well, they can (sort of), on the reissued Raggedy Ann Stories by Johnny Gruelle, read by Cicely. The text is accompanied by the original illustrations, a picture glossary, and questions to aid comprehension. HarperCollins, 17.95 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-06-074482-3.

“That love,” says Valencia, “was a lot of what Johnny brought to life in Raggedy. Raggedy Ann Stories, abridged and adapted from the original, contains 13 short stories about the classic rag doll and her friends. The artist moved forward with the plush - for his little girl. Raggedy Ann, heroine of the first book, was a favorite doll of his daughter, Marcella, who died after a long illness at the age of thirteen. Before her father had secured the patent for the doll, Valencia says, the 13-year-old died of “complications from a vaccine,” which historians have reported was for smallpox. He also illustrated various editions of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales. Working as a cartoonist, a children’s book illustrator, and a comics author, he’s most celebrated for creating the ‘Raggedy Ann’ stories and dolls. Only Marcela never got to celebrate the success of her favorite lovey. Johnny Gruelle (18801938) was an American artist and writer. “So he fixed her up, painted a face on her, and thought, ‘Marcella loves this doll so much, maybe there’s some magic here.’” The first book in the Raggedy Ann series, it consists of an. “She found this doll all ragged and torn up,” says Valencia. Raggedy Ann Stories is an American childrens novel written and illustrated by Johnny Gruelle. Johnny Gruelle (Photo: Courtesy of the Gruelle Family)īut the road to, well, rags wasn’t without some drama along with way - much like the “toyland comes to life ideas” that Valencia says Gruelle’s Raggedy Ann book series reveals as Ann and her friends experience their “fantasy world adventures.”Īs the story goes, Gruelle’s daughter, Marcella, found a doll in her grandmother’s attic that instantly sparked the illustrator’s creativity.