Cat?
By June Woodman, illustrated by Pamela Storey.
In which a character is very worried about their friend because they can see a nurse in her house! And then a doctor arrives too! She must be in trouble! But in the end it turns out it’s a fancy dress party (according to my memory – as it turns out they were just playing dressups).
I always thought these first two were part of a series about the same characters, but looking at them now I suspect I just subconsciously recognised that they had the same illustrator.
The Gull that Lost the Sea
By Claude Clayton Smith, illustrated by Lucinda McQueen
In which a gull is lost and mistakes a red and white striped barber’s pole for its lighthouse.