Hurry Hurry Mary Dear is a charming children's picture book about change from fall to winter in New England, and all the work it takes to prepare home and hearth for the coming cold.
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This is one of my favorite children's books: first and foremost for the illustrations, for the folksy collection of New England chores and harvest tasks that come with the end of the season, and for the cute and amusing couple (and cat) into whose lives the reader gets a glimpse.
Jump to:
- The mysterious way this book found me
- About the creators of this book
- Expressive illustrations and New England charm
- Keep an eye out for the black cat
- And after all that, her husband
- Find this book
- Recipes straight out of Mary's kitchen
- Best-Loved Flaky Pie Crust
- 🍁❄️ Happy Autumn and Winter, everyone!
- 💬 Comments
The mysterious way this book found me
The book, Hurry, Hurry, Mary Dear, written by N.M. Bodecker and illustrated by Erik Blegvad, found me in 1998, at Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, VT.
The Northshire is a book lover's delight and has been a fixture in Manchester for decades. The creaky floorboards and cavernous interior make it a really fun place to explore.
On this day, I was there looking at a tall display of children's picture books. Suddenly, a bookseller was at my elbow, clutching a new, hardcover copy of Hurry, Hurry, Mary Dear. Without a word, he handed it to me. I glanced at the cover and was immediately charmed by the fall scene, the white-haired woman clad in mittens and a house dress, gripping a shovel in one hand and an ax in the other.
I looked back at the bookseller. He gave me a slow nod with his eyes closed and lips pursed—a dramatic gesture right out of the movies, one meant to convey a moment in time so significant that neither party can fully comprehend the impact.
Then he walked away.
Obviously, I was intrigued. I flipped through the book and immediately fell in love with it. And I bought it.
Before leaving the store I looked for this mysterious, silent bookseller to thank him... but he was nowhere to be found. Did I imagine the whole thing?? Perhaps it was the ghost of the Northshire! Well, whether corporeal or ethereal, he was certainly quite an effective salesman.
About the creators of this book
The author and illustrator grew up together in Denmark, and both emigrated to the United States: Erik Blegvad after the German occupation in 1940 and N.M. Bodecker after the end of WWII.
Bodecker was an artist as well as an author. He enjoyed penning "nonsense poems" of which Hurry, Hurry, Mary Dear is one, and Let's Marry Said The Cherry is another. Blegvad did illustrations for many children's books, including The Tenth Good Thing About Barney by Judith Viorst and Bedknob and Broomstick by Mary Norton. (The title of the latter was changed to Bedknobs and Broomsticks for the Disney movie adaptation.)
In the foreword written by Blegvad, he speaks of their life-long friendship and the work they did in the studio they shared for many years in Connecticut. I was also pleased to learn that Blegvad had a Vermont connection, splitting his time between his homes in Wardsboro, VT and London.
N.M. Bodecker passed away in 1988. Hurry Hurry Mary Dear was published posthumously, with Blegvad providing the illustrations. He tried to draw the book in a way that honored the "delightful pen and ink drawings" of his lifelong friend. Erik Blegvad passed away in 2014.
Expressive illustrations and New England charm
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The illustrations of Hurry, Hurry, Mary Dear—that's what got me first. They're full of soft swaths of contrasting subdued colors. Like skies of somber grey—so typical of our late Octobers and early Novembers, and interiors dimmed by drawn curtains and the setting sun.
Bright accents punctuate the cooler, shadowy hues on the pages, like Mary's blue, striped dress, specks of white, swirling snow, a red pillow on the couch, and bright green, shelled peas.
The other element of this book that I love is the collection of old-fashioned New England chores that mark the approach of winter, like picking apples, churning cream to make butter, smoking meats over a wood fire, canning tomatoes and pickles, and putting in the storm windows.
Nowadays, we don't need to do many of these things anymore, but I still feel the pull every fall to do a few of them. We go apple picking, even though local apples are at the store. I stand over the stove to ladle sauces into canning jars, even though it's hot and time-consuming (and I get just as weary as Mary does.) We all look forward to the first fire in the fireplace, even though it only heats the one room.
Perhaps it is an instinctual pull in native New Englanders, lying dormant inside until that first, cool crisp night in September.
Keep an eye out for the black cat
I enjoyed reading this book to both of my kids when they were younger. They especially liked to look for the small black cat, playfully present on almost every page.
And after all that, her husband
The book has a very funny ending once we find out that the voice urging Mary into all this "hurrying" is her lounging, lamenting husband, who rests melted in his rocking chair, cozy and lazy in slippers and cardigan.
Weary, hardworking Mary finally reaches her boiling point, in an ending I won't spoil here!
Find this book
It's the perfect seasonal read, best done I think before the first snow, while there is still charm and enjoyment in the cooling weather. (Personally, once the bite of January settles in, all I want to think about is spring.)
Though the book is sadly out of print, it's still possible to find copies for sale on Amazon, EBay, or used book websites like Abe Books. Or, visit your public library to borrow a copy!
Recipes straight out of Mary's kitchen
If, after reading this post or the book, you find you are longing to join Mary in some of these seasonal, autumnal rituals and tasks, I have ideas for you:
🍎 If you've picked your apples, try these recipes:
🥧 Use your freshly churned or best available butter to make a flaky pie crust:
So buttery!
Best-Loved Flaky Pie Crust
☕ Once your fire is good and hot...
Here are a few things you can toast, plus a spiced syrup to add to your tea:
Suze says
Oh, Nan! I love Mary. I was attracted by the cover and she's such a sweet spirit. And by the way, what is it about creaky floorboards that makes the old bookstore experience so deeply satisfying?
Nancy Mock says
That's a great question! Perhaps creaky floors imply "old" which gives more legitimacy to said bookstore? Hmmm.
Lori MacLaughlin says
Sounds like a lovely story. I'll have to look for it the next time I'm at the library. The whole thing with the mysterious salesperson was well told, too.
Nancy Mock says
Thanks, Lori. One of those bizarre, fateful occurrences. Granted it's only a book, but would I ever have found this book otherwise?
Damaria Senne says
I live in a warm weather climate, so I didn't grow up with a tradition of all these Fall activities. But the book sounds interesting to me and I can especially relate to "put up the jam" page.
Nancy Mock says
Hi Damaria! It's been awhile simce I've put up jams, but my mom always did it with freah raspberries. Do you have any change-of-season traditions?
Damaria Senne says
The tradition that easily comes to mind is Spring cleaning. Come September, many South Africans clean their houses top to bottom:
a. wipe walls, or if possible or needed, paint them
2. wash windows and curtains
3. clean the house, repack shelves
4. weed the garden
2, 3 and 4 are almost a religion in my village, maybe because they don't cost anything but effort? LOL!
August is wind season, so whatever you scrub will likely have a layer of dust the following week; that's why we wait until September.
Nothing much happens in Autumn. I think we mostly pretend it's still Summer and the weather allows that ( we have almost 9 months of warm to hot weather then).
Damaria Senne says
P.S. My weather and wind comments relate to my region, which is semi-arid. Other regions may experience things differently
Nancy Mock says
Very interesting! I've never lived outside of New England, I've wondered how it would feel to live year-round in a warm climate. I would NOT miss the bitter cold of January and February, but I would definitely miss Fall. 🙂