Choosing chapter books to read aloud to my girls is not something I’ve ever really given much thought or planning. Instead, I just pick up whatever I see that looks interesting or that I’ve recently read a review of, etc. Lately, though, I’ve been thinking about how I should probably be a little more intentional about what I read, at least occasionally. (How’s that for noncommittal? 😉 ) What I mean is this: I don’t think think our read-alouds have to always be educational or challenging, but because we are home educators and because I consider reading aloud a very important part of our school day (although the girls don’t even realize that we’re “doing school” while we’re reading), I should get in as much good literature as I possibly can. If you scroll down a bit and look over in the sidebar, you’ll see a list of our read-alouds for this year. You’ll note that Nim’s Island was our third chapter book of 2011, but you’ll also note that there’s no review of it linked. I meant to review it, but I ran out of time. However, I think I can sum it up in one sentence: a fun read, but nothing that challenged us in any way. It’s one of those books that I think Lulu could’ve read on her own, even at the tender age of six. In thinking about our read-alouds, I’m moving toward consistently choosing books that are harder than my best reader could tackle on her own. I’m sure I won’t always do this, but I prefer it this way.
Okay, now that all that preliminary business is out of the way, let’s get on to the real matter at hand: Hitty: Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field. Published in 1929 and awarded a Newbery Award the following year, Hitty is definitely a book that fulfills the requirement I explained above. It’s not one of those books I could’ve continued reading after I’d come a hairsbreadth from reading myself to sleep, somehow managing to keep one eye open enough to read the text, brain on autopilot. (Please tell me you do that, too, at least sometimes!) No, Hitty requires diligence and concentration on the part of the reader. The plot is detailed and the sentence syntax is unlike that of our day. However, I never once grew tired of this story; on the contrary, I was eager each time I picked it up to find out what Hitty was going to experience next. My girls seemed to love it as much as I did.
The story is rather simple, actually. It is simply the story of Hitty’s hundred years of existence. Hitty is a wooden doll made of lucky mountain-ash wood, and at the story’s beginning she belongs to a loving little girl named Phoebe Preble. When Phoebe’s family goes aboard a whaling vessel, Hitty goes along, too. It’s after this that almost all of the adventures begin. She is shipwrecked; she is taken as an idol on some uncivilized island somewhere in the middle of some ocean; she becomes the possession of a missionary child, a Quaker child, and a slave; she meets the poet John Greenleaf Whittier and sees Charles Dickens; in short, she has no end of adventures.
Hitty’s adventures are interesting, but what makes the story so absorbing is Hitty’s voice. I just came to love her. This little wooden doll speaks with such intelligence and warmth. Although I wouldn’t say that this is a funny story, there are moments when Hitty’s wit shines through. I think that reading stories like this to my girls, young though they are, has immeasurable benefits. I’ve noted before how reading the Little House on the Prairie books has expanded my girls’ vocabularies; I can’t help but think that reading sentences that are more complex that we’re accustomed to speaking will have a similar effect.
I think it’s funny that a couple of my blog readers and fellow bloggers commented about our reading Hitty when I mentioned it last week, and they had opposite opinions. Carrie said that she had to read it when she was twelve or thirteen and that she hated it. Catherine, on the other hand, said that she has already read it to her very young daughter twice, she loved it herself so much as a child. I wonder if this is one of those books that adults think children should love. (This is an opinion that is often bandied about when award-winning books are discussed.) I don’t know. I do know that when I closed the book this little doll had come to mean so much to me that I had tears in my eyes. I also know that Lulu immediately grabbed the book and declared that she wanted to read it for herself. I know this is one story we’ll be revisiting. Highly, highly recommended.
(Please note that since this book was written in 1929, there are many elements in it that are non-PC today. See some of the reviews here for more about this.)
Rachel Field also wrote a Caldecott Award winning book, Prayer for a Child, which is a Five in a Row book we own but that I don’t think I ever read with my girls. She also wrote another juvenile chapter book that I have a copy of on our schoolroom shelf: Calico Bush. I think I need to pull both of these out and share them.
How do you determine which books to read aloud to your children? Do you simply follow your own and your children’s preferences, or do you have ulterior motives? 🙂
I haven’t read ever read Hitty although I’ve heard it mentioned in many places and have it on my mental TBR list for one day. I think I’ve been reluctant to read it to my boys, not sure if they would be interested. But that’s probably silly as they enjoyed the Little House books quite a bit and other “girl” books as well.
I do agree about reading harder books with kids. I’ve read some really good, meaty books recently as read-alouds at night with my oldest. Door in the Wall. The Wadjet Eye. The Bronze Bow. I’ve also found that with audiobooks my kids are able to listen to things at a much higher level than if I’m reading them or if they were reading alone. We’ve done Swiss Family Robinson, Treasure Island, Robin Hood and many others that way. We listen in the car so it’s a captive audience. 🙂
My RAT post is the opposite direction, books for babies.
http://supratentorial.wordpress.com/2011/03/03/read-aloud-thursday-books-for-babies/
I’ve seen Hitty on the shelf but have hesitated because we’re so very stuffed animal focused around here, vs. doll focused. After reading your review I think I’ll put this on the list to read at least for myself, then I can know whether to suggest it to my young veterinarians.
I’m a haphazard reader-aloud. Often the books are history-related, but sometimes they’re just what strikes my fancy. This week’s is an example of the latter:
http://www.acrossthepage.net/2011/03/03/the-ordinary-princess/
Alice–I thought about whether or not this book would appeal to boys, and I think if they can “get over” the fact that it’s about a doll and most of the doll’s owners are girls, they would enjoy it. Most of Hitty’s adventures are not girlish, in my opinion.
Audiobooks have definitely upped my girls’ listening comprehension level, too!
Janet–I think you’d really like Hitty, as would your girls, despite their preference for stuffed friends. (Hitty is actually stuffed as a pincushion at one point, if that helps.)
We read some classic fairy tales (in German) this week: http://www.redtedart.com/2011/03/02/kids-get-crafty-castles-loo-roll-men/
We read a wide variety of books, many my girl could read on her own if she sat down and sweated it out, not that does. But I do read aloud from meaty “classics” once, often twice a day. I think it is important to always read to children from books that are beyond what they could read. Because children are capable of comprehending material way beyond their reading level. I approach history and science in the same manner. The only time I will require my kids to read anything on their own will be during reading instruction. Never during history, science, math etc.
My two cents. Here are my read alouds for the week.
http://booksforbreakfast2.blogspot.com/2011/02/man-who-lost-his-head.html
http://booksforbreakfast2.blogspot.com/2011/02/merry-merry-fibruary.html
I said I hated it because I was forced to read it. =D But I did buy a copy because…haha!…I think it’s one of those books that children are SUPPOSED to love! ;D (So, you are right!) I’ll give it a re-read and see if my opinion of it has changed.
I have this gigantic stack of library books sitting here and I just haven’t worked up the mood to write about all of them. Thursdays come and Thursdays go. But the books are all due back at the library on Saturday so I’d best get hopping!
I watched the movie Nim’s Island and didnt’ realize there was a book. Light, fluffy, fun read but nothing really deep? I’ll keep it in mind though because sometimes that’s just what you want!
I have this on my shelf. I’ll have to make plans to read itto the kids–maybe this summer.
http://livelearnlove226.blogspot.com/2011/03/read-alouds.html
I had never heard of Hitty before! Thanks!
I forgot to say when it comes to books for the kids I do what I do for me…mostly I read who is familiar…and a few recommendations…and of course picture books are just easy to grab at the library!
This is on our list to read this year. Last year, my daughter and I read “Calico Bush” by Rachel Field and used it for a homeschool literature fair project (she won first place!)… there were so many wonderful things to be learned from that book, and I’ve heard “Hitty” is the same!