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Big Susan
Mr. and Mrs. Doll and their six children, Nurse and the old Cook all lived in a house which had no front and belong to Susan. Susan was just an ordinary-sized little girl with taffy colored pigtails. But to the dolls she was a very Big, very Wonderful, very Important Person.
There was one short night in every year when they needed no help from Susan - that Wonderful Night when all Dolls come alive and can speak.
An exciting story full of ups and downs scaled to dollhouse proportions, full of sense and nonsense, fantasy and truth, with glimpses of the Christmas miracle that can happen anywhere - even in a dollhouse. A different sort of Christmas book, one that will be enjoyed at any time of the year and by the whole family.
83 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1947
3 people are currently reading
120 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Orton Jones
36 books13 followersElizabeth Orton Jones was an American children's author and illustrator, born to an artistic and literary family. Her father was violinist George Roberts Jones and her mother pianist and writer Jessie Orton Jones. Her great-grandfather, Joseph Russell Jones, a friend of Abraham Lincoln, was minister to Belgium under President Ulysses S. Grant. Her grandmother was a professional pianist and her grandfather owned a bookstore.
She grew up with two siblings in a home filled with music, reading aloud, and encouragement to draw, think, and imagine. She attended House in the Pines, a private high school for girls, where she won a prize for English composition. She received a degree from the University of Chicago, and went to France to study painting at the École des Beaux Arts in Fontainebleau and the Académie Colarossi in Paris. Back in the USA, she studied briefly at the Art Institute of Chicago School. In 1937, she wrote and illustrated her first book, Ragman of Paris and His Ragamuffins, using her experiences in France as material.
In 1945, Jones won the Caldecott Medal for her illustrations in Prayer for a Child (1944), written by Rachel Field. Her edition of Little Red Riding Hood, published by Little Golden Books in 1948, became a classic. During her career, she wrote and illustrated some twenty books for children. She also created murals for the Crotched Mountain Rehabilitation Center in Greenfield, New Hampshire and a panel in the children's room of the University of New Hampshire library.
She grew up with two siblings in a home filled with music, reading aloud, and encouragement to draw, think, and imagine. She attended House in the Pines, a private high school for girls, where she won a prize for English composition. She received a degree from the University of Chicago, and went to France to study painting at the École des Beaux Arts in Fontainebleau and the Académie Colarossi in Paris. Back in the USA, she studied briefly at the Art Institute of Chicago School. In 1937, she wrote and illustrated her first book, Ragman of Paris and His Ragamuffins, using her experiences in France as material.
In 1945, Jones won the Caldecott Medal for her illustrations in Prayer for a Child (1944), written by Rachel Field. Her edition of Little Red Riding Hood, published by Little Golden Books in 1948, became a classic. During her career, she wrote and illustrated some twenty books for children. She also created murals for the Crotched Mountain Rehabilitation Center in Greenfield, New Hampshire and a panel in the children's room of the University of New Hampshire library.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
December 31, 2012
4.5 STARS
A charming story about a doll family presided over by Big Susan, the little girl who controls their every move and word (but not their independent thoughts) for 364 days of the year. The dolls love Big Susan and know she takes good care of them. Yet, on one magical night (Christmas Eve), the dolls are able to move and talk all on their own! This Christmas, however, Big Susan is nowhere to be found and the dolls awaken to a very dilapidated and non-Christmasy home. What will they do for their special night of freedom? And will Susan return in time to give them the festive Christmas they always enjoy on Christmas Day?
This is a dear little story, lovingly told (inspired by the author's own childhood dolls) with adorable, detailed illustrations that immediately rekindled my desire to have a doll house of my very own. I appreciated the humor and good-will of the story as well as the complexity of the world-building in the story (even though I found it a bit odd/eerie that the dolls were controlled so much of the time compared to most doll stories where they come "alive" nightly). This was written in the late-1940s/early-50s (I can't recall the exact date) so some of the period details are a total hoot--such as Mr Doll holding his cherished, one and only, cigar! With short "chapters" this takes longer to read than the average picture book, though the text is fairly easy to read and there are copious illustrations.
Highly recommended to those who love dolls/dollhouses, stories where toys come alive, and sweet, old-fashioned holiday tales.
A charming story about a doll family presided over by Big Susan, the little girl who controls their every move and word (but not their independent thoughts) for 364 days of the year. The dolls love Big Susan and know she takes good care of them. Yet, on one magical night (Christmas Eve), the dolls are able to move and talk all on their own! This Christmas, however, Big Susan is nowhere to be found and the dolls awaken to a very dilapidated and non-Christmasy home. What will they do for their special night of freedom? And will Susan return in time to give them the festive Christmas they always enjoy on Christmas Day?
This is a dear little story, lovingly told (inspired by the author's own childhood dolls) with adorable, detailed illustrations that immediately rekindled my desire to have a doll house of my very own. I appreciated the humor and good-will of the story as well as the complexity of the world-building in the story (even though I found it a bit odd/eerie that the dolls were controlled so much of the time compared to most doll stories where they come "alive" nightly). This was written in the late-1940s/early-50s (I can't recall the exact date) so some of the period details are a total hoot--such as Mr Doll holding his cherished, one and only, cigar! With short "chapters" this takes longer to read than the average picture book, though the text is fairly easy to read and there are copious illustrations.
Highly recommended to those who love dolls/dollhouses, stories where toys come alive, and sweet, old-fashioned holiday tales.
December 12, 2017
Winning the Caldecott Medal is a pinnacle achievement for an artist, but Elizabeth Orton Jones's best artwork may have been for Big Susan, published two years after her winning book. Adding to the tradition of doll stories from around the world, Ms. Jones brings us this Christmas tale of a household of dolls who find themselves unexpectedly neglected by the girl who owns them, but temporarily gain the freedom to move by themselves before dawn one Christmas morning. Big Susan, as the Doll family calls their owner, is a benevolent overseer. She gently carries them from room to room of the dollhouse, providing their voices and reactions to the stories she acts out through them. The dolls love and trust her, but one day she stops coming to play with them. Six weeks go by with no sign of Susan, and the dolls are helpless to move without her. What has happened?
After midnight at the start of Christmas day, the dolls suddenly can move on their own. Without Susan to bring presents, they have nothing to open for the occasion, but Mr. Doll assures the children it can still be a wonderful time. Just sitting and conversing after a month and a half of motionlessness is a blessing. But a gift awaits the family after all. Exploring the house, they find a baby doll that Susan had planned to give them. What more joyful yuletide discovery could one make than a new family member? The dolls spiff up the house as their gift to Susan, if she returns. It's been a pleasant holiday, but a big surprise is yet to come, and everyone will find happiness by the end of the day.
"Christmas is a big thing...a very big thing. It takes in the whole world and leaves nobody out."
—Mr. Doll, Big Susan, P. 31
Susan was always a consistent caregiver to her dolls. The question of what changed is left open, but the affection the dolls have for her is easy to grasp. They can't do anything without Susan, and her sure, soft hands always steer them right and never do harm. When you're forced to act by someone who doesn't have your best interests at heart, it's uncomfortable and frightening, but when it's someone you love, you aren't afraid to allow them power over your heart and mind. As Big Susan puts it, "They were used to Susan's hands reaching in to help them. They knew whenever they spoke that it was really Susan speaking for them. They understood how this was a part of being who they were. And they didn't mind a bit, for they loved Susan." It's nice to be in the hands of someone you adore and who reciprocates those feelings. It can make you happy to be a doll, and everything that comes with it.
I knew Elizabeth Orton Jones was talented before reading Big Susan. The art and story in Twig, her best-known novel, are phenomenal. I think it deserved a 1943 Newbery Honor. Purely as an artist, she may have attained her peak in 1947 with Big Susan. The illustrations are incredibly vivid and nuanced: the cutaway of the dollhouse opposite the title page, showing its six rooms in amazing detail; the closeups of the interior later on, rendered so richly it feels as though I could reach through the page and touch the furniture; the scene around the Dolls' Christmas tree, so lush, bright, and homey; and Susan herself when we finally see more than just her face, guardian of the dolls but only a young girl herself, excited about the holiday. These are but a few examples of Elizabeth Orton Jones's stunning artwork in this book. The story is nowhere near as unpredictable or profound as Twig, but it's nice, and I'd round my one-and-a-half-star rating up to two. Big Susan is a short but pleasant family read for Christmas. I hope you enjoy.
After midnight at the start of Christmas day, the dolls suddenly can move on their own. Without Susan to bring presents, they have nothing to open for the occasion, but Mr. Doll assures the children it can still be a wonderful time. Just sitting and conversing after a month and a half of motionlessness is a blessing. But a gift awaits the family after all. Exploring the house, they find a baby doll that Susan had planned to give them. What more joyful yuletide discovery could one make than a new family member? The dolls spiff up the house as their gift to Susan, if she returns. It's been a pleasant holiday, but a big surprise is yet to come, and everyone will find happiness by the end of the day.
"Christmas is a big thing...a very big thing. It takes in the whole world and leaves nobody out."
—Mr. Doll, Big Susan, P. 31
Susan was always a consistent caregiver to her dolls. The question of what changed is left open, but the affection the dolls have for her is easy to grasp. They can't do anything without Susan, and her sure, soft hands always steer them right and never do harm. When you're forced to act by someone who doesn't have your best interests at heart, it's uncomfortable and frightening, but when it's someone you love, you aren't afraid to allow them power over your heart and mind. As Big Susan puts it, "They were used to Susan's hands reaching in to help them. They knew whenever they spoke that it was really Susan speaking for them. They understood how this was a part of being who they were. And they didn't mind a bit, for they loved Susan." It's nice to be in the hands of someone you adore and who reciprocates those feelings. It can make you happy to be a doll, and everything that comes with it.
I knew Elizabeth Orton Jones was talented before reading Big Susan. The art and story in Twig, her best-known novel, are phenomenal. I think it deserved a 1943 Newbery Honor. Purely as an artist, she may have attained her peak in 1947 with Big Susan. The illustrations are incredibly vivid and nuanced: the cutaway of the dollhouse opposite the title page, showing its six rooms in amazing detail; the closeups of the interior later on, rendered so richly it feels as though I could reach through the page and touch the furniture; the scene around the Dolls' Christmas tree, so lush, bright, and homey; and Susan herself when we finally see more than just her face, guardian of the dolls but only a young girl herself, excited about the holiday. These are but a few examples of Elizabeth Orton Jones's stunning artwork in this book. The story is nowhere near as unpredictable or profound as Twig, but it's nice, and I'd round my one-and-a-half-star rating up to two. Big Susan is a short but pleasant family read for Christmas. I hope you enjoy.
October 27, 2018
One of the best children's books ever! My sisters and I have been searching for this book for decades, but couldn't remember the title or the author. A review by my friend, Jean, had me pretty well convinced that this was it, and it was. Text and illustrations are precious even after 60+ years.
July 25, 2020
A sweet little story that celebrates the imagination of a child. This story reminds me of playing Barbies with my sister for hours, coming up with stories to tell and living through all those adventures. I especially loved all the details of the story about the regular household items that had been repurposed for use in a doll's home (buttons, popcorn kernels, paper from a candy box, etc).
January 1, 2017
In true Elizabeth Orton Jones, Big Susan is so weird! Her stories are charming and sweet, but they're also really, really bizarre because they have all these bizarre suggestions or themes that sort of run right underneath the surface. In Twig, it was all about gender roles and relationships (and some strange stuff about storytelling and reality), but in this one, we've got some straight up God stuff. I mean, Big Susan is God. And Big Susan controls these little dolls every move, except for one night a year. And that night, the dolls think Big Susan has forgotten them, so they clean their house to surprise her. They spend their one night a year sacrificing their time and labor to please Big Susan. And then when they lose autonomy, Big Susan herself makes them thank her! They tell how her wonderful she is, but it's really Big Susan saying it! It's all so strange!
There are some funny and also very creepy parts too. Really, Elizabeth Orton Jones just has some awesome stories because they're so weird and unsettling while being very quaint and charming and sweet and entertaining. Bizarrely, I'm into it.
There are some funny and also very creepy parts too. Really, Elizabeth Orton Jones just has some awesome stories because they're so weird and unsettling while being very quaint and charming and sweet and entertaining. Bizarrely, I'm into it.
July 6, 2012
Love the illustrations.
October 19, 2018
Oh how I love this book! Discussing with my older sister what book she remembered from childhood she mentioned this and retold the story in great detail. I had never heard of it! She had checked it out of the library many times, she said. So I got it from my library and by page three I knew I had to own a copy. The family that lives in a doll house just like the metal, open front one we had as little girls, comes alive. I was delighted by the story, the clever writing, the illustrations. I went slowly so as not to finish it! I bought my own copy and love owning it. I hope to read it to my grandchildren someday but maybe it won't be as special as it is to two ladies, now in their 70's, who relate to it so personally. Even so, it's a master piece of creative writing.
October 13, 2022
A friend of mine gave me a very old copy of this very old children’s book because of my name. The year of publication pre-dates my childhood—see I told you it was old—and I’d never heard of it. The story about a little girl and her dollhouse family is sweet. It has a clever mixture of reality, dreaminess, and fantasy. As unrealistic and nonsensical as the story sounds to an adult, it would be believable to an imaginative child. I, of course, like to think I would have wholeheartedly loved this book as a kid.
August 15, 2020
A delightful story about a girl and her doll family. It reminded me of Ann Martin's Doll People, except this is way less intense and reflects an older time (it was published in 1947). I read it because of Elizabeth Orton Jones, whose books Twig and Maminka's Children I also enjoyed. I recommend to adults for nostalgia and to kids for a good, old-fashioned read aloud.
December 13, 2022
For someone who is mildly phobic of antiques dolls, I weirdly love doll stories. This one is balances its Christmas sentimentality with a healthy dose of wry absurdity; the first few pages truly made me laugh out loud. The illustrations are lovely, too, though I took issue with the "nurse" doll character being portrayed as Black. At least she didn't also speak in dialect.
November 25, 2023
This is a sweet book about the magic of Big Susan’s playhouse family coming alive the night before Christmas. Perfect for the girl who played in her playhouse. And a story of loving through taking care of others, not just through presents. I liked it but didn’t love it but I didn’t have a doll playhouse, so that could be it.
June 9, 2017
I absolutely love doll books! Playing with dolls when I was little was one of my favorite things to do. This book takes a little spin on the normal coming-to-life idea for dolls or toys. Very sweet story with cute drawings.
November 15, 2017
i liked this book a lot so if you like dolls.
January 11, 2022
Sweet, old-fashioned story from 1947 about a little girl and her dolls. Beautifully illustrated.
September 12, 2025
best part is when the dolls dust out the cook's head and reglue her wig...
December 30, 2020
My kids loved this book. It’s a little weird for contemporary readers unless you remember to put yourself in the place of a kid in the 1950s.
September 22, 2014
First written in 1947 and republished in 1975, and again in 2002 as a 55th Anniversary edition, this softly illustrated book about Mr. and Mrs. Doll and their six children is endearing and beautifully done. (Jones won the 1945 Caldecott for Prayer for a Child.) The Doll family adores Big Susan, who guides their daily adventures. But it is close to Christmas, and it is a very busy season, so seven weeks go by without any sign of Susan. The dollhouse gets dusty, the nurse spends her time upside down in the sink; everything is topsy turvy and nothing is to be done: until the magical night that is Christmas Eve, when the Doll family comes alive and can actually move and interact without Susan's help. They badly want to make a surprise for Susan, but have to think hard about what to do. And in the end their own wishes are all granted. This gently imaginative holiday story makes a good readaloud for young children who can sit through chapters, and adults who loved their own dollhouses will revisit those enchanting days. 4 years old (for reading aloud) and up.
August 9, 2016
Enchanting!
One of the perks of being a teacher's kid is that your parents go out and buy you books all the time. And if you live in a household that celebrates Christmas, which we do, that can add up to a lot of Christmas books! Now the youngest is in her teens, and there are so many gorgeous picture books, primarily for decoration now, of course. So we pull out two good-sized boxes, and flip through them. Which ones stay in the box, and which are treasured enough to show and perhaps when the adults have gone off to bed, quietly revisit?
I had selected half a dozen myself and was about to put the box back in the garage. I asked if there were any I had missed that were important. And you know, teenagers don't like to admit that hardly anything is important.
But when I turned to put the box away, I noticed that Big Susan was on the top of the display pile now.
One of the perks of being a teacher's kid is that your parents go out and buy you books all the time. And if you live in a household that celebrates Christmas, which we do, that can add up to a lot of Christmas books! Now the youngest is in her teens, and there are so many gorgeous picture books, primarily for decoration now, of course. So we pull out two good-sized boxes, and flip through them. Which ones stay in the box, and which are treasured enough to show and perhaps when the adults have gone off to bed, quietly revisit?
I had selected half a dozen myself and was about to put the box back in the garage. I asked if there were any I had missed that were important. And you know, teenagers don't like to admit that hardly anything is important.
But when I turned to put the box away, I noticed that Big Susan was on the top of the display pile now.
October 20, 2014
This book was pretty good. Not something I would read on a regular basis, but if I were trying to read a book to some small children or an eight year old, this might be the book I'd choose. My younger sister LOVES this book, so far, but I didn't see it as that AMAZING, if you know what I mean. Perhaps that's because I'm reading at a more complex level, but either way, if you are looking for an action-adventure book, a book to keep you from getting bored, or a book to write a report on, this is not that book. If you are looking for a book to read to younger kids, or to share with a class of smaller children, then this book will be just right for that.
Hope this was helpful!
Hope this was helpful!
January 7, 2010
We ordered this book from Chinaberry.com for Micah's present from Matt and me for Christmas. It's a thin, hardcover chapter book and it's definitely now one of my girls' all-time favorites.
Apparently, Elizabeth Orton Jones wrote this book after she purchased a secondhand dollhouse for her own girls fifty or sixty years ago (or more, as the dolls are made of celluloid), and the tone of the story is so sweet and innocent, without being cloy, that in my book, it's one of those well-kept secret classics.
A perfect bedtime chapter book, especially before Christmas.
Apparently, Elizabeth Orton Jones wrote this book after she purchased a secondhand dollhouse for her own girls fifty or sixty years ago (or more, as the dolls are made of celluloid), and the tone of the story is so sweet and innocent, without being cloy, that in my book, it's one of those well-kept secret classics.
A perfect bedtime chapter book, especially before Christmas.
May 25, 2016
A reissue of a childhood favorite. Beautifully illustrated. It seems wordy for today's children, and quite old-fashioned, in a mostly sweet way, though Mrs. Doll does all sorts of household chores while Mr. Doll pretty much smokes a cigar and looks on indulgently.
Another gift from my sister, it evokes such memories! We loved this when we were small. For years I've remembered Big Susan's mint-toothpaste-goodnight smell.
Another gift from my sister, it evokes such memories! We loved this when we were small. For years I've remembered Big Susan's mint-toothpaste-goodnight smell.
October 1, 2008
This book is sweet. I'm giving is a high rating because my daughter LOVES it. It was recommended to me by a friend, and my gaughter has read it (or I've read it to her) about a zillion times in the past three days -- she has enjoyed it so much. Great read-aloud for about six and up, and for those with readers at the 3rd grade level, they can probably read this too.
January 29, 2016
I recently bought this for my five year old granddaughter's birthday. The book is 55 years old so there are a couple of terms like celluloid that will need explaining. It's a charming book about a little girl's doll house. The people in it come alive once a year on Christmas Eve. Will the little girl remember them this Christmas?
December 9, 2008
I bought this for my granddaughters
but can't part with it. It is
an old old book about a girl named
Susan (no coincidence) and her dollhouse.
The dialogue is hysterical and
the pictures, charming.
but can't part with it. It is
an old old book about a girl named
Susan (no coincidence) and her dollhouse.
The dialogue is hysterical and
the pictures, charming.
July 23, 2010
Another perfect read aloud with Lucy. The pictures, short chapters, and easy to follow simple story were great for me and my 4 year old during this first summer of reading chapter books together. Thank you Lori!
November 26, 2010
I checked this book out so many times in first & second grade that my mom tried to buy it from the library!They said no :( BUT my aunt was able to get me a copy...one of the BEST Christmas presents EVER, and I still cherish this book today!!!!
December 10, 2012
I cannot recall the first time I read this book--though I know it was read aloud to me by my grandmother. It's now a family holiday favorite. Jones' wry sense of humor makes the story a fun read for all ages.
February 19, 2013
I wish I would have read this to B. when she was 4 or 5. It would have been totally up her alley then as nothing really happens and it is all very sweet. Now, she wants more. Yay for that - but boo that I waited. It has been on my to-read list that long!
January 8, 2009
What a nice, classic book. Christmas themed, although we read it after the holiday. It gives story and characters but gives a child room to imagine, too.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews