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k_lee_reads_it's review against another edition
1.0
Miss Hickory is a doll made out of an apple twig branch and a hickory nut. She is left behind by her little girl and has to survive the winter on her own.
It sounds like a sweet little story.
Not so much. It has some beautifully written phrases, gorgeous black and white lithographs, and extremely scattered and moralized stories. Just as I'd start to like a random tale, something odd popped in and made the story weird.
Then THE ENDING. Horrific and strange.
It sounds like a sweet little story.
Not so much. It has some beautifully written phrases, gorgeous black and white lithographs, and extremely scattered and moralized stories. Just as I'd start to like a random tale, something odd popped in and made the story weird.
Then THE ENDING. Horrific and strange.
elsanore's review against another edition
3.0
I don't usually go for books with a bunch of talking animals, but last few unexpected chapters made Miss Hickory worth it.
letstalkaboutbooksbaybee's review against another edition
2.0
1947 newbery winner
What the heck did I just read
What the heck did I just read
teenytinylibrary's review against another edition
3.0
Miss Hickory is a prim and proper little doll with a twig body and a hickory nut head. Her whole world is turned upside down when the family at the Old Place leaves for the winter and Chipmunk moves into her corncob house. Her adventures to find a safe place for winter and what she does after that make up the majority of the book. This was a longer read than I was expecting, but still pretty fun. The cast of animal characters allowed me to exercise my repertoire of silly voices. Overall, I think that Betsy-Tacy made a better read aloud. We're on to Anne of Green Gables next.
amyl88's review against another edition
1.0
Ummm... Weird. A homemade doll, made of a twig with a hickory nut for a head, is abandoned over the winter and has to survive alone. Or rather, with some help from the animals around. In the end, she loses her head to a starving squirrel and winds up attaching her twig self to an apple tree, thereby reviving it and helping it to bloom again. This was written well before the 60s, so I don't think there was any acid involved in the writing of it, but it couldn't hurt to have some handy for the reading part.
This is a Newbery Award winner. Even though we are using May as a catch-up month, I had already checked this out from the library, and it's due back tomorrow. So I figured I'd go ahead and read it. Don't know if I'm glad I did or not.
This is a Newbery Award winner. Even though we are using May as a catch-up month, I had already checked this out from the library, and it's due back tomorrow. So I figured I'd go ahead and read it. Don't know if I'm glad I did or not.
mzrachelsuperlibarian's review against another edition
3.0
It starts off as a typical, too long story about anthropomorphic animals who are trying to survive the winter. After multiple, redundant encounters with cows, crows, squirrels, and a cat, Ms. Hickory is beheaded on screen! Holy ****! That came out of left field. Though, as an adult reader, I did pick up on the foreshadowing of her hungry friend staring at her nut head. Still... I gave it an extra star because I liked the dark ending.
betsygant's review against another edition
3.0
A beautiful and magical book until the ending. Spoiler: Miss Hickory gets her head eaten off. What. I understood until the ending why my mother adored this book as a child. Um. But now I feel empty.
sammah's review against another edition
1.0
This book was just...so weird. Not bad. Not good. Just really, really strange. I normally like strange and different, but this just didn't do it for my in any capacity. In fact, I spent a good portion of my time reading it trying to sort out what was actually going on. Were there metaphors hidden in these stories? If there were, I can't figure out what they were supposed to be about. Also that ending...a little bit traumatizing. If I had read this as a kid I probably would have freaked out.
toad_maiden's review against another edition
3.0
It's too bad that this wasn't better written, because there are some truly charming aspects of this book that could have actually gotten it four stars! As it is, this is an "A for effort, C for execution" sort of story. As a fantasy, it is top-notch--I know that Miss Hickory's world of birds' nests, moss caps, and chipmunks would have absolutely enchanted me as a child, and still does to a certain degree.
However, these elements do not make up for the sloppy writing. The biggest irritation for me was the structure; I enjoy books with an episodic structure like this one, but several of these chapters ended in odd places that left me wondering whether my copy was missing pages (it wasn't). The lack of resolve this created left a bad taste in my mouth. There were also some odd stylistic quirks on Bailey's part that made me think she could have done with a better editor; mixed metaphors, confusing descriptions, etc.
These flaws would not keep me from recommending this book wholeheartedly to the children in my life; they are quick to overlook and forgive the quirks that make grown-up readers peevish. The message presented here is beautiful and the theme of personal growth is treated well--and the fantasy elements are so darling, that I couldn't help but enjoy this, despite its flaws.
However, these elements do not make up for the sloppy writing. The biggest irritation for me was the structure; I enjoy books with an episodic structure like this one, but several of these chapters ended in odd places that left me wondering whether my copy was missing pages (it wasn't). The lack of resolve this created left a bad taste in my mouth. There were also some odd stylistic quirks on Bailey's part that made me think she could have done with a better editor; mixed metaphors, confusing descriptions, etc.
These flaws would not keep me from recommending this book wholeheartedly to the children in my life; they are quick to overlook and forgive the quirks that make grown-up readers peevish. The message presented here is beautiful and the theme of personal growth is treated well--and the fantasy elements are so darling, that I couldn't help but enjoy this, despite its flaws.