The Christmas Dolls

Ages 5^-8. Claire is sad that her father, who now lives out of town, won't be spending Christmas with her. But a project comes into her life to take her mind off things. Her mother is fixing a group of broken dolls for poor children. As she cleans and repairs them, combs their matted hair, and makes the dolls new clothes, Claire's mother tells Claire about how sad she was one Christmas when she badly wanted a doll and didn't get one. As mother and daughter work together to make someone else's holiday special, they find a way to forge new traditions for just the two of them. And in a particularly loving gesture, Claire makes a rag doll for her mother, to make up for the one she didn't receive all those years ago. This is a book that could have easily become mushy, but Ransom never lets that happen. Too strong are the story's underpinnings--the relationship between a mother and daughter, now on their own--to be overwhelmed by other sentiments. The very nicely crafted paintings are sturdy in both color and line. They expand the story in double-page spreads that incorporate both a seasonal cheer and a familial warmth that will draw children into this family's household. Ilene Cooper

Kindergarten-Grade 2?One December morning, Claire inspects a box of grubby old dolls that the women in her mother's club have collected. Her mother, an expert seamstress, plans to wash and dress them, making them into suitable Christmas presents for underprivileged children. As Claire helps with the other holiday preparations, she occasionally misses her father who has left the family. Although the child's quiet narrative reveals a warm relationship between a young girl and her mother, the story offers relatively few dramatic moments. The dolls undergo great visible transformations in the hands of Mama, while Claire looks on. Eventually, she surprises her mother with a fitting gift, a doll she has made all on her own. The attractive oil paintings fill up each page, and their soft, muted colors support the gentle text. Unfortunately, Claire, who looks quite young in most of the pictures, appears to be more mature in others. Overall, a sweet, old-fashioned but unremarkable offering.?MMH
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