Customer Reviews

Story of Holly and Ivy Pb (Puffin Books)

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Holly is a doll who wants a little girl for Christmas -- it is her fondest wish. Ivy is a little girl who wishes for a grandmother for Christmas. Everyone has left St. Agnes's Orphanage for the holidays and she is lonely, so she decides to find her mythical grandmother. Mrs. Jones feels that Christmas needs children. "Couldn't we have a little girl?" she asks. But Mr. Jones thinks she's daft. Add a sympathetic boy and a villainous toy owl and you have a page-turner.

Rumor Godden is the author of many fine and classic books for adults like THIS HOUSE OF BREDE and THE GREENGAGE SUMMER. Her rich and sumptuous writing guides stories full of delightful characters and, in the case of HOLLY AND IVY, little twists to the tale to surprise the reader.

If you're shy about reading "kiddie lit" for fun because you're an adult, find a child to read this to. And no matter what age -- teens will love the whimsy in the story as much as smaller children.

The illustrator is Barbara Cooney, a Caldecott Medal winner who has illustrated over a hundred books. She has captured the characters, setting and holiday appeal of the story in colorful pictures on every page.

Don't wait for Christmas! This is a story -- and a book -- for all seasons.

Holly and Ivy was originally published in Ladies Home Journal in the 1950s. My mom clipped the story from the magazine, and read it to me and my sister every Christmas. The lonely little orphan girl Ivy and the doll Holly who wished so much to have a child for Christmas, really touched a chord with us. For me it started a life-long love for Rumer Godden, especially for her doll stories. To fully appreciate the story, you have to hear it read aloud.

This is a perfect book for reading aloud to a grade school child...but my junior high school daughter still loves it as well. It is a charmingly written tale of the twists of fate that unite orphan girl Ivy with the Christmas doll Holly in the nick of time. The genius of Rumer Godden is that she writes it in a way that the adult reading the story enjoys it fully as much as the child listening. Barbara Cooney's illustrations look exactly the way the story looks in one's imagination. When I first went looking for a hardcover version of this book it was very hard to find, so order this one now. Your kids will treasure it in their library.

The Story of Holly & Ivy is a book that was read to me by my grandmother every christmas for as long as I can remember. It is now a favorite of my children. An excellent addition to your Christmas book collection, Holly & Ivy is a book about believing in wishes and the magic of the holiday season.

Six-year-old Ivy has never known any other home than the children's orphanage that she has resided in with thirty other boys and girls, and the kindly old Miss Shepherd, since she was just an infant. However, she feels that there is a grandmother out there waiting for her, living in Appleton. As the other boys and girls leave the orphanage to spend the holidays with various wealthy families, Ivy is left behind, forced to stay with Miss Shepherd. But when Miss Shepherd reveals that she will be tending to her sick sister, and that Ivy will be spending the holidays at the Infants' Home in the country, Ivy puts her foot down. Boarding the train, she decides to get off at the Appleton stop where she discovers a marketplace filled with wondrous smells and sounds. However, when night falls, young Ivy has nowhere else to sleep than the bakers. Upon waking up, she trails along the streets, only to come face to face with the doll of her dreams, known as Holly. But it is Christmas Eve, and Holly is locked away in the toy shop. When Ivy comes in contact with a policeman named Mr. Jones, she thinks that her luck is making a turn for the worst. But when she leads him to a home, claiming that her grandmother lives there, things begin to look up. For the home actually belongs to Mr. Jones and his wife, Mrs. Jones. Mrs. Jones wants nothing more than a wonderful child to spend the holidays with her, and when Ivy appears, Mrs. Jones feels that this will be the most wonderful Christmas ever. If only she had the perfect gift for the perfect little girl who has thawed her heart...

THE STORY OF IVY & HOLLY is possibly one of the most touching children's tales I have read during the Christmas holidays. Yet it seems like something I have read before; and, judging by the fact that it has been a tale told for years, I probably have. Rumer Godden has created a wonderful holiday tale that stands the test of time. The beautiful flow of words found within this book have the power to warm anyone's heart, while the classic illustrations by Barbara Cooney bring the story, and the characters to life. Ivy is an irresistible character, whose faith in a family is remarkable, while the way that she cares for herself gives her an air of maturity. Her love for Holly, the holiday doll in the window of Mr. Blossom's toy shop, really makes the reader see just how much a toy can be cherished by someone who has so little. Godden has done a marvelous job of making each character of the tale hold their own, and bring an unlikely magic to the story; interacting wonderfully with one another, and putting a smile on the lips of everyone who reads this enchanting story. A charming holiday tale to be cherished for years to come.

Erika Sorocco

THE STORY OF HOLLY AND IVY is the tale of Ivy a small orphan girl who creates a pretend grandmother and then really tries to find someone who can be that real person for her. She leaves the orphanage at Christmas and is hopeful that her dreams will come true. She also longs for a beautiful doll and sees one in the window of a toy store. The doll's name is Holly and she has also been wishing; however, her wishes are for a little girl who will love her.

This book has everything; a toy store filled with wonderful toys that have personalities of their own, including a somewhat sinister owl named Abracadabra. We also meet Mrs. Jones who is lonely for a child and decides to decorate her house for Christmas as if she was expecting a child to visit. Her husband is a policeman who finds Ivy and brings her home. The book is appropriate for children ages 5-10 and I think that most children would love the story.

This is a very colorful book with lovely illustrations by Barbara Cooney. The author is Rumer Godden who is one of my favorite writers. Over the last few years, I've been locating any of her books that I can find for my library, including her stories for children. I'm writing reviews in the hope that her beautiful stories will continue to be read.

I found this book by accident in the local library one year, and I read it to my two daughters. We cherished it for the two weeks we had it, and read it every night it seemed. None of us tired of it. The next year, we did the same thing, and by now I have finally had the good sense to purchase one. This edition has beautiful pictures, better than another one I've seen. The story is so cozy and precious that it warms your heart. It's sure to become a tradition with your family as well. Buy this book and love it! It whispers of Christmases past and yet is timeless in its story of a little girl longing for that special doll under the tree. The story is filled with miracles, just like Christmas. In our world today, there is nothing more settling and reassuring than reading a wonderful tale to our children.

Despite a longish text for a book in picture-book format, this exquisitely told tale has held the interest of every child to whom I've ever read it. Barbara Cooney's illustrations are a perfect match for this much-loved and well-remembered Christmas story with a perfect O.Henry ending.

I think this book is a wonderful book. When I was young it was my favorite book. It was one of the first books I read. It is a very good story for younger kids, but I would reccomend it for parents to read it to their children.

Like another reviewer, I am now 25 years old, and I still read this book to myself (or sometimes to my kitty!) every single year before Christmas. It is such a wonderful story, unlike any other Christmas tale. I put on some soft Christmas carols, light a pine candle, and sit by the woodstove. It never gets old, and the illustrations become richer to me each year. I can't wait to read this story aloud to my children some day.