Review
After 100 years of life Hitty, the little doll made out of lucky mountain-ash wood, has decided to write her memoirs. In it she recounts her many adventures – from her time on a whaling ship to a brief stint as a pin cushion and much more. But like most good dolls her very best times where those when she was loved and played with by a little girl. And thankfully over the course of a hundred years there were many little girls – all with their own little virtues and defects. What makes this book memorable is Hitty’s unique ‘voice’. Hitty is proud and a little vain, but she is also a conscientious and sometimes surprisingly open-minded narrator. Her wry observations about people and the world around her (combined with persistent concerns about her personal appearance) make for an entertaining and often humorous read.
*Note – I read Hitty as part of my ongoing Newbery challenge. I’d say that, along with Downright Dency], [b:Doctor Dolittle and a few others, Hitty is one of the few early Newberys which holds up reasonably well for a modern audience. It is still a product of its era and does contain some outdated notions, but I think the good (strong and enjoyable storytelling) mostly outweighs the bad in this case.
*Note – I read Hitty as part of my ongoing Newbery challenge. I’d say that, along with Downright Dency], [b:Doctor Dolittle and a few others, Hitty is one of the few early Newberys which holds up reasonably well for a modern audience. It is still a product of its era and does contain some outdated notions, but I think the good (strong and enjoyable storytelling) mostly outweighs the bad in this case.
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