Hitty: Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field was a trial for me to get through. The story details a doll's adventures as she travels from owner to owner over the course of a century. She ends up living in locations as far-flung as Boston, New Orleans, India, and an island in the South Pacific. A fun and interesting concept for a novel especially seeing the world change through her eyes. However, the language seemed stiff to me. I do understand that writing for children in the 30's was different than the way children authors write today. But it kept bogging me down. I had read somewhere that there was concern over the racial stereotypes and an anti-Christian theme used throughout the book. Neither of these issues seemed foremost to me but I guess one can always find something to take issue with in any book you read. Just remember it was written in 1929! Also, I don't believe in re-writing books so I have no intention of reading Rosemary Wells updated version although I've heard it's great for smaller children.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Hitty
Hitty: Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field was a trial for me to get through. The story details a doll's adventures as she travels from owner to owner over the course of a century. She ends up living in locations as far-flung as Boston, New Orleans, India, and an island in the South Pacific. A fun and interesting concept for a novel especially seeing the world change through her eyes. However, the language seemed stiff to me. I do understand that writing for children in the 30's was different than the way children authors write today. But it kept bogging me down. I had read somewhere that there was concern over the racial stereotypes and an anti-Christian theme used throughout the book. Neither of these issues seemed foremost to me but I guess one can always find something to take issue with in any book you read. Just remember it was written in 1929! Also, I don't believe in re-writing books so I have no intention of reading Rosemary Wells updated version although I've heard it's great for smaller children.
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3 comments:
Reminds me of Toulane by DeCamillo. I wonder if this is where she got her idea.
That sounds like an interesting idea, but not something I think I would want to read.
I wondered the same thing about Tulane. I loved that book. Books that discuss the provenance of items are particularly interesting to me. If you are looking for a good adult title, you should try Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland. It follows the history of a painitng. Wonderful!
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