The Hidden House

by Martin Waddell, Martin Waddell

Bruno, a lonely old man, creates three dolls and sits them on the window sill facing outside to keep him company while he works in his garden, but one day he leaves and never returns, causing his house, dolls, and garden to change.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published February 8, 1990

About the author

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_W...

Also writes under the pen name Catherine Sefton

Martin Waddell is the author of more than one hundred books for young readers.

Awards: Hans Christian Andersen Award for Writing (2004).

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Revisiting some old favourites from bedtime story days whilst the libraries are closed.

When the elderly owner of the house leaves, the house becomes derelict. Mice, beetles and some old dolls he made for company, watch with sadness until a new family finds the house hidden in brambles. A lovely story about life continuing, houses and homes, beautiful illustrations.

[Mir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well-illustrated but melancholy description of dolls whose abandoned house becomes gradually more and more decayed after their owner passes away.

[Rosa Cline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story where the illustrations really help with the storytelling. Both were nice.

Starts out talking about a lonely man living alone and he makes three wooden dolls he sits in the window sill. They watch as he gardens and as the seasons change etc. He often talks to the although he know they will not talk back. But time comes and the house falls to disrepair spidarwebs, and bugs etc come into the house to live the dolls can no longer watch out the window because the window is so dirty. But then a man comes and find the house and then brings his family and cleans it up and comes to live in it. How the dolls must feel to be cleaned up and remembered once again.

Sounds kind of weird, but it is a neat story.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is illustrated excellently, and is all about a house which becomes derelict after Bruno, the old owner, passes away and before a new family buy it and transform it back into a family home. It follows the three dolls made by the lonely, old owner who sit in the window and watch the changes, as the house becomes cold, damp, dark and smelly, and lots of bugs and brambles take over, making the house seem forgotten. They also watch the transformation with the new family, they get repainted and sit overlooking the garden once more. It could link to bugs and habitats in science as well as plants. It's a lovely story about the way life carries on, I would say it's most suited to Years 2 and 3 but it could be read and enjoyed by any age.

[Dottie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love children’s books which teach a deep lesson while seeming to be simply a delightful story of moving from point to point in one’s life. This book is a beautifully resonant tale of the purchase, reclamation of a somewhat derelict house and land by a family who also find some treasured items within – the illustrations are equal to the text -- and I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

[Max Greeves · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐

[Mayra Espinoza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. The story is a bit melancholic but that does not take away from the fact that it is well written. The illustrations aid the story in flowing better as they show how time progresses inside the empty house. I would definitely recommend this book!

[l · Rating 2 out of 5]

the art is lovely. the story is eh.

[Kristy Teague · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations show what happens when a lonely, abandoned, house and its three lonely wooden dolls are found and restored by a young family.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not find this story very interesting. It seems written for a younger audience than the illustrations would suggest and there is not much detail included. Now, perhaps I came to the book expecting too much. It is a very simple story with good illustrations, but little detail and no look into the minds of the dolls or the people who lived in the house. Just observations of this house and its occupants from an outside perspective.

[Sasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars is a fair estimate of my feelings for this. I was told it was ethereal and had lovely illustrations, which was true. Yet the story was so odd - like "The Velveteen Rabbit" but with a derelict forest house. So, while I enjoyed the vibrance and the originality, it was too weird to call good.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slightly sad story that turns out to be quite nice in the end- if you like The Little House, you'll probably like this.

[Linda Trott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Martin Waddell's title is an excellent example of point of view. Just who is the speaker (one might ask one's students) ? The Hidden House tells the tale of a lonely resident who creates three dolls to keep him company. When he goes away and does not return, the dolls oversee the grounds until hope shines on the horizon in the form of a new family.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great pictures of a little,abandoned house in the woods.

[Jae · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was a little weird.