Introduce the next generation of readers to the winsome adventures of Hitty, a doll of great charm and regal character. Over a period of one hundred years, readers will see Hitty's beginnings-being molded from a piece of white ash wood by an Irish peddler in Maine-and her first owner Phoebe Preble, up to her being discovered in an antique shop in New York, and all of the adventures that she has in between. Hitty finds herself in India with a missionary family, lost inside of a sofa, discovered by a Quaker family, dressed as a bride, and more! Winner of the Newberry Medal in 1930.

Hitty is a doll of great charm and character. It is indeed a privilege to publish her memoirs, which, besides being full of the most thrilling adventures on land and sea, also reveal her delightful personality. One glance at her portrait will show that she is no ordinary doll. Hitty, or Mehitable as she was really named, was made in the early 1800s for Phoebe Preble, a little girl from Maine. Young Phoebe was very proud of her beautiful doll and took her everywhere, even on a long sailing trip in a whaler. This is the story of Hitty's years with Phoebe, and the many that follow in the life of a well-loved doll.

I have an antique doll. She's lovely-her hair is flax, and she wears her original dress and petticoat. But a girl doesn’t have to have a special interest in dolls to be enthralled by Hitty, the "autobiography" of a doll whittled by a Maine peddler sometime during the early 19th century. Hitty's adventures are what you'll find so interesting. And there are a lot of them! Near the beginning of her life, she is carried aboard a whaling vessel in the arms of the captain's daughter, shipwrecked, marooned on an island, recovered, then dropped for lost in India, picked up by a snake charmer, and purchased by a missionary family. (Phew!) She returns to America, lives with Quakers in Philadelphia, and meets John Greenleaf Whittier during the War Between the States. After being forgotten in a dark attic stuffed between the cushions of an old sofa, she is shipped to New York City with the furniture. Here, in the arms of another little girl, she meets Charles Dickens. The story continues as Hitty is stolen, hidden away, given away, and thrown away. Yet she is always happy when admired and when a new dress lovingly takes the place of an older, shabby one.

Writing in 1929 before the popularity of television (and political correctness, author Rachel Field beautifully describes the geographical and historical settings through the words of a doll who takes courage, even when she doesn't feel so brave, in life's uncertain circumstances.

A Newbery Medal winner for ages 8 to 12. 207 pages, hardcover from Simon and Schuster.

-Karen

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