Favorite Doll Books

Back in September of 2014, I was asked to speak to our local doll club.  At that meeting, I shared some of my favorite doll books that the girls and I have found through the years.  Since I did a bit of work researching and summarizing each of the books, I thought it would be fun to share that information with you here.  This post has actually been waiting in draft form since October or so.  Since I was hoping to get a few posts scheduled to publish during my break from active blogging, I thought it was a great time to share this one with you. :)

For this topic, I purposely only choose books that were about actual dolls who were really alive in some way.  In other words, I didn't choose books like the Magic Attic or American Girl series, where the book is about a human girl (such as Samantha or Molly or Caroline) who had a doll fashioned after her.  I hope that makes sense.

Most of these are fun little obscure books, not necessarily award winners.  However, every book I chose for this post had something special that I enjoyed.  I hope through this post you and/or your kids will be able to find some fun new treasures for your family library. :)

Beneath each book, I've included a list of the main characters.  Some of the characters have brief descriptions, while others are simply listed.  I decided to keep the lists as they were (especially since it's been a while and I couldn't remember specific details about each character).  I suppose if you're curious about the characters I didn't describe, you'll just have to read their books! ;)

Henriette, The Story of a Doll

Written By: Tracy Friedman

Originally Published: 1986

Summary: Set shortly after the Civil War, this story focuses on the adventures of a French doll who goes on a quest to find her mistress's granddaughter.

Characters:

-Henriette: the doll who goes on a long journey to find the little girl she belongs to.

-Amanda: a young orphaned girl who is separated from her only relative.

-Amanda's Grandmother: an elderly woman who wants nothing more than to be united with her granddaughter, but feels she is too old and her plantation too run down to raise her the way she needs to be raised.

Unique to This Story: This book covers the perils a doll might face when traveling a great distance without a human.  It's a story I discovered as a young girl, and I instantly fell in love with brave Henriette. :)

You can find it on Amazon.com HERE.

Hitty, Her First Hundred Years

Written By: Rachel Field

Originally Published: 1929

Summary: A personal account from a little wooden doll's perspective of her first 100 years of life and all of the things she experiences.

Characters:

-Hitty and many others ;)

Unique to This Story: This story is told from Hitty's perspective and is written in the style of a memoir. It features all sorts of mishaps and adventures that Hitty goes through during the course of her life.

You can find it on Amazon.com HERE.

Raggedy Ann Stories

Written By: Johnny Gruelle

Originally Published: 1918?

Summary: Raggedy Ann is the beloved rag doll of a little girl named Marcella (based on Johnny Gruelle's own daughter). Together with her other friends from the nursery, she has all sorts of adventures and learning experiences when Marcella is away or asleep.

Characters:

-Marcella

-Raggedy Ann

-Raggedy Andy

-The Camel with the Wrinkled Knees

-Uncle Clem

-The Indian Doll

-The French Doll

-Henny

Unique to This Story: The sweet, innocent adventures of Marcella's playthings in her nursery (usually when she is away) remind us of the way we always imagined our dolls to be when we weren't looking. The stories have special poignancy because of the death of the real Marcella.

You can find many of Johnny Gruelle's Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy books on Amazon.com HERE.

The Doll Hospital

Written By: James Duffy

Originally Published: 1989

Summary: Alison is an eight-year-old girl who suffers from a serious illness. She starts a doll hospital, and with the help of her older brother and her faithful companions Nettie, Boodles, and Denise, cares for dolls with all sorts of illnesses and injuries.

Characters:

-Alison: The main character who regularly talks to her dolls and toys (and they talk back).

-Charlie: Alison's fourteen-year-old brother who serves as the doctor for the doll hospital.

-Nettie: Alison's rag doll who is outspoken and opinionated.

-Boodles: Alison's stuffed dog.

-Denise: A French doll who is given to Alison by a friend of her brother. Denise is the first doll in need of medical assistance. Her illness is what gives Alison the idea for the doll hospital.

Unique to This Story: In this story, the dolls suffer from real illnesses like measles. Unlike many other doll stories, in this one the dolls can communicate with Alison and even talk to her older brother. However, from the writing style it could also be interpreted that Alison is imagining everything (I choose to ignore that possibility). ;) Through helping the dolls with their illnesses, Alison is able to face her fears about her own illness.

You can find it on Amazon.com HERE.

The Doll House Caper

Written By: Jean S. O'Connell

Originally Published: 1975

Summary: A family of dollhouse dolls play an integral part in catching some robbers who have come to the house to steal the family's belongings.

Characters:

Dolls

-Mr. Dollhouse

-Mrs. Dollhouse

-Ruth

-Todd

-Baby

Humans

-Kevin

-Harry

-Peter

-Mother

-Father

Unique to This Story: The children in the family are all boys, so there are some hilarious references to the way boys play with dollhouses. In this book, the dollhouse is only brought out around Christmastime. Also, the dolls are not able to move by themselves until the humans are in bed.

You can find it on Amazon.com HERE.

The Doll People Series

Written By: Ann M. Martin and Laura Godwin

Originally Published: 2000

Number of Books in Series: 4

Summary: Annabelle, a miniature antique doll, lives in a dollhouse with her family, wondering about her Aunt Sarah who went missing years ago. Annabelle's life changes forever when she meets Tiffany Funcraft, a plastic dollhouse doll purchased for the younger girl in the house.  These books recount the two dolls' adventures and the beginning of their wonderful friendship.

Characters:

Dollhouse Dolls:

-Annabelle Doll

-Bobby Doll

-Auntie Sarah

-Uncle Doll

-Nanny

-Mama Doll

-Papa Doll

-Baby Betsy

Funcraft Dolls

-Dad Funcraft

-Mom Funcraft

-Tiffany Funcraft

-Bailey Funcraft

-Baby Britney Funcraft

Humans

-Grandma Katherine

-Mr. Palmer

-Mrs. Palmer

-Kate (third grader)

-Nora (preschooler)

Unique to This Story: The author's explanation of why dolls don't move when we're around is particularly clever (Doll State and Permanent Doll State).  The Dollhouse dolls have a gigantic baby doll instead of a doll in their scale because the wrong one was ordered for them, but they love her anyway.

These books feature fantastic, detailed artwork on inset covers, showing the order catalogs for the dolls featured in the stories. They also have very funny passages contrasting the way older girls and younger girls play with a dollhouse (“rancher family”).

You can find The Doll People books on Amazon.com HERE.

The Doll's House

Written By: Rumer Godden

Originally Published: 1947

Summary: A unique family of dollhouse dolls, belonging to two sisters, wants nothing more than a home. When they end up with a beautiful dollhouse, it seems like a dream come true...until they meet the doll that comes with it.

Characters:

Human

-Emily

-Charlotte

Dolls

-Mr. Plantaganet: The father of the dollhouse, still dealing with a traumatic past.

-Birdie Plantaganet: The mother of the dollhouse, a celluloid doll who is a bit of an airhead.

-Tottie: An antique wooden doll, the daughter of the dollhouse.

-Apple: An adorable plush doll, the little brother of the dollhouse.

-Marchpane: A haughty antique doll who feels that the Plantaganets have taken her house from her.

Unique to This Story: Mr. Plantaganet's emotional issues are hilarious yet perfectly understandable considering the way he started his doll life. All of the dolls have unique personalities that make them lovable and memorable. The story also has a part that might be a bit difficult for younger readers, demonstrating the sacrificial love of a mother.

In this story, the dolls often talk to the humans, but it is implied that the humans can't hear them.

The conflict between the doll family and the snooty Marchpane is resolved very cleverly.

You can find it on Amazon.com HERE.

The Lonely Doll Series

Written By: Dare Wright

Originally Published: 1957

Number of Books in Series: Unknown; at least 9

Summary: The adventures of a little cloth doll and the stuffed bears that come to live with her.

Characters:

-Edith

-Mr. Bear

-Little Bear

Unique to This Story: Dare Wright's beautiful photography that captures Edith and the bears in the act of the story. ;) Her pictures lend an incredibly believable quality to her stories.  Edith was a customized 22” Lenci doll from the 109 series released in the 1920s. Source here: http://www.lenci-dolls.net/article.html

You can find many of the Lonely Doll books on Amazon.com HERE.

The Story of Holly & Ivy

Written By: Rumer Godden

Originally Published: 1958 in “Ladies' Home Journal” (just the text)

Summary: A Christmas Doll and an orphaned girl both get their Christmas wish: each other.

Characters:

-Holly-a sweet little Christmas doll in a toy shop window.

-Ivy-a lonely orphaned girl.

-Mr. Blossom-the toy shop owner.

-Abracadabra-a rather spooky stuffed owl who is also at the toy shop.

-Peter-Mr. Blossom's helper.

-Mr. Jones-a friendly policeman.

-Mrs. Jones-Mr. Jones' wife, who is particularly wishing for a child this Christmas.

Unique to This Story: A sweet story about a Christmas doll and a little orphan girl who need each other, and the events of one special Christmas that bring them together.  Barbara Cooney's beautiful, wistful illustrations are an enchanting addition to the book.

You can find it on Amazon.com HERE.

When the Dolls Woke

Written By: Marjorie Filley Stover

Originally Published: 1985

Summary: A little girl named Gail inherits a family dollhouse, and with the help of the dolls in the dollhouse, she discovers the secret to her family's long-lost fortune.

Characters:

Human

-Gail Aldrich-the little girl who has inherited the dollhouse from her family

The Dollhouse Dolls

-Sir Gregory: The father of the dollhouse dolls, made of bisque (as is the rest of his family).

-Lady Alice: Sir Gregory's wife.

-Maribelle: Sir Gregory and Lady Alice's daughter.

-Tommy: Sir Gregory and Lady Alice's son.

-Baby Winky: The baby girl in the doll family.

-Becky: A cloth doll who is the maid.

-Martinique: A wooden doll purchased by Gail's great-great grandfather on one of his voyages.

Unique to This Story: Much like “The Doll People”, the dolls in this story have been handed down through generations, so there are many references to the trials of being passed to some children who are careless or wild, as well as the trials of being older dolls and having one's clothing and home fall into disrepair.

In this story, the dolls are capable of anything their young mistresses imagine (for instance, if the girls pretend they can cook, the dolls have the ability to cook).

Throughout the book, there are curious references to the dolls “vapors”, which are used to express feeling or emotion.

You can find it on Amazon.com HERE.


I hope this post encourages you and your family to look for some fun, new reading material! :)

Ladies Retreat and Birthday Fun

Hi everyone...I'm officially back! :)  I actually got back from Ladies Retreat on Saturday evening, but between church, music practices, music recordings, a birthday party, and rearranging our living room,  I haven't had a chance to sit down and type until now. :}  Thanks for being so patient.

Maggie and Tess wanted me to let you know that their post about their trip will be up later this week.  I'll put up a link on this blog when their post is up.  I understand that Belle will be blogging this week too, so stay tuned! ;)

I thought I'd actually start with a few pics from my family party (combined with my mom and my sister-in-law, who also have September birthdays).  We celebrated Sunday, September 22nd, at Mimi's house.

I brought Buttershy along to enjoy the festivities with us. ;)

We had our normal Sunday lunch from Panda Express, but took it to the house instead of eating at the restaurant, the way we normally do.  

Mimi made a cute cake for us.  The bottom layer was chocolate cake with "Yummy Chocolate Frosting" (a family recipe and a family favorite), and the top was yellow cake with the same frosting and a layer of marshmallow fondant.  Yum! :) 

Buttershy decided to try some of the chocolate cake. 

She thought it was pretty amazing. 

I tried to warn her not to eat too much, but she didn't listen. :} 

We all had a great time together.  I'm so thankful that most of our family lives close enough to get together regularly.  That's a rare gift, especially in this day and age.  

I was also given some spending money which I knew would come in handy for my upcoming trip. :)

And speaking of which, this past Thursday morning (the 26th), Mom and Mimi came and picked me up after the girls had been dropped off at school, and we headed off to our church's Ladies Retreat.  It was very exciting to go back to the place we had been before (two retreats ago).  I was looking forward to a weekend to relax and get away for a bit. :)

We stopped at one of the newer Goodwills that was about half an hour away from the retreat.  Would you believe I made it out of there without purchasing a thing? :}

Our next stop was ToysRUs.  I seriously cannot express how excited I was to visit this store.  ToysRUs still remains one of my favorite stores to this day, and our local one went out of business shortly after Middle Gal was born.  I was like a kid in a...well...in a toy store. ;)

  

Now, I didn't make it out of this store without a purchase. ;)  I bought two "Lil' Zelfs", but only opened one at first.

I ended up with a pearlized Lil' D, which wasn't all that thrilling (he's not one I really like that much).  It was pretty funny when my other Lil' Zelf was a glittery Angelala, though.  I decided to use them as trip souvenirs for Tess and Maggie.  Can you guess which doll ended up with which Zelf? ;)

I had already decided that if ToysRUs had a medium Mermalade in stock, I'd be getting her as a friend for Buttershy.  Mermalade and Miss Clover are my two favorites, and since I'm not holding out much hope that I'll ever come across a Miss Clover, I figured Mermalade was a better Zelf to set my sights on.  

Mermalade was there, and just as adorable as I remembered.  

I'd also decided to get each of my daughters a medium Zelf as a surprise from my trip.  I wanted a Lunanne for Oldest Gal, an Elfa for Middle Gal, and a Pega Sue for Little Gal (their three favorites).  Interestingly enough, they had one Elfa, one Lunanne, one Pega Sue, and one Mermalade in stock.  As an added bonus, they were all on sale for $4.99 each!  I was so glad we got there right when we did! :)  I didn't get any pics of the other Zelfs yet, but I'll be sure to do that soon. :) 

After ToysRUs, we drove the rest of the way to our hotel.  Here's where Mimi and I stayed.

Here's the other side of our room.

We got a connecting room with my mom (who gets better rest when she rooms by herself).

Here are her sleeping quarters. ;)

Maggie and Tess (and my teddy bear, Hugs) immediately made themselves comfortable.

Buttershy and Mermalade instantly hit it off...

...and found their own little spot to hang out. :)

One of the fun extra activities we did while we were at retreat was to go through some secondhand mini Lalaloopsies my mom had discovered at a local secondhand shop in town.  The Tuesday before Retreat, I had a message on my cell phone when I got out of art class.  It was my mom, saying, "Call me!"  When I did, she explained that there were a TON of Lalaloopsies at the shop and I should come meet her.  I"m more familiar with the names and the sets than she is at this point, so she knew I might recognize something she didn't.  Wow.  It was incredible.  There were a lot of older sets that are getting super hard to find.   

So here's everything we ended up with.  We actually bought more than we would have because many of the sets were split up in different bags.  

And here's a closer look: 

Since we knew Ladies Retreat was later in the week, we thought it would be fun to wait to go through everything together.  So for about four hours one night and another two or three the following night, we went through every single piece and identified and sorted everything to the best of our ability.  We still have a few unknowns, but we figured out what most of them were. :)

I was the most excited by most of Berry's Kitchen, Prince Handsome and all of his accessories (we're just missing Cinderslippers), and Sprouts Sunshine, the Target Easter Exclusive from 2012.  I've been searching for all of them for a while.  Mom and Mimi found some sets they really liked, too.  

We'll probably be reselling some of the ones we don't need in the coming weeks to help reimburse ourselves.  I'll let everyone know when they're up. :)

There were other fun things to do while we were there, too.  We ate out at this great Mexican restaurant.

Buttershy and Mermalade seemed to enjoy themselves, too. ;)

They also enjoyed helping me eat my food. 

We also ate at a lovely local cafe that served us an excellent buffet.

While we were there, Mimi took us to a beautiful park.  We enjoyed walking around and seeing the lovely scenery.

There were also some great Zelfie photo ops:  

I really love taking the Zelfs along for photos because they're so small and easy to carry.  I didn't take dolls with me on this day because I knew we were making a lot of stops.  The Zelfs fit easily in a small purse.  Unfortunately, there was something on the inside of the purse that left little black rub marks on their faces that will NOT come off. :(  Still working on a solution.

I didn't get any pics, but we did stop at several fun little antique and collectible stores on the same day we went to the park. 

And just in case you think my dolls were neglected, they had some photo shoots as well (this picture here is my very favorite from the whole trip). :)  

Best buds.

You'll see more of Tess and Maggie later this week on their blog as they share about the Retreat from their perspective. :)

We had a really wonderful weekend.  It was a great time of rest and relaxation, and we were encouraged by the ladies from the church who shared with us.  Our theme was "Weighed by the Word", and how we need to use the Bible as our standard for beauty and acceptance rather than what the world tells us.  It was the perfect message for me with the struggles I've been going through lately.

One of the unexpected highlights of the trip came from my former 1st grade teacher (who is teaching Little Gal in Kindergarten this year).  She had heard that it was going to be my actual birthday while I was at Retreat, so she brought her little lamb puppet that used to sing with us in her classes to sing Happy Birthday to me in front of all of the ladies.  

A little history here:  Lambkin (that's his name) and I go way back.  Not only was he the little puppet who sang to me and my class way back in 1st grade, but he also helped my teacher when she spoke at my wedding shower.  So we have a special bond... ;)

Anyway, I thought it was so sweet of Mrs. M to take the time to make me feel special on my special day.  And you can guess which part of Ladies Retreat Little Gal loved hearing about when I got home. ;)

Retreat ended on Saturday, which was my actual birthday.  Since I knew it would be a special occasion, I saved my "dessert day" (which is normally on Fridays) so that I could go to Krispy Kreme for my birthday. :)  It was sooo worth it! :)  We had the regular glazed doughnuts, and then we shared a maple glaze, a chocolate glaze, and a seasonal pumpkin spice old fashioned glazed doughnut.  Yummm. :)  

On the way home, we stopped at ToysRUs one more time.

This time, everyone got into Zelf mode.  I bought a Mermalade "Super Zelf", the biggest size, (not pictured) and then Mom, Mimi and I all got two Lil' Zelf surprise pots.  Here's what we ended up with...a mini Zelf invasion! ;)

Mimi got a pearlized Pega Sue and a regular Flamy.  Mom got a regular Lil' D...

...and the pearlized Mermalade you see next to my medium Mermalade.  I ended up with Buttershy...

...and a glittery Flamy to add to my glittery Angelala and pearlized Lil' D.

Warning:  these things are totally addicting, especially since they're only $2.99 each and you can't tell what you're getting when you buy them.  I was seriously tempted to turn right around and go back in to buy a few more...but I  managed to show some restraint. ;)

We also stopped by Goodwill one more time, and Mom found a BFC Ink Gianna doll for me for just $1.99.  Much more exciting than our first stop there. :)

On the way home, we came across this beautiful fountain.  I thought Mermalade should have just a couple more pictures. ;)

She's sooo cute! :)

So here's my birthday/trip haul.  Some of these things will have future blog reviews, but probably not everything pictured.  I'm behind enough as it is. ;)  I also realized as I was typing this that I forgot to add my BFC Ink Gianna doll and a cute little shelf I found at an antique store, so this is most of my birthday/trip haul. ;)  

I found this mini Jane Austen book at Barnes and Noble for $5.95.  It has portions and summaries of all of her complete novels.  My mom has a copy of this, and I've always thought it would be perfect for Tess. :)

This is a doll from the Bradley Dolls company.  She was a Salvation Army find on the way to Retreat.  I don't know much about these dolls, but I've always thought they had sweet faces.  And for $1.25, I thought she was worth picking up. :) 

And here are my Zelfs from my trip. :)  I'm in the process of working on a review post for my large Mermalade. :)

Here are the mini Lalaloopsies I ended up with for now.  Berry's stove, sink, frying pan, and pet cow; Forest Evergreen with his stump and pet beaver; Sprouts Sunshine, and Prince Handsome, his sword, his pillow with the glass slipper, his pet mouse, Cinderslippers' pet mouse, and Cinderslippers' little pumpkin coach.  I'm especially excited about the Prince Handsome stuff, and I'm hoping to find Cinderslippers soon.  I've always loved this set, and now that I've gotten hooked on the Broadway cast album from the new production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, this set is even more significant. :)  Poor Prince Handsome...hopefully he'll find the maiden whose foot fits the slipper soon. ;)

The two Lonely Doll books and the My Little Pony book were my birthday present from my Hubby (since my pencil sharpener ended up being free, he let me get a couple extra things). :)  I'm thrilled that the Lonely Doll books are coming back in print.  However, I have to say I'm a little disappointed in the quality of the books.  The picture print quality isn't the greatest, and the books themselves feel really flimsy.  On the other hand, I'm thrilled that I can have these stories for a little under $8 a piece instead of the amazingly expensive amounts they've been selling for before this.  Eventually, I'd love to find better copies of these, but for now, I'm thrilled to have "The Doll and the Kitten" and "Edith and Midnight" in my collection. :)

"The Elements of Harmony" is a must-have book for any My Little Pony fan.  It's just $12.95 on Amazon.com, and it's pretty spiffy.  It includes an interview with Lauren Faust (the creator of the show), introductions to the characters, a synopsis of every single episode from Seasons 1 through 3, lyrics to every single song in the first three seasons, and more.  The title sounds a little mystical (which is kind of the origin story they've given to the G4 My Little Pony show), but it's an excellent book.  I'm so glad I have it! :)

I also finally got my "Cake Family Babysitting Fun" blind bag set.  Again, there's a post in the works for this, but I'm super thrilled with it. :)

One of the things I found in one of the antique stores was a bag of LIV and Barbie accessories.  Among the things in the bag were the items you see here.  I'm sure Belle and Robby can use them for something. ;)  I'm thinking Belle might learn to play the guitar and use that when she sings to Robby. :)

I also ended up with a complete set of the current McDonald's Happy Meal toys, which are celebrating the 75th anniversary of "The Wizard of Oz".  What started out as a casual thing ended up becoming a fun scavenger hunt. :)  Every McDonald's we went to had a different set of toys.  Dorothy was the first one I got.  She, Glinda, and the Scarecrow were all purchased before the trip.  I was able to find Elphaba, the Cowardly Lion, and the Tin Man during our travels. :)

I have to say, it's funny how differently you look at these iconic characters after listening to the musical soundtrack from "Wicked". :}

At one of the little thrift stores we went to, I found these vintage 80s dolls:  Rose Petal from "Rose Petal Place" and one of Cherry Merry Muffin's friends (Choco Lottie?) from "Cherry Merry Muffin".  I don't know if I'll ever find the right clothing for them, but they were only 75 cents each, so I figured it was worth picking them up. :)

I also found this fun My Little Pony cup at a Ross store.  I was able to get it for a discounted price (under $4.00) because the straw was broken.  I plan on replacing the straw, but I'm not sure if I'll actually use this or just display it in my collection. :)

And that, my friends, is all for now.  It's been quite a month, and it ended on quite a high note. :)  Mom, Mimi and I had a great time together, and I came back ready and refreshed to spend time with my daughters and my sweet Hubby who watched them for me while I was gone.

My week is going to be pretty full until Thursday, so you may not hear much from me until then.  I'm starting to plan out my posts for the month and I'm looking forward to sharing some fun things with you! :)

Until next time...