Raggedy Ann Stories

A lovely book. Yes, it's of its time, but that's the joy ... something as sweet and simple would seem impossibly naive, today. It's not modern: Marcella treats her doll with equal parts tenderness and unthinking sadism, there's a black servant, and Raggedy Ann's pleasant equanimity must have been easier to swallow in a time when women were supposed to be happily subservient.

And yet ... fairies, kittens, candy hearts, the gentlest of adventures, only happy endings, and the most beautiful illustrations by the author (if you're reading an unillustrated version, you're missing A Lot. Stop right now, and get the illustrated one (it's free on Project Gutenberg). If a book could smell, it would smell like an apple orchard in blossom with show more English daisies blooming through the meadow-grass below.

Four stars, because I'm reserving five for the odder, later books, when Raggedy Ann throws off the shackles of simply being a doll, and goes on Rupert-or-Oz-like adventures in unusual fairylands.

(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). I feel a lot of readers automatically render any book they enjoy 5, but I grade on a curve! show less

One thing missing from these stories is a list of the dolls. You do get to know them as you go along but a role-call at the start would have been nice so here you go.
Raggedy Ann - Female, cheap stitched doll.
Four Penny Dolls - Female, small dolls.
Indian Doll - Male, given his tracking skills i'm assuming indian as in Native American.
French Doll - Female.
Uncle Clem - Male, scotish doll complete with kilt.
Tin Soldier - Male, made of tin as the name suggests.
Dutch Doll - Male, Dutch dolls are usually wooden. Says 'mamma' when knocked over (i had no idea they had talking dolls as early as 1918 :) ).

Proto-toystory tales. Read about what the dolls get up to when their owner isn't looking. These are really nice kids stories and even the show more gutenberg versions come illustrated which is great.
There are some minor issues, it can be a little bit twee at times. And by a LITTLE bit, i mean it occasionally feels like your trapped inside a candyfloss, while under rainbow cannon assault by an army of 'Care Bears' riding 'My Little Ponies' :P .
It also goes in the opposite direction on occasion. While its made clear the dolls feel no pain, its still a little unsettling when they get damaged, such as " Raggedy Ann.. smiled so hard she ripped two stitches out of the back of her rag head. " eeew! i know its just a doll but thats still creepy :lol.
Overall, very hard to dislike even for someone as emotionally dead inside as I am ;) . show less

Very sweet stories with lovely morals. I would totally read these to children today -- they hold up well and don't seem terribly dated.

This was well read by the Librivox narrator but just didn't appeal to me. It was repetitive and fairly dull. It will probably appeal mostly to girls under 7 and anyone who grew up with these stories and listens for nostalgia. I did skip the chapter with the fairies. The sound effects were really annoying.

When I was a little girl my favorite doll was my Raggedy Ann doll. I never went anywhere without 'Annie' and told her all my secrets. This book was one of the first ones I remember having that was mine, as opposed to part of the library shared with my brother. I loved reading these stories over and over. I was sure that my doll was really alive and here was a book that proved it.

I liked this one as a child; the stories are charming and moralistic. I'm glad to see that the book is still in print, but suspect it has lost its attractions in favor of other entertainments.

Meet the rag doll's toy friends, as well as Fido the dog and Marcella, the little girl in whose house there is a special room where Raggedy Ann and all the other dolls live. Often, by the end of a story, after an exciting adventure or, perhaps, a wonderful journey, Raggedy Ann and her friends have learned a small but valuable lesson of life.