[PW] Children's Books

[ikrom]

>From a friend: 

I've hunted and hunted to find some books I remember in bits and pieces
from my childhood.

Having found "Harold and the Purple Crayon" (my niece said, "Oh, was that a
book?" -- apparently, it's a TV series, too), I'm especially frustrated
that I can't find the other two.  I even described them to my mother, and
she had no idea what they were, although she has a Masters in childhood
education.  Of course, it did help that I eventually remembered that the
boy's name is Harold.  And, naturally, my mother remembered that one, too.
Anyway...

In one book, there's a blond boy and he stands on the beach (I remember a
picture of him with the wind blowing his hair) and sees a whale, but then a
hatch opens about where the blowhole would be and a sailor pops out.  It
turns out the whale is actually a submarine, and he goes aboard.  I
remember a panel with dials and switches.  I don't remember much else about
it.

The other book used to creep me out.  I thought the pictures were dark and
a little scary.  I saw a painting (a portrait) at a guy's house and it
reminded me of the pictures in this book; otherwise, it probably would have
never come to mind.  There is a farmer and his wife, and they don't seem
very happy.  They have a mule and I think I remember the wife trying to
plow the field with the mule pulling the plow.  I think the plow broke, or
something happened to the mule and the lady had to pull the plow herself or
something.  That's about it.

Can you help us?

Reenee