Hitty : Her First Hundred Years

Rating:
Summary: Lucky to have read the original
Review: After reading some of the other reviews, I feel myself fortunate to have read Hitty in the original. I was unaware it had been edited. I can't think of anything offensive, other than one passage of dialogue spoken by a black family, which might sound sterotypical to modern ears. But, similar dialogue occurs in Huckleberry Finn. Has that been "scrubbed"? I don't think so.

Anyhow, what a beautiful story. It's really interesting to see the world from her point of view. She spent years hidden away in a couch, among other places, which was like a time machine for her. I had fun answering this question: Did Hitty know that by the time she was sold at auction in the Preble house, that she had outlived Phoebe? That Phoebe had grown up, married, had children and died? She never says so, but I think she does know. She has the strength and maturity not to have to be explict. I really hope Hitty had warm, fond memories of her first owner, Phoebe.

Rating:
Summary: Fiasco
Review: Here in Australia we are exposed to very few American books for children. So today I was delighted to discover Hitty for the first time. I have a three and a half year old daughter whose hunger for books is never ending and who sits each day engrossed for over an hour whilst I read to her - Rachel Field's Hitty is just perfect combining a little girl's love of dolls and their secret lives, real life adventurous little girls, travels around the world and gorgeous illustrations. We had to sit in the cafe outside the bookshop and read six chapters before we could go home! As soon as my child could grab her dad this evening she sat him down and told him the story according to her using the pictures as her reference.

I can understand the reluctance and disapproval for this book of people who have known Hitty for years - I am always so disappointed to see things I've always loved being changed (recently I heard of an attempt to take religion out of the Narnia books - I mean really!). But in defence of Rosemary Wells - this is a delightful story in its own right and I don't think it's grace should be diminished because of its history. As for the illustrations - to a 3 and a half year old the illustrations of this lovely book captivate and tantalise her imagination in a way that black and white drawings never would. I will certainly endeavour to find a copy of the original of Hitty for when my little girl is a bit older and look forward to reading it myself. But for now I'm so pleased that Rosemary Wells and Susan Jeffers have introduced our family to Hitty - we feel enriched by this book!

Rating:
Summary: Unthinkable
Review: I am a thirteen year old reader who is simply outraged. Having not read this book, I suppose that I shouldn't be writing this, but I hope you read it anyway. To rewrite such a marvelous book as Hitty is simply scandalous. There is absolutely no point in destroying a masterpiece. The oringinal book is so rich with character. Why should we need to "update" a book about a doll that was already old-fasioned from the original publishing date?
On principle, I would never read this book.

Rating:
Summary: A contemporary appeal, to a vintaged story...
Review: I've heard pros and cons, and I respect all and agree with various points from each comment. But I guess I was drawn to this revised version because I feel it has brought another element to a classic story that might otherwise be missed. I also own the original, first edition, Hitty. As a collector of vintaged children's books, especially those with doll/toy genres, and being an author/illustrator as well, I am all too familiar with the way children grow into appreciating books/stories. It is never an easy task to tackle a classic and re-dress it to appeal to a more modern and sophisticated audience...yet keep the integrity of what originally made the book a classic. I believe both Wells and Jeffers did a wonderful job, modifiying just enough to give us a beautifully made continuation of a story worth re-introducing into a new generation of imaginations.

Rating:
Summary: A contemporary appeal, to a vintaged story...
Review: If the author really understood the character of Hitty, a real doll for whom Rachael Field wrote imaginary adventures, perhaps she would have written her book with more respect for the original story. The changes she made: (adding an elephant (?) to Phoebe and Hitty's coral beads, making the antique shop where the story ended into a pawn shop, etc. did not make the story easier to understand or more relevant. Any child who can read the adaptation could read the original. The illustrator certainly had never seen the real Hitty, as her doll bent in ways the real Hitty could not. It boils down, in my opinion, to frivolous changes to a story and pictures that need no changes. I would not have objected to a real picture book, with few words, if pictures and words had been faithful to the original and made the book appealing to pre-reading children.

Rating:
Summary: absolutely the best of the best; "Hitty" comes to life
Review: If you are a doll collector this book is a must, it brings this little wooden marvel to life and soon you must find your own "Hitty". I loved the great detail of the book and the continued excitement of her journeys. She is my "travel doll" and even went to Mayo's clinic with me, the good doctors there signed her journal and thought she was wonderful. My eight grandchildren are also enlightened with Hitty:Her First Hundred Years. Happy reading

Rating:
Summary: A stunning classic
Review: My mother passed her copy onto me and now it has passed to my daughter. I buy copies for all my nieces. It's a real treasure. The text is marvelous and the illustrations are never to be forgotten. I understand there's a new version out, but I can't imagine it holding a candle to the original (I haven't heard good things). I have so many wonderful memories of that book: Hitty stuck in the horsehair couch, life with the little Quaker girl, weeks spent in a crow's nest. It brought my own traditional dolls (not Barbie!) alive for me. It also presents a vivid historical portrait of the lives of American girls. Don't let this one go out of print!

Rating:
Summary: The reprint of the original has an orange-and-tan cover
Review: Some confusion is probably created by Amazon.com's policy of repeating staff and reader reviews in the listings for every version of a book--even when the versions are substantially different from each other, as in this case. Amazon sells one version of "Hitty: Her First Hundred Years" that is an unchanged reprint of the original 1929 book. The reprint, like the original, has an orange-and-tan patterned cover. But Amazon also sells a newer, substantially revised, version of "Hitty." The same reviews appear with both versions, although they are essentially different books. (They share a title, but their texts and illustrations are different.) I wanted to clarify this point for customers who, like me, are looking for the original version of this book.

Rating:
Summary: Hitty: Her First Hundred Years
Review: This book has beautiful illustrations, always a plus for me when purchasing a book. However; I did not realize the book is an adaptation of the original; when I found that out, it went right back to the store where I exchanged the book for the original book by Rachel Field. It is sad that Rosemary Wells felt it necessary to depart from the original charming story of Hitty. I do not recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: A ?classic? of sorts, outdated, but still cute?
Review: This is the story of the life of one adventurous wooden doll named Hitty. First made for a young girl in Maine, the doll travels around the world and back passing from one youngster to another and recounts her journey along the way. Since the book was written in 1929, it gives it a certain charm to the author?s writing, at the same time though; the author occasionally uses terms that would not be considered ?politically correct? today. I know many older books do this, but since this book is geared towards children, I think I might substitute in more appropriate words if reading to a youngster. However, despite this, I found this book a cute story that gives you a look at how people were viewed and supposedly acted during the 1800s, where the story takes place.