The Raggedy Andy Stories: The Very First Raggedy Andy Stories [Hardcover]

Johnny Gruelle (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up

Johnny Gruelle's first collection of stories featuring Raggedy Ann was published in 1918. These tales, illustrated by Gruelle's own charming and brightly colored drawings, were inspired by his daughter Marcella's devotion to a rag doll that has originally belonged to her grandmother. Raggedy Ann Stories was the first of a series of forty books. In 1920, Gruelle brought out Raggedy Andy Stories.
Gruelle called his rag-doll boy "the little rag brother of Raggedy Ann." In this new Derrydale book of the best stories and art from the first edition, Raggedy Andy is introduced to all the other dolls in Marcella's nursery for the first time, and adventure after adventure follows. All the favorite doll characters from Raggedy Ann Stories are here: the French doll, Uncle Clem, Henny the Dutch doll, as well as Marcella's mischievous dog Fido. As a special treat, the denizens of the nursery are visited by such childhood celebrities as Santa Claus and the Easter bunny.
Included in this new edition, which beautifully recreates the layout of the original using all-new type, are the full-color illustrated stories "How Raggedy Andy Came," "The Nursery Dance," "The Spinning Wheel," "The Taffy Pull," "The Rabbit Chase," "Raggedy Andy's Smile, "The Wooden Horse," and "Making 'Angels' in the Snow."

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Johnny Gruelle's first collection of stories featuring Raggedy Ann was published in 1918. These tales, illustrated by Gruelle's own charming and brightly colored drawings, were inspired by his daughter Marcella's devotion to a rag doll that has originally belonged to her grandmother. Raggedy Ann Stories was the first of a series of forty books. In 1920, Gruelle brought out Raggedy Andy Stories.
Gruelle called his rag-doll boy "the little rag brother of Raggedy Ann." In this new Derrydale book of the best stories and art from the first edition, Raggedy Andy is introduced to all the other dolls in Marcella's nursery for the first time, and adventure after adventure follows. All the favorite doll characters from Raggedy Ann Stories are here: the French doll, Uncle Clem, Henny the Dutch doll, as well as Marcella's mischievous dog Fido. As a special treat, the denizens of the nursery are visited by such childhood celebrities as Santa Claus and the Easter bunny.
Included in this new edition, which beautifully recreates the layout of the original using all-new type, are the full-color illustrated stories "How Raggedy Andy Came," "The Nursery Dance," "The Spinning Wheel," "The Taffy Pull," "The Rabbit Chase," "Raggedy Andy's Smile, "The Wooden Horse," and "Making 'Angels' in the Snow."

About the Author

Johnny Gruelle was an extremely talented cartoonist, illustrator, and storyteller. He had already written and illustrated a book of original fairy tales before creating the Raggedy Ann and Andy stories es. Raggedy Ann, heroine of the first book, was the favorite doll of his daughter, Marcella, who died after a long illness at the age of thirteen. Johnny Gruelle eventually created over forty Raggedy Ann and Andy books, all capturing his unique vision of childhood. Overwork and copyright disputes led to his untimely death in 1938.

The Gruelle family -- Johnny's widow, Myrtle, and sons Worth and Richard -- soon created the Johnny Gruelle Co., which carries on his work. Today Worth and his own son, Kim, run the Last Great Co.® in Cashiers, North Carolina, and still have a hand in overseeing Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls, books, and related products. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Derrydale; F edition (April 8, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 051714686X
• ISBN-13: 978-0517146866
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,264,500 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beloved Raggedy Andy Stories, May 24, 2000

By 

Jennifer Blau (Madison, Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Raggedy Andy Stories: Introducing the Little Rag Brother of Raggedy Ann (Hardcover)

I remember these stories being read to me as a little girl and I still find inspiration in them today! Raggedy Andy always kept pleasant thoughts and had a positive outlook on life. His philosophy: "You see how easy it is to pass over the little bumbs of life if we are happy on the inside". His stories are a great way to teach children virtues and values. There is a wonderful afterward in this book from Johnny Gruelle's grandson which shows what kind of a person he was, having a lot of Raggedy Andy's character traits.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Memories!, June 30, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Raggedy Andy Stories: Introducing the Little Rag Brother of Raggedy Ann (Hardcover)

As I turned the pages of this wonderful book, all of the illustrations came flooding back to my memory. I KNEW the pictures, even though I'd not laid eyes on them in over 30 years! The stories are poignant and the illustrations captivating. I loved my Raggedy Ann and her little brother very much and have passed this treasure on to a little boy that I love with all my "candy" heart.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful stories to complement the Raggedy Ann series., April 25, 2009

By 

Janet Smith - See all my reviews

This review is from: Raggedy Andy Stories: Introducing the Little Rag Brother of Raggedy Ann (Hardcover)

Raggedy Ann needed family, and along comes Raggedy Andy, her adorable brother. The books are the perfect accessory to the dolls I made for my sister-brother grandchildren. The stories are wholesome and sweet, just right for younger children. I heartily endorse these charming books.