Peggy Stuart's Blog, page 3
July 11, 2025
Gossip
"Is everything OK?" Veronika asked. "You two look upset."
"I'm so angry!" Billy cried. "I wanted to hit that doll, but I know I'm not supposed to hit anyone."
"I'm angry, too," Jolena said. "I'm even more angry, because it isn't about me, it's about you, Veronika!"
"Yes," agreed Billy, "and it isn't even true!"
Veronika put aside her quilting. "Tell me about it," she said.
"Well," Jolena began, "You know Lucy, one of the girls in our class. She has been telling everyone that you used to belong to another person."
"She said that the other person sold you because you were naughty!" Billy added.
Veronika thought for a moment. "That's gossip," she said, "but it's partly true."
Billy and Jolena stared at Veronika. They couldn't believe the story was true.
"But you're never naughty!" Billy cried.
"You're the one who shows us how to be good dolls!" Jolena exclaimed.
"This," began Veronika, "is why gossip is so bad. Someone hears something that might be true. Then that doll tells another doll, but he or she might not remember it exactly the way it was told, or might misunderstand it, so the story changes a bit."
"I know a game that shows how this happens. Let's go get some of the other dolls, and we can play the game," Veronika suggested.
The three dolls went off into other parts of the house to find some other dolls. Each doll came back with a doll. That meant they had six dolls to play the game.
"We're going to play a game called Gossip," Veronika explained to them. "Everyone sit down."
The dolls sat in a row on the couch.
"Now," said Veronika, "here's how we play the game. I'm going to whisper something in Billy's ear. Billy will listen carefully and whisper what I said in Jolena's ear. Jolena will whisper it to Mandy, and so on, until the message gets to Mariah. Mariah will tell us what she heard." Veronika looked around at the other dolls. "Any questions?"
"So we just whisper, so no one can hear except the person we're whispering to?" Charlotte asked.
Veronika nodded. "That's right," she agreed.
The dolls were ready to play the game. Veronika whispered in Billy's ear. "The weather will be nice today," she whispered.
Billy turned and whispered in Jolena's ear. He whispered exactly what he heard from Veronika.
Jolena whispered what she heard to Mandy.
Then Mandy whispered what she heard to Charlotte.
Charlotte whispered it to Mariah.
"OK, Mariah," Veronika said then, "what was the message? Tell us what you heard."
"I heard that we will have snow and ice today," Mariah answered. "It sure doesn't look like it to me, though. The sun is out, and it's warm!"
"That's because it isn't what I said. I said, 'The weather will be nice today,' but the message changed a little bit with each doll. Sometimes it's because we don't hear something quite the way it was said, or maybe we were expecting something a little different."
"Now I understand how a story changes," Billy said. "You said part of the story Lucy was telling is true, Veronika," Billy said. "So does that mean that someone heard that part and misunderstood the other part?" he asked.
"I don't know for sure, but it could be," Veronika replied. "The story may have gone through four or five dolls before it got to Lucy. Here's the true part: I used to belong to a very nice man. He had several dolls. He made pretty things for us to wear and we modeled them. We wore the dresses and sweaters, and he took photos of us."
"It was a hobby," Veronika went on. "After a while, he decided his dolls weren't getting enough attention, so he sold all of the dolls except one to other people. I was one of the ones he sold. He knew The Writer had been looking for a doll just like me, so he knew I would be happy with her."
"So it wasn't because you were naughty!" Jolena exclaimed.
"I may have been naughty at some time," Veronika explained, "but he was never angry with me, and that wasn't why I was sold."
Billy was thinking. "I can see how Lucy could get the story mixed up, but I don't understand why she has been telling that story to everyone. It seems like she wants to make you look bad," he said.
"People are like quilts," Veronika said, picking up her very large quilt. "You can see what's on the outside, but not what's inside."
Veronika pulled up the cloth at the edge of the quilt where it wasn't sewn down yet, so they could see what was inside. It was filled with some white, fluffy stuff.
"I know what's inside the quilt," Veronika explained, "because I put it there. This is cotton batting, and it's made to go inside a quilt, but I didn't make Lucy, so I don't know what's inside her. I only know what I see on the outside. Maybe she's unhappy with who she is. Maybe she thinks she's bad and wants to think other dolls are bad, too, or maybe she did it to get attention from other dolls."
"What are you going to do about it," Charlotte asked.
"I think," Veronika said slowly, "I'll talk to Lucy when we're alone. I'll explain what actually happened to me. Then I'm going to forgive her."
"She's a doll like me," Veronika explained, "and I would want to be forgiven if I had said bad things about her. If I hate her for what she did, it would hurt me more than what she said could hurt me. Having hate in your heart hurts you."
"Dolls have hearts?" Billy asked.
"Of course dolls have hearts, Billy," Veronika exclaimed. "If you take a doll apart, you may not be able to find a heart, but it's there."
"So you do you just forget about what Lucy did?" Mariah wanted to know.
"No, you can't make yourself forget. Forgiving isn't the same as forgetting, but forgiving can take a lot of work. I will just think about how Lucy is like a quilt, and that there might be something inside her, that I can't see, that makes her the way she is. Then I will try to set a good example for her."
"It's important," Billy agreed, "for dolls to be good examples for each other, so they can be good examples for children."
"So will you tell her you forgive her?" Jolena wanted to know.
"No," Veronika answered, "not unless she asks me to. Telling her would be like saying I know she was unkind. It could make things worse. Forgiving isn't for the person who hurt you. Forgiving is something you do for yourself, so you can be nice to the person you forgive, and it makes you feel ever so much better!"
All the dolls thought about it and agreed that Veronika made sense.
"One way we can set a good example," Jolena said, "is not to gossip...ever!"
They all agreed with that, too. If you gossip, you can hurt others, even if you don't mean to.
Cast--
Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni
Mandy: Götz Happy Kidz Katie 2015
Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen
Charlotte: Götz Happy Kidz Anna in Paris
Mariah: Götz Happy Kidz Mariah, "Chosen" from My Doll Best Friend
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily at London
You can follow The Doll's Storybook here.Do you have questions or comments for us? Would you like to order an autographed copy of one of our books? You can email us at thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.
Note: No dolls were harmed during production of this blog. All dolls shown are Götz Happy Kidz, Classic Kidz or Little Kidz. If you like these stories and are willing, please make a donation of any amount to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or any organization that supports pediatric cancer research and treatment. We are not affiliated with St. Jude in any way other than these donations.
"The Doll's Storybook" is not affiliated with Gotz Dolls USA Inc. or Götz Puppenmanufaktur International GmbH.
Watch for the next story each Friday afternoon at 1:00 PM Pacific Time.
Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook , Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook and More Classic Tales Untold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are available from BookBaby and other booksellers worldwide, such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Author's page on Amazon. Royalties (net proceeds) go to support pediatric cancer research and treatment. If you don't get free shipping elsewhere, buy from Book Baby. Half of the price goes to charity (specific information available upon request). Autographed copies of all three books are available from the author. (Multiple books to the same address have a discount on shipping.) To inquire, email thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.
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Copyright © 2019, 2025 by Peggy Stuart
July 4, 2025
Working Dolls
“Guess what!” Veronka exclaimed as she came into the workroom, waving a letter around as if she were trying to shoo a fly away.
Pippa, Pauly and Pam looked up from the game they were playing on the daybed under the window.
The other dolls who were in the workroom looked up from their the books they were reading at the big table.
“What?” Emil said, knowing that Veronika would tell them, and they didn’t really have to guess. It’s like when some asks, “How are you doing?” and they just mean “Hello” and don’t really want to hear that you fell at the playground while playing on the monkey bars, and your head fell off and rolled away, and that you’re still so embarrassed.
Veronika turned the big swivel chair she uses for the sewing machine so it faced the table and climbed up on it, still holding the letter in her hand.
“Dolly and Gabi sent us a letter. They are coming home!” she told them excitedly.
“Who are Dolly and Gabi?” Nico wanted to know.
“They used to live with us, but they left us before you moved here,” Mariah explained, closing her notebook, because she knew they would be talking for a while, and she wouldn’t get any more writing done.
“They went to work as models in a yarn shop,” Mandy told Nico. “That’s a store that sells yarn for human people and dolls who can knit to make things with.”
“They sell tools, too, like knitting needles and crochet (kro-SHAY) hooks,” she told them, “and they sell patterns. The shop has displays of finished sweaters, hats, scarves, shawls and other things to make using the yarn they sell. Dolly and Gabi have been showing off some things you can make for dolls using yarn from the shop.”
Mandy knows all about Yarn shops, because knitting is one of her favorite things to do.
“Dolly wore a pullover and a skirt made from The Writer’s patterns,” Jolena put in, because she knew Nico’s real question was about Dolly and Gabi, and why they were in the yarn shop. “Mandy made the sweater and Veronika made a skirt to go with it, and Gabi wore a dress Mandy knitted for her.”
“The store sells our books,” Mariah added. “People could buy the yarn and the book, so they could give the finished sweater or dress to a child for their dolls along with the book to read.”
“When are they coming home?” Mandy asked, hoping she might get to go along and maybe pick out some yarn to buy for a new project.
Veronika looked at the letter. “It says June 27th is when the owner and the other people who work in the yarn shop will be changing the displays. They can come home then.”
“We should have a party!” Billy exclaimed, glancing at Jolena, because he knew if they had a party, she would be the one in charge of the refreshments.
“Let’s do!” Pippa exclaimed excitedly.
Everyone wanted a party for Dolly and Gabi's return!
The dolls always clean the house when they know they will be having a party. Pauly came over to help Emil and Billy dust the shelves and all the things that were sitting on them.
Then they ran the robot vacuum cleaner. Pauly got to have a ride, because he isn’t heavy.
Mandy and Charlotte cleaned the bathrooms.
Jolena baked some oatmeal cookies for the dolls to pretend to eat.
She also made some punch for them to pretend to drink.
Soon it was time for The Writer to go and pick up Dolly and Gabi. Mandy was going along, because she asked nicely and because she wanted to visit the yarn shop again.
The other dolls waited patiently in the living room.
They listened for the sound of the car in the driveway.
They listened for the sound of the garage door going up.
They listened for footsteps on the front porch and front door opening.
When they heard all that, they exploded from the couch.
There was Mandy with Dolly and Gabi.
After the greetings were done, they all went to the living room to have refreshments, where Veronika introduced the two working dolls to Nico, Pam, and Olivia.
Then Mandy showed everyone the yarn she had bought at the yarn shop.
The rest of the afternoon was filled with the dolls’ voices, as Dolly and Gabi heard about all the things they had missed and talked about all the things they had seen and heard in the yarn shop.
Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni
Mandy: Götz Happy Kidz Katie 2015
Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen
Charlotte: Götz Happy Kidz Anna in Paris
Mariah: Götz Happy Kidz Mariah, "Chosen" from My Doll Best Friend
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily at London
Emil: Götz Happy Kidz EmiliaPippa: Götz Little Kidz LottaPauly: Götz Little Kidz PaulNico: Götz Hannah-Zoé at the BalletPam: Götz Little Kidz Springtime, from My Doll Best FriendOlivia: Götz Happy Kidz Ayelet, "Chosen" from My Doll Best FriendDolly: Madame Alexander Let It SnowGabi: Tonner My Imagination Play Doll
You can follow The Doll's Storybook here.Do you have questions or comments for us? Would you like to order an autographed copy of one of our books? You can email us at thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.
Note: No dolls were harmed during production of this blog. All dolls shown are Götz Happy Kidz, Classic Kidz or Little Kidz. If you like these stories and are willing, please make a donation of any amount to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or any organization that supports pediatric cancer research and treatment. We are not affiliated with St. Jude in any way other than these donations.
"The Doll's Storybook" is not affiliated with Gotz Dolls USA Inc. or Götz Puppenmanufaktur International GmbH.
Watch for the next story each Friday afternoon at 1:00 PM Pacific Time.
Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook , Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook and More Classic Tales Untold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are available from BookBaby and other booksellers worldwide, such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Author's page on Amazon. Royalties (net proceeds) go to support pediatric cancer research and treatment. If you don't get free shipping elsewhere, buy from Book Baby. Half of the price goes to charity (specific information available upon request). Autographed copies of all three books are available from the author. (Multiple books to the same address have a discount on shipping.) To inquire, email thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.
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Copyright © 2025 by Peggy Stuart
June 27, 2025
Earning a Living
"Give us a call," Mariah said, "to let us know how you're getting along."
"I will," Gabi replied. "It should be interesting in the yarn shop. All kinds of human people will be coming and going."
"Dolly will be joining you soon," Emil pointed out, as he opened the door for Gabi. "You can keep each other company, so you aren't lonely."
"I'm sure I'll be fine," Gabi assured him. Then she turned and waved goodbye to Mariah and Pippa, who had come to the door with her. "Got to go," she said. "Mandy and The Writer are waiting in the car for me."
"What was the tag on Gabi's dress for," Pippa wanted to know after Emil had closed the door behind Gabi.
"That tag," Mariah explained, "is the label from the yarn that Mandy used to knit the dress. Gabi is going to model the dress at the yarn shop, so people who buy one of our books from there can buy the yarn to make the dress. Then they can give both together as a gift."
The dolls climbed up on the front windowsill and looked out the window to watch The Writer's car drive off.
"Why is Mandy going?" Pippa asked.
"She's picking out yarn for a sweater for Dolly," Mariah replied. "Dolly will be going to the yarn shop, too, when her sweater is finished. She will model the sweater for customers who might want to make it. It's in our books, too."
"The bookshelf in the workroom will be empty without Gabi and Dolly," Emil said after the car had left and the dolls had climbed back down from the windowsill. He was thinking about the place where the two dolls stood and watched when they weren't helping.
"It will seem strange without them," Mariah agreed.
"Why do they want to leave us?" Pippa asked with concern in her voice.
"Since they don't play parts in the stories," Emil replied, "they want to help sell the books. Helping sell the books lets them still be part of everything we do."
"They've always been part of the stories," Pippa pointed out. "Gabi holds my clothes when I'm changing. I'll have to use a chair now."
"That's true," Mariah agreed, "Dolly helps, too, behind the scenes, with hair and other things, but we can help each other, and this job is more important right now."
"Why aren't they in the stories?" Pippa asked.
Mariah looked at Emil. Emil looked at Mariah. "Let's ask Veronika!" they both said at once.
The dolls left the bottom stair and went to find Veronika. She was in the workroom, choosing some fabrics that might work for a skirt to go with Dolly's new sweater. She would make the final selection when she saw the yarn Mandy brought home from the yarn store. Mandy had said she was going to look for green, but there are lots of different greens, and not all of them go together. Veronika looked up when the three dolls came in.
"We have a question," Mariah said. "We were wondering why Gabi and Dolly aren't in the stories."
Veronika thought for a moment. She knew the answer, but it was complicated. "Well," she said finally, "the main reason is because their manufacturers (man-you-FAK-cher-ers) didn't ever answer when The Writer wrote them to ask for permission to use them in our books."
"You see," Veronika went on, after the other dolls had settled down around her to listen, "even before the first book, The Writer made a book about my birthday. It wasn't a published book, you see, but just a book she wrote and had printed as gifts for her grandchildren."
"The Writer made several other copies, too, to keep for gifts," Veronika continued. "Gabi and Dolly were already living with us then, and Mandy and Charlotte, and two boys named Alister and Matthias, who were with us to get clothes before going to live with The Writer's grandsons. We were all dolls from five different manufacturers: the company that made us and four others. The Writer wrote to each one asking for permission to publish the book so other human children could get copies."
"She received permission from the company that makes dolls like us," Veronika went on, "and a reply from the company that makes Matthias saying they could not give permission. None of the others wrote back. That meant that The Writer could not publish the book about my birthday, nor could she publish any other book with those dolls in it."
"The boys went to their new homes," Veronika continued, "but Gabi and Dolly stayed here with us. This story won't ever be in a published book unless The Writer can get permission to use them," she added.
"How sad for Gabi and Dolly," said Pippa, who really enjoyed being in the stories.
"They tell us they don't mind," said Mariah, who had been quiet for a long time. "It's hard for them to do some of the things we need to do," she pointed out. "Their elbows and knees don't bend."
"Like our fingers?" Pippa asked, and the other dolls nodded.
"Gabi will be an excellent model," Veronika pointed out, "and she will feel useful if someone buys a copy of one of our books and yarn to make the dress she's modeling. Now, I need to get some more fabrics out of the fabric cabinet so we will have a good selection that might make a good skirt for Dolly!"
The other dolls decided to read while Veronika dug through the fabrics. Soon they were all comfortably reading.
Some time later, they heard a car door close. "Mandy's back!" Pippa cried. "Let's go see what kind of yarn she picked out!"
Meanwhile, in a yarn shop* in Bend, Oregon, a proud Gabi displayed her simple dress in a gorgeous yarn...and was proud of the job she had.
Cast--
Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni
Mariah: Götz Happy Kidz Mariah, "Chosen" from My Doll Best Friend
Emil: Götz Happy Kidz EmiliaPippa: Götz Little Kidz Lotta
Gabi: Tonner My Imagination Play Doll*Fancywork Yarn Shop
You can follow The Doll's Storybook here.Do you have questions or comments for us? Would you like to order an autographed copy of one of our books? You can email us at thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.
Note: No dolls were harmed during production of this blog. All dolls shown are Götz Happy Kidz, Classic Kidz or Little Kidz. If you like these stories and are willing, please make a donation of any amount to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or any organization that supports pediatric cancer research and treatment. We are not affiliated with St. Jude in any way other than these donations.
"The Doll's Storybook" is not affiliated with Gotz Dolls USA Inc. or Götz Puppenmanufaktur International GmbH.
Watch for the next story each Friday afternoon at 1:00 PM Pacific Time.
Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook , Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook and More Classic Tales Untold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are available from BookBaby and other booksellers worldwide, such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Author's page on Amazon. Royalties (net proceeds) go to support pediatric cancer research and treatment. If you don't get free shipping elsewhere, buy from Book Baby. Half of the price goes to charity (specific information available upon request). Autographed copies of all three books are available from the author. (Multiple books to the same address have a discount on shipping.) To inquire, email thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.
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Copyright © 2022, 2025 by Peggy Stuart
June 20, 2025
Locked Out
"We will just have to wait for our family to come home," said Veronika. She climbed up and sat down on the outdoor couch that sits on the front porch.
The other dolls joined her on the couch.
"I hope they aren't gone too long," Billy said, as he climbed up to join Veronika.
"I'm glad I don't have to pretend to use the bathroom," Jolena added.
"It's good to sit down," Mariah said. "Our legs are so short."
The dolls waited. Dolls are good at waiting. They are good at being patient.
Maybe Billy isn't as patient as the girls. Soon he began to feel bored. "I wish I had something to do," he said.
Veronika looked around to see what was on the front porch. "Look!" she cried. "The recycling is here!"
Veronika was right. The recycling was sitting on the porch, waiting for someone to take it to the recycling bin.
"There's paper in it," she added. "Let's play a game! Everyone think of something we can do with paper."
The dolls thought for a few minutes.
"I have something!" Jolena cried suddenly.
The other dolls looked at Jolena.
"I like to fly through the air on my skis," she said. "Maybe it would be fun to make a paper airplane and fly it through the air!"
The dolls agreed that would be fun.
"We could make a hat out of a piece of paper," Charlotte suggested.
"I have an idea, too!" Billy exclaimed. "If we had scissors, a pin and a pencil, we could make a pinwheel!"
"I have pins," said Veronika, "but they are in the house."
"I have a pin in my knitting bag," Mandy said, "and scissors and a pencil."
"Do you take your knitting with you everywhere?" Billy wanted to know.
"Yes," Mandy replied. "You never know when you might have to wait."
"If we have scissors," Veronika said, "we can make a string of paper dolls."
"If we have scissors," Mariah added, "we can make a snowflake."
"If we had some glue or tape," Mandy said, "We could make paper chains."
The dolls all thought that sounded like fun.
The dolls all looked at Mandy's knitting bag.
"I don't keep any tape in there," Mandy laughed, "but I just thought of another thing we can do with what we have. We can make a cootie catcher. There are some fun games you can play with a cootie catcher."
The dolls got busy. Veronika did the cutting, because she is left-handed and can use the scissors with the hand that has all the fingers loose.
They made a paper airplane.
They made a hat.
They made a pinwheel.
They made a string of paper dolls.
They made a snowflake.
They made a cootie catcher.
Just then, Jolena remembered the dog door in the back. "If we can get over the fence into the back yard," she said, "we can get into the house the way the dogs do."
"You're right," Billy agreed. "We're small enough to go in that way. We can get the tape!"
And so they did. Jolena and Billy helped each other climb over the fence and went into the house through the dog door.
They got the tape. Then they went back out through the dog door, carrying the tape, dispenser and all. They helped each other over the fence with the tape, and brought it back to the front porch.Then the dolls all worked together to make a paper chain while they waited for their human people to get home to let them into the house.
When they were done, they collected all the little scraps of paper they had cut out from the paper and put them into the recycling can.
What would you do with paper if you wanted to have fun?
What would you do if you were locked out of the house but could get in through the dog door?
What do you think the dolls should have done?
Want to make the things the dolls made with paper? Here are some links to directions: Let your parents see these first!
Here's how to make Jolena's paper airplane.
Here's how to make Charlotte's paper hat.
Here's how to make Billy's pinwheel.
Here's how to make Veronika's string of paper dolls.
Here's how to make Mariah's paper snowflake.
Here's how to make Mandy's paper chain.
Here's how to make a cootie catcher.
Cast--
Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni
Mandy: Götz Happy Kidz Katie 2015
Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen
Charlotte: Götz Happy Kidz Anna in Paris
Mariah: Götz Happy Kidz Mariah, "Chosen" from My Doll Best Friend
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily at London
You can follow The Doll's Storybook here.Do you have questions or comments for us? Would you like to order an autographed copy of one of our books? You can email us at thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.
Note: No dolls were harmed during production of this blog. All dolls shown are Götz Happy Kidz, Classic Kidz or Little Kidz. If you like these stories and are willing, please make a donation of any amount to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or any organization that supports pediatric cancer research and treatment. We are not affiliated with St. Jude in any way other than these donations.
"The Doll's Storybook" is not affiliated with Gotz Dolls USA Inc. or Götz Puppenmanufaktur International GmbH.
Watch for the next story each Friday afternoon at 1:00 PM Pacific Time.
Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook , Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook and More Classic Tales Untold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are available from BookBaby and other booksellers worldwide, such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Author's page on Amazon. Royalties (net proceeds) go to support pediatric cancer research and treatment. If you don't get free shipping elsewhere, buy from Book Baby. Half of the price goes to charity (specific information available upon request). Autographed copies of all three books are available from the author. (Multiple books to the same address have a discount on shipping.) To inquire, email thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.
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Copyright ©2019, 2025 by Peggy Stuart
June 13, 2025
About Plants
Note: This story is from five years ago, when Emil was new. The Writer and the cast of The Doll's Storybook hope you enjoy this look back at a story about growing things.
Billy was showing Emil the garden. We were going to grow some vegetables this year.
"Last year, before you came," Billy told Emil, "we grew only radishes."
"Tell me about it" Emil said.
"Well," Billy began, "Mariah and I were reading a book together, when Mandy climbed up on the couch and showed us a packet of seeds. They were radish seeds."
Billy explained to Emil how Mandy invited them to help her plant the seeds. "We went into the kitchen," he said, thinking back. "Mandy had a clear plastic cup and some rocks. We put the rocks into the cup. She said it was for something called drainage. When you water the plant, the water has someplace to go."
"Mandy filled the cup with dirt. She called it potting soil," Billy explained. "That's special dirt you use when you plant something in a pot."
Mandy added water to the cup. She added water until the dirt was damp.
Then it was time for the seeds. Mandy tore off the top of the seed packet.
Mandy poured some seeds from the packet into a little bowl. "The seeds were tiny things," Billy said.
Mandy put several of the seeds into the dirt. Then she picked up a chopstick. She used it to push the seeds down into the soil just a little bit. She made sure the seeds were up against the sides of the cup, so they could see them as they grew.
Mandy said that they would have to wait, and the seeds would do the rest.
Mandy put the cup in a little bowl on the windowsill. She checked it every day and sometimes added water.
After a few days, the dolls were able to see the seeds change shape. They grew little arms that curled around in the dirt.
After a few more days, the arm had started to go down in the dirt.
"So maybe it was a leg, instead of an arm," Emil suggested to Billy.
"Mandy told us it's called a root," Billy explained. "She said it would grow bigger and bring water and food to the plant."
"We took turns checking on what was happening in the cup," Billy remembered. "The little plants were a bit bigger each day."
One day the little plants had leaves.
Mandy brought the cup to the workroom, so all the dolls could see.
"Mandy told us the plants were growing," Billy explained.
"When we looked at the side of the cup, we could see that the roots had tiny hairs sticking out," Billy explained. "Mandy said those were roots, too."
Every day there were more leaves on the plants and the plants were taller.
When the weather was warm, the dolls took them outside and planted them in the garden.
"They grew and grew," Billy explained to Emil. He showed Emil where they had planted the radishes. There were other vegetables there now, but there would be some radishes soon, too.
"When they are big enough, we'll pull them out of the ground," Billy explained. "That's what we did last year."
Billy remembered how Jolena had cut up the radishes last year and put them into a salad. The dolls had pretended to eat them for supper.
Just then Mandy came out of the house and heard what the boys were talking about as they walked back to the dog door. "You don't have to plant some plants in the ground for them to grow enough to eat," she said. "We've been growing some sprouts in the house. Come and I'll show you."
The boys got up and followed Mandy into the house. On the counter was a jar full of little leaves and tiny roots. "These seeds grow inside a jar. They are ready to eat in a just a few days.These are sprouts," Mandy explained. "They grew from broccoli (BROK-uh-lee) seeds."
"If we planted them outside and let them keep growing," Mandy said, "they would turn into broccoli plants. We could cut the broccoli and bring it indoors for Jolena to cook."
"We can pretend to eat them this way, too," Mandy said, "by growing them in jars."
"How do you do that?" Emil asked.
"First you put some seeds in a jar," Mandy began. "Then you put some water in with the seeds and close the jar with a special lid that has a screen in it."
"You leave it for the seeds to soak overnight," she continued. "In the morning, you drain the water out of the jar. It's easier if you have a screen in the lid or a special lid with holes to keep the seeds in the jar." she told them. "You leave the jar tipped over in a bowl, so the water can drain and the air can get in. Some seeds taste better if you leave them in the dark. We use one of the kitchen cabinets for that, but these are OK out on the counter."
"We rinse them with water every morning and every night." Mandy explained. "You have to pour water into the jar through the lid, then tip it over so the water drains out."
The boys took a close look at the seeds. Some looked looked puffy, but they still just looked like seeds. Wet seeds.
"These will be a different kind of sprouts," Mandy said. "They are a mix of several different kinds of seeds."
(Here's what Mandy's seeds looked like when they had been growing for a day or two.)
"These sprouts have grown enough to eat," Mandy explained, showing them some sprouts in a bowl on the counter.
"How do you pretend to eat them?" Billy asked.
"Jolena puts these in salads or sandwiches, like lettuce," Mandy replied, "but you can throw them in with food you cook, too."
Now all the dolls like to pretend to eat sprouts. They like to grow them, too. It's fun to see how much bigger they are in the morning when you get up.
Jolena explained to Charlotte that sprouts are easy to grow, because you don't have to dig in the dirt. You don't have to wait for warm weather. You can even grow them in the winter.
Jolena likes to think of different ways to serve the sprouts.
Sometimes the the dolls like to sprout a special kind of beans. They soak them overnight and then rinse them with water twice a day, just like the small seeds.
They keep these in the dark. When the sprouted beans grow to fill the jar, they are ready to eat.
Jolena likes to cook with the bean sprouts. She usually cooks them with other vegetables.
Veronika has been using a special indoor garden to grow herbs (ERBZ).
Herbs are plants that are used to add more flavor to foods. Veronika's special garden grows the plants in water. It has a light that comes on and stays on all day to make sure the plants have enough light. Plants need light to grow. Jolena likes to use the herbs in her recipes.
Children grow, too. They don't stay in a jar or get planted in the ground. They run around and play. They sleep in a bed at night, the way dolls do, not standing up in the dirt or squished in a jar.
Eating foods that grow in the ground or in a jar helps real children grow.They grow until they are as big as they are meant to be.
Cast--
Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni
Mandy: Götz Happy Kidz Katie 2015
Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen
Charlotte: Götz Happy Kidz Anna in Paris
Mariah: Götz Happy Kidz Mariah, "Chosen" from My Doll Best Friend
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily at London
Emil: Götz Happy Kidz Emilia
Whole radishes photo: Matilda Bellman
Cut radishes photo: Louis Hansel @shotsoflouis
Broccoli photo: Annie Spratt
all of the above on Unsplash.
You can follow The Doll's Storybook here.Do you have questions or comments for us? Would you like to order an autographed copy of one of our books? You can email us at thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.
Note: No dolls were harmed during production of this blog. All dolls shown are Götz Happy Kidz, Classic Kidz or Little Kidz. If you like these stories and are willing, please make a donation of any amount to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or any organization that supports pediatric cancer research and treatment. We are not affiliated with St. Jude in any way other than these donations.
"The Doll's Storybook" is not affiliated with Gotz Dolls USA Inc. or Götz Puppenmanufaktur International GmbH.
Watch for the next story each Friday afternoon at 1:00 PM Pacific Time.
Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook , Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook and More Classic Tales Untold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are available from BookBaby and other booksellers worldwide, such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Author's page on Amazon. Royalties (net proceeds) go to support pediatric cancer research and treatment. If you don't get free shipping elsewhere, buy from Book Baby. Half of the price goes to charity (specific information available upon request). Autographed copies of all three books are available from the author. (Multiple books to the same address have a discount on shipping.) To inquire, email thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.
<a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blog/198325... my blog with Bloglovin</a>
Copyright © 2020, 2025 by Peggy Stuart
June 6, 2025
A Different Kind of Talking
"I can't decide whether it's a Mandy question or a Veronika question," Billy told Emil as the boys were walking home from school.
"I thought it was a question for Veronika," Emil said, "because Justin is being teased because he's different."
"That's true," Billy agreed, as the boys reached the front steps, "but I was thinking that why he's being teased might be more of a Mandy question."
"I know about being teased," said Emil. "Dolls who are different sometimes get teased. That happened to me. Teasing isn't so bad, but some of the dolls even played tricks on me, which is worse."
The boys took turns helping each other up the stairs to the house, not because either of them needed help, but they liked to practice helping others. Some dolls do need help from time to time.
"Picking on other dolls isn't nice," Billy said. "I wanted to hit them, but I remembered that Veronika told me that hitting was wrong. That was when some of the other dolls were picking on Mariah for being different."
"You got in a fight, didn't you?" Emil asked as the boys reached the door to the house. (It was before he came, but he remembered hearing about it.)
"Yes," Billy agreed, "but now I know there are better ways to handle bullies. Veronika helped me understand that bullies often have problems we don't know about."
"Veronika," Billy continued, "explained that bullying is just a way to get attention and to feel better about something they feel bad about. If you ignore them it stops being fun, and they stop."
The boys found both Veronika and Mandy in the living room, reading, so they didn't have to decide which one to look for. Mariah was there, too, helping Pippa with her homework. The girls all looked up when the boys came in.
"We have a question," Billy said to the girls. "Maybe you can help us with something."
"What's up?" Veronika asked. She closed her book.
"Well," Emil began, "our friend Justin is getting picked on because of the way he talks."
"I know we aren't supposed to hit the other dolls," Billy said, "but I was really tempted to."
"I know we're supposed to just be friendly with Justin and pay no attention to the bullies," he added, "so they get bored and go do something else."
"That's right," Veronika agreed, nodding. Mandy was nodding, too.
"It's because of the way he talks," Emil explained, once the boys had climbed up onto the couch. "He has trouble getting words out."
"Some of the other boys said Justin was faking," Billy said. "They said he was pretending to talk that way to get attention."
"Why did they think he was pretending?" Mariah asked.
"It's because he doesn't do it when he sings," Emil pointed out, leaning back so he could look at Mariah.
"Yes," Billy agreed, "and he can recite poetry, too, with no problem, but I don't think he's faking."
"Justin stutters," said Mandy, who knew all the dolls at the school. "That means he sometimes repeats one sound over and over until he can get the word out out. Sometimes even the wrong word comes out."
"Yes!" Billy exclaimed. "That's exactly what he does! He can sing songs, though, without having a problem."
"It's because singing uses a different part of the brain," Mandy explained. "It's a problem that real human people sometimes have, too. It's genetic (juh-NEH-tik). That means it runs in families," Mandy explained. "Some dolls stutter, too, because dolls are made to be like real children."
"It starts when a human child is young," Mandy explained, "and sometimes they need to have speech therapy. That's special training to be able to talk so other human people can understand them. Many still have a problem speaking when they are adults." Mandy thought for a moment. "Maybe Justin was made that way so he could go live a with a human child who stutters."
"I think," Mariah said, "that you should tell Justin that the person who wrote Alice in Wonderland stuttered. I think that's why he was such a good writer. He could say what he wanted in writing and not stutter."
"I didn't know that about Lewis Carroll," Pippa said. "Alice in Wonderland is my very favorite book!"
"Lots of people who stuttered or still do," Veronika pointed out, "are famous, but not for their stuttering. Some are famous athletes, singers, actors and writers."
"Yes!" Mandy agreed. "Some people write or recite words they've memorized because they can and go on to be very good at it. Practice will do that sometimes. Or they put their energy into something where you don't have to talk much."
"And some," Veronika explained, "have gone on in spite of their problem with speaking and done something great in some other field where they have to talk a lot, like President of the country, even though they have to work extra hard to talk."
Then she paused and looked as if there might be something more she wanted to say, so the boys waited. Actually, everyone waited.
"I wonder if Justin knows this," Veronika suggested. "Maybe he feels bad because he doesn't talk the way everyone else does. Sometimes dolls who are picked on start to think that they are broken."
"Yes," Emil agreed. "I can see that. It's what I thought about myself before I came here and found out how much I could do." (Emil doesn't have trouble talking, but without his special glasses, he can't see or hear, and he needs help from others when his glasses are charging, like the time when the smoke alarm went off in the middle of the night. He didn't hear it, so Billy got him up.)
"Let's tell him tomorrow," Billy suggested, "about all the famous people who stutter. We can look up 'famous people who stutter' on the computer and make a list for him." Then he looked at Veronika, to see what she thought.
Veronika nodded. "That's a great idea!" she agreed. "You and Emil can tell him all the athletes, singers, actors and other famous people you know of who had to overcome stuttering as they grew up!"
"What's the matter, Mariah?" Pippa asked suddenly.
Mariah was staring off into space. "Well," she said, "I was just remembering that Lewis Carroll had planned to be a clergyman. That meant he would have to get up and talk in church. It was too difficult, though. That's why he wrote instead."
"Can you imagine a life without Alice?" Pippa asked. "What if he hadn't stuttered. He might not have written my favorite book."
Pippa's eyes would have become big and round, except that they don't move, so she just stared at the other dolls. And they stared back.
"I'm sorry Lewis Carroll had to go through all that," Pippa said finally, "but I'm sort of glad, too."
Life without "Alice." It didn't bear thinking about.
Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni
Mandy: Götz Happy Kidz Katie 2015
Mariah: Götz Happy Kidz Mariah, "Chosen" from My Doll Best Friend
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily at London
Emil: Götz Happy Kidz EmiliaPippa: Götz Little Kidz Lotta
You can learn more about stuttering from the Stuttering Foundation.
You can see a real human boy who stutters who spoke to millions of people on television here:
You can follow The Doll's Storybook here.Do you have questions or comments for us? Would you like to order an autographed copy of one of our books? You can email us at thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.
Previously published as "Saying it Right."
Note: No dolls were harmed during production of this blog. All dolls shown are Götz Happy Kidz, Classic Kidz or Little Kidz. If you like these stories and are willing, please make a donation of any amount to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or any organization that supports pediatric cancer research and treatment. We are not affiliated with St. Jude in any way other than these donations.
"The Doll's Storybook" is not affiliated with Gotz Dolls USA Inc. or Götz Puppenmanufaktur International GmbH.
Watch for the next story each Friday afternoon at 1:00 PM Pacific Time.
Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook , Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook and More Classic Tales Untold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are available from BookBaby and other booksellers worldwide, such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Author's page on Amazon. Royalties (net proceeds) go to support pediatric cancer research and treatment. If you don't get free shipping elsewhere, buy from Book Baby. Half of the price goes to charity (specific information available upon request). Autographed copies of all three books are available from the author. (Multiple books to the same address have a discount on shipping.) To inquire, email thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.
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Copyright © 2020, 2023, 2025 by Peggy Stuart
May 30, 2025
Being Distracted
When it was still quiet this morning, Mariah made an outline to follow, so she would have all the ideas she wanted to include. She had organized her ideas so everything she had to say would make sense.
When Mariah was ready to write, it was later in the day, and the other dolls were up. She thought she would sit in the workroom, so she went in and sat down in the empty chair next to Veronika. Mandy and Veronika were watching the television.
Mariah tried to write, but she couldn't. Her mind kept going to what was on the television. It was an interesting movie, and she would have liked to watch, but she wanted to write her essay while all the ideas were in her mind.
She was distracted (dis-TRAK-ted). Finally she got up and left.
Mariah decided to go to the dining room. Billy and Emil were there. They were working on a crossword puzzle together. Mariah tried to write, but she could hear what the boys were saying. She knew right away what the word was that the boys had to figure out. She was interested to see how long it would take them to figure it out, so she couldn't keep her mind on her essay. The boys with their crossword puzzle were a distraction. Finally she got up and left.
Next Mariah tried the kitchen. Jolena was there, but she was just cooking. Mariah didn't think that would bother her while she tried to write, so she sat down on one of the big stools.
Jolena was chopping vegetables. Mariah started to wonder what they were having for supper. She had pretended to eat her breakfast very early, when it was still dark, and she was already hungry again.
Jolena sometimes talks to herself when she cooks. "What did I do with the pepper?" she asked herself, looking through the spice drawer.
"It's next to your left hand," Mariah told her.
Then Mariah realized that she had been sitting there for a while and hadn't written anything. This wasn't working, either. On top of that, something was baking in the oven. It smelled like fresh bread. She was distracted by the lovely smell. She kept thinking about food and how nice it was to pretend to eat.
Mariah got up and left.
She decided to try the guest room. Charlotte was there, practicing her violin. "This won't be a distraction," Mariah thought to herself. She sat down and started to write. It went well until Charlotte made a mistake. Charlotte stopped playing, started again and then stopped again.
For a few minutes, Charlotte played the same part of her music over and over. It distracted Mariah. This wasn't working, either. Mariah gave a big sigh, and got up and left.
Where could she go? Everywhere in the house there was something going on that distracted her from her writing.
Mariah gazed out the window, thinking about her problem. It was a nice day outside. "I know what I'll do!" she exclaimed. "I'll go sit outside to write. I can be alone out there."
So she did. She sat outside. The birds sang, but they did not distract Mariah. A squirrel ran along the fence, but he did not distract her. There was a breeze that made the branches of the trees move, but that didn't distract Mariah.
Mariah wrote until she had finished her essay. She read it through and made some corrections. Then she copied it onto a fresh page, so it would be neat. She was done!
Mariah went back into the house. She stopped in the kitchen to check on supper. She found out they were having chili for supper. Mariah was looking forward to pretending to eat it.
Mariah stopped in the dining room. The boys were stuck on a word they couldn't figure out. She helped them figure out the word. She did it in a way that helped them figure it out by themselves.
Mariah went upstairs. As she passed the workroom, she heard Charlotte playing the piece she had been practicing. She stopped and listened. Charlotte played it straight through without making any mistakes. It was nice to listen.
Mariah continued on to the workroom. She sat down again in the empty chair next to Veronika. The girls were still watching the same movie.
The movie gave Mariah an idea for another essay. She decided she would write her outline later, but she wrote herself a note in her notebook, so she would remember. For now, she would just watch with Veronika and Mandy.
Cast--
Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni
Mandy: Götz Happy Kidz Katie 2015
Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen
Charlotte: Götz Happy Kidz Anna in Paris
Mariah: Götz Happy Kidz Mariah, "Chosen" from My Doll Best Friend
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily at London
Emil: Götz Happy Kidz Emilia
You can follow The Doll's Storybook here.Do you have questions or comments for us? Would you like to order an autographed copy of one of our books? You can email us at thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.
Note: No dolls were harmed during production of this blog. All dolls shown are Götz Happy Kidz, Classic Kidz or Little Kidz. If you like these stories and are willing, please make a donation of any amount to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or any organization that supports pediatric cancer research and treatment. We are not affiliated with St. Jude in any way other than these donations.
"The Doll's Storybook" is not affiliated with Gotz Dolls USA Inc. or Götz Puppenmanufaktur International GmbH.
Watch for the next story each Friday afternoon at 1:00 PM Pacific Time.
Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook , Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook and More Classic Tales Untold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are available from BookBaby and other booksellers worldwide, such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Author's page on Amazon. Royalties (net proceeds) go to support pediatric cancer research and treatment. If you don't get free shipping elsewhere, buy from Book Baby. Half of the price goes to charity (specific information available upon request). Autographed copies of all three books are available from the author. (Multiple books to the same address have a discount on shipping.) To inquire, email thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.
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Copyright © 2020, 2025 by Peggy Stuart
May 23, 2025
Money in a Jar
Veronika was concerned when she found Billy looking sad. “What’s the problem, Billy?” she asked. “You look as if you just lost your best friend.”
Billy gave a big sigh. “I need a new puzzle,” he said. “I’ve put this one together a million times already. It’s no fun anymore. I would buy a new one, I even found one I like, but I don’t have enough money to buy it.”
Veronika sat down next to Billy. “I think I understand how you feel, Billy,” she said. “What you're saying is, you remember how much fun it was to put it together when it was brand new, and you want that feeling again, but now it’s too easy, so it isn’t fun anymore. Is that right?”
Billy nodded.
“You get your allowance tomorrow, don’t you?” Veronika asked.
Billy nodded again. “But it won’t be enough for the puzzle I need,” he said. “I saw it in the store yesterday. It has a lot more pieces and a different picture, so it would be more fun than this one.”
Veronika reached out and patted Billy’s arm. “A puzzle isn’t something you need, Billy,” she explained. “It’s something you want. That isn't the same thing.”
“Something you need is a place to live, people and dolls who love you, clothes to wear and food you can pretend to eat. It’s pretend dog food for Freckles and visits to the vet if she pretends to get sick. Those things come first.”
“I have all that, though,” Billy said, “and a lot more, too.”
“Yes! I do, too, and we’re very lucky dolls,” Veronika said. “Some dolls don’t have all that. Some dolls are still in their boxes, waiting for a home. Some dolls are stored away on shelves because no one plays with them anymore.”
“I am lucky! I have sisters and a brother,” Billy said. “I have bicycles to ride and friends to do things with.”
“I have a dog to play with and a nice neighborhood to walk her in,” he continued.
“I still want a new puzzle, though,” Billy sighed.
“If you don’t have enough money for something you want,” Veronika suggested, “you can save until you do, or you can work to earn money. You can do extra chores or do things for people and dolls who would rather pay someone to do something than to do it themselves.”
“I could do that,” Billy agreed.
Then Billy had a thought. “But what if the puzzle is gone by the time I have enough money? That would be horrible!”
“That could happen,” Veronika agreed, “but I have an idea about that, too.”
“You do?” Billy asked.
“Some stores have something called lay-away,” Veronika explained. “You pay part of the cost of something, then each week you go and make a payment on it. When you have paid all the money, you can take it home.”
“That’s a great idea!” Billy exclaimed.
“You need to find out, though,” Veronika said, “if the store that has this puzzle will do that, and how much money you will have to pay for them to keep it for you.”
“I’ll call them and ask,” Billy said.
“That’s a good idea,” Veronika said. “That will save you a trip in case they say no. Now, I have a suggestion to help you, so you don’t get into this fix again.”
“Tell me,” Billy pleaded.
“Well, you need to learn to save money, Billy,” Veronika explained. “Here’s what I do: When I get my allowance, or get money as a gift, or because I worked for it, I divide it up and put it into two jars. I like to put half into one jar and half into the other.”
“One jar is to spend as I like,” Veronika continued. “The other jar is to save. I don’t touch the money in the savings jar unless it is something very, very special. Then I only take out what I need to spend for the special thing.”
“I want to do that, too,” Billy exclaimed.
“That’s great, and I can get you some jars to use,” Veronika agreed, “but you have to decide for yourself how you are going to divide up your money. The more you put into savings, the easier it will be when there is something you really want, like the puzzle, or something you need to spend money on.”
“I’ll do that,” Billy agreed. “Maybe I can think of a way to earn money, too, but I don't think anyone would let a doll babysit for them or walk their dog.”
Veronika laughed. “I can just see even a small dog dragging you off down the street,” she agreed, “but maybe you could walk a toy dog when you walk Freckles, or babysit a younger doll. Maybe you could even sell some of your photographs,” she suggested.
“You can also save money by not buying new things you don't need,” Veronika pointed out. “We can often repair broken toys or torn clothes rather than throwing them out and buying new. That can save you money, before you even have it. It’s like getting paid not to spend.”
“I wish I had a lot of money,” Billy said. “I’ll bet dolls who have plenty of money are happy.”
“I’m sure you aren't alone in thinking that,” Veronika agreed, “but money doesn’t make us happy. It’s important to have enough to meet our needs, but if you could buy everything you want no matter what it costs, you would lose out on a lot of the fun of life. Remember why you wanted a new puzzle?”
Billy thought about that for a moment. “Yes,” he said. “This one is too easy, because I’ve put it together a million times. It's no fun anymore.”
“Well,” continued Veronika, “I think that’s what it must be like to have a lot of money, so much you could buy anything you wanted whenever you wanted. Buying things might stop being fun.”
“I’ll bet it would be fun for a while, though,” Billy replied.
“Maybe,” Veronika suggested, “but then you might start to feel like you needed more money, because the things you want to buy to get that good feeling become more and more expensive. Dolls are made to enjoy working for something,” she continued. “If you didn’t need to work and save for the things you wanted, a lot of the fun could go out of life. You might even stop being careful about what you spend and then not have enough later on.”
“You might find you need to spend more and more to feel good about yourself,” Veronika continued. “Then you might be sorry you bought all those things, because the money is gone, and it wasn’t any fun.”
“You mean,” Billy suggested, “like a doll who pretends to eat too many cookies, and it makes him pretend to be sick?”
“Just like that,” she agreed. “Some dolls go the other way, though. They start to love the money just for itself, and that isn’t good either.”
“Maybe,” Veronika said, “when they see someone who has more money than they have, it makes them jealous,” she explained. “Maybe they stop wanting to help others who don’t have enough, because that would mean giving up some of their money, and they want to keep it all for themselves.”
“Like not wanting to help real children who are sick?” Billy asked. “I remember when we took all the bottles and soda cans to recycling. We took the money we got from it and sent it to people who help real children who are sick. That was one of the most fun adventures I’ve ever had!”
“That was fun,” Veronika agreed. “We should do that again. Real children need a lot of things. Some things you can’t buy with money, but some things you can.”
“Well,” Billy said, “I just had an idea!”
Veronika looked at him and waited, because she knew he would tell her.
“Can you get me another jar?” he asked. “I need a jar to hold the money I want to save, a jar to hold the money I can spend AND a jar for money to help children in need. I want to divide my money up evenly between the three jars.”
Veronika sat in stunned silence for a moment. Then she clapped her hands and said, “Billy, that’s a great idea! I want to do that, too. You’re a real treasure, and a treasure is better than a lot of money!”
“Thanks, Veronika,” Billy said. “Now I have a new thing I can work on. This will be fun!”
“We both have a new thing to work on, and it will be fun,” Veronika agreed.
“That’s great!” Billy said. “I’ll think about how much fun that will be,” Billy told Veronika, “while I finish putting together the old puzzle.”
Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni
Charlotte: Götz Happy Kidz Anna in Paris
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily at London
Emil: Götz Happy Kidz Emilia
You can follow The Doll's Storybook here.Do you have questions or comments for us? Would you like to order an autographed copy of one of our books? You can email us at thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.
Note: No dolls were harmed during production of this blog. All dolls shown are Götz Happy Kidz, Classic Kidz or Little Kidz. If you like these stories and are willing, please make a donation of any amount to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or any organization that supports pediatric cancer research and treatment. We are not affiliated with St. Jude in any way other than these donations.
"The Doll's Storybook" is not affiliated with Gotz Dolls USA Inc. or Götz Puppenmanufaktur International GmbH.
Watch for the next story each Friday afternoon at 1:00 PM Pacific Time.
Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook , Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook and More Classic Tales Untold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are available from BookBaby and other booksellers worldwide, such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Author's page on Amazon. Royalties (net proceeds) go to support pediatric cancer research and treatment. If you don't get free shipping elsewhere, buy from Book Baby. Half of the price goes to charity (specific information available upon request). Autographed copies of all three books are available from the author. (Multiple books to the same address have a discount on shipping.) To inquire, email thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.
<a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blog/198325... my blog with Bloglovin</a>
Copyright © 2025 by Peggy Stuart
May 16, 2025
Staying After School
Billy and Pauly closed the front door to Billy's house. "I should call Jeffy, Pauly said. "He must be worried about me."
"You can use our phone," Billy told him, taking Pauly's jacket from him. "The one the dolls use is usually in the kitchen, on the counter next to the refrigerator."
"Thanks," said Pauly as he ran off down the hall to the kitchen. He was familiar with the house now, because he spends most of his time there when Jeffy is not at home. He likes to be home when Jeffy is, because Jeffy needs him!
"You're pretty late coming home," Mariah said when Billy came into in the living room.
Emil hadn't mentioned to Mariah that Billy would be late. He thought it was better to let Billy explain when he got home.
"Yes," Billy said as he walked himself slowly toward them. "Well, you see some of us got into trouble and had to stay after school."
Billy heaved himself and the jackets up onto the big hassock in front of the couch. Mariah just looked at Billy. She wondered what he would have done to have to stay after.
Billy could tell Mariah really wanted to know more, so he began his story. She would find out anyway.
"You see," he said, "Pauly, Parker, Jackson and I were playing soccer in the school yard during recess. Well, actually, we were just practicing. I was showing them some moves I had learned. Then everyone tried it."
"When it was Parker's turn, he accidentally kicked the ball over the fence," Billy said. "His knees don't bend, and he hit it really hard. He didn't mean to. It's just what happens when you're learning something. Your aim is off."
Mariah nodded. She knew that was true.
"Pauly and I got to the fence first," Billy explained. "We could see the ball, but we couldn't reach it!"
"So there was the ball, on the other side of the fence," Billy went on with the story. "Recess was almost over, and the ball belongs to the school. We had to get it."
"You couldn't just leave it there," Emil agreed.
"So you found a teacher," Mariah suggested, "who could watch you get it or go with you to get it."
"We tried to," Billy explained, but all of the teachers who were out there were busy helping other dolls with things."
Mariah thought she could see where this was going. She knew there was a very strict rule that you don't leave the school yard until school is over. A human person might see you there and pick you up, thinking you didn't belong to anyone. They might take you home and keep you. They might never know they were dollnapping, because you would be where you didn't belong. They wouldn't know that you got there on your own, because many human people don't notice when dolls move around and do things. "You didn't go outside the school yard to get the ball!" she exclaimed.
Billy looked a little sheepish. "We decided to risk it," he said. "We didn't want the ball to get lost, so the four of us went out of the yard and got the ball. We thought it would be safe, because we were all together."
"When we were coming back with the ball," he went on, "one of the teachers caught us. She was very upset with us. She had seen us go outside the fence."
Emil had seen this part, so he just nodded.
"I can imagine!" Mariah exclaimed. "What did she do?" (She was sure he was going to tell them.)
"She told us we all had to come to her classroom after school," Billy replied. "She said we were going to be punished for breaking the rules."
Billy remembered how the four of them had worried about what the punishment was going to be. It was hard to think about anything else for the rest of the school day.
"So she made you stay after school," Mariah concluded. Now she knew as much as Emil did.
"Well," Billy said, "there was more than that. She showed us the whiteboards in her room. There are four of them. She assigned each of us one of the whiteboards. She told us we had to write 'I will not break the rules again' until our whiteboard was filled up."
"That teacher must be very old," Mariah suggested. "I didn't think they did that anymore."
"That must have been a lot of work," Emil put in.
"It was," Billy agreed, "but it was a lot harder for Pauly, because he couldn't reach very high and he writes smaller than the rest of us. He really struggled with it. I had to stand on a chair to reach the top of it, but Pauly had to pile some books on his chair and still couldn't reach very high up, so he started from the bottom."
"Then what did he do?" Mariah asked. Now she was very concerned for Pauly, because she knows he tries hard to do everything the others do, but like Pippa, he's very short.
"He did his best," Billy said, "but when the rest of us had finished, he was still only about a quarter done and was looking around in the teacher's cupboard to find more books to stand on."
"After a while, the teacher started looking at the clock on the wall," Billy said. "That made Pauly nervous, so it was harder for him to write."
Mariah glanced toward the kitchen. She was't sure if Pauly could hear or not. She wasn't sure how he would feel about being talked about when he wasn't there.
"The teacher said she had to leave," Billy continued. "She said Pauly could stop writing and we could all go home. Pauly didn't have to finish."
"So that's when you came home," Emil suggested.
"Yes," Billy said, "but there's more. Parker and Jackson didn't like it that Pauly didn't have to finish the punishment," he told them. "They started complaining that he should have to come back the next day to finish, because they had finished theirs, and it wasn't fair to them if he got off only doing part of it."
"I wanted to punch them both," Billy admitted, "but I remembered when I had gotten into a fight at school. Veronika told me I should never hit another doll, no matter what."
Mariah remembered that. "You were defending me," she said. "Veronika is right, but I was glad you stuck up for me. We just need to find better ways to stick up for someone than fighting."
Billy was glad Mariah had appreciated his support. "I remembered that Veronika said we should try to understand why someone does something we think is wrong or unfair," he said, "so I thought about how they had finished the punishment but Pauly hadn't. I thought about how the only dolls they live with are about their size. It made me realize that they didn't really understand how hard some things are for smaller dolls like Pauly and Pippa. Sometimes they need help!"
"So instead of hitting them," Billy went on, "I explained how difficult it was for Pauly to reach the white board. They must not have noticed, because they were working hard, but it was really a lot more work for Pauly than it was for them."
"I told them," Billy continued, "that just because someone else gets a break that you didn't get doesn't take anything away from you. You should be happy for them. Besides, Pauly wasn't the one who kicked the ball over the fence!"
"I reminded them that sometimes," Billy explained, "dolls without elbow and knee joints get help from smaller dolls, when there's something that's difficult for them to do."
"What did they do?" Emil asked.
"Jackson was still upset with Pauly," Billy replied, "but Parker apologized to him. Maybe Jackson will think about it and change his mind. I hope so."
"Then," Billy continued, "when we were leaving, the teacher did something odd, I think. She has sleeping eyes. You know, the kind that close when you lie down? I don't know how she did it, but she looked at me and closed one of her eyes. It was strange!"
"She winked at you!" Mariah exclaimed. "I know what that means! It means she thought you had done something good by trying to explain to Jackson and Parker."
This surprised Billy. He had only thought about how the teacher had been upset with him for breaking a very important rule. Maybe a teacher can be angry with you about something you did wrong and then pleased with you if you do something they like.
Just then, Pauly came back into the room. "Jeffy was glad I called," he told them. "I told him what happened, the whole story. He says to stay here, and he will come to get me. He doesn't want me to walk home alone when it's this late."
"We could have walked you home," Billy told him. He wondered why Jeffy hadn't thought about that.
"I think Jeffy wanted to come get Pauly," Mariah said. "Sometimes human people have to do something about their worry once it's over. It makes them feel better."
"Jeffy is a very special boy," Pauly told them. "I'm lucky to belong to a boy who doesn't just stand me on a shelf like something to look at!"
"You're lucky for lots of things," Mariah said, glancing at Billy. "You're a very lucky doll! We all are!"
Cast--
Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni
Mariah: Götz Happy Kidz Mariah, "Chosen" from My Doll Best Friend
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily at London
Emil: Götz Happy Kidz EmiliaPippa: Götz Little Kidz LottaPauly: Götz Little Kidz Paul
Old teacher: Madame Alexander Madeline ~1950
You can follow The Doll's Storybook here.Do you have questions or comments for us? Would you like to order an autographed copy of one of our books? You can email us at thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.
Note: No dolls were harmed during production of this blog. All dolls shown are Götz Happy Kidz, Classic Kidz or Little Kidz. If you like these stories and are willing, please make a donation of any amount to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or any organization that supports pediatric cancer research and treatment. We are not affiliated with St. Jude in any way other than these donations.
"The Doll's Storybook" is not affiliated with Gotz Dolls USA Inc. or Götz Puppenmanufaktur International GmbH.
Watch for the next story each Friday afternoon at 1:00 PM Pacific Time.
Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook , Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook and More Classic Tales Untold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are available from BookBaby and other booksellers worldwide, such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Author's page on Amazon. Royalties (net proceeds) go to support pediatric cancer research and treatment. If you don't get free shipping elsewhere, buy from Book Baby. Half of the price goes to charity (specific information available upon request). Autographed copies of all three books are available from the author. (Multiple books to the same address have a discount on shipping.) To inquire, email thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.
<a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blog/198325... my blog with Bloglovin</a>
Copyright © 2022, 2025 by Peggy Stuart
May 9, 2025
Shhhhh!
"Hey," said Billy from the doorway. "The Writer sent me in to ask everyone to talk a little more quietly."
Charlotte put down her violin. "Are we making too much noise?" she asked.
"No," said Billy, as he climbed up on the table next to Charlotte, "and she specifically said to tell you to keep playing. Music doesn't disturb her, unless someone sings along. It's the words that distract her."
"She and I," Billy went on proudly, "are working on the cover for the new book. She says she needs to concentrate, because the software is very complicated. Talking distracts her brain, so she can't think."
"I'm not really talking," said Pam, who was sitting on the floor with a book. "I'm reading, and I would like it a little quieter, too. I have to say the words out loud, or they don't make any sense with all the other words I'm hearing!"
"The Writer can hear us talk?" asked Pauly. He was incredulous. He couldn't believe it could be true. He knew many children can hear their dolls talk, although he wasn't sure that Jeffy, the child he lived with, could hear him. He hadn't been living with Jeffy long, so maybe it takes a while, but he didn't think actual grownup humans ever heard dolls talking.
Billy laughed, as he rubbed behind Pierre's ears. "She says that sometimes she wishes she didn't hear us, but then she thinks about the stories. She couldn't write them if we didn't talk to her."
"And if she didn't see us doing things," Mandy put in, as she checked the fit of the sweater she was making for Pippa.
"We definitely do things," Veronika agreed. She was at the sewing machine, working on a quilt for The Writer's husband.
"We're always busy," Jolena agreed.
"You're even busier than the rest of us," Mariah told her.
The two girls were sitting at the work table. Jolena was looking up recipes for what to cook for supper, while Mariah worked on a poem she was writing. "If you're not cooking something," Mariah pointed out, "you're off at dance lessons or ski instruction, or flying through the air on your skis." She punctuated this last statement with a wave of her hand.
"Jolena even supervises us when we wash the dishes!" Emil put in. He was brushing Marmalade to help Mandy, so she could get finished with Pippa's sweater.
"I've never seen the rest of you with nothing to do," Jolena pointed out.
"We're supposed to be quiet for a while, though," Emil said. "Shhhh!" he added, more to himself than to anyone else.
That reminded the other dolls that they needed to talk more softly.
They looked at each other and said, "Shhhhh!" They said it more to themselves than to each other.
Billy climbed down from the table and paused in the doorway. "I'll get back to helping," he said softly. Then he left the room.
"Let's pretend we're at the library when we talk," Pippa suggested softly, as she slipped off the new sweater. Pippa knows it's important to be quiet at the library, because some people like to read there, and loud talking can be distracting.
So they did. When they had to talk, they did it very quietly.
Veronika didn't worry that the sound of the sewing machine would bother The Writer. If music without words didn't bother her, the whirring sound the machine makes wouldn't bother her, either.
Mandy didn't worry that the sound of her knitting needles would bother The Writer. They just make a soft clicking sound as she works.
It was quiet enough that Pam was able to read without having to say the words out loud, so she didn't have to worry that her reading would disturb The Writer.
Pippa and Pauly didn't worry that using their crayons to color would disturb The Writer. Crayons on paper make hardly any sound at all! Coloring with crayons isn't like talking out loud.
Mariah didn't worry that the sound of her pencil, or even the sound of the eraser, on the paper would distract The Writer as she wrote her poem.
Jolena didn't worry that the sound of turning the pages in the cookbook would interfere with The Writer's concentration.
Emil didn't worry that The Writer would be disturbed by the sound of the brush going through Marmalade's fur or the purring sound Marmalade made when he was being brushed.
Sometimes Marmalade talked to Emil, but The Writer wouldn't hear that, even if Marmalade used his loudest voice. Emil was the only one who could hear the animals talk.
The other dolls could hear Marmalade purr. They could hear him say "meow," but they couldn't hear him talk about watching the birds in the tree outside or how much he liked to smell and even pretend to eat catnip.
The dolls continued with what they were doing before but remembering now to talk to each other with hushed tones, while Charlotte practiced playing her violin.
When Billy got downstairs, he found out that The Writer had gotten into more trouble with the cover of the book while he was upstairs. Billy needed to get her out of that trouble…and he did.
Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni
Mandy: Götz Happy Kidz Katie 2015
Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen
Charlotte: Götz Happy Kidz Anna in Paris
Mariah: Götz Happy Kidz Mariah, "Chosen" from My Doll Best Friend
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily at London
Emil: Götz Happy Kidz EmiliaPippa: Götz Little Kidz LottaPauly: Götz Little Kidz Paul
Marmalade: Purrrfect Cats from KTL
You can follow The Doll's Storybook here.Do you have questions or comments for us? Would you like to order an autographed copy of one of our books? You can email us at thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.
Note: No dolls were harmed during production of this blog. All dolls shown are Götz Happy Kidz, Classic Kidz or Little Kidz. If you like these stories and are willing, please make a donation of any amount to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or any organization that supports pediatric cancer research and treatment. We are not affiliated with St. Jude in any way other than these donations.
"The Doll's Storybook" is not affiliated with Gotz Dolls USA Inc. or Götz Puppenmanufaktur International GmbH.
Watch for the next story each Friday afternoon at 1:00 PM Pacific Time.
Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook , Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook and More Classic Tales Untold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are available from BookBaby and other booksellers worldwide, such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Author's page on Amazon. Royalties (net proceeds) go to support pediatric cancer research and treatment. If you don't get free shipping elsewhere, buy from Book Baby. Half of the price goes to charity (specific information available upon request). Autographed copies of all three books are available from the author. (Multiple books to the same address have a discount on shipping.) To inquire, email thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.
<a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blog/198325... my blog with Bloglovin</a>
Copyright © 2022, 2025 by Peggy Stuart
