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Amy's Eyes
A girl who has changed into a doll and a doll who has changed into a sea captain sail the pirate-ridden high seas with a crew of Mother Goose animals, in search of gold treasure.
437 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1985
19 people are currently reading
276 people want to read
About the author
Richard Jerome Kennedy
25 books10 followersRichard Jerome Kennedy (b. 1932) is an American children's book author.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
December 9, 2011
Oh, oh, oh, what a lovely, sad, wonderful little book. Except it is not really little at all. It's thick, a glorious 437 pages, full of adventure, fantasy, mystery, and Mother Goose.
C.S. Lewis once said, "A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest."
Amy's Eyes proves this quote to be true. A children's book, yes, but one suitable and entertaining enough for any age.
Amy's Eyes by Richard Kennedy begins with a little baby girl, named Amy, being left on the steps of an orphange by her Father with only a sailor doll and a loaf of bread. He plans to return someday. Meanwhile, Amy begins to grow up and takes her sailor doll everywhere, eventually she talks to him so much he comes to life! And what ought a newly-made sailor do but take to the sea?
The rest of the story is filled with toys coming to life, Mothe Goose rhymes, pirates, button eyes, and a very Bad Sister. It is adorable and sad and quite sweet. If you ever imagined your dolls were really alive, this story is for you.
While the plot is a little bit ridiculous, it is also a fun burst of imagination. I think that is why I enjoyed it so much. It gets more serious near the end, but things are tied up just nicely enough to leave the rest to your imagination, and with a plot this crazy, your imagination can go any way it wants! I grew up on Reading Rainbow, Wishbone, and Toy Story. This book fits right in, not as a "blast from the past" but as comforting reminder that even admist research papers and shopping lists, there is room for creativity and imagination.
SPOILER/A CAUTION FOR PARENTS:
While this is an enchanting children's story, it does deal with some topics of a serious nature, like death, the end of the world, and evil. I would not reccomend it as a bed time story, but slightly older children might really enjoy it. Perhaps as a read-out-loud, or even a book for family discussion. It appeals to both boys and girls equally.
C.S. Lewis once said, "A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest."
Amy's Eyes proves this quote to be true. A children's book, yes, but one suitable and entertaining enough for any age.
Amy's Eyes by Richard Kennedy begins with a little baby girl, named Amy, being left on the steps of an orphange by her Father with only a sailor doll and a loaf of bread. He plans to return someday. Meanwhile, Amy begins to grow up and takes her sailor doll everywhere, eventually she talks to him so much he comes to life! And what ought a newly-made sailor do but take to the sea?
The rest of the story is filled with toys coming to life, Mothe Goose rhymes, pirates, button eyes, and a very Bad Sister. It is adorable and sad and quite sweet. If you ever imagined your dolls were really alive, this story is for you.
While the plot is a little bit ridiculous, it is also a fun burst of imagination. I think that is why I enjoyed it so much. It gets more serious near the end, but things are tied up just nicely enough to leave the rest to your imagination, and with a plot this crazy, your imagination can go any way it wants! I grew up on Reading Rainbow, Wishbone, and Toy Story. This book fits right in, not as a "blast from the past" but as comforting reminder that even admist research papers and shopping lists, there is room for creativity and imagination.
SPOILER/A CAUTION FOR PARENTS:
While this is an enchanting children's story, it does deal with some topics of a serious nature, like death, the end of the world, and evil. I would not reccomend it as a bed time story, but slightly older children might really enjoy it. Perhaps as a read-out-loud, or even a book for family discussion. It appeals to both boys and girls equally.
May 12, 2021
Avl. as a scanned copy, free to borrow & read online at openlibrary.org.
I'll let Kennedy speak for himself:
"It is a dangerous place, the open sea, and a sailor holds to every spirit-raising indulgence or grace he can find and believe in. Never mind his infidelity when he is ashore, his disgraceful and fallen state. It is a weekday always in port, and Sunday always at sea."
"Why--devil chase it man--that's a complicated book. Ye can make it mean just about anything ye want to. And he just sticks his own meaning to it. That don't seem right to me. Ye take the book for just what it says, ye don't go sticking your own meanings into it to please yourself." (character speaking of a Mother Goose collection)
(What is the Rule of Three in arithmetic?)
"Now, there is a Queen of all science, and her name is Mathematics.... the Queen has a Wayward Daughter. Men seek her for consolation, also, for she is easy of access and prompt in her favors, and makes promises that the Mother of Numbers never makes. Her name is Numerology, and she is a wanton."
(Fearful of being overheard talking of mutiny, characters speak up:) "Dutiny calls." "Just en routiny." "Absolutiny. No disputiny."
(Characters are feeling fearful:) "Their mouths were dry and their liquids all collected in their bladders."
....
Philosophical, funny, adventurous, for all ages, maybe a tiny bit too full of itself.
I'll let Kennedy speak for himself:
"It is a dangerous place, the open sea, and a sailor holds to every spirit-raising indulgence or grace he can find and believe in. Never mind his infidelity when he is ashore, his disgraceful and fallen state. It is a weekday always in port, and Sunday always at sea."
"Why--devil chase it man--that's a complicated book. Ye can make it mean just about anything ye want to. And he just sticks his own meaning to it. That don't seem right to me. Ye take the book for just what it says, ye don't go sticking your own meanings into it to please yourself." (character speaking of a Mother Goose collection)
(What is the Rule of Three in arithmetic?)
"Now, there is a Queen of all science, and her name is Mathematics.... the Queen has a Wayward Daughter. Men seek her for consolation, also, for she is easy of access and prompt in her favors, and makes promises that the Mother of Numbers never makes. Her name is Numerology, and she is a wanton."
(Fearful of being overheard talking of mutiny, characters speak up:) "Dutiny calls." "Just en routiny." "Absolutiny. No disputiny."
(Characters are feeling fearful:) "Their mouths were dry and their liquids all collected in their bladders."
....
Philosophical, funny, adventurous, for all ages, maybe a tiny bit too full of itself.
August 19, 2007
My Dad gave this book to me a long, long time ago and even today I can vividly recall the wonder and excitement of reading this touching story. So well written, so rich and imagintive. One of my all time favorites.
May 17, 2018
I first read this book in the 1980s and loved it then. In fact, I loved the book so much I decided to work with the author to republish a new illustrated edition.
I became aware of Amy's Eyes while visiting a friend in Oregon. She was (and still is) friends with Richard Kennedy and had done a lot of the copy editing on the manuscript. Back in early 2017, I was again visiting my friend and we got to talking about books. Somehow we got around to Amy's Eyes and she said how it was too bad it was out of print. My response was something like "Well, we can fix that."
She arranged lunch with Richard and we talked about how it would be nice to get Amy's Eyes back into print. I thought we could create a new illustrated edition, perhaps using the images in a Japanese language edition of the book.
It is now May, 2018 -- a little over a year later -- and Amy's Eyes (2nd Edition) has been released in paperback and e-book versions. This edition contains the orginal text of the book plus more than 100 illustrations by artist and translator Chihiro Nakagawa.
Chihiro's illustrations add a delightful new dimension to the story.
It was great fun putting this new edition together and I hope others will enjoy reading it as much as I have.
I became aware of Amy's Eyes while visiting a friend in Oregon. She was (and still is) friends with Richard Kennedy and had done a lot of the copy editing on the manuscript. Back in early 2017, I was again visiting my friend and we got to talking about books. Somehow we got around to Amy's Eyes and she said how it was too bad it was out of print. My response was something like "Well, we can fix that."
She arranged lunch with Richard and we talked about how it would be nice to get Amy's Eyes back into print. I thought we could create a new illustrated edition, perhaps using the images in a Japanese language edition of the book.
It is now May, 2018 -- a little over a year later -- and Amy's Eyes (2nd Edition) has been released in paperback and e-book versions. This edition contains the orginal text of the book plus more than 100 illustrations by artist and translator Chihiro Nakagawa.
Chihiro's illustrations add a delightful new dimension to the story.
It was great fun putting this new edition together and I hope others will enjoy reading it as much as I have.
July 9, 2009
A weird, awesome, sprawling, children's epic about an intelligent, sentient doll who's on a quest to retrieve her stolen eyes that have been pitched to the bottom of the sea - and the sailor who loves her. I think. I don't really remember, but it definitely blew my mind when I was 9 or 10.
April 22, 2011
Not many have read it but it is a wonderful book. My 4th grade teacher read it to me. I loved it so much I h out and was so proud when I finished all 800 some pages. Very creative and unique story.
December 29, 2019
I read this book back in the 90s and was recently reminded of it because it’s the first place where I learned the OG lyrics to “Greensleeves”.
I remember locking myself in the bathroom at a sleepover so I could read this book after we all were supposed to be in bed/our sleeping bags. It captivated me and inevitably, influenced a bit of who I am today.
I need to pick up a used copy and re-read this children’s book!
I remember locking myself in the bathroom at a sleepover so I could read this book after we all were supposed to be in bed/our sleeping bags. It captivated me and inevitably, influenced a bit of who I am today.
I need to pick up a used copy and re-read this children’s book!
April 17, 2024
I read it over and over again when I was a kid. I have no idea if it stands up. I'm rating it based on me at 10.
March 21, 2015
I love the 1500 page first edition first printing way better than the 400 page chop and drop;
that version is an insult to the book.
I only saw this version once when I was 10 during a library summer reading program. The book just vanished after that I remember it had a picture of the ship on the front and a whole bunch of medals and awards. Once I started reading it I couldn't put it down I literally read nonstop from 10 am the morning I checked it out till 10 am the next day. I remember the sea poems and chiantis before every chapter and that stupid duck that smoked his pipe allowing Gold nose to follow them. It was so well written that I am currently looking for that version. I hope its still out there because I would like to have it again but this time to own it.
P.S. I only had the chance to read it once in 1986 and to this day I can remember it in almost every detail and can still give a detailed book report about it. Which I had to do for the librarian who didn't believe I had read it on 24 hrs. You should of seen her face when I almost recited it word for word.
that version is an insult to the book.
I only saw this version once when I was 10 during a library summer reading program. The book just vanished after that I remember it had a picture of the ship on the front and a whole bunch of medals and awards. Once I started reading it I couldn't put it down I literally read nonstop from 10 am the morning I checked it out till 10 am the next day. I remember the sea poems and chiantis before every chapter and that stupid duck that smoked his pipe allowing Gold nose to follow them. It was so well written that I am currently looking for that version. I hope its still out there because I would like to have it again but this time to own it.
P.S. I only had the chance to read it once in 1986 and to this day I can remember it in almost every detail and can still give a detailed book report about it. Which I had to do for the librarian who didn't believe I had read it on 24 hrs. You should of seen her face when I almost recited it word for word.
May 30, 2018
One of those books that tops most anything else on my favorite of all time list. It's hard to word this book, it's deceptive and so pleasant looking, like most old writings it goes dark, it goes deep, there's a level of horror and wonder and moments where even as an adult rereading, I have to pause and go that's absolutely scary. Some scenes are grim and foreboding and that word is exactly where my mind goes, grim. Like a Brother's Grimm tale, this book is a fairy tale without the Disney or happy ever after promise, it has it's joy, sure, but nothing's over until it's over and even small mistakes have consequences.
Though it's been awhile, I'm definitely going to refresh myself yet again and maybe, one day, come back and add onto this review.
Though it's been awhile, I'm definitely going to refresh myself yet again and maybe, one day, come back and add onto this review.
February 1, 2010
One of my teachers in elementary school read this to us as a class. I remember being riveted. I had been wanting to re-read it for a couple years, so when I happened to see it at the library, I snatched it up. And I think I enjoyed it almost as much this time around. Wyatt even enjoyed the parts that I read aloud to him, and he is a hyperactive 3 year old.
June 7, 2015
I read this book when I was a child. It was one of the first books I ever read by myself and I remember it made me cry. It was then I realized that books could take you on incredible journeys and I have been an avid reader ever since. I'm getting ready to read it again and I'm pretty excited to see if I still like it as an adult.
January 11, 2016
I read this because a friend said it was her favorite book from childhood and my daughter is reading it too. You forget how magical children's literature is and how fun it can be to get swept up into a magical world. I enjoyed this and wish that I red it as a kid but am really enjoying sharing it with my daughter.
June 28, 2023
This is one of the best books I have ever read. You'll be laughing on minute and crying the next. I've read it at least once a year since my sixth grade English teacher read it to the class. So much fun. 22 years later and I still LOVE it!
September 17, 2009
I stumbled upon this book as a young teen, while shopping with my mom at a thrift store. Somehow it caught my eye and I bought it. I ended up loving it, though I'm not certain why. I often remember parts of it with great fondness. It's one I'll pass down to my daughter someday.
August 7, 2018
After finding this book on a list of odd children's books, I was curious to find out why. I would describe the plot as what would happen if Sarah Crewe (The Little Princess) was rescued from her attic and then taken on a sea adventure by a sea captain doll.
February 16, 2026
One of my absolute favorite books ever!
February 26, 2022
Ein Kinderbuch, das ich auch als Jugendliche/ junge Erwachsene geliebt - und irgendwann vergessen habe. Bis ich kürzlich wieder über das Buchcover und den unverwechselbaren Titel gestolpert bin und etwas in meinem Kopf - oder eher in meinem Herzen? - mir zuflüsterte, dass ich dieses Buch sofort wiederlesen muss. Und da ist sie wieder, die große Buchliebe.
In dieser Geschichte steckt so viel mehr, als man von einem Kinderbuch erwartet, obwohl auch "nur" die Geschichte funktioniert, da sie mit unzähligen fantasievollen Einfällen gespickt ist. Alleine die Ausgangssituation, in der eine Puppe lebendig wird... und das Segelschiff, auf dem große Teile der Handlung stattfinden. Und die Tatsache, dass Märchen ein guter Ausgangspunkt für eine Reise sind. So vieles, was schon alleine genau in mein Beuteschema passt.
Darüber hinaus kann man viele Denkanstöße finden, die mit einer Einfachheit in die Erzählung verwoben sind, dass manch ein schwurbelig-poetisches Erwachsenenmärchen neidvoll erblasst. ;) Dann verzeihe ich auch, dass die Figuren nur oberflächlich charakterisiert sind und die meisten Nebenfiguren noch nicht einmal Namen erhalten haben.
In dieser Geschichte steckt so viel mehr, als man von einem Kinderbuch erwartet, obwohl auch "nur" die Geschichte funktioniert, da sie mit unzähligen fantasievollen Einfällen gespickt ist. Alleine die Ausgangssituation, in der eine Puppe lebendig wird... und das Segelschiff, auf dem große Teile der Handlung stattfinden. Und die Tatsache, dass Märchen ein guter Ausgangspunkt für eine Reise sind. So vieles, was schon alleine genau in mein Beuteschema passt.
Darüber hinaus kann man viele Denkanstöße finden, die mit einer Einfachheit in die Erzählung verwoben sind, dass manch ein schwurbelig-poetisches Erwachsenenmärchen neidvoll erblasst. ;) Dann verzeihe ich auch, dass die Figuren nur oberflächlich charakterisiert sind und die meisten Nebenfiguren noch nicht einmal Namen erhalten haben.
October 6, 2022
I thoroughly enjoyed this unique adventure story. It's about an orphan, Amy, who has a doll who is a sailor, that comes to life. Then Amy, actually turns into a doll herself. Most of the story takes place on a ship captained by the 'real-life' doll, and is in search of treasure.
This is another book that has literally been on my bookshelf for decades and I just never got around to reading it. I appreciate just how unique the story is, but I also really like that there are a lot of female characters and some of them are the 'stars' of the story.
The only real complaint I have is that sometimes the book dragged a bit and it seemed to take awhile for the plot to really take off. But I did enjoy it and I would recommend it.
This is another book that has literally been on my bookshelf for decades and I just never got around to reading it. I appreciate just how unique the story is, but I also really like that there are a lot of female characters and some of them are the 'stars' of the story.
The only real complaint I have is that sometimes the book dragged a bit and it seemed to take awhile for the plot to really take off. But I did enjoy it and I would recommend it.
January 17, 2018
Loss, longing, acceptance, betrayal and more. Mother Goose would've been proud to see how the characters in her story were brought to life. Amy, an orphan was brought to an orphanage to stay while her father went to sea, and then never came back. Like in The Velveteen Rabbit the love of the girl helps to bring to life the ships captain doll that she spent so many hours reading to. Then covering their adventures in escaping the orphanage and their adventures at sea this is one of my favorite books as a kid.
February 26, 2022
This was a fun read with a lot of twists and turns and adventures. I wish I would have read it in a shorter time frame. My schedule didn’t allow that and I think that made my interest waiver towards the middle, but I’m so glad that I stuck with it. It is a longer book, but for kids when this was first written it makes sense. They didn’t have all the electronics and distractions and would have had more time for reading and imagination. I’m so thankful I picked this for my 12 book challenge - a book set at sea or on a beach.
December 26, 2022
This is an adventure story about a little girl who talks her doll to life. He is a sea captain, and takes her from her life in the orphanage to a treasure hunt on the sea. It is a whimsical and fun story, and like any good book for children, it gets a bit dark when read through adult eyes.
While this is a children’s book, it is not simple, with a few different problems all coming to a head, and it is quite long. Think more along the lines of The Chronicles of Narnia or Harry Potter.
This is a great independent read for people ages 10+, and would be a fun (but long) read aloud for younger children.
While this is a children’s book, it is not simple, with a few different problems all coming to a head, and it is quite long. Think more along the lines of The Chronicles of Narnia or Harry Potter.
This is a great independent read for people ages 10+, and would be a fun (but long) read aloud for younger children.
August 21, 2025
I have wonderful childhood memories of this book, and it didn’t disappoint. It’s a sweet children’s/YA novel. Intriguing set (mostly) innocent. Pirates and Mother Goose. It’s strange and charming. My 10-year-old liked it too.
I will say, it is certainly of its time. There’s only one black character and she’s constantly referred to as black. The other characters were not constantly called white. It was strange. She was also somewhat of a stereotype or caricature, though so were other characters.
I will say, it is certainly of its time. There’s only one black character and she’s constantly referred to as black. The other characters were not constantly called white. It was strange. She was also somewhat of a stereotype or caricature, though so were other characters.
January 3, 2026
Seamlessly blending Mother Goose whimsy, Old Testament dread, and the beautiful completion expected of the true classics, this is a children's book for literateurs. A lovely fairy tale morphs first into a swashbuckling adventure and then into a deeply heartfelt drama, working religious fanaticism, intrigue, parenthood, romance, mysticism, and nostalgia into one of the most complete and polished stories of any of its varied genres. Don't read it if dolls freak you out.
September 19, 2017
I discovered this book in my middle school library in the seventh grade and fell absolutely in love with it. Now, 22 years later, I still get chills thinking about it. It was probably one of the first times I really considered what it meant to be alive, and how (for me, anyway) books played such a role in creating that life.
June 27, 2020
I read and loved this as a child, and loved rereading my copy out loud to the girls. It is a travesty it’s not more broadly known and celebrated, and that it’s out of print and therefore hard to find. Vivid and memorable, weird and glorious, funny and heartbreaking.
And the prose, man. Exquisite.
And the prose, man. Exquisite.
March 12, 2018
A fun whimsical read about a little girl whose sailor doll comes to life and takes her on an adventure. What little girl hasn't thought about their toys coming to life at times? But it has some serious stuff too, Skivvy's musings is a good thing to think about as well.
June 13, 2021
Decent and well-written book, but lost interest and started skimming by halfway through when it was clear that Amy was not coming back as the main character and it had turned nautical-adventure flavoured.
December 11, 2018
Highly entertaing read
August 25, 2019
A favourite of my childhood, this is a wild and heartwarming story that no one seems to have heard about.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews