Mary-Mary Stories

Mary-Mary

by Joan G. Robinson

Children's short stories, written and illustrated by Joan G. Robinson.

Genres: Childrens

176 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

Joan G. Robinson (1910-88) trained as an illustrator and began writing and illustrating her own stories in 1939. Among her many stories for children are Mary-Mary, When Marnie Was There and the enduringly popular Teddy Robinson. Working closely with her husband, she published over thirty books in her lifetime, many of which were tried and tested on her own family. And her family sometimes found their way into her stories too - Teddy Robinson was a real teddy bear, belonging to Joan's own daughter, Deborah, who herself featured in the stories.

Also published as Joan Gale Thomas

Reviews

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightful collection of stories about the day-to-day adventures of a little girl named Mary-Mary who is the youngest of five kids and is often underestimated by her big brothers and sisters. I read it aloud to my four-year-old, and she was completely engrossed and in love with the character. It's a great book for little sisters who sometimes feel overshadowed by older siblings, and a really fun read-aloud.

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a re-read. I often return to be delighted all over again by the archetypal little sister who is satisfyingly clever and lucky after initially being squashed and disdained by her elders in each story. It's set in an Eden of late fifties freedom where is wasn't thought odd that small children could wander off with neighbours, I must warn you. But other than that, much is eternal. I have a particular favourite quote but I won't spoil it. Discover for yourself! You will chuckle. If you don't, maybe you don't have older siblings, or children of your own. There's a lot of wisdom in the stories that the adult reader can glean. I think they are a bit Zen.

[Nerdgirllauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite book as a young child. The book is chaptered into short adventures that are perfectly sized for being read allowed as bedtime stories. Also, my copy has illustrations inter-spliced at in the right places and at the right frequency.