Brownies - Hush!

Brownies

by Gladys L. Adshead, Elizabeth Orton Jones (Illustrator)

If Brownies think you have seen them they will never come back to your house. This is what the Little Old Man and the Little Old Woman discovered. But before the Brownies knew they had been seen, they did all sorts of nice things for the two little old people.

Here is a tale for very small readers told in delightful pictures and easy text. There has been no story of Brownies for a long time; this is just the right book to reintroduce them to boys and girls.

Genres: Childrens

70 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1938

About the author

Gladys Lucy Adshead (1896-1985) was a British-born writer of children's books.

Adshead was born in Manchester, England, to James Frederick and Bertha Wilson Groome Adshead. She was educated at Froebel Educational Institute, a teacher training college. She became a teacher and headmistress in private schools in England, where she was a member of the Royal Society of Teachers, and later in Maryland, Massachusetts, and Illinois in the United States.

Gladys Adshead was best known for her "Brownie" books, the first of which was published in 1938 by Oxford University Press and entitled Brownies - Hush!. She died in Santa Rosa, California in 1985.

(source: Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

1945 Caldecott Medalist (Prayer for a Child) Elizabeth Orton Jones's old-fashioned illustrating style is perfect for this tale of magic visiting an elderly couple who could use the help around their house in the woods. The little old man and little old woman can hardly take care of their cottage anymore, but luckily a group of cute little brownies with pointed shoes, hats, and ears is ready to pick up the slack. Sneaking in after the owners have retired to bed, the brownies clean up the place, leaving before morning because, as everyone knows, if you see a brownie at work they'll never show themselves to you again. The next morning the little old man and woman are astounded by the improvement to their home, and they surmise that brownies were the anonymous caretakers. It's a wondrous thing to be touched by magic.

The little old couple hides to watch the brownies at work the following night, and are delighted when all goes according to plan. The brownies again straighten up the house before quietly bowing out, and return every night after. The old man and woman decide to repay them by making new clothes for the brownies, and on Halloween they leave their gift out for the helpful little folk. But what will happen when the brownies realize they've been observed?

Elizabeth Orton Jones's homey illustrations and some quirky use of typeset are highlights of Brownies - Hush!, but the story itself is sturdy. When someone lends you a helping hand, what are you willing to give up to repay their kindness? Would you even forfeit their continued assistance in order to do them a benevolent turn? That's the decision for the little old man and woman, and it's often ours to make in our own lives. A sweet, old-fashioned picture book is just the thing to prompt a smile, and this story did that and more. I like it.

[Melissa Namba · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is basically a version of the Shoemaker and the elves, except it is Brownies instead of Elves. Fairly wordy for a toddler. But kids may have had longer attention spans back then...

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

My children were bothered by the illustrations on one page of the brownies getting dressed in their new clothes, showing the brownies' bottoms. I solved this by coloring in some underclothing with a pen.

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an old children's book from the 1930's. i believe there was only one printing of the book. My grandmother had it and it was one of my favorite books for her to read to me.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite favorite favorite book as a child!