Customer Reviews

The Wedding Procession of the Rag Doll and the Broom Handle and Who Was in It

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
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2 star:		(1)
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I can remember checking this book out from the library dozens of times when I was a child. My mother finally insisted that I learn to read it myself, since she had long since tired of it. It was one of the first books that I could read. I loved the pictues, and the whole procession of Spoon-lickers and Easy-ticklers and Dirty-bibs delighted me each time. I read this book to my own children many times.

Though I have always enjoyed Carl Sandburg's poetry, I had never encountered this book until my son discovered it at the library on his first library visit. We took it home, read it every night for 2 weeks and he didn't want to take it back. The day we returned it, we went to the book store and got our own copy. When my daughter came along, I ordered a copy from Amazon, as she also fell in love with the story. The Wedding Procession is a lovely go-to-sleep book, telling the story of the sweet Rag Doll who was loved by all, but who chose to marry the Broom Handle. We each have our favorite group from the procession. My son loves the musical soup eaters, my daughter adores the easy ticklers. And my favorites, after the clean ears, are of course the sleepyheads. Children will want you to read this to them nearly every night. And parents and caregivers will oblige happily because it is a quite, lovely, charming story that will march your children right along to bed in the Wedding Procession of the Rag Doll and the Broom Handle.

In the late '60s and early '70s, my mother read this story to my sister and me - MANY times - from a collection of bedtime stories that had belonged to her younger sister (my aunt). We still talk about "chubbing our chubs" and having a "chocolate chin" in the regular course of family conversation. I was delighted to find that this, and other Carl Sandburg stories, are still in print. His clever use of language and image puts him in a rather elite group of writers. Sandburg helped me to develop an abiding love and respect for words and a feeling of expectant wonder every time I open a new book.

There are a few children's books that I recommend without qualification. Needless to say, this is one of them. (Others in this category include: Ogden Nash's "Animal Garden" and Lore Segal's "Tell Me a Mitzy" and "Tell Me a Trudy.")

If you have not read "The Wedding Procession of the Rag Doll and the Broom Handle and Who Was in It," do it now!

I don't even have kids and I'm ordering this book just to have around the house. Though I haven't read it in probably 25 years, I can still recite whole passages from it. I only wish it were still available in hardcover.

This was truly my favorite book as a child. I was surprised to find it available. Many happy hours were spent on my mother's
lap reading and looking at the unique pictures. I hope my Johnnie
loves it also!

We love this book but it is a little odd. The pictures are truely strange but the words are enchanting. My 2 little boys think it's great!

Adult literary techniques do not always translate well to children's books. Although there is some interesting insight into the lives of children that shows through this book, the writing is forced. Having not read the other Rootabaga Stories, I can't say if Sandburg wrote everything this way, but this particular story is probably one of the most annoying books I've read to my child. The awkward illustrations didn't help either.

Having said that, a book is a book and everybody enjoys different kinds of books. I would simply recommend checking it out at the library before you buy it.