Racketty-Packetty House, as Told by Queen Crosspatch

By: Frances Hodgson Burnett

Narrated by: Karen Krause

“Now this is the story about the doll family I liked and the doll family I didn’t. When you read it you are to remember something I am going to tell you. This is it: If you think dolls never do anything you don’t see them do, you are very much mistaken.” (Queen Crosspatch)

From Frances Hodgson Burnett, author of The Secret Garden and The Little Princess.

To make room for her fancy new doll house, Tidy Castle, Cynthia banishes her old shabby dollhouse to the corner of the nursery, along with its shabby doll family, Meg, Peg, Kilmanskeg, Ridiklis, Gustibus, and Peter Piper. From there behind the door they dance and sing and have a grand time watching their fancy, snobby Tidy Castle neighbors in their fancy, snobby clothes. But one day Ridiklis learns a princess will be visiting the nursery, and the humans are planning to throw Racketty Packetty house in the rubbish heap to be burned. Only a miracle can save them now.

Public Domain (P)2018 Karen Krause

endearing story

A cute story for kids and adults. The audible summary says it all, so I don’t need to expand, or else I’ll end up giving the rest of the story away.

This is the second book I’ve read/listened to by this author and I would listen to another.

This is the first book I’ve listened to by this narrator and I would listen to another. Her use of different voices was appropriate, and she expressed the emotions and attitude of the characters nicely.

There are no explicit sex scenes, excessive violence or swearing.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and voluntarily left this unbiased review

Delightful Little Story!

This is the story of two doll houses, Racketty Packetty House and Tidy Castle. When Cynthia receives a brand new dollhouse, Racketty Packetty House and its shabby dolls are pushed aside and forgotten. But no matter how neglected and rundown the dollhouse becomes, the dolls inside stay cheerful and have fun in their own charming way.

I remember reading this little story when I was younger, when I loved reading books about toys that came to life. It's just as delightful and funny as it was back then, with a moral at its heart that has stood the test of time. It would be perfect for a bedtime story for little ones, or to read yourself to bring back a simpler time.

I really enjoyed the performance. The narrator did a great job with the dolls' voices and brought a lot of personality to the story. This story, with its playful prose and rhyming names, should really be read out loud, and the narrator brought it to life.

I requested a copy of the audiobook, and I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Great Bedtime story

I have been enjoying books from the public domain being made available in audio format. I never read the story of Racketty-Packetty House. My take-away words of wisdom from Queen Crosspatch is 'If you feed trouble it will never leave'. Brilliant!

This is a delightful short story. Perfect for bedtime. Ms. Krause does a lovely job with the narration. She has a nice diction and style for children's stories. Her storytelling style is thoughtful. She doesn't bother with character voices rather character attitudes. This production was well thought out and performed. Thank you for the pleasant listening experience.

I received this audiobook from the narrator via Audiobook Boom. My review is offered freely.

Dolls live secret lives when we're not looking!

This story is told by Queen Crosspatch, the fairy queen who watches out for and protects dolls. Dollhouse dolls live a secret life when no one is looking. There are two dollhouses in Cynthia's nursery. She received a new grand one for her birthday and named it Tidy Castle. Her grandmother's old-fashioned and worn out "Racketty Packetty" house is promptly put in a corner with the plan of burning it. Her grandmother's house is neglected and is in disrepair. The dollhouse fairies magically insure that a royal princess visits Cynthia's Nursery to play. The princess loves the Racketty Packetty house more than anything and restores it to its former glory when it is gifted to her.

The narration was beautiful. This is a lovely old-fashioned book for girls written in 1906. My daughter and I loved the story! We always believed that dolls had a secret life and are protected by fairies! I was gifted a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Very old fashioned

I received this book at no charge in exchange for an honest review. I found a book to be very Victorian and old-fashioned. While it did not hold my children’s interest I found it very sweet. Nothing truer then today’s children lacking any sense of what truly matters things from the past.