Sunday, December 23, 2012

Picture Book Review: The All-I'll-Ever-Want Christmas Doll

The All-I'll-Ever-Want Christmas Doll

The All-I'll-Ever-Want Christmas Doll
Written by:  Patricia C. McKissack
Illustrated by:  Jerry Pinkney
Published by: Schwartz & Wade Books, 2007

* This year Nella really wants a Baby Betty doll for Christmas, but her family's very poor and Santy Claus only shows up "once in awhile."   Nella's parents give her and her sisters, Eddy Bernice and Dessa one Baby Betty doll which Nella calls, "Mine!"  After working it out with her sisters, Nella gets the doll and her sisters go off and play together.  Nella does all kinds of fun stuff with Baby Betty: she sings to her, tells stories to her, even has a tea party with her.  But she realizes that it isn't fun playing with Baby Betty by herself. 

This story takes place during the Depression.  It's hard for my four and six year old to understand the girls in the story getting excited about oranges, a peppermint stick, and a box of raisins for their Christmas presents.  And my daughter was never really a big doll lover, so she couldn't relate.  However, we really enjoyed the story.  I think it helped show the importance of family and that sometimes what we think we really want isn't all that we expected it to be.

This book was borrowed from the library.

Family Rating: 1 1/2 thumbs up.

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