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Hattie and the Wild Waves: A Story From Brooklyn
Young Hattie dreams of becoming an artist as she spends her childhood split between a New York mansion, a summer home on Rockaway beach, a Long Island estate, and a Brooklyn hotel. Reprint.
48 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
About the author
Barbara Cooney
136 books243 followersBarbara Cooney was an American writer and illustrator of 110 children's books, published over sixty years. She received two Caldecott Medals for her work on Chanticleer and the Fox and Ox-Cart Man, and a National Book Award for Miss Rumphius. Her books have been translated into 10 languages.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
August 7, 2019
5 stars for the illustrations, so beautiful and intricate with such warm colours. The story told of Babara Cooney's mother's childhood and how one day she hoped to become an artist. For me the illustrations really outweighed the text.
Read on open library.
Read on open library.
February 8, 2018
Let me pick on this book for a minute and share some thoughts on feminism.
First, as always, Cooney's pictures are lovely and imaginative! Each page is eye-candy. That's the pro.
The con: as with many stories that try to show women coming out from "the dark ages of domesticity," a certain groundwork is laid. It always begins by pointing out that the little girl's sewing was just messy and grimy, that she didn't care about having new dresses, and that she preferred whistling which was so boyish. Oh, and getting married? – no, because “that’s forever.” This book didn’t, but other stories will mention how she preferred working in business or laboring on the farm, doing the “unconventional,” and all with the underlying emphasis that she was not satisfied with the things other little girls were doing.
The message that we’re to extract from this build up is that she wasn't like other girls and that she was going to be somebody someday.
So here’s my question; and rather than taking on all of the many issues I have with the feminist movement, let me just address this singular point: Why is it necessary to undermine and/or tear down the skill of sewing, or liking pretty things, in order to "be somebody?" Is it not plausible to do all three? For a woman to “make something of herself” must she really give up everything that has the label “feminine” and “domestic” on it? I know a few women who have nailed some great “domestic” skills and who run a successful business or pursue a particular goal – wouldn’t this actually define achievement, being able to embrace and accomplish both? The answer is emphatically no; because it simply does not fit into the feminist’s mold. They don’t like that domestic, feminine stuff. But what they’re ironically forgetting is that “feminism,” the word, means having feminine qualities and character.
I appreciate books that avoid this method of "female inspiration" - you can inspire to “be more” and “do more” without undermining and picking apart things feminine. How about holding up the Proverbs 31 Woman as an example. She looks pretty accomplished and diversified to me!
Although this book could be argued as being a milder case, it was messages like this in my childhood that brainwashed me out of appreciating certain things. I would poo-poo at sewing and clothes and things "girly," because the "tomboy" was presented as the more glamorous and right choice. Luckily I've come around, and I know that I can like climbing trees AND dress up in frills AND still be somebody. ;) I share this last paragraph to illustrate, and caution, that your girls will pick up on these subtle and not so subtle messages too.
Cleanliness: Someone is called "little stupid head!" Mentions breweries and several alcoholic drinks. An older sister receives suitors who come to court and gets married. The main character visits a booth with a wax gypsy fortune-teller and receives a fortune.
Ages: 6 - 10
**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it! Visit my website: The Book Radar.
First, as always, Cooney's pictures are lovely and imaginative! Each page is eye-candy. That's the pro.
The con: as with many stories that try to show women coming out from "the dark ages of domesticity," a certain groundwork is laid. It always begins by pointing out that the little girl's sewing was just messy and grimy, that she didn't care about having new dresses, and that she preferred whistling which was so boyish. Oh, and getting married? – no, because “that’s forever.” This book didn’t, but other stories will mention how she preferred working in business or laboring on the farm, doing the “unconventional,” and all with the underlying emphasis that she was not satisfied with the things other little girls were doing.
The message that we’re to extract from this build up is that she wasn't like other girls and that she was going to be somebody someday.
So here’s my question; and rather than taking on all of the many issues I have with the feminist movement, let me just address this singular point: Why is it necessary to undermine and/or tear down the skill of sewing, or liking pretty things, in order to "be somebody?" Is it not plausible to do all three? For a woman to “make something of herself” must she really give up everything that has the label “feminine” and “domestic” on it? I know a few women who have nailed some great “domestic” skills and who run a successful business or pursue a particular goal – wouldn’t this actually define achievement, being able to embrace and accomplish both? The answer is emphatically no; because it simply does not fit into the feminist’s mold. They don’t like that domestic, feminine stuff. But what they’re ironically forgetting is that “feminism,” the word, means having feminine qualities and character.
I appreciate books that avoid this method of "female inspiration" - you can inspire to “be more” and “do more” without undermining and picking apart things feminine. How about holding up the Proverbs 31 Woman as an example. She looks pretty accomplished and diversified to me!
Although this book could be argued as being a milder case, it was messages like this in my childhood that brainwashed me out of appreciating certain things. I would poo-poo at sewing and clothes and things "girly," because the "tomboy" was presented as the more glamorous and right choice. Luckily I've come around, and I know that I can like climbing trees AND dress up in frills AND still be somebody. ;) I share this last paragraph to illustrate, and caution, that your girls will pick up on these subtle and not so subtle messages too.
Cleanliness: Someone is called "little stupid head!" Mentions breweries and several alcoholic drinks. An older sister receives suitors who come to court and gets married. The main character visits a booth with a wax gypsy fortune-teller and receives a fortune.
Ages: 6 - 10
**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it! Visit my website: The Book Radar.
March 15, 2021
Set in New York City at the turn of the 19th century, Hattie is a child of privilege whose parents are successful immigrants. Based on the true life of the Barbara Cooney's mother Mae Bossert Cooney; this is a picture book (possibly biography/memoir) for older readers.
July 21, 2018
I enjoyed the illustrations, but didn't really get the point of this one. Reading that it's based on the author's mother helps to explain why so many extraneous details and plot points that seem to go nowhere are included -- it seems like the setting takes up more attention than the actual story.
I just didn't find much interesting in reading about the details of rich people's lives and the different big houses they lived in. Hattie was interesting, but I felt like her story got overshadowed by all the other wordiness.
I just didn't find much interesting in reading about the details of rich people's lives and the different big houses they lived in. Hattie was interesting, but I felt like her story got overshadowed by all the other wordiness.
March 21, 2025
Hattie, growing up in a wealthy German immigrant family, longs to be a painter. This one's for the Samantha Parkington girls. I found the text a little heavy, but I love the detail it gave, and still more details in Cooney's remarkable pictures.
May 3, 2021
Hmm, wavering between three and four stars. The illustrations are beautiful but the story was a bit lacking. I'm not sure how much I can complain about the story because it's supposedly somewhat biographical about Cooney's own mother, and I did enjoy reading this to an extent, but some parts just didn't make sense. Why, if Hattie's mother's family were all artists and musicians, would Hattie's mother not encourage Hattie's artistic pursuits? The mother proudly displays one of her father's paintings in the home (so it's not as if she's completely against it) and at the end she smiles at Hattie's decision to become an artist, but throughout the book she doesn't seem very encouraging and is actually fairly hard on Hattie not being a "proper young lady" while Hattie seems to have a poor opinion of girls who actually like to wear pretty dresses or embroider or play the piano. (Think Ma and Laura Ingalls!) It all felt pretty judge-y and I didn't love that, but, again, if it's a true story then that's what happened. I did love the conclusion and am glad Hattie followed her heart and her true passion. Some of the illustrations are gorgeous and I especially loved the ones of the sea (and, like Hattie, would have very much missed that summer house by the ocean!) This is definitely a longer picture book, rather rambling, and I don't think many young children today would be particularly interested in it but for the right child I think it might be very meaningful.
October 14, 2017
For the right audience, wonderful. I found it rather boring, and I couldn't help feeling the plight of the servants. I hope the big sister is happy, now that she's been a beautiful bride... that was apparently her only life goal, so now what? And the mother, who is reduced to shopping and playing cards with her nearly grown youngest daughter... phew, what a life.
The biggest problem, for me, is that Hattie (Mae Bossert) was never sufficiently successful to have her work preserved enough to show up in a google search, except for one still life study. I suppose if one has family support, one can follow one's dreams even without talent?
The biggest problem, for me, is that Hattie (Mae Bossert) was never sufficiently successful to have her work preserved enough to show up in a google search, except for one still life study. I suppose if one has family support, one can follow one's dreams even without talent?
October 26, 2011
I have always gravitated towards Barbara Cooney’s books. I adore Miss Rumphius as well as Eleanor and didn’t realize until today that Cooney also illustrated another favorite—Roxaboxen. Hattie and the Wild Waves is also beautiful and richly illustrated with full-page paintings. Cooney includes so many little details in her paintings that readers will definitely want to linger a while. The text is detailed and somewhat lengthy for young readers. However, the rich descriptions of Hattie’s well-to do German immigrant family living in New York during the turn of the century provide a unique perspective for readers. Cooney incorporates German dialect, the particulars of a privileged lifestyle (i.e. the maid, the cook, elegant meals, trips to the opera, etc.), and a young girl living in an old fashioned household who follows her dream of becoming an artist. Hattie, the young girl who loves the ocean and painting pictures, was based on Cooney’s mother. This story, although enjoyable, may be hard to connect with for some readers. The overall themes of family history and staying true to your self, along with a determined strong female character should be emphasized with children.
October 26, 2016
Nice enough pictures, but the story was really long and droning. There wasn't much point, and what point there was was not skillfully told. My kids just wanted it to end. More of a biography of the author's mother's life than a typical kids story. There were some interesting bits but too many other bits.
April 6, 2014
Hattie and the Wild Waves, by Barbara Cooney, was an interesting read. While it doesn't give the year, this book takes you back in time to the late 1800's or early 1900's. It follows the life of Hattie, a young girl, and her family. They have come to America from Germany because her father was in the woodwork business, which made their family really rich. Her mother would stay home with the children. Her family had a maid, nursemaid, and a cook. They also had a yacht and other houses in New York. This story tells of Hattie's life growing up and how she always wanted to be an artist.
The story was a bit hard to read, as for it had multiple German words incorporated into it. It was also supposed to be from another time era, so it could be harder for students to follow along. I would use this book in a 4th or 5th grade classroom. If you happen to be studying different time eras, this contemporary realistic fiction picture book would be a good one to use. The illustrations show how people dressed differently, how the city looked at that time, and how each person in the family acted, which is quite different from some people these days. This book could also be used for a "growing up" unit in a social studies class.
The story was a bit hard to read, as for it had multiple German words incorporated into it. It was also supposed to be from another time era, so it could be harder for students to follow along. I would use this book in a 4th or 5th grade classroom. If you happen to be studying different time eras, this contemporary realistic fiction picture book would be a good one to use. The illustrations show how people dressed differently, how the city looked at that time, and how each person in the family acted, which is quite different from some people these days. This book could also be used for a "growing up" unit in a social studies class.
February 22, 2014
I like this book because it was an experience of a different world in the past. This book was almost too detailed to be real, but I loved it because it gave excellent wording for imagining.
"Hattie and the Wild Waves" starts off in Brooklyn with Hattie and her family. The time frame is when a lot of Germans were immigrating over to America. Hattie's father was very wealthy and was in the woodwork business. Hattie was the odd one out in the family because she did not always do things that a young girl should do or be good at. What Hattie wanted to do was to be a painter. Of course her family laughed at this because they thought she meant paint houses..not for Hattie. As time goes on we find out that Hattie's favorite place to be is at the summer house in Far Rockaway. Hattie loved the wild waves and she would go down to the beach to see what the waves were saying since they always had the right answer. When they left the beach to go back to school, Hattie's father sold the beach house and bought another house. This was not as impressive as everyone else thought because there was no waves. Hattie grew older and her sister got married. One day at the opera Hattie realized that it was her destiny to paint, so the next day she went to Coney Island and ask for her fortune. It was that she would make beautiful pictures. The waves said over and over again the same thing. Hattie told her parents that she was going to be an artist, and so she then attended the Art Institute.
I loved how much detail this book gave and it was as if you knew everything about Hattie and her large family. I thought it was a good idea how the author incorporated German language throughout the book, this made it seem more real that they were an immigrant German family. Also this exposes the children to different culture and language at the same time. I think that I would read this book to students one on one because there is a lot of text and the pictures are full of detail it would be hard to have a large group see. I would use this book as a pre-lesson to a writing prompt on what the students want to be when they grow up.
The cover of the book is colorful, but has a feeling that there could be a storm in the sea. I think the students would enjoy the cover and wonder what the wild waves are doing. Also the cover keeps the theme of the waves throughout the book and it gives a student the topic which the story is going to be about. The illustrations in this book are soft and bright. I like the use of oil pastels because they enhance the simple drawings and the colored pencils give many dimensions to the pictures. I loved how there were variations in the tones of colors and the different textures. The immense amount of detail is something that children would really want to look at when you are reading the book, which is why I think this book would be a great lap read book. Overall, I really like the message that it sends; students should not feel as if they can't do something great and we should encourage this for all people.
"Hattie and the Wild Waves" starts off in Brooklyn with Hattie and her family. The time frame is when a lot of Germans were immigrating over to America. Hattie's father was very wealthy and was in the woodwork business. Hattie was the odd one out in the family because she did not always do things that a young girl should do or be good at. What Hattie wanted to do was to be a painter. Of course her family laughed at this because they thought she meant paint houses..not for Hattie. As time goes on we find out that Hattie's favorite place to be is at the summer house in Far Rockaway. Hattie loved the wild waves and she would go down to the beach to see what the waves were saying since they always had the right answer. When they left the beach to go back to school, Hattie's father sold the beach house and bought another house. This was not as impressive as everyone else thought because there was no waves. Hattie grew older and her sister got married. One day at the opera Hattie realized that it was her destiny to paint, so the next day she went to Coney Island and ask for her fortune. It was that she would make beautiful pictures. The waves said over and over again the same thing. Hattie told her parents that she was going to be an artist, and so she then attended the Art Institute.
I loved how much detail this book gave and it was as if you knew everything about Hattie and her large family. I thought it was a good idea how the author incorporated German language throughout the book, this made it seem more real that they were an immigrant German family. Also this exposes the children to different culture and language at the same time. I think that I would read this book to students one on one because there is a lot of text and the pictures are full of detail it would be hard to have a large group see. I would use this book as a pre-lesson to a writing prompt on what the students want to be when they grow up.
The cover of the book is colorful, but has a feeling that there could be a storm in the sea. I think the students would enjoy the cover and wonder what the wild waves are doing. Also the cover keeps the theme of the waves throughout the book and it gives a student the topic which the story is going to be about. The illustrations in this book are soft and bright. I like the use of oil pastels because they enhance the simple drawings and the colored pencils give many dimensions to the pictures. I loved how there were variations in the tones of colors and the different textures. The immense amount of detail is something that children would really want to look at when you are reading the book, which is why I think this book would be a great lap read book. Overall, I really like the message that it sends; students should not feel as if they can't do something great and we should encourage this for all people.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 11, 2016
The artwork alone is truly excellent.
At first I thought this was a completely odd choice for a children's book: a picture-book period piece. And it's about extremely wealthy people. Who is the target audience for this book? I don't know many people who could relate to it.
But then, "as waves of music filled the opera house, a young woman, down on the stage, sang her heart out. Hattie … sat transfixed. The time had come, she realized, for her to paint her heart out." It's a story about overcoming your circumstances (no matter how comfortable) and being you.
At first I thought this was a completely odd choice for a children's book: a picture-book period piece. And it's about extremely wealthy people. Who is the target audience for this book? I don't know many people who could relate to it.
But then, "as waves of music filled the opera house, a young woman, down on the stage, sang her heart out. Hattie … sat transfixed. The time had come, she realized, for her to paint her heart out." It's a story about overcoming your circumstances (no matter how comfortable) and being you.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 15, 2014
This book presents a lifestyle that most readers will be astounded by - did people really live like this? The illustrations and descriptive language is lovely and the message of the story is vital for children to hear. There is a lot of text, which might turn some kids off.
September 2, 2009
I did not enjoy this book nearly as much as Miss Rumphius. The illustrations were beautiful though. Worth a look.
March 4, 2020
Because I have adored the books I've read with Cooney illustrations, I grabbed this one on my last library run. While the artwork was stunning, it was really the only thing I liked about this book. The text was rather long for my own personal audience of three 6-year-olds, and I think the ONLY reason they were able to stay put during the read was their interest in the illustrations. The story of Hattie following her dream of becoming an artist gets watered down and lost in the descriptions of family circumstances (from wealthy to filthy rich) and traditions. If you want to enjoy Barbara Cooney's beautiful artwork along with a good story, choose one of her other books.
August 20, 2016
One of my favorite things to do is write plays based on children's stories. I wrote one, years ago, based on Cooney's book Miss Rumphius, one of my childhood favorites. When I saw this story by her, one I had not read, I immediately grabbed it up. It was a heartwarming story based on the life of Cooney's mother. Hattie was the child of immigrants, and she had big dreams. The story took us on a journey with her, as she worked toward becoming an artist.
March 7, 2013
45 months - love Barbara Cooney's illustrations and her stories. I really enjoyed this one the only downfall... It's a long one which makes it really hard to pull out and read as a bedtime story. O always likes to read 4 or more books before bed which is just not possible with this one. Still a lovely story and the illustrations are beautiful American Folk.
September 2, 2015
The illustrations in this book are really beautiful and the story is based upon the author's mom's childhood. Honestly, I would have liked to know more about Hattie. I only checked it out because I wanted to look at the pictures (I'm such a child when it comes to illustrations and colors)and then ended up being interested in Hattie herself. If I had a child I would buy this book for them.
December 10, 2017
I have mixed feelings about this book. I personally enjoyed reading it, but I don't think my students would relate to it. It's about a very wealthy family in the early 20th century, and how a little girl with dreams of becoming an artist didn't give up on her dream despite being told that girls are meant to become wives and mothers. I like the message, but don't think my kids will relate to it.
August 6, 2016
Another wonderful book with story and illustrations by Barbara Cooney. I love the story of Hattie (based on Cooney's grandmother) and how she grows up to be exactly what she's always dreamed of. I am absolutely charmed by Cooney's illustrations. They are so beautifully quaint and simple.
March 7, 2013
a Barbara Cooney classic, but a little too long for a bedtime story. wonderful illustrations that will inspire any young artist who is reading or listening to this book. I prefer Miss Rumphius, but this one is a bit of a charmer too.
March 12, 2019
This picture book captures the poignancy of what an upwardly mobile family loses as they grow wealthier without hitting you over the head with it. As with all Barbara Cooney books, the illustrations are beautiful.
December 4, 2008
A great book for aspiring artists. Beautifully written and illustrated.
December 23, 2008
I love Barbara Cooney's illustrations
May 9, 2012
This book was good I liked it!
June 8, 2012
One of my favorite books as a kid -- I've probably read it 50 times
March 5, 2013
While the illustrations in this book are beautiful and the story on the author's mother would be a valued treasure for anyone in the family, I felt this story was too long. It just got boring.
April 30, 2015
Beautiful artwork, story is okay - use for gender identity, choosing your own way, artists, becoming an artist, explore art as a career - beautiful artwork by Barbara Cooney.
April 21, 2016
Good book but I much preferred Ox Cart Man. This was interesting because it was more of an autobiography but I wouldn't read it over and over again like her other book..krb 4/20/16
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews