Now that I have a child, I wanted to start reading to her. I have no real idea of what's out there in terms of children's literature. Except there seem to be a lot of vampires and zombies. WTF? My 10-year-old niece reads, but it seems to be things I wouldn't read if forced to. But then again, she couldn't read Misty of Chincoteague--she said it was boring.
facepalm. I thought I'd rubbed off on her. Instead she reads books about mermaids who are only half-mermaids.
So I decided to read the Newberry award winning books. Next to my adult books, they seem to be a nice change. So I started reserving on my library's website. I will post my reviews of these books, hopefully, if you're looking for a book that has nothing to do with vampires or BDSM, this might give you an idea of something to read. If I like them, I'll be putting them on Katie's list.
The first book I read was Hitty: Her First Hundred Years, by Rachel Field. This is an early winner.
I re-read this sweet story, after reading it for the first time many years ago. It has not lost any bit of it's charm.
Hitty is a small doll, carved by a peddler who winters with the Preble family and given as a gift to their daughter. She accompanies Phoebe on adventures, but gets lost several times, and so starts a life full of more adventure than most humans, adult or child. She witnesses the high and low points of the 19th century, travelling around the globe, doing stints with an Indian snake charmer, an itinerant artist, a missionary's child, and a society girl. Eventually, she ends up in an antique shop, waiting for the person who will take her on her next adventure.
There is nothing not to like about this book. Hitty is a charming little character, beautifully brought to life in the pictures by Doroty Lathrop. She isn't fancy, but she is often the most loved, and usually the most durable of the dolls mentioned--she survives a shipwreck, time in a crow's nest, time in a haymow, and the various adventures that happen in childhood. She loves the little girls who possess her equally, no matter if they're society children or sharecropper's daughters, which is a lovely ideal. I kept asking myself what would my dolls say if they were able to put down their stories like Hitty.
And there is a sweet simplicity to the story. It doesn't rely on flash and bling to tell her story. It's little girls being little girls, doing the things that little girls do. Some are kind of snotty, others are simple and loving and good. All have value to Hitty. It's a wonderfully refreshing book which I will make sure my child knows and loves as she gets older.
