''Twig'' is a children's fantasy novel written and illustrated by

Elizabeth Orton Jones Elizabeth Orton Jones (June 25, 1910 – May 10, 2005) was an American illustrator and writer of children's books. She won the 1945 Caldecott Medal for U.S. picture book illustration, recognizing ''Prayer for a Child'', after being a runner-up on ...

. It was originally published by

Macmillan MacMillan, Macmillan, McMillen or McMillan may refer to: People * McMillan (surname) * Clan MacMillan, a Highland Scottish clan * Harold Macmillan, British statesman and politician * James MacMillan, Scottish composer * William Duncan MacMillan ...

in 1942.''Twig''
at WorldCat The book was reissued in a 60th Anniversary Edition by

Purple House Press Purple House Press is a publishing house based in Cynthiana, Kentucky. Founded in 2000 by former software engineer Jill Morgan, it specializes in bringing out-of-print children's books back into print. In the mid-1990s, Morgan purchased a copy ...

in 2002.''Twig'' at Purple House Press
Paperback () and ebook versions were also published.

Plot summary

The novel features Twig, an imaginative little city girl who turns a tomato can into a house for fairies. A little elf comes along to live in the house and, at Twig's request, turns her fairy-sized, though he cannot manage wings. A friendly sparrow fetches the Queen of the fairies to help.

Reception

The '' New York Times'' praised the book by saying, "Miss Jones, who knows children well, has told stories with warmth and simplicity." The ''Horn Book Guides review of the anniversary edition described the book as "full of magic, full of fun, full of fantasy interwoven with reality, and full of the kind of tenderness which belongs most particularly to the very young." The book was so popular at the time Elizabeth moved to the town of Mason, New Hampshire that Elizabeth herself was known as "Twig" to her neighbors; many residents did not know her as anything else.

In popular culture

Twig (although mistakenly referring to the elf and not the heroine) is recalled by

Kinsey Millhone Kinsey Millhone is a fictional character created by the American author Sue Grafton (1940–2017) for her "alphabet mysteries" series of 25 best-selling novels which debuted in 1982. Millhone, a former police officer turned private investigator, a ...

as being her favorite book when orphaned at age 5. She mentions the tomato can. (''

"I" is for Innocent ''"I" Is for Innocent'' is the ninth novel in Sue Grafton's "Alphabet" series of mystery novels and features Kinsey Millhone Kinsey Millhone is a fictional character created by the American author Sue Grafton (1940–2017) for her "alphabet mys ...

'' by

Sue Grafton Sue Taylor Grafton (April 24, 1940 – December 28, 2017) was an American author of detective novels. She is best known as the author of the "alphabet series" (''"A" Is for Alibi'', etc.) featuring private investigator Kinsey Millhone in the fic ...

)

References

1942 American novels American children's novels Children's fantasy novels American fantasy novels Fiction about size change 1942 children's books {{1940s-child-fantasy-novel-stub