Miss Hickory [Paperback]

Carolyn Sherwin Bailey (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up

Relates the adventures of a country doll made of an apple-wood twig with a hickory nut for a head.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Puffin Books (May 26, 1977)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 014030956X
• ISBN-13: 978-0140309560
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #775,320 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The title character's nuts, January 23, 2005

By 

E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Miss Hickory (Paperback)

Not many children's books involve a scene in which the title character's head is eaten. But then, not many children's books are "Miss Hickory". The 1947 Newbery winner, "Miss Hickory" belongs strictly to that amazingly popular genre of what-mischief-do-our-dolls-get-up-to-when-we're-not-around books. Only in this case, the doll is not one of your fancy china creations or a Victorian lady but rather a New England creature of humble origins. She has the body of an applewood twig and the head of a hickory nut. And that's just the beginning of the peculiarities found in this (sometimes) little read tale. If you want a Newbery winner that appeals to those kids that like dolls, nature, or a little bit of both then you're in for a surprising treat.

Meet Miss Hickory. A small doll living out her days in a corncob house, she has a happy little existence keeping to herself and not bothering anyone. When her gossipy Crow friend informs her that the family with whom she often spends her winters indoors is leaving the countryside without her, Miss Hickory is loathe to believe it. Further confirmation on the part of the cat Mr. T. Willard-Brown finally forces her to face up to the facts, whereupon she swiftly plunges into a deep pit of woe and self-pity. Fortunately for her, Crow finds Miss Hickory a warm nest of a shelter in which she can live out the cold winter months and because of this she is able to interact sociably with the other animals that live in the area. There's the peacable doe who's mother is killed and who hooks up with a wild heifer. There's a naughty squirrel who keeps eyeing Miss Hickory's noggin as a potential food source... but only jokingly, right? There's the downtrodden hen-pheasant (described in the cast of characters as "sad and without pep") who gets pushed around by her husband. And there's a groundhog who's unnatural fear of his own shadow causes a great deal of ruckus. By the end of the tale, Miss Hickory learns a little about her own personal flaws and transforms herself into an entirely different entity so as to better serve the children that return to the farmhouse.

Unlike a previous Newbery winning doll book character (Hitty from "Hitty: Her First One Hundred Years"), Miss Hickory is not your standard oh-me-oh-my heroine. Because her head is so hard she often finds herself being mean, stubborn, or unyielding to things that might cause her a lot of pleasure if she let them. This flaw in her personality is remedied in a somewhat drastic way that I, frankly, really enjoyed. This book is also full of little odd turns of phrase that catch the reader's ear. When the squirrel takes his first look at a newly dandied up Miss Hickory, his immediate reaction is a kind of macho, "Hi, cutie!". And when Miss Hickory views the lead crow of a mob she thinks to herself, "Undoubtedly a gangster.... He ought to be shot, but they'll never catch him". I'm a fan of the unexpppected bit of fun in older children's books and this particular story has unexpected fun hither and thither.

There are some odd choices in the book, though. This story has a blatent Christian Christmas miracle scene that may make not make much sense to those child readers not raised on Christmas Eve tales since birth. And the whole hen-pheasant being dutiful to her awful husband is a bit dated today. One suspects a kid reading such sections would wonder why the brow beaten hen doesn't just leave her husband and stay with the other lady hen-pheasants instead. It's worth wondering. Still, the book overcomes this dated features and continues to be a good tale.

Though this is probably not one of the better remembered Newbery Award winning books (more's the pity for it), "Miss Hickory" is well worth reading. A fun, sly, knowing little piece of work with an unconventional ending, it's sure to win as many fans today as it did in 1947. A lovely little book.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Charming, Old Fashioned Tale, May 15, 2002

By 

Carolyn McKenzie "Read-a-holic" (Wauwatosa, WI USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Miss Hickory (Paperback)

In this day and age, I find it wonderfully calming to read my daughter books I enjoyed as a child. I purchsed Miss Hickory with that in mind, and we are both savoring the tale.

Miss Hickory is a country doll, made of a hickory nut head with an apple twig body. Unexpectedly, she finds that her mistress and family have left for the winter, leaving her to fend for herself during the cold dark months in New Hampshire. The sweet simplicity of the story allows my 5 year old's imagination to run wild as she pictures Miss Hickory living in a nest and enjoying the company of the crow and the cat that are her friends.

There is a reason this book is still in print after all these years! Treat yourself to some good, old fashioned family reading, and enjoy Miss Hickory!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Miss Hickory; A childhood favorite, July 10, 2002

By 

D. Harris "happymommy" (mansfield, ma) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Miss Hickory (Paperback)

My father read this book to my brother and I as children. I still have fond memories of Miss Hickory as my father created voices for the colorful characters Miss Hickory encounters. I read it today and am immediately transported back to my childhood with a smile on my face. I highly recommend this book to anyone with children. A great bedtime read!