The Little Girl and the Tiny Doll

Edward and Aingelda Ardizzone
Published by Puffin
Ages 5 and upwards


Bringing another classic to the fore here - because I have never forgotten this story of the little doll in a matchbox among the frozen peas and it's so touching!

 This short story is easy to read with one or two sentences and charming black and white illustrations on each page. The creativity of using miniature items in this story makes it and the illustrations unforgettable - the doll makes a match box bed and plays tennis with the peas using a spoon.

 Yet this tale has so much heart and depth, because the little girl is full of compassion for the little doll in the freezer that no-one pays attention to. She makes tiny clothes herself to keep the doll warm, she delivers them wrapped up as gifts, exciting the doll.
These are beautiful, thoughtful examples of kindness - and what makes this children's classic, written in 1966, timeless.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Impossible Creatures

Image
By Katherine Rundell Published by Bloomsbury Ages 9 + Once upon a time, magical creatures such as unicorns, dragons, lavellans (the description of lavellans in the bestiary made me laugh out loud btw) and ratatoskas wandered the whole earth. Now they live in Archipelago, part of our world that is hidden by magic. But they are dying. Mal, from the Archipelago and Christopher, staying in Scotland, meet and unite both to save Mal from a murderer (!) and to find out what is happening to the creatures in the magical world... As an animal lover I felt an immediate connection to Christopher who attracts animals wherever he goes: 'his allegiance was to wild and living things.' and I loved this feature. The unicorns are beautifully described: 'like a cluster of ambulant stars' in varieties of silver and white. And the Sphinxes 'yellow-gold winged cats: cats that stood ten feet high' are so wonderfully proud and all-knowing. I like Jacques the tiny dragon.  The chases a
Read more

Arkspire by Jamie Littler

Image
Published by Puffin Books Ages 9+ An entertaining, eerie, unputdownable story! Arkspire is utterly brilliant - I couldn't put it down. What world-building and characters! I love Cinder so much! Moments from Juni, Thea, Everard and Cinder had me laughing out loud.  'When the world gives you an empty bag, it's your job to fill it.'  An under-dog tale with mysterious magic, humour and vivid illustrations, Littler is talented indeed. I get asked almost daily by parents what do their kids read next having finished Harry Potter. I will be directing them to Arkspire. 'You would be a change for good... you are someone who would remember the little guy for once.'
Read more

Marnie Midnight and the Moon Mystery

Image
Written and illustrated by Laura Ellen Anderson Published by Farshore Books Ages 5 and upwards Marnie Midnight is an absolute delight of a book!  No-one will fail to be charmed by Marnie's hopefulness, Milo's cuteness, Star's militancy, and ultimately Laura's wacky imagination and genius plot twists at the end. Floyd (an A not a Bee) embodies flamboyant uniqueness, Star the ant made me laugh and Marnie never stops believing or being curious about what she is passionate about (the moon and moon explorers). Easy to read for all ages approaching chapter books and onwards, I'm confident adults will chuckle at Laura's jokes too. I hope Marnie introduces many more children to Laura's growing host of characters and stories. 
Read more