What Katy Did facts for kids
First edition cover
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| Author | Susan Coolidge |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Katy Books |
| Genre | Children's literature Coming of age |
| Publisher | Roberts Brothers |
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Publication date
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1872 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover and Paperback) |
| Pages | 277 (Little, Brown edition, 1925) |
| Followed by | What Katy Did at School |
| Text | What Katy Did at Wikisource |
What Katy Did is a classic children's book written in 1872 by Sarah Chauncey Woolsey. She used the pen name Susan Coolidge. The story is about a twelve-year-old American girl named Katy Carr. She lives with her family in the town of Burnet, Ohio, in the 1860s.
Katy is a tall, messy tomboy. She often gets into trouble but dreams of being beautiful and loved. A serious accident changes her life. Her long recovery teaches her to become the kind and good person she always wanted to be.
This book is the first in a series. Two more books follow Katy as she grows up: What Katy Did at School and What Katy Did Next. There are also two books about Katy's younger brothers and sisters: Clover and In the High Valley. A short story called Curly Locks also features the Carr children. All these books have been printed many times and are still popular today.
Susan Coolidge based Katy on herself when she was a child. The other "Little Carrs" were inspired by her own brothers and sisters. The book's title is a fun play on words, sounding like the insect called a "katydid." This is why you can see insects on the first cover of the book!
Contents
What Happens in the Story
Katy Carr is 12 years old and lives with her father, two brothers, and three sisters. Her mother passed away four years earlier. Her father is a busy doctor, so his sister, Aunt Izzie, mostly looks after the children. Aunt Izzie is very strict and often scolds them.
Katy is bright and strong-willed. She often finds herself in trouble but always feels bad about it afterward. She is kind to her siblings and dreams of doing something "grand" one day. She wants to paint famous pictures, save people, or lead a crusade. She also wishes to be "beautiful, of course, and good if I can." Even though she promised to be like a little mother to her siblings, she can be impatient. But she also leads them on exciting adventures.
One day, Katy's cousin Helen comes to visit. Helen uses a wheelchair but is beautiful and kind. Katy is so impressed that she decides to be just like Helen. But the very next day, Katy wakes up in a bad mood. She argues with her aunt and pushes her little sister down some steps. Feeling upset, Katy decides to use a new swing in the woodshed. Aunt Izzie had told her not to, but didn't explain why. The swing was unsafe because a part was broken. Katy swings high, and the broken part gives way. She falls and hurts her back.
Katy, who was so active, is now stuck in bed. She feels a lot of pain and sadness. Her room is dark, and she often pushes her siblings away when they try to cheer her up. But then Cousin Helen visits again. Helen helps Katy understand that she must try to be happy, or she will lose her family's love. Helen tells Katy she is now in the "School of Pain." Here, she will learn important lessons like patience, cheerfulness, and how to make the best of things.
With Cousin Helen's help, Katy makes her room neat and inviting. Soon, all her siblings come to visit her there. Katy becomes the loving heart of the home. Everyone loves her for her kindness and good mood. After two years, Aunt Izzie passes away. Katy then takes over running the household. Four years after her accident, Katy learns to walk again. The book even includes some poems written by the characters.
Meet the Characters
- Katy Carr: The oldest of the Carr children and the main character. She is a 12-year-old tomboy who loves playing outside. She often tears her clothes and is messy, but she really wants to be good.
- Clover Carr: The second oldest sister. She loves Katy and tries to do everything she does. Clover is pretty, smart, and always happy. Everyone loves her.
- Elsie Carr: The third sister. At first, she feels awkward, too old for the little ones and too young for Katy and Clover. She tries to join in but often whines. After Katy's accident, Elsie becomes very helpful and kind. She and Katy grow much closer.
- Dorry Carr: The oldest boy and fourth child. He loves to eat and becomes good at fixing things.
- Jonnie Carr (short for Joanna): The fifth child, a tomboy like Katy. She and Dorry are best friends.
- Philip Carr: The youngest child, only four years old when the book begins.
- Cecy Hall: A pretty and neat girl who lives nearby.
- Imogen Clark: A classmate of Katy and Clover. She is silly and a bit fake. Katy is first impressed by her imagination, but soon realizes Imogen is dishonest and selfish.
- Papa (Dr Philip Carr): The children's father. He is a very busy doctor and has raised the children alone since his wife died. He is firm but understanding.
- Aunt Izzie: Papa's sister. She raises the children after their mother dies. She is very strict and often scolds them because she doesn't understand children well. But she has a very kind heart. After she dies, Katy takes over running the house.
- Cousin Helen: Papa's niece. She cannot walk because of an old accident. Even though she suffers, she is funny, cheerful, and kind. She is exactly who Katy wants to be. After Katy's accident, Cousin Helen helps her deal with her illness.
A Look Inside the Book
Katy's hair was forever in a snarl; her gowns were always catching on nails and 'tearing themselves'; and, in spite of her age and size, she was as heedless and innocent as a child of six. Katy was the longest girl that was ever seen. What she did to make herself grow so, nobody could tell; but there she was—up above Papa's ear, and a half a head taller than poor Aunt Izzie. Whenever she stopped to think about her height she became very awkward, and felt as if she were all legs and elbows, and angles and joints. Happily, her head was so full of other things, of plans and schemes and fancies of all sorts, that she didn't often take time to remember how tall she was. She was a dear, loving child, for all her careless habits, and made bushels of good resolutions every week of her life, only unluckily she never kept any of them. She had fits of responsibility about the other children, and longed to set them a good example, but when the chance came, she generally forgot to do so. Katy's days flew like the wind; for when she wasn't studying lessons, or sewing and darning with Aunt Izzie, which she hated extremely, there were always so many delightful schemes rioting in her brains, that all she wished for was ten pairs of hands to carry them out.
—What Katy Did, Chapter 1.
Movies and TV Shows
What Katy Did has been made into two TV movies and a short TV series.
- The most recent film was in 1999. It starred Alison Pill as Katy.
- A 1972 UK movie called Katy starred Clare Walker.
- An eight-part TV series from the UK in 1962, also called Katy, featured Susan Hampshire as Katy.
In 2015, author Jacqueline Wilson wrote a modern version of the story called Katy. This book was then made into a CBBC TV series in 2018, also called Katy. The August 2016 issue of Storytime magazine also featured a new illustrated version of the story.
More Adventures: The Sequels
What Katy Did has four follow-up books:
- What Katy Did at School: Katy and Clover go to the fictional Hillsover School.
- What Katy Did Next: Katy travels to Europe with a new friend.
- Clover: Katy is married, and Clover goes with her brother Phil to Colorado when he gets sick.
- In the High Valley: This book shows the lives of young people in Colorado's High Valley, including Clover, Elsie, and their husbands.
