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More about Hitty
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From: Ginny Moore Kruse <gmkruse>
Date: Wed, 09 Jul 1997 17:34:15 -0500
First I want to identify myself as yet another extremely appreciative reader and re-reader of a book I, too, consider to be absolutely distinguished writing for children: the novel Lucie Babbidge's House by Sylvia Cassedy (first published by Crowell in 1989). I think of Lucie Babbidge's House as a contemporary classic, as least on my own personal list of recent outstanding children's books.
I wrote to CCBC-NET on 7/2 that I participated in the marvelous ALA/ALSC Newbery preconference held on June 27 in San Francisco. As part of that day, I served as the convener/facilitator of the discussion group assigned to read/re-read books that won Newbery Awards in years ending in "zero." One of these books was Hitty: Her First Hundred Years written by Rachel Field and illustrated by Dorothy P. Lathrop (Macmillan, 1930). Incidentally, I was reminded by K.T. Horning that Rachel Field was the first woman to win the Newbery Medal for distinguished writing for children.
The preconference planners had asked all discussion groups to use CCBC Book Discussion Guidelines. By following these guidelines, we always discussed elements we appreciated about each book first. Our group found many things to appreciate about each of the books we discussed, and this was true of the book Hitty. Some of these positive elements have been related on CCBC-NET. To respond directly to questions raised already on CCBC-NET, I'll cite a couple of the several passages that astonished us when we re-read them; many passages have no doubt always troubled some readers, depending upon various readers' perspectives.
In the novel, Hitty - a doll - has many adventures. One adventure lands her in India. This adventure begins with unnamed brown natives speaking in grunts and exhibiting "childlike awe" of the doll, "like children they easily tired of what had caught their attention." The doll is
"carried away to become a heathen idol."
In a later chapter, Hitty the doll is back in the U.S.A. where she witnesses Lathrop's conception of a rural African-American worship service - all related in the doll's first person narrative. Lathrop created completely unrealistic regional dialogue (read here: dialect) for the preacher and for other characters in this section. That particular adventure continues with a character named Car'line who has
"rolling eyes" and resembles - to Hitty - "the picture of Topsy" in the book Uncle Tom's Cabin.
Our group concluded that we cannot recommend Hitty with enthusiasm to today's young readers *except* as a work of interest to someone looking at the history of children's literature in the U.S.A. Take a look at the book Hitty for yourself and make up your own mind. Read the entire book, don't judge it - or any book - according to passages taken out of context.
A book might seem to be a classic because it once won an award or because we remember reading it as children ourselves or because we've always heard of it, but that classic status is not a "forever" matter. As a matter of fact, depending upon who we are and what we know from our own experience, certain books named as classics by some will never be classics for ourselves. Witness the recent CCBC-NET comments about The Bronze Bow, for example. As adults with professional responsibility for other people's children, we need to re-read books we once thought were classics to determine if they can still be recommended with enthusiasm to children.
You don't need to re-read a book in order to refer to it on CCBC-NET this month, however. That's too much to expect, and we certainly don't expect it. Many of you have told one of us how much you are enjoying this month's discussion. I'm enjoying the discussion, too! I know one reason for this is that we're hearing from so many individuals in the CCBC-NET community. Keep it up! Which books are classics in your opinion? Sincerely, Ginny
************************************** Ginny Moore Kruse (gmkruse at ccbc-net_at_soemadison.wisc.edu) Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) A Library of the School of Education University of Wisconsin - Madison
Received on Wed 09 Jul 1997 05:34:15 PM CDT
Date: Wed, 09 Jul 1997 17:34:15 -0500
First I want to identify myself as yet another extremely appreciative reader and re-reader of a book I, too, consider to be absolutely distinguished writing for children: the novel Lucie Babbidge's House by Sylvia Cassedy (first published by Crowell in 1989). I think of Lucie Babbidge's House as a contemporary classic, as least on my own personal list of recent outstanding children's books.
I wrote to CCBC-NET on 7/2 that I participated in the marvelous ALA/ALSC Newbery preconference held on June 27 in San Francisco. As part of that day, I served as the convener/facilitator of the discussion group assigned to read/re-read books that won Newbery Awards in years ending in "zero." One of these books was Hitty: Her First Hundred Years written by Rachel Field and illustrated by Dorothy P. Lathrop (Macmillan, 1930). Incidentally, I was reminded by K.T. Horning that Rachel Field was the first woman to win the Newbery Medal for distinguished writing for children.
The preconference planners had asked all discussion groups to use CCBC Book Discussion Guidelines. By following these guidelines, we always discussed elements we appreciated about each book first. Our group found many things to appreciate about each of the books we discussed, and this was true of the book Hitty. Some of these positive elements have been related on CCBC-NET. To respond directly to questions raised already on CCBC-NET, I'll cite a couple of the several passages that astonished us when we re-read them; many passages have no doubt always troubled some readers, depending upon various readers' perspectives.
In the novel, Hitty - a doll - has many adventures. One adventure lands her in India. This adventure begins with unnamed brown natives speaking in grunts and exhibiting "childlike awe" of the doll, "like children they easily tired of what had caught their attention." The doll is
"carried away to become a heathen idol."
In a later chapter, Hitty the doll is back in the U.S.A. where she witnesses Lathrop's conception of a rural African-American worship service - all related in the doll's first person narrative. Lathrop created completely unrealistic regional dialogue (read here: dialect) for the preacher and for other characters in this section. That particular adventure continues with a character named Car'line who has
"rolling eyes" and resembles - to Hitty - "the picture of Topsy" in the book Uncle Tom's Cabin.
Our group concluded that we cannot recommend Hitty with enthusiasm to today's young readers *except* as a work of interest to someone looking at the history of children's literature in the U.S.A. Take a look at the book Hitty for yourself and make up your own mind. Read the entire book, don't judge it - or any book - according to passages taken out of context.
A book might seem to be a classic because it once won an award or because we remember reading it as children ourselves or because we've always heard of it, but that classic status is not a "forever" matter. As a matter of fact, depending upon who we are and what we know from our own experience, certain books named as classics by some will never be classics for ourselves. Witness the recent CCBC-NET comments about The Bronze Bow, for example. As adults with professional responsibility for other people's children, we need to re-read books we once thought were classics to determine if they can still be recommended with enthusiasm to children.
You don't need to re-read a book in order to refer to it on CCBC-NET this month, however. That's too much to expect, and we certainly don't expect it. Many of you have told one of us how much you are enjoying this month's discussion. I'm enjoying the discussion, too! I know one reason for this is that we're hearing from so many individuals in the CCBC-NET community. Keep it up! Which books are classics in your opinion? Sincerely, Ginny
************************************** Ginny Moore Kruse (gmkruse at ccbc-net_at_soemadison.wisc.edu) Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) A Library of the School of Education University of Wisconsin - Madison
Received on Wed 09 Jul 1997 05:34:15 PM CDT
