Carolyn Sherwin Bailey (1875–1961)

In this 1947 Newbery Medal award winning book, Miss Hickory is indeed a hard nut to crack. She is a stick figure doll composed of a fork-like twiggy body and a hickory nut for a noggin. Her humble, but clean, abode is made of corncobs nestled beneath a lilac bush.

Miss Hickory is deemed alive by the family who made her and the forest animals who befriend her.

When the family temporarily moves from New Hampshire to Massachusetts, Miss Hickory is left behind to fend for herself in the bitter show more cold winter.

She is a selfish, self serving, vain and stubborn old coot who self righteously judges others, especially those who help her.

Carolyn Sherwin Bailey weaves subtle humor and social commentary throughout via the personality given to Miss Hickory.

For example, in observing the trouble-making crow as he leads a pack of fellow meanies, Miss Hickory remarks that he most likely is a gangster and really should be shot, but, will not be caught.

The squirrel who tries to help by keeping her warm, alas does not save, but eats all his nuts and is lectured for his bad qualities but not praised for his good attributes. The crow who finds a new robin's nest home for her after her corncob abode is taken over by a chipmunk, is deemed dirty and gossipy.

And, there appears to be a subtle dig at self righteous church goers as we learn that Miss Hickory, decked in her finest attire, looks forward to attending the sermons of Jack in the Pulpit.

In short, Miss Hickory is akin to the character of Gladys Kravitz in the 1970's television series Bewitched. She is a noisy, judging little hypocrite.

When hungry squirrel takes his revenge and eats her head off, Miss Hickory, in a biblical way looses her life to be reborn again in the spring. show less

What a bizarre, disturbing book. And yet, it has a wholesome feel to it. I'm conflicted as to how I really feel about it.

(I randomly found it today in the library of one of the middle schools I work at... Somehow I doubt any of my students appreciating it!)

Oh my God, how can a book this awful have ever WON a Newbery award? 1946 must have been a miserable year for children's literature.
Miss Hickory is a twig doll, abandoned by the child who created her. She, like all the animals she encounters in the book, is anthropomorphic, though her personality is not developed in the least. She spends the book talking to animals in largely unrelated, tediously boring little chapters. Oddest is the fly-ball out into left field when one chapter is about a show more Christmas miracle where a baby Jesus in some form or fashion, makes an annual visit to the nearby barn, and then that astonishing tale is dropped just as quickly as it showed up. In the end, a squirrel eats Miss Hickory's head. Good job, Mr. Squirrel. You should have done that about 70 pages earlier! The only good thing I can say about this dreadful tome is that it is short.
Absolutely the only reason to read this book is if, like me, you have a ridiculous neurotic determination to read all of the Newbery winners. But so far, this is the worst one I've read. show less

Miss Hickory by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey

The winner of the Newbery Award in1947 this book is set in woodland described so that the reader may feel, see and smell every rich detail. Wonderful vignettes of characters are painted ranging from Bull Frog to Ground Hog all of whom provide the backdrop for the story of a year in the life of Miss Hickory. The latter is a doll made from natural materials from the wood all rounded off with a hickory nut head. The book is illustrated with lithographs by show more Ruth Gannett. They perfectly complement the story and are delightful. You may know of the artist as she was the author of the My Father's Dragon series as well as other short children's novels.

It is a magical fantasy with deeper meanings and lessons for life or reflections as we journey on irrespective of age. For example when Miss Hickory, being given a flight on Crow observes how he looks so dirty and messy we hear how she thinks ‘But all this mattered very little weighed against Crow’s kindness and courage’. The central character is on what we may call a learning journey (I know – very education and hopelessly modern!) but what a role model she is as each chapter unfolds. After one especially unpleasant comment we hear how ‘Miss Hickory asked herself if she had been fair to Squirrel’. Too right she hadn’t been at all fair to the squirrel but the author draws the reader to join in and think.

Each chapter is relatively self contained but moves the story on as the seasons pass. The big questions of life are brought to the fore when we read of young Fawn. ‘And although Fawn looked for Doe until sunset, blind with the tears in his great dark eyes, he did not find her. At last when the forest was too dark to trail, Fawn understood that Doe must have been looking for him, following him, watching over him when he had heard the crashing gun fire.’ We are able to empathise with the characters as the same fawn desires his independence ‘But fawn could endure his mother’s lessons no longer’.

However all is not too serious and we find humour as the Squirrel who had been warned by Miss Hickory about hoarding his nuts and not eating them retorts ‘Now Miss Hickory, it is easy for you to keep your nut’. In the end we are asked to consider responding to our needs for companionship as Squirrel ventures up to Miss Hickory’s nest home to a rather frosty welcome yet is forgiving and compassionate to her and her bitter retort.

On another occasion Miss Hickory displays a mighty refusal to join in with what she views as childish things. The childish thing in question was the ‘specialness’ of Christmas Eve as related to her by Squirrel. Following this she makes her way to join in the wonder of which the characters had all been speaking and we read that ‘They all seemed to share a secret that she had been too stiff minded to believe’.

The suggestion to the reader that the world of empirical science may hold many wonders but that the spiritual realm is one in which marvellous things are witnessed was one I specially valued. Even the hard nut Miss Hickory on seeing the great blazing star in the East outshining the moon commented to herself ‘All contrary to the Almanac, no stars are bright in the full moon’. There was a great deal to ponder as I closed the last page of this delightful book originally written for children. The quality of writing, the descriptions of the natural world, the ideas make this little book a real marvel and one I would highly recommend. show less