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Dandelion Cottage #1
Dandelion Cottage
The story of four young girls who take over a small, deserted home and fix it up for their use as a clubhouse.
229 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1904
42 people are currently reading
664 people want to read
About the author
Carroll Watson Rankin
20 books16 followersCarroll Watson Rankin is the pen name of American author Caroline Clement Watson Rankin. Mrs. Rankin was born in Marquette, Michigan and became a reporter at age 16. She remained a reporter until her marriage to Ernest Rankin in 1886. They had four children.
Her best known work is her first book, Dandelion Cottage, published in 1904.
Mrs Rankin died in 1945.
Alternate spellings: Carroll, Caroll, Carrol, Carol, Carolyn, Caroline
Her best known work is her first book, Dandelion Cottage, published in 1904.
Mrs Rankin died in 1945.
Alternate spellings: Carroll, Caroll, Carrol, Carol, Carolyn, Caroline
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
July 26, 2023
It's kind of every girl's dream to fix up a little cottage and make it cozy and pretty. So when Bettie, Jeanie, Mabel and Marjory get the opportunity ... well, your daughter will be vicariously in seventh heaven as she partakes in their reality!
I read it for the first time last year, and can only imagine how many times I would have read it if I'd known about it as a tween. At least a few times; I assure you. So be ready for this to be your tween's repeat go-to.
It's such a fun book, with great moments and lessons, and even a mysterious side plot with an old man and an old woman that the girls are separately friends with.
This book was "recommended" to me by the book "Nancy and Plum" by Betty MacDonald. It's always fun to find a book through another one! So if you enjoy this one, maybe try "Nancy and Plum" too!
Cleanliness: the word "gosh" "golly" and the like are used throughout the book. There are bullies in the story which provide a good obstacle/lesson for the main characters to overcome well.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! You’ll see my updates as I’m reading and know which books I’m liking and what I’m not finishing and why. You’ll also be able to utilize my library for looking up titles to see whether the book you’re thinking about reading next has any objectionable content or not. From swear words, to romance, to bad attitudes (in children’s books), I cover it all!
I read it for the first time last year, and can only imagine how many times I would have read it if I'd known about it as a tween. At least a few times; I assure you. So be ready for this to be your tween's repeat go-to.
It's such a fun book, with great moments and lessons, and even a mysterious side plot with an old man and an old woman that the girls are separately friends with.
This book was "recommended" to me by the book "Nancy and Plum" by Betty MacDonald. It's always fun to find a book through another one! So if you enjoy this one, maybe try "Nancy and Plum" too!
Cleanliness: the word "gosh" "golly" and the like are used throughout the book. There are bullies in the story which provide a good obstacle/lesson for the main characters to overcome well.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! You’ll see my updates as I’m reading and know which books I’m liking and what I’m not finishing and why. You’ll also be able to utilize my library for looking up titles to see whether the book you’re thinking about reading next has any objectionable content or not. From swear words, to romance, to bad attitudes (in children’s books), I cover it all!
April 9, 2022
Dandelion Cottage in Marquette, Michigan, in the Upper Peninsula. This is the compact house from the title.
It sounds boastful to say that Beverly Cleary recommended this book, but she recalled reading it as a child on an interview published audio bundle of Henry Huggins. I had never heard of Carroll Watson Rankin (pen name of Caroline Rankin) or this book; I scrambled to get a copy. It was delightful and (thank the Lord) not didactic. Published in 1904, it weathers well. It reads like a Beverly Cleary book.
Four girlfriends make a bargain to "rent" the small, vacant rectory as a playhouse one summer. Their payment is picking ALL the dandelions that have taken over the yard. Once that is done, they furnish the house with the flotsam and cast offs found in their family's attics. Doesn't that sound amazing? A real house to decorate and clean and play in? Of course, problems arise. And problems are resolved!
In a blog post Kathy Pohl, owner of Dandelion Cottage interviewed Rankin's daughter:
When I asked Phyllis if Caroline had based the story of Dandelion Cottage on real people and real circumstances, she smiled. Then she quoted her mother’s famous line, “There was a cottage, there were four little girls, and there were dandelions, but all the rest was cut from whole cloth.”Rankin paints the four personalities beautifully. This isn't high literature; but it's a charming respite from heavier subjects. And—glory!—the word bespattered (with tomatoes) makes an appearance.
May 30, 2013
A few years ago I bought this book for my sister, who has a thing for children's books in which the characters fix up houses and pull weeds -- whatever else may be said about it, Dandelion Cottage is an ideal exemplar of that genre. At the time, I tried to read it myself, but found it overly twee. Just a couple months ago, I bought (in the same used bookstore, which I stop by every time I visit my sister) another book by the author, Girls of Highland Hall, and saw that it was a sequel, and, more intriguingly, a school story. So I borrowed this one back and gave it another go so that I could in due course properly appreciate the second book.
The early chapters, again, were hard going, and I could only make the intense sweetness palatable by interspersing them with some dry as dust literary criticism -- I'm not sure exactly why I found this book so particularly cloying when my shelves, literal and virtual, are crammed with similarly nicey-nice vintage fare. Happily though, the book grew on me, and it's hard to resist the charms of the dandelion-themed wallpaper, which a kind older friend of the four girls in the story donates for the cottage's dining room. I visualize it as being a beautifully art nouveau pattern, indeed, not unlike the cover of the 1904 first edition of this book (click on the different editions to see it). Undoubtedly it wouldn't have taken me so long to warm to this book had I read it in that edition.
It turns out a real-life cottage inspired this work, and it still stands today:
http://tylerrtichelaar.wordpress.com/...
The early chapters, again, were hard going, and I could only make the intense sweetness palatable by interspersing them with some dry as dust literary criticism -- I'm not sure exactly why I found this book so particularly cloying when my shelves, literal and virtual, are crammed with similarly nicey-nice vintage fare. Happily though, the book grew on me, and it's hard to resist the charms of the dandelion-themed wallpaper, which a kind older friend of the four girls in the story donates for the cottage's dining room. I visualize it as being a beautifully art nouveau pattern, indeed, not unlike the cover of the 1904 first edition of this book (click on the different editions to see it). Undoubtedly it wouldn't have taken me so long to warm to this book had I read it in that edition.
It turns out a real-life cottage inspired this work, and it still stands today:
http://tylerrtichelaar.wordpress.com/...
April 9, 2021
Bettie (12 years old), Mabel (11), Jean (14), and Marjory (13) are four young girls who are neighbors and best friends. When they discover that an empty cottage has been standing on the property of their local church since long before the church even existed, they long to fix it up as a playhouse. Fortunately, Mr. Black, one of the church wardens, is fond of the girls, and he agrees to let them have the house in exchange for their hard work pulling the dandelions that have grown up around it. The girls complete this task and go on to turn the ramshackle building into a very admirable playhouse. When new neighbors move in next door, however, Dandelion Cottage is suddenly under attack, and the girls must work to save it from being taken away from them.
This book, which I bought in hardcover, but which is also available on Project Gutenberg, is an utterly charming story of friendship, resourcefulness, and fun. The four girls each have their own distinct personalities, and these create much of the tension in the early parts of the story as they work out how best to use the little cottage. The girls also have many small adventures as a result of spending time in the cottage, including hosting an overnight guest, planning a dinner party, and protecting the house from the bratty daughter of the new neighbors. The story is a wonderful testament to the ingenuity of kids and the value of using their imaginations to make their own fun.
My oldest daughter is only four, but she already reads on a second or third grade reading level, so I am constantly thinking ahead to books that will be challenging enough for her in the next few years that will also be age-appropriate in terms of content for a child of six or seven. Though the characters in this book are significantly older than that, the conflicts they face and the details of their home decorating are exactly the kind of thing that will appeal to her, and there is nothing in the book at all that I would consider inappropriate or beyond her understanding. The text, meanwhile, is just descriptive enough to pose a bit of a challenge to a reader at a fourth or fifth grade level. I think it will be a perfect choice for her to read independently as her reading ability progresses, but it could work just as well as a read-aloud. The story moves quickly, and the chapters are the perfect length.
To my great excitement, this book turns out to be the start of a four-book series! The sequels are also available from Project Gutenberg: The Adopting of Rosa Marie, The Castaways of Pete's Patch, and Girls of Highland Hall. I imagine that anyone who has loved the Betsy-Tacy books, The Railway Children, or even The Boxcar Children will be as pleased as I was to discover this wonderful little quartet.
This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom
This book, which I bought in hardcover, but which is also available on Project Gutenberg, is an utterly charming story of friendship, resourcefulness, and fun. The four girls each have their own distinct personalities, and these create much of the tension in the early parts of the story as they work out how best to use the little cottage. The girls also have many small adventures as a result of spending time in the cottage, including hosting an overnight guest, planning a dinner party, and protecting the house from the bratty daughter of the new neighbors. The story is a wonderful testament to the ingenuity of kids and the value of using their imaginations to make their own fun.
My oldest daughter is only four, but she already reads on a second or third grade reading level, so I am constantly thinking ahead to books that will be challenging enough for her in the next few years that will also be age-appropriate in terms of content for a child of six or seven. Though the characters in this book are significantly older than that, the conflicts they face and the details of their home decorating are exactly the kind of thing that will appeal to her, and there is nothing in the book at all that I would consider inappropriate or beyond her understanding. The text, meanwhile, is just descriptive enough to pose a bit of a challenge to a reader at a fourth or fifth grade level. I think it will be a perfect choice for her to read independently as her reading ability progresses, but it could work just as well as a read-aloud. The story moves quickly, and the chapters are the perfect length.
To my great excitement, this book turns out to be the start of a four-book series! The sequels are also available from Project Gutenberg: The Adopting of Rosa Marie, The Castaways of Pete's Patch, and Girls of Highland Hall. I imagine that anyone who has loved the Betsy-Tacy books, The Railway Children, or even The Boxcar Children will be as pleased as I was to discover this wonderful little quartet.
This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom
July 20, 2012
This is a charming children's book that was first published in 1904. It tells the story of four girls who set up a summer playhouse in a small cottage. There isn't much of a plot, other than having to cope with a mean girl who moves in next door and some anxiety about hosting a formal dinner for the grownups, but the story made me smile. Had I read it when I was a child, I'm sure it would have been one of my favorite books.
April 3, 2020
Sweet children's book about four little girls who fix up an abandoned cottage. First published in 1904.
July 26, 2021
3.5 stars
This was a delightful story to read. I loved the four girls and thought their cottage a very fun idea. I would have enjoyed something like that myself when I was their age. I liked how they worked together, consulted each other and no one tried to be the one in charge. The last chapter had me smiling. I had had my suspicions while I was reading, but it was a much better ending than I had thought.
I wouldn’t say this was a Christian book, but it was clean and had good morals.
This was a delightful story to read. I loved the four girls and thought their cottage a very fun idea. I would have enjoyed something like that myself when I was their age. I liked how they worked together, consulted each other and no one tried to be the one in charge. The last chapter had me smiling. I had had my suspicions while I was reading, but it was a much better ending than I had thought.
I wouldn’t say this was a Christian book, but it was clean and had good morals.
June 29, 2017
Dandelion Cottage is tale from 1904 of four girls who acquire the use of small cottage to use as a playhouse and the little, fun-around-the-house misadventures they have. It's cute.
I do think the girls don't exactly act their ages. I know that upper-middle-class girls of this era were younger than their corresponding counterparts of girls from other eras or other situations. Even taking that into account, the main characters don't read as 11, 12, 13 and 14. Eleven, maybe.
That said, their little stories are sweet, lightly amusing, and not overly moralistic. There is a little bit of a claim that "ladies don't lose their tempers at bullies," but its mild. And the bully is deliciously irritating and not "redeemed by kindness" or silly anything like that.
There is not much emotional depth maybe, but Dandelion Cottage is charming and wholesome and harmless, with enough humor to make it enjoyable.
I do think the girls don't exactly act their ages. I know that upper-middle-class girls of this era were younger than their corresponding counterparts of girls from other eras or other situations. Even taking that into account, the main characters don't read as 11, 12, 13 and 14. Eleven, maybe.
That said, their little stories are sweet, lightly amusing, and not overly moralistic. There is a little bit of a claim that "ladies don't lose their tempers at bullies," but its mild. And the bully is deliciously irritating and not "redeemed by kindness" or silly anything like that.
There is not much emotional depth maybe, but Dandelion Cottage is charming and wholesome and harmless, with enough humor to make it enjoyable.
July 23, 2016
Dandelion Cottage is a delightful little book about four young girls who spend their summer playing in a rundown little house. It was published in 1904 and has some of the same flavor as the Betsy and Tacy books.
Within the first few pages you are drawn into the lives of this charming quartet. They have been brought up to be polite and kind, but they are not disgustingly sweet. They have been trained to value babies, hospitality, and homemaking, which may be a deterrent to modern readers (but that was what made the book such a winner for me.)
In addition to the good writing and interesting characters, the book is full of gentle humor.This would be a lovely read-aloud for young girls whose female role models are not from the Disney channel.
Within the first few pages you are drawn into the lives of this charming quartet. They have been brought up to be polite and kind, but they are not disgustingly sweet. They have been trained to value babies, hospitality, and homemaking, which may be a deterrent to modern readers (but that was what made the book such a winner for me.)
In addition to the good writing and interesting characters, the book is full of gentle humor.This would be a lovely read-aloud for young girls whose female role models are not from the Disney channel.
December 29, 2022
What a sweet, simple, pure story! I think this would make a great summer read for girls ages 10-14! Hmm, maybe I'll have to read it aloud never summer with my girls.
I listened to this story after hearing it mentioned on Stories from the Ashes podcast. It was likened to Mandy by Julie Andrews and I agree that it has a similar feel. I wonder if the rest of the series is as nice.
I listened to this story after hearing it mentioned on Stories from the Ashes podcast. It was likened to Mandy by Julie Andrews and I agree that it has a similar feel. I wonder if the rest of the series is as nice.
June 29, 2008
After Little Women, this is the children's book I re-read the most. My mother found this book years ago at Grand Central Station in New York City on her way home. I was immediately captivated by this hardcover book with dandelions strewn across the inside covers. The story takes place in the early 1900's which is probably the best time for a kids book to take place. Small-town in Michigan is the setting for this charming story of 4 young girls who can't seem to find a suitable place to play. One lives with too many brothers, another has a fastidious aunt and so on. So a deal is made that if they pull all the dandelions out of the yard of this cottage owned by the church, they get to keep it for the summer as their playhouse. Yeah the book is certainly dated, which isn't unusual given how old it is! I've read all of Rankin's other books but this is by far her best.
February 28, 2016
Four girls manage to "rent" an old cottage for a playhouse and fix it up to use for the summer. I loved that this book was about "tweens," (ages 11–14) (how I hate the term "tween"), but the girls were very much girls, young and innocent and still learning. A good book for older girls who don't want to read teen books.
The grown-up part of the plot (mostly the ending) reminded me of some of L.M. Montgomery's short stories. Not as good as the housekeeping and fix-it-up details that occupy most of the book.
You can download a free ebook from Project Gutenberg or from Amazon.
The grown-up part of the plot (mostly the ending) reminded me of some of L.M. Montgomery's short stories. Not as good as the housekeeping and fix-it-up details that occupy most of the book.
You can download a free ebook from Project Gutenberg or from Amazon.
Want to read
June 6, 2016On Project Gutenberg, yay!
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/37871
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/37871
August 24, 2023
4.5🌟 A very sweet book!! I adore books with lots of domestic details and Dandelion Cottage did not disappoint. From yard clearing and last minute fix-upper tricks to decorating, cooking, and housework, this book is filled with everything I love!
The four friends Jean, Margery, Bettie and Mabel are all lovely in their own right. They each have strengths and weaknesses that make them such a good fit for each other. Once they agree to Mr. Black's terms for renting Dandelion Cottage for the summer, they dive right into remodeling and adventure.
I was in love with this story for 95% of the time. The other 5% was painful for me to read because I hate situations dealing with bullies, injustice and miscommunication. I would have given this book 5🌟, but I did not enjoy this part at all. If you're not as sensitive about these issues as I am, I'm sure you'll love the book even more!
Highly, highly recommended! I will definitely read this book again and I hope to continue with the other books in this series. Yay!
The four friends Jean, Margery, Bettie and Mabel are all lovely in their own right. They each have strengths and weaknesses that make them such a good fit for each other. Once they agree to Mr. Black's terms for renting Dandelion Cottage for the summer, they dive right into remodeling and adventure.
I was in love with this story for 95% of the time. The other 5% was painful for me to read because I hate situations dealing with bullies, injustice and miscommunication. I would have given this book 5🌟, but I did not enjoy this part at all. If you're not as sensitive about these issues as I am, I'm sure you'll love the book even more!
Highly, highly recommended! I will definitely read this book again and I hope to continue with the other books in this series. Yay!
Read
July 11, 2021I though this would be a soothing re-read, and indeed, lots of it was the rehabbing of a dilapidated cottage which I always find makes for good bedtime reading. But then, a Bad family moves in nextdoor, and things are very tense, which I didn't appreciate, even though it all works out in the end.
It also contains the most unrealistically smooth and cheap fictional wallpapering of any book I've ever read.
It also contains the most unrealistically smooth and cheap fictional wallpapering of any book I've ever read.
September 14, 2023
I am in a bit of a reading slump so I looked through my Kindle Fire for things I downloaded ages ago but hadn't read yet. This is one of those "free for Kindle" books Amazon gave away years ago but I had never read it. (And I have to say, because it was free, it was full of formatting problems. No clear paragraph breaks or too many breaks, text in a column, etc.)
This is like an L.M. Montgomery story on steroids: four girls (young tweens or teens, we'd consider them now) rent a real cottage as a playhouse for a summer and adventures ensue. It's a sweet story but not saccharine (the girls are not perfect and their neighbors aren't either) but it doesn't really have the staying power that the "Betsy-Tacy" books have.
This is like an L.M. Montgomery story on steroids: four girls (young tweens or teens, we'd consider them now) rent a real cottage as a playhouse for a summer and adventures ensue. It's a sweet story but not saccharine (the girls are not perfect and their neighbors aren't either) but it doesn't really have the staying power that the "Betsy-Tacy" books have.
January 27, 2021
This book is an adorable story of young girls at the turn of the 20th century. I enjoyed the historical references to Marquette. This book reminds me of the Anne of Green Gables and Little House on the Prairie stories, which I loved reading dearly as I was growing up. A sweet tale that many can enjoy.
May 24, 2020
This was such a cute and wholesome book. It was filled with so much history and brought back fond memories for me from when I was living in Marquette, MI.
January 13, 2023
This is a lovely story of a little group of girls at the turn of the 20th century.
October 2, 2024
Second time reading to the kids this delightful little tale of four girls who have the opportunity to lease a cottage for the summer in return for maintaining its appearance and weeding countless dandelions.
The girls are individually drawn enough to have their own personalities. There are a few good jokes and gentle humor, and the briefly appearing villianness's insulting rhymes were quite popular. (Fortunately, to my knowledge, these were not replicated at home.)
I see from GR's records that both times I read this for bedtime purposes, I targeted it at two different seven year old girls. Somewhat surprisingly, both their respective nine year old big brothers also were eager to listen. This time through, DD1(11), DS2(9), and DD2(7) set up an account for the purchase of their own shed/cottage, backed by an elaborate system of fines.
Sequels exist, but the one and a half I have read were not as good.
Dandelion Cottage really existed in Marquette, Michigan, and still does, and if you search on the internet, you can see a few pictures of it. I feel that the last time I read the book, it was possible to also find pictures of the inside, but they have succumbed to bit rot. Useful for background knowledge: the sending of a telegram was an important plot point, and it gave me the opportunity to diverge from the text to talk about this.
"I know how to stop up rat holes," said Bettie, who had not lived with seven brothers without acquiring a number of useful accomplishments.
The girls are individually drawn enough to have their own personalities. There are a few good jokes and gentle humor, and the briefly appearing villianness's insulting rhymes were quite popular. (Fortunately, to my knowledge, these were not replicated at home.)
I see from GR's records that both times I read this for bedtime purposes, I targeted it at two different seven year old girls. Somewhat surprisingly, both their respective nine year old big brothers also were eager to listen. This time through, DD1(11), DS2(9), and DD2(7) set up an account for the purchase of their own shed/cottage, backed by an elaborate system of fines.
Sequels exist, but the one and a half I have read were not as good.
Dandelion Cottage really existed in Marquette, Michigan, and still does, and if you search on the internet, you can see a few pictures of it. I feel that the last time I read the book, it was possible to also find pictures of the inside, but they have succumbed to bit rot. Useful for background knowledge: the sending of a telegram was an important plot point, and it gave me the opportunity to diverge from the text to talk about this.
May 2, 2010
I wanted to read this book because Beverly Cleary mentioned it as one her favorite childhood books. First published in 1904, it is now being printed by the Marquette (Michigan)Historical Society. It provides a little window into what growing up as a young girl in a Midwestern town was like in the very early twentieth century. Four lucky young girls (ages 11 to 14) are given the key to a ramshackle cottage that was once the church's rectory, until a new one was built. They are to have it as their play house for the summer if they just pull all of the dandelions from the lawn. After the lawn is cleared, the girls eagerly set to tidying up the cottage and spend hours there refurbishing it and keeping it tidy. Perhaps the attraction of this story was in the description of the hours spent at "grown-up" tasks but without adult supervision. It is interesting to contrast the freedom these girls had with the overly scheduled childhood of today. This story brought to mind the "Betsy-Tacy" books of Maud Hart Lovelace in their portrayal of a child's life a century ago.
June 1, 2012
This just did NOT pull me in the way it did some others. It was quaint and sweet and all of that, but it just didn't grab me. For one thing, I never felt I completely grasped the differences among the girls, particularly Jean and Marjory. Bettie yes, Mabel for sure; not the other two. It felt way too predictable to me, and I found the whole storyline with the annoying neighbor girl kind of frustrating -- I just wanted it to end, since it was so obvious that it would end and fairly obvious how it would end. I think the *idea* of a Dandelion Cottage is delightful, and who wouldn't have LOVED to have had one of her own in her life at that age? But I just didn't care overmuch for the story itself.
April 15, 2012
It was okay. It didn't engage me particularly, with its focus on housekeeping and cleaning and tidying. The mystery at the heart of the book was profoundly unmysterious, but my eyes filled with tears at the denouement. The girls were likable enough, but 3 out of the 4 were interchangeable. It was sweet and cute and old-fashioned.
May 14, 2016
This is an astonishingly good book, although I feared it would show its age. It did not seem dated, and the girls, their friendship, and the crisis they faced kept me entertained and pleased. I'm glad I learned about this book on Goodreads.
June 10, 2014
This is a perfectly delightful book that I wish I had discovered when I was younger. Exactly what I loved to read, and a great way to spend a summer afternoon. It would make a good read-aloud, too.
September 12, 2024
My grandmother gave me a copy of this book when I was young because she had also read it as a child and liked it. She grew up in a small town in the Midwest, and I think parts of this book reminded her of her childhood. The book fits with the Cottagecore aesthetic that has been popular in the early 2020s. Modern kids and adults may still enjoy the girls’ sense of independence in their own cottage and how they fix it up and give it new life.
In the book, four girls in turn-of-the-century Michigan fix up an abandoned cottage to use as a kind of playhouse, and having a real house as their playhouse changes their lives as it brings them into contact with new and interesting people.
The cottage used to be a church rectory, but it when Dr. Tucker was hired as the new minister, his family with eight children was too large to fit in the old cottage. By that point, the old cottage was in disrepair anyway, so the people of the church decided it was time to build a new, bigger rectory. Some people consider the small, old rectory to be an eyesore, but Bettie, the only daughter of Dr. Tucker, is fascinated by it. It’s true that the old house is run-down and that some of the windows are broken, but to Bettie, it looks almost like a little playhouse. Bettie and her friends need a place to play because it seems like their families either don't want them hanging around, making noise or making a mess with their crafts, or their brothers harass them. The girls just want a place of their own.
Mr. Black, the church warden, sees the girls looking at the cottage and asks them what they’re doing. They explain that they want to rent the cottage so they’ll have somewhere to play. By now, the weeds around the house are out of control, so Mr. Black makes a deal with the girls that he will rent the cottage to them for the summer in exchange for them pulling all the dandelions around the house and cleaning up the yard. The girls accept the offer and clean up the yard and cottage.
When the girls have fixed up the place, it's charming, and the girls have an amazing summer there. They earn some money by taking in a temporary lodger, and they end up in a feud with the neighbors that gets them temporarily evicted from the cottage. In the end, they repair a different feud and change the lives of Mr. Black and another neighbor for the better.
If you would like to read more about this book (and some spoilers), check out my longer review on might site: https://forgottenstoriesweb.wordpress...
In the book, four girls in turn-of-the-century Michigan fix up an abandoned cottage to use as a kind of playhouse, and having a real house as their playhouse changes their lives as it brings them into contact with new and interesting people.
The cottage used to be a church rectory, but it when Dr. Tucker was hired as the new minister, his family with eight children was too large to fit in the old cottage. By that point, the old cottage was in disrepair anyway, so the people of the church decided it was time to build a new, bigger rectory. Some people consider the small, old rectory to be an eyesore, but Bettie, the only daughter of Dr. Tucker, is fascinated by it. It’s true that the old house is run-down and that some of the windows are broken, but to Bettie, it looks almost like a little playhouse. Bettie and her friends need a place to play because it seems like their families either don't want them hanging around, making noise or making a mess with their crafts, or their brothers harass them. The girls just want a place of their own.
Mr. Black, the church warden, sees the girls looking at the cottage and asks them what they’re doing. They explain that they want to rent the cottage so they’ll have somewhere to play. By now, the weeds around the house are out of control, so Mr. Black makes a deal with the girls that he will rent the cottage to them for the summer in exchange for them pulling all the dandelions around the house and cleaning up the yard. The girls accept the offer and clean up the yard and cottage.
When the girls have fixed up the place, it's charming, and the girls have an amazing summer there. They earn some money by taking in a temporary lodger, and they end up in a feud with the neighbors that gets them temporarily evicted from the cottage. In the end, they repair a different feud and change the lives of Mr. Black and another neighbor for the better.
If you would like to read more about this book (and some spoilers), check out my longer review on might site: https://forgottenstoriesweb.wordpress...
February 25, 2023
The little Cottage sits forlorn and vacant overgrown with vines and surrounded by a carpet of dandelions until four young girls adopt it as their playhouse for the summer. It's not all fun and games for Jean (14), Bettie (13), Marjory (12), and Mabel (11). They must pay the rent before they can take possession. How? By pulling every dandelion in they yard before they go to seed. Under they girls' care, the Cottage transforms from it's run-down unfit for living-in state to a warm, welcoming place bursting with the life and energy of its young occupants.
At times, I found it difficult to remember which girl was which. The reader is introduced to these cottagers in the first chapter, and then not much more is said with regard to their characters. They all kind of blend together.
Although, this book was written over a century ago, young girls can still put themselves in the shoes of Mabel, Marjory, Betty, and Jean, sometimes complaining about the hard work, but ultimately enjoying the fruits of their labor and the freedom of a summer's independence making their own little home. When trouble comes, they have each other and their friendliest neighbor to lean on.
At times, I found it difficult to remember which girl was which. The reader is introduced to these cottagers in the first chapter, and then not much more is said with regard to their characters. They all kind of blend together.
Although, this book was written over a century ago, young girls can still put themselves in the shoes of Mabel, Marjory, Betty, and Jean, sometimes complaining about the hard work, but ultimately enjoying the fruits of their labor and the freedom of a summer's independence making their own little home. When trouble comes, they have each other and their friendliest neighbor to lean on.
August 12, 2020
Dandelion Cottage is the type of children's book that created a love of reading when I first discovered our small town had a library at nine years old. I was doing quite well choosing books to read but the librarian recommended Little Women one day. I would have much rather read Dandelion Cottage. The both feature four main characters, girls or young women but Dandelion Cottage is geared more toward a nine year old but surprisingly still captured and held my interest today. Who doesn't find it fascinating to be allowed to renovate and play house in a little cottage. The four girls got along well until Laura Milligan moved in next door.
This is a sweet, slightly suspenseful story that was first published in 1904 and still stands the test of time.
This is a sweet, slightly suspenseful story that was first published in 1904 and still stands the test of time.
October 17, 2020
Four young girls make a deal with the senior warden of the rectory of their hometown of Lakeville, Michigan. A tiny run-down house belonging to the rectory has been practically abandoned, and the girls long to use it as a play house. Mr. Black, the senior warden, agrees that if they clear the property of all the dandelions, they can have use of the house for the whole summer.
This was originally published in 1904, and it's a pleasant read similar to 19th century publications that were favorites of mine as a child, like Little Women, What Katy Did, and the Five Little Peppers. It's a nice nostalgic look at a simpler life, with an interesting enough story to keep me engaged for the short duration of the book. I would have loved this as a child.
This was originally published in 1904, and it's a pleasant read similar to 19th century publications that were favorites of mine as a child, like Little Women, What Katy Did, and the Five Little Peppers. It's a nice nostalgic look at a simpler life, with an interesting enough story to keep me engaged for the short duration of the book. I would have loved this as a child.
May 21, 2023
I was out and about in Marquette and came across a bright yellow house that had a plaque saying that it was historical and it was called the "Dandelion Cottage". I found out that there was a book written about it. So of course I immediately downloaded it and read it.
The book is fiction and Marquette is called by a different name. But it is a darling story of four young girls who turn a run down house into a cottage to play in. It reminded me of the first Boxcar Children story. Or there was another book I read when I was younger called The Hideaway that was along the same line.
Worth the read!
The book is fiction and Marquette is called by a different name. But it is a darling story of four young girls who turn a run down house into a cottage to play in. It reminded me of the first Boxcar Children story. Or there was another book I read when I was younger called The Hideaway that was along the same line.
Worth the read!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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