Big Susan [Hardcover]

Elizabeth Orton Jones (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up

Mr. and Mrs. Doll and their six children, Nurse and the old Cook all lived in a house which had no front and belong to Susan. Susan was just an ordinary-sized little girl with taffy colored pigtails. But to the dolls she was a very Big, very Wonderful, very Important Person.

There was one short night in every year when they needed no help from Susan - that Wonderful Night when all Dolls come alive and can speak.

An exciting story full of ups and downs scaled to dollhouse proportions, full of sense and nonsense, fantasy and truth, with glimpses of the Christmas miracle that can happen anywhere - even in a dollhouse. A different sort of Christmas book, one that will be enjoyed at any time of the year and by the whole family.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Reissues also deck the hall. Susan Orton Jones's Big Susan celebrates its 55th anniversary. Illustrations in muted tones are interspersed throughout the story, about a doll family that comes to life on Christmas Eve-after weeks of neglect by their eponymous owner. Ages 6-10.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Elizabeth Orton Jones, nicknamed Twig more than fifty years ago, was born on June 25, 1910 in Highland Park, Illinois. In the 1940s she moved to a house in Mason, New Hampshire bought with her first royalty check from TWIG. She lived there for more than sixty years.

Twig's childhood dolls and dollhouse were memorialized in Big Susan, these dolls, their furniture and a replica of her dollhouse are on display in the Highland Park Illinois Historical Society. The miniature living room furniture and rug were handmade by Twig's Grandmother Orton. The original dollhouse was purchased secondhand for seven dollars by Twig's mother, Jessie Orton Jones, as a gift for her young daughter. It was given away when Twig was a grown woman, being seven and a half feet long it took up too much space in the attic. Many years later Twig's physician, Dr. Robert Wellwood, built the replica dollhouse by taking measurements from the illustrations in Big Susan.

Twig wrote and illustrated more than 20 books for children, in 1945 she won the Caldecott Medal for Prayer for a Child.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 82 pages
• Publisher: Purple House Press; 1 edition (September 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1930900066
• ISBN-13: 978-1930900066
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #346,741 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The wonderful world of dolls!, August 5, 2003

By 

pagesidehigh (Peoria, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Big Susan (Hardcover)

I loved this book as a child and now my own daughter loves it (and my son too)! The marvelous imagination of this book and the dolls that come to life when Big Susan isn't around is phenomenal! I would recommend this book to anyone, especially for those little girls at heart like myself :) It's a great read for young and old and perfect for Christmas.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Such a delightful, wonderful little book!, February 12, 2005

By 

Dawn M. Chandler Holtz "bellarminebooks" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Big Susan (Hardcover)

I would have adored this book had I read it as a child. I am so pleased to have found this treasure to read to my children (ages 4 and 6). After reading this magical and touching little book, even my 6 year old son was inspired to play with our oft-forgotten dollhouse. They were off to tidy up the dollhouse which had been neglected so that the dolls would be happier. Thank you to Purple House Press for reprinting this lovely book, and for all the other out of print treasures you have reprinted!

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Childhood revisited, September 7, 2005

By 

FAITH ELLEN DRYER "Ta of Wyoming" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Big Susan (Hardcover)

Big Susan and I became friends 45 years ago, give or take. But with moving etc. I didn't know where she was. Having seen her advertised I thought I would enjoy her again. My only children are cats, so I couldn't really share Susan with them, which may have been why I lost track of her. Having had a learning disability I read slowly when I was young, I'm much faster now, and remembering her so fondly I gave myself a treat.

Big Susan is a reminder of gentler and simpler times, when things ran on imagination and good will, and not on batteries and lasers. While I loved it, I tend to be from a less bombastic generation, but I still think this is a lovely book that should be enjoyed and imagined with.