I read this book electronically (found on Google Play, without illustrations) and I felt it suffered from that when I went online and researched the original pictures. If you can spare the money and the bookshelf space buy a copy with the original illustrations. This is a nice juvenile (early chapter book - novella length) and I make the argument that it influenced two arguably more famous children's stories in the blog post review I did which can be found at: https://pams-pictorama.com/2019/11/30... Other reviews of Frances Hodgson Burnett (at the writing of this mostly her adult fiction) can be found by searching my blog site at Pams-Pictorama.com.
Enjoy!

Over a century old, this short book about two very different dollhouses is as captivating as when it was first written. Little dollhouses as artfully constructed as these aren’t currently the fashion among children’s toys. You can still find them but when are they ever as celebrated as the rundown Racketty-Packetty House or the posh Tidy Castle with its snooty upperclass inhabitants with which the fickle Cynthia replaces them?

The dolls come alive when the humans aren’t about and the denizens of the ramshackle one enjoy themselves immensely with dancing and frolicking (when they aren’t worried about their house getting burnt in the basement). Enterprising and loving fairies do their best to prevent the house’s destruction and their presence is as acceptable as Peter Pan’s invasion of the Darling household—even if Cynthia never sees them.

A child will be drawn in by the RP house characters, especially a messy child who clings to ancient toys even after they are ragged and worn. By the time the princess appears to show Cynthia the value of cherished, old things, we are thoroughly on the side of Ridiklis, Meg, Peg and all the other re-named dolls and want more than anything for them to be saved from a fiery fate.

The book is charming, the characters are silly yet kind and the illustrations of the various dolls are sweetly rendered in pale violet, accompanying the text in large spreads or small inserts in the story.

When I was little, I used to imagine that my dolls came to life while I slept or when I left the room. In fact, sometimes they seemed to be in different places than where I left them. My dolls, like the Racketty-Packetty dolls, were fun and sweet. This is a refreshing short story by the author of Little Lord Fauntleroy and also The Secret Garden. It belongs to a much simpler time, when girls played with dolls and used their imaginations.

A fine book about fine people, er dolls. The fun kind that all the fairies want to hang out with. And also some snooty ones wearing labelled clothing (branding themselves voluntarily, the sillies) who are not fun. Quite uptight social wannabes.

i think Rackety-Packety House may have been the site of the very first, very carefully held, tiny Burning Man. That fun.

i love love this book

A very fun little story about dolls and fairies!!

DARLING story!

"Racketty-Packetty House was in a corner of Cynthia's nursery."

cute book about dolls that come to life. good lessons about materialism too.

Beautifully illustrated but notuch of a story but nice to think that your toys can come alive

I adore books by Francis Hodgson Burnett, but I found this book to be without charm and basically boring. I didn't even like the illustrations. And, yes, I am so shallow that sometimes the illustrations can make a book for me.

Really more of a 3.5, but I rounded up as I'm sure I would have enjoyed it more at its target age. Not nearly as fantastic as The Secret Garden or A Little Princess, but a lovely story nonetheless!

Dolls talk and dance when humans aren't watching. Children, especially girls, will love the story.