Raggedy Andy Stories

by Johnny Gruelle

Since Raggedy Andy first appeared in print in 1920, he has delighted millions of readers with his adventurous spirit and compassionate nature. Now he returns to captivate a new generation in this carefully produced reissue, which restores the book to its original appearance. All the original stories are here, as Raggedy Andy arrives in the mail at Marcella's father's office, displays his cheery smile, and is eagerly reunited with his sister, Raggedy Ann. After a warm welcome from the other dolls, Raggedy Andy adds to their fun with a dance, a pillow fight, and a taffy pull. His merry escapades frequently show his generosity in helping others, as he bravely ventures into the gutter to find the penny dolls, "cures" the French doll, and encourages the wooden horse. Other stories also include Raggedy Andy and the other dolls' encounters with the Easter bunny, Santa Claus, and a beautiful seashell. Johnny Gruelle's delicate illustrations are the perfect companion to the well-loved stories in this American classic, the only edition authorized by the Gruelle family. A brief biography of the author-artist by his grandson, Kim Gruelle, makes this edition especially valuable.

Genres: Childrens, Classics, Fantasy, Fiction, Picture Books, Chapter Books, Slice Of Life

96 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1920

About the author

Johnny Gruelle was an American artist, political cartoonist, children's book author and illustrator (and even songwriter). He is known as the creator of Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy. He had such confidence in his design that often he would create the final ink work without first sketching in pencil.


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

Reviews

[Debbie Zapata · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually expect to get all misty-eyed in the very first chapter of any book, especially an innocent children's book like Raggedy Andy Stories. But that is what happened, all because of the way we are introduced to Raggedy Andy.

First we read a letter written to the author. Was it a real letter? I don't know, but wouldn't it be lovely to believe it was! In the letter the writer tells how when she was a little girl she had a favorite doll named Raggedy Andy, which had belonged to her mother when she was a little girl. The writer of the letter had seen the Raggedy Ann doll and book in a toy store window, and remembered her Raggedy Andy. She hopes to inspire Gruelle to write a book about Andy so she sends her doll and the letter, signing herself simply 'Raggedy Andy's Mama'.

Next is a letter written to Gruelle by his mother. She was told of the arrival of Raggedy Andy and writes to her son that when she was around four years old her mother made her the Raggedy Ann doll, and her little girl playmate next door received a Raggedy Andy right around the same time. The two girls played together with their dolls for the next four or five years until the neighbor girl moved away.

So here we are all prepared for a wonderful meeting between the two dolls, and the first story is where I got misty-eyed, which in a way is kind of silly because there is nothing all that dramatic about the chapter. Marcella's father is at his office and receives a package with a letter and a doll bundled together with a rubber band. He had Raggedy Ann with him at the office that day so that he could look at her happy face and write about her. So when he is ready to go home for the day, he sets the two dolls up on his desk and....well, I am getting misty so I will quote:

Daddy then took the rubber band and placed it around Raggedy Ann's right hand, and around Raggedy Andy's right hand, so that when he had it fixed properly they sat and held each other's hands.

Daddy knew they would wish to tell each other all the wonderful things that had happened to them since they had parted more than fifty years before.

So, locking his studio door, Daddy left the two old rag dolls looking into each other's eyes.

The next morning, when Daddy unlocked his door and looked at his desk, he saw that Raggedy Andy had fallen over so that he lay with his head in the bend of Raggedy Ann's arm.

It really didn't matter to me then what happened in the rest of the book, that moment was just so sweet. But of course I kept reading and discovered that Raggedy Andy brought a wonderful sense of 'Little Boy' to the nursery. He was full of energy and always ready for fun. Of course that meant that sometimes he got into trouble: once he got stuck down in a new drainpipe on the roof, and another time his arm came off in a huge pillowfight the dolls had. But he had a good heart, even if it wasn't a candy one like Raggedy Ann's.

Raggedy Andy was the one who figured out how to cure the French doll when she had been given too much 'medicine' and it filled up her head and made her eyes stick closed. That was a little creepy: the dolls had to pull of her glued-on wig to get to the hole in the top of her head, but then Andy cleaned her out as good as new and even managed to get her hair glued back on properly. But still....ick.

The illustrations for this book as just as cute as they were in Raggedy Ann stories, but I couldn't figure out for the longest time why Andy's arms looked so funny: fat and long compared to Raggedy Ann's. Finally I saw that Raggedy Ann's sleeves go all the way to her wrist, but Raggedy Andy's stop at the elbow. So he looks a little out of proportion and Popeye-ish sometimes, but he is always smiling just the same.

Here is the link to see this book at Gutenberg http://www.gutenberg.org/files/17371/...

[Johnson Henson · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is wisdom in this children's story book. Why do as adults we feel it frivolous to occasionally read a child's book? We can gain wisdom. My favorite quote from this one is "They who are the most unselfish are the ones who gain the greatest joy; because they give happiness to others."
- Johnny Gruelle

[Nancy Kotkin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mostly plotless, quite didactic stories about a group of dolls that come to life when their little-girl owner and her family are asleep or away from home. This is a collection of 11 Raggedy Andy stories, each originally published as a separate illustrated story book. As a child, I had all the Raggedy Ann and Andy story books and both dolls. I remember them as childhood favorites.

But re-reading the stories as an adult I am appalled. Chock full of troublesome stereotypes, it's abundantly clear these stories belong to a very different era. There's an openly racist remark in one of the stories, uttered by one of the dolls. It's definitely time to let this one go in favor of appropriate role models for today's children.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am reading this with my two youngest (8 and 5)...and their older brothers keep sneaking over to listen.

One of the aunts made a Raggedy Andy doll for the 5-year-old so we got some books to learn about him. So far, the boys love them and ask for more than 2 stories a day. Last night my little guy came to me with the book and said, "Can we read some more? I'm finding that I really love this book." Oh, bless his heart....he knows how to make a mama smile!

March 22nd - Holy Cow! Raggedy Andy fell down the gutter and was stuck in there for days. My youngest was so worried the whole time and almost started crying a time or two. Fortunately, it all worked out well. Who knew Raggedy Andy would be so full of suspense?

March 27 - They pulled the French doll's head off, to get all the sticky sugar out. My boys wouldn't even look at the page. They were very upset. Luckily her eyes work again and they glued her hair back on, but they did not like that story at all!

May 21 - We finished! We alternated with with the Raggedy Ann & Andy Treasury. There were several duplicate stories. Overall we really enjoyed the sweet simplicity of this book. There were lots of giggles and questions and even suspense. I wish I had read this with my older boys before they got too big to cuddle with me.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book makes me shudder. Johnny Gruelle is so very syrupy that it makes me want to gag but my girls like the stories. And listening to the book did encourage them to get out and play with the Raggedy Dolls my Mom made for them.

[Mimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read and re-read this book as a young girl. It occurred to me I'd not read them in a very long time, so I picked them up for a re-visit. What a delightful group of stories.

[Brandee Shafer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The girls and I agree that Raggedy Andy isn't quite as wonderful as Raggedy Ann, but sharing this book was a sweet experience for all of us and a nostalgic one, for me.

[Summer D Clemenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up with Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy and I had The Raggedy Andy Stories by Johnny Gruelle as a child. Reading this collection of children’s classics fiction stories was heartwarming and nostalgic. Out of the 8 stories: How Raggedy Andy Came, The Nursery Dance, The Spinning Wheel, The Taffy Pull, The Rabbit Chase, Raggedy Andy’s Smile, The Wooden Horse, and Making Angels in the Snow, I have to say the 6th story, Raggedy Andy’s Smile is my favorite. I loved my dolls. I loved to help them or other children’s dolls or blankets when their smile wore off or some other repair needed to be made. I love that Santa came to the rescue of all of Marcella’s dolls and repaired them all because she loved her dolls and played with them every day.

This beautiful fantasy picture book is filled with love and friendship and is perfect for any story time. I really enjoyed reading this book.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were a lot of things happening, And all of them were nice to each other.
1. Ordinary life: Ragady andy sitting on the shell.
2. Called to adventure: Going to a new home and meeting the other dolls.
3. Entering the unknown: doing what the other dolls did.
4. Meeting the mentor: Meeting Raggedy ann.
5. Allies and helpers: all the other dolls.
6. Road of trials: getting up every night and playing.
7. final showdown: when they fixed one of the dolls.
8. Having charged: Having so many new friends and so many new memories!
my mom and I read the first part and then forgot about it and so a wial later I went where we left off so I don't know if I got the beginning right.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a reprint of the original one. Johnny Gruelle is the author of the original stories. In reading this book, it took me back to my own childhood. Raggedy Ann and Andy are as American as apple pie. Too bad I don't have grandchildren to read it to. The stories are timeless.

[Laurie Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

My copy is from 1920. All about the adventures of Raggedy Ann and her new friend, Raggedy Andy.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun selection of stories about Raggedy Ann's little brother, Andy. I especially liked the story of how Andy got his smile back.

[Tyra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very Creepy... There was a reason I kept my dolls locked up at night!!

[Joy Gerbode · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful stories of Raggedy Andy and how he came to be part of the story series.

[Audiobook Heaven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, I listened to the audiobook version on YouTube. I will share the link below so that everyone can enjoy it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akGw1...

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Youtube

[Rachel Drake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kids loved it.

[Joanna Morales · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this together as a family and as a follow up to Ann’s story. We all preferred Ann’s story than Andy’s. Andy’s had a bit more adventure(?) but other than that it wasn’t as engaging.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful children’s book.

[MrsMJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I edited some of it as I read aloud. But it was otherwise a good read aloud.

[Jerry]

review text for 624

[Ashley Lambert-Maberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

These tales will be too gentle for some, but I love them, as a bit of a palette cleanser between larger, newer, more grown-up books. There is very little danger when smiles can be painted, or arms sewn back on, and in today's world I find that enormously comforting.

The illustrations are lovely, full colour, plentiful, and necessaary: you can download this book for free via Project Gutenberg with all its pictures, pop your little one on your lap (if you have one), and read on the computer or iPad. It's not the same without the charming illustrations.

(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful.)

[Mitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this at work (I work in a child care program) and found it interesting. Although it is a children's book, it is much longer than one would expect and with very little pictures. The chapters are long and detailed, and the illustrations it does have are very vibrant and colourful. What I thought was neat about this book was that it is a classic from 1920 and the reader gets a first-hand glimpse of what childhood was like in the United States in the early 1920's. Not bad!

[Pinky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never enough Raggedy Ann and Andy. My favorite is Raggedy Andy's Taffy Pull. The idea of Raggedy Andy leading all the dollies in making taffy and buttering their hands to keep them from getting sticky? Too much. After that: Doctor Raggedy Andy. Lesson learned: don't pour brown sugar and water "medicine" down the French Dolly's mouth because it might make her blinking eyes stick shut. Hahahaha!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are cute and sweet. It's a perfect book for a child who likes some pictures but a more involved story. I can't say any one story stood out or any one character, but they are stories full of kindness and goodness which is what little ears love to hear.

[Zinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this to my daughter and might have given it two stars, but she liked it...and that was the purpose of reading it. I can see the influence this book had on movie Toy Story.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wasn't as cute as the Raggedy Ann book, but still pretty darn cute.

[Sarah Ronk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aaron (6) really liked this one! Much more than expected! Off to read Raggedy Ann Stories next

[PennsyLady (Bev) · Rating 4 out of 5]

by Johnny Gruelle

First published in 1918....this book is a reproduction with original sketches....
"totally delightful"

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

brought back a lot of memories