Hitty, Her First Hundred Years in What's the Name of That Book???

Mar 05, 2013 Magda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure, classics, childrens, historicalfiction, newbery

I'm sure I read this when I was much younger, but I guess I remembered it as fusty and uninteresting. As an adult, the character of Hitty is quite enjoyable, as the author plays with giving her a human personality with a few surprises for the reader in terms of abilities, but ultimately limiting her, physically and believably, as a doll. The illustrations by Dorothy Lathrop are beautifully done. ...more

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Apr 19, 2012 Jessica rated it really liked it

Shelves: childhoodfavorites, award-winners

I read this book so many times as a kid! The adventures of the little wooden doll were fascinating!

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Jan 26, 2023 Laura rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: old-reads, library-loan

This was a rare re-read and got the five-star rating because it took me back to my youth, when my BFF and I read books like this together.

As an adult, it would be a problematic read to recommend to children the age I was when I first read this because it was written at a time when we talked about people and cultures very differently. Hitty's experiences with indigenous people in Maine and the South Seas reflect the 1920's views of the 1800s and not today -- something I'd be surprised to see a 8 ...more

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Jan 09, 2014 Sharon rated it really liked it

It's easy to see why "Hitty, Her First Hundred Years" by Rachel Field received the Newberry Medal. The title character is a doll carved from mountain-ash wood by a peddlar who has been taken in by a friendly mother and her daughter during the harsh New England winter. From the moment she first puts pen to paper to record her memoirs, Hitty is captivating. Her personality is utterly charming as she takes in each new turn of fate with aplomb and an unfailingly cheerful disposition. Hitty seems to ...more

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Oct 24, 2010 Ginny Messina rated it really liked it

Shelves: kidlit

Wavering between 3 and 4 stars, and going with the 4 because this was charming and funny. I liked it much more than I expected.

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Aug 06, 2012 CLM rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historicalfiction, childrensbooks, dolls

My review for the 1929 Club:

http://perfectretort.blogspot.com/202... ...more

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Aug 26, 2007 Emma rated it it was amazing

I have been meaning to read Hitty: Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field (illustrated wonderfully in what I assume is pen and ink by Dorothy P. Lathrop) for a rather long time. Several years ago my mother bought me a reproduction Hitty doll by Robert Raikes (big deal carver of dolls and bears though he no longer seems to be making Hitty dolls).

After buying the doll, and doing a bit of research, we found an edition of Field's novel with the original 1929 text and illustrations. There is anothe I have been meaning to read Hitty: Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field (illustrated wonderfully in what I assume is pen and ink by Dorothy P. Lathrop) for a rather long time. Several years ago my mother bought me a reproduction Hitty doll by Robert Raikes (big deal carver of dolls and bears though he no longer seems to be making Hitty dolls).

After buying the doll, and doing a bit of research, we found an edition of Field's novel with the original 1929 text and illustrations. There is another, newer, edition with updated text by Rosemary Wells and illustrations by Susan Jeffers. The newer book came out, I believe, to celebrate the seventieth anniversary of Field's original novel. I never read this version, actually sending it back upon realizing it was an adaptation, but other reviewers' outrage at the changes suggest I was right to do so. If you haven't guessed already, Hitty fans are numerous and loyal.

Hitty, amazingly, was real. Hitty.org is but one site dedicated to chronicling the life and history of this amazing doll. The site includes the picture of a Daguerreotype actually mentioned in the novel as well as a variety of other interesting photos and well-researched facts.

As the subtitle suggests, Hitty is already a centenarian at the start of Field's fictionalized account of her adventures. Safely ensconced in a New York antique store equipped with quill and paper, Hitty decides it is high time to begin setting her story down for posterity. What follows is a children's novel that truly deserves the Newberry Medal it received in 1930 for "the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children."

Hitty begins her life as a lucky piece of mountain-ash wood carried by an old peddler. In exchange for lodging during a particularly bad Maine winter, the Old Peddler decides to carve his piece of wood into a doll for the family's seven-year-old child, Phoebe Preble. Hitty and Phoebe have their share of adventures during their time together. More, it might be argued, than one doll could manage (including a section that reads very much like part of Moby Dick geared to a much younger audience). But, as readers realize soon enough, Hitty is no ordinary doll. As the story progresses, Hitty passes through many hands and a variety of owners. Like most things, some owners prove better than others in the same way that certain events of Hitty's life are more worthy of space in her memoirs than others.

When you realize that this book is from 1929, well before any other doll novels were published, it becomes clear that Hitty is something special because Field did it first. At first, I thought the novel might come off as dated since it was written so long ago. But I was happily proven wrong and found that the text stood up to my modern standards as well as Hitty's chemise survives her first century. Many of the insights that Hitty expresses throughout the book remain very accurate to this day. Hitty's calm demeanor and buoyant spirit also help to make this doll downright lovable.

Field's prose is wonderful. Even though I knew Hitty was safe in the antique shop, each new peril left me fearing for Hitty and in a state of suspense until I found out if she had survived. The people that Hitty passes during the course of her first century are equally well-realized in the text. In terms of classic children's literature (especially for a younger child), I can't think of many better examples.

If, you want still more Hitty, you can check out Gail Wilson's website. This very talented (and expensive) doll makers features her own version of Hitty available both ready-made and as a kit. ...more

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Jul 05, 2007 Christy rated it really liked it

Shelves: childrens_books

I loved this book when I was a kid - all the people Hitty meets and all the places she goes were fascinating to me. I'm sure I'd find it dated in terms of its portrayal of people in other lands if I read it today, but I think that I would still enjoy it. ...more

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