Product Description

Rebecca Rowena Randall first won the hearts of readers in 1903, when Houghton MiVlin published Kate Douglas Wiggin's novel Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. An outspoken and precocious ten-year-old, Rebecca is one of those rare characters who have truly become a fixture in the canon of classic children's literature. Rebecca's good nature and generous, passionate spirit have made her a treasured heroine for more than a hundred years. Now, to celebrate the one hundredth anniversary of the novel's original publication, Houghton MiVlin is proud to reissue Rebecca's story in this new and unabridged edition with a special introduction by Newbery Honor–winning author, Patricia Reilly Giff and luminous illustrations by award-winning artist Barbara McClintock.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #749569 in Books
• Published on: 2003-10-27
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 304 pages

Amazon.com
Author Jack London wrote Kate Douglas Wiggin a letter about her classic Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm from the headquarters of the First Japanese Army in Manchuria in 1904: "May I thank you for Rebecca?... I would have quested the wide world over to make her mine, only I was born too long ago and she was born but yesterday.... Why could she not have been my daughter? Why couldn't it have been I who bought the three hundred cakes of soap? Why, O, why?" Mark Twain called Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm "beautiful and warm and satisfying."

Who is this beguiling creature? The irrepressible 10-year-old Rebecca Rowena Randall burst into the world of children's book characters (and her new life in Maine) in 1903 when storybook girls were gentle and proper. A "bird of a very different feather," she had "a small, plain face illuminated by a pair of eyes carrying such messages, such suggestions, such hints of sleeping power and insight, that one never tired of looking into their shining depths.... " Soon enough, she wins over her prim Aunt Miranda, the whole town, and thousands of readers everywhere with her energetic, indomitable spirit. This beautiful trade edition features the artwork of Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm's original illustrator Helen Mason Grose, with 6 full- color plates and 32 pen-and-ink drawings. (Ages 9 and older)

Review
"The illustrations impart a cozy, familiar feel to a long-ago world, and reveal a lively, generous spirit in the heroine who leaves her home to live with her two elderly aunts." (Publishers Weekly )

Download Description
The old stage coach was rumbling along the dusty road that runs from Maplewood to Riverboro. The day was as warm as midsummer, though it was only the middle of May, and Mr. Jeremiah Cobb was favoring the horses as much as possible, yet never losing sight of the fact that he carried the mail. The hills were many, and the reins lay loosely in his hands as he lolled back in his seat and extended one foot and leg luxuriously over the dashboard.

Customer Reviews

Perfect book for little girls
One of my three favorite books from my childhood. I have read reviews of how difficult this book is to understand or read by small children. Nonsense! I first read this book when I was 6 years old, one year after learning English and had no problem with it. I read it many times until my mother threw it away. I looked for it for a long time and finally found it 54 years after first reading it. I still love it.

Okay Book
This book is okay. I wouldn't read it more than twice. It was really boring till the end. Then it got good. I would recomend this book to kids from ages 9 - teens. Rebecca has a life that i would never want. She is so happy and bouncy. I don't like that. In my opinion, this is book is not very exciting. I was so glad when I finished it. Because then I could read a better book. It was kind of hard to follow, cause a lot of things were going on at once. I really think younger kids should read it. I don't think it deserves a classic. But that is just in my opinon. Read it if you would like. I just didn't like it. It was okay though. So good luck!

The Eternal Rebecca Randall
Rebecca has been my friend since I read her story in a cheap Whitman hardback when I was a little girl. A lively and creative 10-year-old girl is sent to her maiden aunts to receive a good education, but chafes under the restrictive yoke of her elder aunt. As Rebecca learns to channel her energies into positive action, she remains unquenched by her dour aunt and lends joy to both the younger aunt, but also the elderly Cobbs and her best friend, Emma Jane Perkins. The vocabulary in the story may be a bit high for younger readers as REBECCA was not actually written as a children's story; it was the best seller of the year 1904. There is a sequel, NEW CHRONICLES OF REBECCA, that is worth finding, with more adventures of Rebecca, the Simpson children, and even Emma Jane.