Peggy Stuart's Blog, page 4

Changes at School

Billy tried very hard to slam the door when he came into the house. He was upset. He leaned against the door, trying to gather his patience.

The boys went in and sat down in the living room. None of them looked too happy.

"I'll get us some cookies," Veronika told them as she slid off the couch.

"It's going to ruin everything," Billy complained. "They could at least have asked us if it was OK with us."

"Maybe it won't be so bad," Emil suggested. "I mean, school has been pretty good so far. The dolls who run the school seem to know what they're doing."

"It just won't be the same!" Billy countered.

Veronika put the cookies on the couch in front of the boys, who each took one.

"I'm pretending this cookie tastes yummy," Pauly said. "Having something yummy often makes Jeffy feel better." (Jeffy is the human child Pauly lives with.)

"Why don't you tell me what's going on," Veronika suggested.

"They're going to let other kinds of dolls into the school next year," Emil explained.

"What do you mean by 'other kinds,' Emil?" Veronika asked. "Other than what? Help me understand."

"Dolls without elbow and knee joints," Emil replied, gesturing to his own knees, which Pauly suddenly found very interesting. He hadn't thought too much about his joints before. They were just there, a part of him and his friends.

"And with sleeping eyes!" Billy exclaimed. "They're going to let dolls with eyes that close come to our school."

"How do you know?" Veronika asked the boys.

"They told us at the playground," Emil explained. "Jacky and his friends were there, and they told us."

"Jacky and his friends would have heard it from someone," Veronika pointed out. "They don't run the school. Before we get upset about something, it's good to check and see if it's really true and, if it is, what the details are."

Veronika thought for a moment. "The Writer got a letter from the school yesterday," she continued. "It might have something to do with this. She said I should read it. It's in the pile of mail on the table, but I haven't read it yet. Let's have a look at it."

Veronika got up and went to the table, where there was a little pile of letters and catalogs. The boys reluctantly left the cookies and followed her. The dolls climbed up into the chairs at the table.

Veronika looked through the mail. "Here it is," she said, pulling out an envelope. "Yes, this is it! Let's see what it says." 

Veronika took out the letter and began to read it to herself. The boys tried to look at it and read it, too, but Veronika reads very fast, and she was done before they got through the first paragraph.

"Well," she said, "it's true. The letter says that they have decided to open the school up to all dolls from 14-20" in height. That includes all of us, of course, but there are a lot of other dolls that will now be able to come and learn. Isn't that a good thing?"

"But the classes will be full of them!" Billy exclaimed. "There are a lot more of them than us!" 

"The letter says," Veronika pointed out, "that over the summer the school is building new classrooms and hiring new teachers, so they can keep class size the same as before."

"Will the new dolls be in our classes?" Emil asked.

Veronika looked back at the letter. "According to the letter, they will. It looks like they think all the dolls will benefit from learning from each other, as well as from the teachers."

Billy put his head down on the table. "That's awful!" he complained. 

Veronika looked at him and waited.

"Dolls without knee joints," Billy pointed out when he saw that Veronika expected him to explain, "will have to sit with their legs sticking out from under the desk. We will have to watch where we step when we walk by." He climbed up on the table, so he could demonstrate how these dolls had to sit.

"I can do that," Pauly pointed out. "I mean, of course I can sit the same way as dolls with no knee joints, but I mean, I can watch where I walk and climb over any legs that are lying around on the floor."

"Dolls without knee joints and elbow joints," Billy went on, not willing to be distracted, "they have trouble doing things like picking up something off the floor. They fall down a lot, and, well, then they have trouble getting up again without help." He lay down on the table to demonstrate what he was talking about, as if the others had never seen a doll lacking knee joints lying on the floor.

"And if they fall on their backs," Emil pointed out, "their eyes close, and then they can't see." He tried to demonstrate on Billy, but, of course, Billy's eyes don't close, even with Emil's help.

"Sometimes they just go to sleep," Pauly put in. He had seen this happen. "When their eyes close, they sometimes just go to sleep."

The other dolls could remember seeing this, too. They agreed, it could be a problem.

Veronika suddenly had a thought. "Are you saying," she asked the boys, "that they shouldn't be allowed to go to our school just because they can't do many of the things the four of us can do?"

The boys looked at Veronika while they thought about that. They thought about dolls who couldn't bend their elbows or knees, sitting or standing or lying down at home, while dolls like Billy and Emil got to go to school and learn things. 

Emil and Billy looked at each other while they thought about all the things their elbow and knee joints let them do.

"You know," Veronika said sort of dreamily, "I've always been a little jealous of dolls without elbow and knee joints."

The boys looked back at Veronika. They were surprised.

"Their arms and legs are so lovely," she explained. "We have these odd-looking joints that don't look anything like the joints that real human children have."

"I'm glad for the joints, though," Veronika went on, "because they let me do the things I like to do, but if I wanted to look more like a real human child, maybe I would be very happy to be like them."

"I guess we're all different," Emil said. Then he thought for a moment. "I guess I can watch where I step when I walk by them," he added finally.

"I guess," Billy said slowly, seeing a new side of the situation, "that if they fall down, I can help them get up again."

"And I can hold their eyes open for them if they fall on their backs," Pauly exclaimed, wanting to join in, "so they can stay awake."

"I suppose new dolls could be fun to get to know," Billy conceded.

"Sometimes," Emil pointed out, "dolls who are unable to do what other dolls do turn out to have some special ability they wouldn't have had otherwise. That could be interesting."

Billy knew Emil was thinking about himself, and how he was able to communicate with animals, even though––and maybe because––he was made wrong in the factory and couldn't see or hear properly without his special glasses. He looked at his best friend and thought about how much he enjoyed his company.

Pauly just looked from one to the other. "Cool!" he exclaimed.

Cast--
Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily at London
Emil: Götz Happy Kidz EmiliaPauly: Götz Little Kidz Paul

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

The Doll's Storybook Join-Along

"You know," Mandy told Veronika, "This is a good time of year to refresh our wardrobes, don't you think?

"I think so, too," Veronika replied. "I was just remembering when we did that fashion show. Let's have another look at that story. It was our 200th story."

And so they did. I'll let them tell you....

Knitting and sewing for us is what got The Writer started writing the stories, so we decided to give you a fashion show using all of her designs. By way of a disclaimer, The Writer is very grateful to all the designers of the patterns she has also used for us.

These are patterns she made up for us when she couldn't find exactly what she wanted among the many beautiful knitting and sewing patterns already available. The names of the designs are linked to where you can find the free patterns or instructions online.

Please check with an adult before you start clicking on links, though. It's always best to do that when you're online, to make sure it's OK. There are dangers for human children in the internet, and your grownup human people will know how to keep you safe.

Mandy, why don't you go first, since you're our knitter. More of The Writer's patterns are for knitting.

Sure, Veronika! We'll start with the simple patterns first. First we have our Everyday Play dress. It's very simple. The stripes in this one Charlotte is wearing are made by using special yarn for knitting socks. This kind of yarn changes color, so it makes stripes as you knit.

There is a smaller size of this pattern that fits Pippa. It's called Everyday Play for Little Kidz Doll. There's a jacket that comes in both sizes. Pippa's is the Small Everyday Play Jacket. For the larger size, we use the Everyday Play Jacket.

Of course, you can use yarn that's all one color, or a tweed (yarn that has little flecks of color) is nice, too. Here's Pam, wearing the dress in a tweed yarn The Writer dyed using Kool Aid drink mix. Isn't it Kool?


I made it for Pam,, so she would have something new to wear when she moved into our neighborhood.

If you're looking for something fancier, there's the Viipuri Dress. You say it like VEE-poor-ee, which is the Finnish name for a city in Russia that used to belong to Finland. It only comes in the size for the larger dolls, like us, but a clever knitter might be able to figure out how to make it smaller using lace weight yarn and smaller needles. Thank you, Jolena!

Sweaters or jumpers are very useful. This is our Wonderland Turtle turtleneck pullover, modeled by Veronika. This design is called a pullover because it looks like the kind of thing a human person can just pull on over their head, but dolls don't like to have things pulled over our heads. That's why all of our pullovers button down the back. So they're really pullovers in our imagination, then.

Pippa has the smaller size, Pippa's Wonderland Turtle. Hers is made from the same tweed yarn The Writer dyed with Kool Aid.

This turtleneck pullover is good for boys, too. Emil and Billy don't like dresses, but they like to wear turtleneck sweaters. Here's Pippa wearing a plain orange version and Emil in purple.

Another "pullover" is Pauly's Stripy Pullover, modeled by Pippa. It's suitable for both boys and girls, too. It uses two different colors of yarn, but you're only knitting with one at a time. 

Here Veronika is wearing Charlotte's Twinset. The sweater underneath has short sleeves and buttons in the back. The outer one is like a jacket. It's called a cardigan. A cardigan buttons in the front.

We have some other cardigans, too. This one is the Cables and Herringbones cardigan, modeled by Mariah. The pattern is a little more complicated, but fun for knitters who have been knitting longer.

Billy likes to wear a vest over his best shirt. This vest is called Dapper Doll, because he looks very dapper in it. Girls like to wear vests, too, of course.

We also have a knitted polo shirt. It's called the Everyday Play Shirt. You make it just the same as the Everyday Play Dress, only  it stops before you get to the skirt, and it has a collar. Thank you Billy! (That was a quick change!)

Another pullover for knitters who have been knitting longer is this one, Lotte's Lotta Colors, worn by Charlotte. You have to know how to knit with two colors at a time to make this one. This kind of knitting is called stranded colorwork.

Almost the same, but smaller and with different motifs (moh-TEEFS)––those are the things that look like lines, flowers or stars––is Pippa's Chilly Days of Fall, modeled, of course, by Pippa. (Pippa wore this in the story "Sky Blue," from our book More Classic Tales Retold.)

As I said, we don't like to have things pulled over our heads, so all of these sweaters that look like pullovers actually button down the back. That means you can turn them around and wear them as cardigans if you want, as Charlotte did with this one.

Some sweaters are just made to open in the front, like this jacket of mine. It's called the Stavanger Cardigan. Instead of buttons, it has something called clasps to keep it closed. Jolena has one with kittens and fish on it and green trim instead of this cranberry color.

That's all the knitted stuff. I'll let Veronika tell you about the sewing projects.

Thank you, Mandy! It's so nice having knitted things, especially when the weather is cool. Many really important items of clothing, though, are more often made from pieces of fabric that are sewn together, like pajamas. Pippa's Bedtime is the pattern we used to make Pippa's PJs.

All of us, even the boys, like these Easy Pajama Pants. There's only one pattern piece. You cut out two of them. You fold the fabric in half, place the pattern piece down on one side and then cut out both at the same time. You get two pieces that are mirror images of each other. That means that one piece looks like what you would see in a mirror if you held up the other. Besides the hems at the waist and the bottom, there are only three seams to sew. Elastic goes in the waist. Then you can sew a piece of cotton yarn in the front and tie it in a bow, so it looks like the pants have a drawstring. Thank you, Mandy!

The girls really like to have underwear, especially panties or knickers. Dolls don't always come with panties. It's important if you wear dresses and skirts, unless you have tights on. The pattern we like is Gotz Doll Underwear and Bathing Suit. It has a camisole, (KAM-uh-sohl) as well. (A camisole is sort of a top you can wear under your clothes, like an undershirt, only fancier.) Here are Jolena and Charlotte modeling the camisole and panties for you.

The panties and camisole are made from girls' socks. The socks we used for these came with lace around the cuff. It adds a nice touch, I think, at the bottom of the camisole.

We also make our bathing suits out of socks. We bought a package of socks that had different colors. It was easy to make a one-piece bathing suit. Here's Jolena, wearing one of the one-piece bathing suits I made.

You can also make a two-piece bathing suit using the top of the cuff for the top. These socks had animal faces on the heel of a very short cuff. Another nice touch we were able to use. Here's Mandy again, this time, wearing the two-piece version.

You may have noticed our pleated skirts in some of the photos with sweaters. They are all made from the Lotte's Pleated Skirt Instructions. You can do the pleats different ways. If the fabric has lines in it, like a plaid, you can follow the lines to make pleats. There are instructions included for Pippa's size. too. Here's Mariah wearing the Wonderland Turtle in purple and the pleated skirt in lilac.

The Happy Kidz Checkered Shirt Pattern can be made with long sleeves or short. Charlotte's uses pink checks.

We like to put the buttons on the other side for the boys. Billy's shirt is made from a plaid fabric.

Sewing with knits, like making underwear and bathing suits out of socks, can be a challenge, but it's worth the effort. This sweat suit for Pippa uses some girls' size large stretch leggings. We just cut the pattern pieces out of the leggings fabric. Here's Pippa's Hooded Sweatshirt and Pants. A sewing machine that can make a zigzag stitch is helpful, although you can use a straight-stitch machine. You can find short separating zippers for doll jackets online, or get a longer one and cut it down. Pippa likes the pockets in front, because it helps her keep her hands warm when she's outdoors.

Children can learn to knit and to sew with a sewing machine. There are videos online to help you learn, if you don't have an adult handy who can teach you, but check with your grownups first to make sure it's OK to use the machine. All of the patterns we have are free. There are lots of sewing and knitting patterns available online. Many are free, like ours, and most of the ones that you have to pay for don't cost that much. They often show you step-by-step how to use the pattern, which is nice. That's what's known as a tutorial.

Well, that's our fashion show. We hope you enjoyed it. Maybe you will do some knitting or sewing for your dolls, too. If you do, it will make them happy.

Well, Veronika, that went well, I think.

Yes, Mandy, it did, and it was fun.

"You know, Veronika," Mandy said when the Fashion Show story was done, "we should give this list to The Writer. Maybe she can use it for a join-along in one of the Ravelry doll groups.""That's a great idea!" Veronika exclaimed. "The theme can be The Writer's patterns! I wonder what the human people will make for their dolls."

A join-along is like a knit-along, only instead of only knitting, you can knit, crochet or sew your project. Everyone makes a project based on a theme the leaders come up with. The Writer doesn't have any crochet patterns, but there are a lot of them on a website called Ravelry. (Ask your grownup humans if it's OK to go and look.)
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 EmiliaPippa: Götz Little Kidz Lotta
Pam: Götz Little Kidz Springtime, from My Doll Best Friend
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

A Bigger Footprint? Part Two

Jolena was starting to feel better about her carbon footprint. Maybe it was having a snack with Mandy. As the dolls pretended to eat, she thought back over what Mandy had said.

"Our carbon footprint," Mandy had explained, "is how much we each change the earth's atmosphere by what we do." Mandy had said that lots of things we do can cause too much of something called greenhouse gases. 

Mandy had pointed out that greenhouse gases cause the sun to warm up the earth, the way it warms up the air inside a greenhouse. The warmth goes in easily, but it doesn't get out quite as fast, so the air warms up.

Too much of these gases, though, can cause more extreme weather, like blizzards, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, droughts and wildfires. The polar ice caps melt, and that makes the sea level rise. 

"So why do you say I don't have to give up being on the ski team?" Jolena asked, as she pretended to chew. (One of the nice things about being a doll is, you can talk to other dolls and pretend to chew at the same time. That's hard for real children, who really should finish chewing before they talk.)

"The biggest way we can make a difference," Mandy replied, "is by using less of the fuels that are the biggest source of carbon in the air. For one thing, when you ride to practice, you're part of a carpool, right?"

Jolena nodded. All the dolls are picked up at their homes by one of the human people who run the ski program. That human person brings them home again. It isn't too far away, but too far to walk or ride their bicycles, and they have a lot of equipment they have to take with them. Even in the summer, when they don't have all those bulky clothes, they still have their skis, ski poles, goggles, helmets and boots.

In the winter, they have layers of clothes as well as all their equipment, and they still have to carry everything, but through the snow.

"All the dolls you practice with live close by, don't they," Mandy asked munching to herself, "so you all can ride in one car?"

Again Jolena nodded, as she continued to pretend to chew.

"That means you're already saving some greenhouse gases by only using one car for all of you, and not driving very far" Mandy pointed out.

"One lady who drives you has an electric car, I think," Mandy went on, "so that saves some more of the carbon gases. Some electricity is made in ways that add to the greenhouse gases, but a lot of it now comes from wind, water and solar (SOH-ler). Solar means power made from sunshine."

Jolena agreed that was true. She hadn't thought about Mrs. Finkel's special car before.

"How do you fly to competitions?" Mandy asked, as she pretended to eat the last bit of her sandwich.

"At the airport," Jolena said, "we all get into our boxes with our equipment."

"Then they they put our suitcases in with us," Jolena explained, as she finished her sandwich. "The boxes get stacked inside a bigger box, and they put that box into the plane with all the human passengers' suitcases. We can't see where the plane is going, but we can talk to each other."

"Then your share of that plane ride is very small, too," Mandy pointed out. "Dropping out of the program wouldn't do much to help, but it's nice you want to help protect the earth."

"I don't want to quit the team," Jolena agreed, "but I do want to help!" Showing that she wanted to be a helpful doll, Jolena did as Mandy did and picked up her own dishes to take to the kitchen.

"No one doll can do it alone," Mandy said, as they put their dishes into the dishwasher, "but all of us can help. That's why it's good to know what our carbon footprint is and how we can make that smaller," Mandy explained. "If we make an effort to make our footprint smaller, we can still do the things that are really important to us."

"Now let's go over what we all need to do," Mandy concluded, "to cut down on having these gases go into the air. We're doing a lot of these things already, but we need human people to help."

Jolena nodded. She thought she was getting the idea.

"The more we use other kinds of energy instead of fuels like coal or gasoline to get where we need to go," Mandy pointed out, "the more we help. If we carpool with others, the way you do, we use less, but when we don't have so much to carry, and the weather is nice, we can walk or ride a bicycle instead of riding in a car," she said. "Then we're helping even more. We're using our own energy, and that's good for us, too, because it's exercise."

"It's fun, too," Jolena added, and Mandy nodded.

"Most houses where we live," Mandy explained, as the dolls walked toward the hall, "are heated with gas. If we keep the temperature of the house a little lower, we use less, and that helps." She pointed up to the thermostat (THER-muh-stat), the thing on the wall that said at what temperature the furnace was set.

"Then there are all the ways," Mandy said, continuing down the hall toward the stairs, "that human people can make energy without causing the earth's atmosphere to keep heating up."

"Companies that sell electricity are starting to make their power to sell using ways that don't add carbon gases to the air," Mandy went on. "Human people have invented something called solar panels, which make electricity from the energy in the sun's rays."

"I've seen those," Jolena said. "Human people sometimes even put them on their roof."

"Yes," Mandy agreed. "They also can set them up in a big field where there's nothing to block the sun's rays all day. They call those solar farms, because they use the sun's rays to grow power the way a farmer uses the sun's energy to grow crops."

"In some places they put solar panels on the roof of a parking garage," she said, "or over canals that carry water from one place to another. That's good to do, because it also keeps the water from evaporating so fast."

"I know what evaporation is," Jolena said. "That's when the water turns back into a gas and goes up into the air."

"Windmills have been used for a long time," Mandy continued. "The wind turns big propellers that are attached to big machines that change the wind energy into electricity the way a pinwheel turns when you blow on it."

"I know what pinwheels are," Jolena said. "We made them in school."

"The windmills are much bigger," Mandy explained. "Sometimes there is just one for someone to use, but often there are wind farms set up someplace where nothing blocks the wind. They make electricity to sell, just like the solar farms." 

The dolls had reached the stairs. "Wind," Mandy pointed out, as they started to climb, "is made by the natural heating of the earth's atmosphere by the sun. It's cooler in places where the sun doesn't reach. The cooler air is heavier, so it sinks. The warmer air rises. That movement causes the wind. The best part," she added, "is we will never run out of wind, and the energy made from it is clean. It doesn't add any carbon gases to the air."

"I feel the wind," Jolena said, "when I do my tricks on skis. I have to figure out what to do to spin around in it and land correctly. You can't see it, but you can feel it."

"Yes," Mandy agreed, "and human people have also used water's energy to make electricity for a long time. It works the same as a windmill, but using water. Water runs downhill toward the ocean along streams and rivers. Human people can build a big wall called a dam in the path of the water. They make a place for the water to go through, and they use that water's energy to make electricity."

"Those," Mandy concluded, "are some of the important ways we can make energy without adding carbon gases to the air, but there also are ways that these gases can be removed from the air," Mandy went on. "Human people have invented a way to remove the carbon gases when they make power from fuels that release it. It's very new, and not much of it is being done yet."

"Nature," Mandy said, "has given us a way already to take the carbon gases out of the air since long before there were even any human people on the earth: trees. Trees breathe in the carbon gases, but they take a long time to grow big enough to make a difference, so we shouldn't cut them down if we don't have to." 

"Paper is made from trees," Mandy explained, "so we can put waste paper in the recycling bin instead of the trash, so it can be used to make new paper and we don't have to cut down as many trees."

"Yes!" Jolena exclaimed. "We always put all our used paper into a big bin, unless it's dirty, like from food or pretending to blow your nose."

"Yes," Mandy agreed. "That paper can be reused. It still takes energy to make it useable, but it saves the trees."

"We recycle cans and bottles, too," Jolena said. "Does that help?" She remembered when the dolls took all the cans and bottles back to the store and got money for them. She got to be the one who went with The Writer, and she got to give the store person the slip of paper that showed how many bottles and cans they had returned in the machine.

"Yes, it helps," Mandy assured her. "The less stuff human people have to make new, the less greenhouse gasses are added to the air. Most of the things made in factories add greenhouse gases to the air." 

"Like dolls," Jolena said sadly, "Maybe human people shouldn't buy so many dolls."

Mandy laughed. "Whenever you think about how much harm something does, you also have to think about how much good it does," she reminded Jolena. "Some things are worth it. Dolls teach human children how to care for others. When they learn to care for other human beings, they then start to care about animals and plants. That teaches them to care about the earth. Human people definitely need to keep making dolls."

"Maybe they need to make even more of us," Jolena pointed out solemnly.

"Maybe so," Mandy agreed, just as solemnly, but with a twinkle in her eye. "Maybe so."

Cast--
Mandy: Götz Happy Kidz Katie 2015
Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen
Mariah: Götz Happy Kidz Mariah, "Chosen" from My Doll Best Friend

Want to learn more about greenhouse gases? NASA has a great explanation for kids here.Diagram greenhouse warming: NASA/JPL-CaltechPhoto of electric car charging by Michael Fousert on UnsplashPhoto of cargo loading by Goh Rhy Yan on UnsplashPhoto of solar farm by American Public Power Association on UnsplashPinwheel photo by pixabay.Photo of wind farm by Waldemar Brandt on UnsplashLearn more about how windmills make electricity here.Photo of hydroelectric plant (dam) by Dan Meyers 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 © 2022, 2025 by Peggy Stuart

A Bigger Footprint? Part One

Jolena threw her books and backpack up on the wicker trunk the dolls used for a coffee table in front of the daybed in the workroom. Her stuff made a big thunk!

Mandy could tell Jolena was upset. She tried to make her face look concerned. "What's the matter," she asked the younger doll.

Jolena climbed up onto the daybed and moved one of her braids away from her face. "Being on the Doll Ski Team is giving me a bigger foot," she said, "but I don't want to have to give up skiing!"

Mandy looked down at Jolena's feet. They looked about the same to her, of course Jolena was wearing shoes. "Do your shoes pinch?"

"It isn't that kind of foot," Jolena told her.

Maybe you should start at the beginning," Mandy suggested, as she took off her glasses and moved her knitting aside. "Tell me what this is about."

"Well," Jolena began, "Maryanne told me that being on the Doll Ski Team is giving me a bigger footprint, and that's a bad thing. How big your footprint is depends on how big your foot is, right?"

Mandy agreed that it was true. Dolls have much smaller feet than most human people, so if their feet leave marks, or footprints, when they walk along the trail, those footprints are very small. If your footprint is bigger, is means your feet are bigger, and although children grow, dolls don't. Mandy was confused. "Did she say anything else about your footprint?" Mandy asked. "Usually, when someone talks about a footprint, they talk about more than one. Dolls and people have two feet. Why would one footprint be bad but not your footprints."

"Maryanne told me that riding to ski practice in a car and flying to competitions was giving me a bigger footprint," Jolena explained.

"That must mean my foot is getting bigger, right?," Jolena asked. "She said that was a bad thing and it was hurting the earth."

Something began to dawn on Mandy. Her face cleared, or it would have if she could have really made her face look different. "I think I know what she meant," she said. "Did she say it was your carbon (KAR-bun) footprint?"

"Yes!" Jolena exclaimed. "I guess I forgot about the carbon part."

"Our carbon footprint," Mandy explained, "is how much we each change the earth's atmosphere by what we do. It's called that, because a footprint is what we leave behind when we walk, so our carbon footprint is the amount of extra carbon we leave behind in the air by the things we do." "

"Carbon is an element," Mandy continued. "Elements are the basic things everything in the universe is made of. Carbon is in some different kinds of gases in the air. They are called greenhouse gases. I learned about it in my chemistry class." 

"You mean," Jolena asked "like a greenhouse that's used to keep plants warm when the weather is too cool? I thought they just had regular air inside."

"Yes," Mandy said, "They do. What we call greenhouse gases, though, are gases in our atmosphere," she explained, "that act like the glass of a greenhouse. They let the sun in in the daytime, but they hold it and protect us from freezing at night when the sun isn't shining where we are."

"The greenhouse gases have to be balanced, though," Mandy said. "If there is too much, our atmosphere can get too hot.  If there isn't enough, it will be too cold."

"We're starting to have too much carbon gases in our air," Mandy continued. "It's starting to cause more bad weather, like blizzards, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, droughts and wildfires. The polar ice caps are melting, and that makes the sea level rise."

"I know what a blizzard is," Jolena said, "because I ski in the snow. When there's a blizzard there's too much snow all at once, and everything stops," she went on slowly. 

"I remember that a hurricane is a big storm," Jolena continued. "Veronika couldn't go on a cruise once because of a hurricane. It tore up houses and flooded streets. It was dangerous to be on the ocean, so the cruise was cancelled. She was disappointed, but she stayed safe." 

Jolena thought while Mandy nodded her agreement and waited to see what else Jolena would say.

"Yes," Mandy agreed when Jolena stayed silent. "A hurricane starts on the earth where it's warmest over the ocean, around the equator (ee-KWAY-ter). That's the part farthest from the poles. The hurricane spins around in a circle, like bathwater going down the drain, and the spinning storm moves toward the pole, mostly in the ocean, but also along the coast, where it can cause a lot of damage."

 "Then what's a tornado?" Jolena asked.

"A tornado," Mandy replied, "is sort of whirlpool in the air. It moves in a circle like a hurricane, only it's much smaller and spins faster. It's so strong it can pick up cars and rip pieces off of houses, then put them down again miles away. Tornados happen mostly on land. They only cause damage where they reach down to the earth."

"That's awful!" Jolena exclaimed. 

Then Jolena thought for a moment. "I know that floods are when there is too much rain," she said, "and water overflows the rivers and sewers. That sometimes happens with big storms. What about drought?" Jolena asked when she saw that Mandy agreed.

"Drought is the opposite of a flood," Mandy replied. "It's when there's no rain or snow at all for a long time," she explained.

"Lakes and rivers can dry up or get smaller, so they hold less water," Mandy said. "Human people need water to live," she continued, "and they need food. Plants don't grow without water, so crops die and human people are left hungry and thirsty."

"Droughts can lead to wildfires," Mandy went on. "Forests catch on fire and burn, sometimes destroying houses, too. We have that problem sometimes here, where we live," she pointed out. "Remember all the smoke in the air last summer?"

"We couldn't play outside," Jolena remembered. "If we did, our vinyl would start to stink. The sky was red"

"Real children couldn't play outside, either," Mandy pointed out, "because they would be breathing in all that smoke. All these things," Mandy continued, "are a normal part of nature, but it's happening more as the atmosphere heats up because of the greenhouse gases we have been putting into it."

"That's awful," Jolena exclaimed! "I guess if I have to give up the Ski Team to save the earth, I should," she added. sadly shaking her head.

"It isn't that simple," Mandy said with a laugh, "and I don't think quitting the ski team would make much difference." Mandy thought for a moment. "What kind of doll is Maryanne? I mean what is she made of? Is she made from vinyl, like us?" she asked.

"Yes," Jolena replied. "In fact, she was made in the same factory we were made in. She has the same knee and elbow joints we have, and her eyes don't close when she lies down."

"In that case," Mandy concluded, "her carbon footprint starts out pretty much as big as yours and mine. We're all made of vinyl, and making vinyl adds greenhouse gases to the air."

"Oh, no!" Jolena exclaimed. "It would be better if we were never made! Why did they make us, then if we're hurting the earth?" she asked.

"I'm sure the good each of us does outweighs the harm we cause," Mandy assured her, moving over to give her a comforting pat. "While our vinyl gives off gas when we are being made and for a while when we are new, that goes away mostly after we've been out of our boxes for a while. Dolls are only a tiny part of the problem. Many other things are made from vinyl and other kinds of plastic. Most of it is caused by other things, not dolls."

"For instance," Mandy went on, "human people and all animals add greenhouse gases to the air when they breathe."

"I like to pretend to breathe, sometimes," Jolena pointed out.

"Yes," Mandy agreed, "and so do I, but pretend breathing doesn't make carbon dioxide (KAR-bun dye-OX-eyd). Carbon dioxide is the most important of the greenhouse gases. This kind of gas isn't bad by itself," she continued, standing up to gesture out the window. "Trees and other plants breathe in carbon dioxide. They need it to live. They breathe out oxygen in a form human people need, so we help each other."

"The problem is," Mandy told her, "that by using certain fuels for heat and to make cars go human people are making more of this gas than trees and other plants can take out, and that's heating up our air like a greenhouse and causing these changes."

"The reason Maryanne says the Doll Ski Team is giving you a larger carbon footprint," Mandy went on, "is because cars, ships, trains and airplanes that run on these kinds of fuel, like gasoline, create more of this gas than almost anything else we do."

"Would it help the earth," Jolena asked, "if I quit the Ski Team, the way Maryanne said?"

"I doubt it would help any at all," Mandy said, getting up, "but there are other things we all can do, even Maryanne. Let's go get a snack, and I'll explain! I need to pretend to eat. All this thinking has made me hungry!"

....to be continued.

Cast--Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni
Mandy: Götz Happy Kidz Katie 2015
Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen
Emil: Götz Happy Kidz Emilia
Want to learn more about greenhouse gases? NASA has a great explanation for kids here.Photo of greenhouse by Annie Spratt on UnsplashDiagram greenhouse warming: NASA/JPL-CaltechPhoto of tornado by NOAA on UnsplashDrought photo by redcharlie on Unsplash (cropped)You can follow The Doll's Storybook 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.
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

Talking About Boys

“Hey!” Billy popped his head in the door of the workroom where Charlotte and Olivia were putting together a puzzle.

“I was going to ride over to the school to pick up a book,” he said as the girls looked up. “Mariah and Veronika are using two of the bicycles. That only leaves one. Do you need it this afternoon? If you do, I can wait.”

“I’m not planning on going anywhere,” Charlotte replied. “Olivia is spending the afternoon with us. Mandy and Jolena are in the kitchen, if you want to check with them.”

With a quick “Thanks!” Billy turned around and left.

“You’re lucky to have brothers,” Olivia told Charlotte when Billy was gone.

“I only have sisters at my place,” Olivia explained. “Amber only has girl dolls. Of course, there are boy dolls at school with us, but I don’t have any living with me.” Then she looked back at the puzzle pieces and added, “At home we usually look for all the pieces with straight sides when we start a puzzle.”

Charlotte told her that was how they did it, too. “It's easy to start that way,” she said, “because you know they go on the outside. Then you can use them to figure out where the other pieces go.” 

“They don’t really make boy dolls that are the kind of doll like us,” Charlotte explained as the two dolls looked through the pieces, “So there aren’t as many of them. Boys, I mean. The company that makes us seems to think that only girls play with dolls and that they want the dolls to be girls, too.” 

“Billy started out as a girl, you know,” Charlotte continued. “He tried to tell them at the factory that he really was a boy, but they seemed to only know how to make girl dolls or maybe they didn’t care.”

“Maybe,” Olivia suggested, “the human people in the factory that makes dolls like us don’t really believe in dolls. Maybe they just think we’re toys, or maybe they have to concentrate on their job, so they didn’t hear him.”

Charlotte had never considered that but thought that it made sense. Human people who don’t believe in dolls don’t hear them when their dolls try to talk to them. You have to listen with your imagination. The two girls thought about that. What would it be like to be a human person without enough imagination to hear dolls talk to you?

The two dolls went back to looking for puzzle pieces with one straight edge. “He was glad they let him have a puppy,” Charlotte told Olivia then, “but he hated that they put a dress on him and gave him long hair. Look! I think these are corners.” Corners are special pieces when you're putting together a puzzle. They're even more important than the ones with just one straight edge.

“I remember when Billy came to live with us,” Charlotte continued, “he was too embarrassed to come in to meet us wearing a dress, so Mandy took some boy’s clothes she and Veronika had made for him and went out to him when he got here.”

“He changed his clothes in the driveway before he came in to meet us,” Charlotte remembered, “so we only have ever seen him in boy’s clothes.”

Charlotte told Olivia how Mandy brought Billy’s girl clothes in because he wanted to give them to his sisters. Mandy had put them into a basket for him.

“We went through the basket and picked out what we liked,” Charlotte said.

“He still had long hair, though,” she said. “He hated it.”

“Why did he want to be a boy doll?” Olivia asked. “I mean, girl dolls can do everything that boy dolls do, but we get to wear pretty dresses and fix our hair if we want. Why would you want to give that up?”

Charlotte thought for a moment. “Look!” she exclaimed suddenly, holding out a puzzle piece. “I found another corner!” Sometimes when you're thinking about something else you suddenly notice things you had missed.

Then her mind went back to Billy. She hadn’t considered it before. Why would a doll not want to have long hair? True, she hadn’t liked having to fix her own hair in the beginning, but now she enjoyed it, and she and Mariah often helped each other with their hair.

Even in the beginning, though, she never had wanted to have short hair like the boys. Some girl dolls have short hair, but most of the girl dolls she knew had long hair. They either wore it down, or braided or in a ponytail, or like Veronika, braided and then pulled up and fastened.

Maybe Billy was just a different kind of doll from Olivia and herself. “Billy likes to climb trees up and hang upside down.” she pointed out. “He says long hair would hang in his eyes.”

Even as she said it, though, Charlotte thought that it might be just an excuse. Girl dolls with long hair can hang upside down. It isn’t a problem, and she and her sisters climb in trees all the time.

And even after his haircut Billy had wanted his hair shorter and more like a real boy. That’s why he finally decided to get a wig. Emil decided to get a wig, too, in solidarity.

Then something occurred to Charlotte. “You know,” she said thoughtfully, “I suspect that Billy wanted to be a boy because The Writer needed him to be a boy.”

Meanwhile, Billy was on the trail, riding toward the school to get his book, totally unaware that he was the topic of a serious discussion.

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 EmiliaPippa: Götz Little Kidz Lotta
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

Going Hungry

Mariah and Jolena were going for a bike ride. The dolls have three bicycles, so they can go for rides two or three at a time, which is more fun than riding alone. They also have three bicycle helmets, so they can ride safely. They put their helmets on before getting on the bicycles.

"This bicycle has a basket," Jolena said. "I can take your water bottle for you."
"I'm not taking a water bottle," Mariah said.
"What if you get thirsty?" Jolena asked.


"I will just be thirsty, then." Mariah replied as they rode to the trail. The dolls stayed on the sidewalks until they reached the trail, where cars are not allowed.
"It's because of Ramadan," Mariah explained as they rode along under the trees. (She said it 'Rah-mah-dahn.') "People and dolls of my faith fast during Ramadan. That means we go without food or water." Mariah explained.


"But you'll have to pretend to be hungry!" Jolena exclaimed, "and human people need water even more than they need food!"

Mariah laughed. "We can pretend to eat and drink," she said, "just not during the day."


"I got up at five o'clock this morning to pretend to eat and drink before sunrise," Mariah explained. "I can pretend to eat and drink again after seven-thirty tonight, after sunset. Then I will be very hungry, so I can pretend to eat a lot! I will have a very big dinner."

"Why do you do that?" Jolena wanted to know. "I mean, why do you fast?"
"It helps us feel closer to Allah," (AH-lah) Mariah said. "Allah is our name for God," Mariah explained. "Fasting also reminds us of what it's like to go hungry, the way some human people have to do because they don't have enough to eat. It makes us grateful for what we have."


"Doesn't it make you have to pretend to feel sick or weak?" asked Jolena.
"Sometimes," Mariah agreed, "but people who are already sick or old don't have to fast. Little children don't have to, either," she continued, "but children often start fasting during Ramadan when they are about six years old just to learn how. It teaches us that we don't have to have everything our bodies want."


"Mandy and I both gave up chocolate for Lent," Jolena said. "We went 46 days without pretending to eat chocolate!"


"That's the same idea, I think," Mariah agreed. "Ramadan lasts 30 days, but we can pretend to eat and drink as much as we want each night and before the sun comes up in the morning. It's like having a special dinner every night."


"During Lent," Jolena said, "our church wants us to be good and to do kind things for others."
"We do that too during Ramadan," Mariah said, "and we raise money to help people and dolls in need."


"Lent is over when Easter comes," Jolena said. "Then we hunt for Easter eggs and have a big dinner to pretend to eat."
Mariah nodded. "Hunting for Easter eggs was fun," she said. "Families of my faith have a big party for three days after the end of Ramadan."


"We should have a big party, too," Jolena suggested. "We're your family, so we should celebrate together."
"That would be fun," Mariah agreed, "and very nice, too."


The dolls stopped for a moment so Jolena could pretend to drink some water.


"I wonder if it's harder to go 46 days without chocolate," Mariah said, "or not to be able to eat or drink all day and then eat what you want at night."


Jolena laughed. "Since dolls only pretend to eat and drink," she said, "it probably doesn't make any difference, but I sure like to pretend to eat chocolate!"

Both dolls thought about what it must be like to eat for real, and not just pretend. They also thought about what it must be like to need to eat for real but have to go hungry.


They rode the rest of the way home without saying anything, while they thought about real children who had no food at all and were not dolls.


Cast--
Mandy: Götz Happy Kidz Katie 2015
Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen
Mariah: Götz Happy Kidz Mariah, "Chosen" from My Doll Best Friend
Find out about Eid al-Fitr or the celebration at the end of Ramadan 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.
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 © 2019, 2025 by Peggy Stuart

Finding Your Purpose

 A few years ago,, when Bella, who lives with The Writer's granddaughter was visiting, Billy took some photos of Bella with Mandy, because they are the same doll, at least on the outside, like twins.

Billy would like to take more photos. He needed a camera of his own, one he could use all the time. He looked for one online, but he is small. The cameras he saw are all too big for him and cost more than what he had saved up. Billy had an idea. He asked for the use of a discarded phone that takes photos but can't be used to make calls anymore. He asked nicely and had good reasons for wanting the phone, so The Writer gave it to him. He can use it to take photos and send them to the computer.

The first thing he did was take photos of his dog, Freckles, on the dog bed.


Then he took photos of his sisters doing things and posing for him. He took this one of Mandy and Veronika planning a tea party.


He took this photo of Mandy and Jolena looking at a photograph album.


Because he didn't have to pay for a camera, he used his savings to buy a tripod. That's a kind of stand that will hold a camera or a phone so it doesn't jiggle when you take a photo.


Now he can take photos without holding the phone. He can even take photos of himself, like this one, using the timer on the phone. He set up the phone on the tripod and aimed the phone so that where he planned to sit was on the screen. He set the timer for ten seconds. Then he ran and climbed up on the window sill. The phone took his photo when the ten seconds were up.


He took lots and lots of photos and then sent them to the computer. Some were good and some were not so good. Sometimes he found mistakes in the photos only after he saw them on the computer. He has learned that you have to pay attention to what might be behind dolls when you take photos of them, like these cooking spoons sticking out of a jug on the bench behind Charlotte. It made him laugh, but he thought it took the attention away from his sister.


Billy has learned that you have to notice where the light is coming from, so you can see the doll whose photo you are taking. It was hard to see Mariah's face when the light came from behind her. He wanted Mariah's face to show, because she's pretty and nice to look at.


He has taught himself how to pick the best photos and how to use the computer to fix them so they look even better. 

One day, Billy asked Veronika and Mandy if he could take their picture some nice clothes. They thought it was a fun idea, so they looked through the clothes together to decide what to wear. 


Veronika and Mandy washed their faces and put on the outfits they had chosen. Then they brushed their hair. Well, they brushed Mandy's hair. Veronika's hair doesn't need much care.

When the girls were ready, Billy found a place for them to stand where there wouldn't be anything else to see, so the photo would only be about the two dolls. There were no cooking spoons sticking up. The light was good. Billy told Veronika and Mandy where to stand. 


Billy talked to the girls while he took photos. He made little jokes that made them giggle, so he could get them to smile. (It isn't easy for them to smile, you know, because their mouths don't move.)

When he decided he had taken enough photos, Billy sent them to the computer. He chose the photo he liked best and cropped it. That means he cut off some of the outside edges of the photo. He lightened up the picture a bit, so their beautiful faces were clear. He used the computer to make the edges and corners fuzzy just because he thought it was pretty that way.


While Billy was working on the photo he had chosen, Veronika climbed up to see what he was doing with the computer. "Wow, Billy!" she said, looking at the photo on the screen. "You're good at this!"


"Do you think so?" Billy asked. "I thought I was only good at using my sled and throwing a ball."


"You do many things well, Billy," Veronika pointed out. "You are fun to be with, and you listen to what other dolls are saying. You know how to put things together, how to play games and how to take turns. You can solve problems. You know how to work with other dolls, too, and you are good at being kind."


Jolena heard Billy's and Veronika's voices from the next room. She came to find out what they were doing. She climbed up to where Billy was working, so she could see the picture on the computer screen.


"Where did you find that photo, Billy?" Jolena asked.
"I took a lot of photos with the phone," he explained. "Then I sent them to the computer and looked at them. I thought this one was the best, so I fixed it to make it look even better."


"It must have taken a lot of work to learn how to do this," Jolena said.
"It isn't work," Billy replied. "It's fun!"


"Work can be fun," Veronika explained. "Just because you're doing something useful or learning how to do something that's hard, doesn't mean it can't be fun."


"That's how cooking is for me," Jolena agreed. "Cooking is useful, so you could call it work, but to me it's fun, and I'm good at it. It's my superpower. Billy, I think taking photos, choosing the best ones and making them even better is your superpower!"


"I have been worried that I would never find anything useful I could do well, but this is easy, and it's something I like to do," Billy told them. "I hope it's useful, too."


"This is useful! Now you can take photos for our stories!" exclaimed Veronika.


Billy was very still for a while. Then he took a big breath and looked up at the ceiling. Veronika thought he was trying to think how to say something very important.


"You have made me feel much better," Billy said. "When I came here, I didn't think I could be really good at anything useful. I think it's a big responsibility, being in stories that teach children about how the world works and how to be kind to each other, and how to feel good about who they are. I didn't think I would be good enough."
"Billy, you wouldn't have been called to do this if you couldn't do it," Veronika pointed out. "When you're called to do something important and good, you should trust that it's because you're the right one for the job."


"Yes," agreed Jolena. "The writer chose you because you were the right one for the stories. All of us were very carefully chosen because we were needed," she added. "It's just like when you choose the photos that work best for what you want from all the ones you've taken."


"I thought I was picked because I was a boy," Billy said.


"Well, that's true, too," Veronika agreed. "We needed a boy. All boys and girls are special, but you're the boy we needed."


That made Billy very happy. He knew his sisters were honest. They would never lie, even to make him feel better, so it must be true. He thought about that, and it made him smile.


"I have an idea," Billy said, "Let's take a group photo with all the dolls together. I can set the timer on my camera, so I can be in the photo, too." 

Billy called all his sisters to come. He arranged them on the steps, because he said it's easier to get them all in the photo if the dolls in front are lower than the dolls in back. That way, no one's face is hidden behind someone else's. Then he set up his tripod. He had to make the legs of the tripod longer, so his phone camera would be high enough to take the photo he wanted, but they are easy to adjust.


The dolls posed. Billy set the timer. Then he ran and sat down in front of his sisters. He took several photos, but not because someone blinked. (These dolls don't blink, you know, because their eyes don't close.) No, he had to take a few photos before the girls stopped being silly. He wanted them to look happy, but not silly. He checked each photo on the screen. When he was sure he had some good ones, Billy sent the photos to the computer. He chose the one he liked best. It was a photo where no one was being silly. Then he fixed it and made it even better. This is the photo Billy chose after he made it look its best.


Billy is smiling in the photo. He is happy because he has found something to do that is fun and useful. 
The next Christmas Billy got a real camera just his size, so he can take it outdoors and photograph all the beautiful things in nature.



Cast--
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily at London
Mandy and Bella: Götz Happy Kidz Katie 2015
Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni
Charlotte: Götz Happy Kidz Anna in Paris
Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen
Mariah: Götz Happy Kidz Mariah, "Chosen" from My Doll Best Friend

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 © 2019, 2025 by Peggy Stuart

Meeting the Elephant

Mandy looked up from her knitting when Jolena, Charlotte and Mariah came into the room.

"Mandy, we have a question we thought you might help us with," Charlotte said. The other two dolls nodded. "We celebrate each other's special holidays. All of you celebrated Hanukkah with Emil and me, and Ramadan with Mariah, and we all celebrated Christmas with you."


"Yes," Mariah said, "and we all have special holidays in the spring. We know we will celebrate those special days together, too."


"We know that all these special days have something to do with what we believe about God," Jolena said. "What we don't understand is, why don't all dolls believe the same thing?"



Mandy took off her glasses and put them on top of her head, so they knew she would have a lot to say.


"I can give you my opinion," Mandy said, "but this is something that no one knows for sure. If you asked a question about science (sigh-ence)," Mandy said the word clearly for them, "I could give you an answer that I know, or we could look it up and find out. This isn't science, though; it's something called religion." She pronounced it again carefully for them, "Ree-lih-juhn. It isn't about what we know for sure and can prove, but what we believe to be true."


Mandy thought for a minute. "I think the best way to explain what I think is to tell you a story I read once," she said.


The dolls love stories, so they settled down to listen to Mandy.


Here is the story Mandy told the other dolls:

Once upon a time, in the Land of the Dolls, there was a magical elephant. All the dolls in the land wanted to find out about the magical elephant. They came from all over the Land of the Dolls to learn what they could. They brought their sleep masks with them, because they had heard that no one was allowed to see this wonderful being.


Only one doll at a time was allowed to go into the room where the magical elephant was, so they waited patiently for their turns. (Dolls are good at being patient.) When each doll went into the room, they had to feel around to find the elephant.
Some of the dolls touched the elephant's side. "This feels like a wall," they would say. "The magical elephant is like a wall."


Some of the dolls touched one of the tusks of the wonderful creature. "This is very sharp, like a knife," they said. "The magical elephant is like a knife."


Other dolls found the trunk first. "Ooooo, the creature is like a snake," they would say to themselves.


Some of the other dolls found one of the legs. Those dolls decided that the elephant was like a tree trunk.


Still more dolls found the tail. "Clearly, the magical elephant is a kind of rope," they said.


Other dolls touched the ear. "This creature must be some kind of fan or maybe a sail," they thought.


There were even some dolls who felt around in the room and never found the elephant at all. They said, "I don't think there really is a magical elephant. I couldn't find one."

Each doll was sure they knew the truth and that the other dolls were wrong.


Most dolls like to discuss things, but they don't like to argue, because they know they are supposed to set a good example for the children they live with, so they decided that it was fine that they all believed different things.


This made all the dolls happy, even though they didn't know everything there was to know about the magical elephant.

"So in a way, all the dolls were right," Jolena said when Mandy had finished the story.


"They just didn't know all of it,"Mariah said, "so they thought the others were wrong."


"I see the point of the story," Charlotte said. "The magical elephant is like God, and dolls believe different things because they only see part of what God is like."


"Yes," Mandy said, "but that is just what I believe. We all experience God through our own religions, and some dolls don't experience God at all, but there is no way to be sure that what you know in your heart is true is really the whole story."
"Why is that?" Mariah asked.


"We can prove many things," Mandy explained. "There are things we know that help us know ahead of time what will happen," she said.


"That's where science comes in," Mandy continued. "We use science to learn about the world, and we can use what we have learned to know within a few days when it will rain, or what medicine will cure an illness, or what time the sun will rise in the morning."


"What we know in our hearts but can't prove is called belief," Mandy said. "That's what religion is. If someone believes differently from you, it doesn't make what you believe wrong, just different."


"I think things that are different are interesting," Jolena said, "but I like going to my church on Sunday."


"Yes," said Mandy, "So do I. But Mariah goes to a place called a mosque (mosk) on Friday, and Charlotte and Emil go to a place called a synagogue (sin-a-gog) on Saturday. What I believe is that we are all learning about and worshiping the same God, whether in church, in a mosque or in a synagogue, and the familiar words and music help us with that."
"I like going to the mosque," Mariah said. "I like to pray there with others who believe the way I do."


"I like my synagogue," said Charlotte. "I learn something new every time."


"What about the dolls in the story who never found the elephant? Do some dolls not believe in God?" Jolena asked. 


"Some don't, and I think that's fine. It's something each doll has to decide alone," Mandy said. "No one can make you believe something you don't. You may change how you believe because of what happens to you in life, but your beliefs are your own. Most dolls believe in The Doll Code, though. That's the rule we have that we must be kind to each other, look after dolls in need and set a good example for the children in our lives."
"I've learned we need to set a good example for each other, too," Mariah said.
Mariah and Jolena stood up, and the three dolls got ready to go.Mandy looked around at them. "I have a wonderful doll family," she added with a sigh. "You prove it to me every day, so that's not a belief; that's a fact!"





Cast--
Mandy: Götz Happy Kidz Katie 2015
Charlotte: Götz Happy Kidz Anna in Paris
Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen
Mariah: Götz Happy Kidz Mariah, "Chosen" from My Doll Best Friend
Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily at London
Magical Elephant: Himself

Special note from the author: Mandy's story is based on the parable of the six blind men and the elephant, which originated in ancient times on the Indian subcontinent. It was popularized in the English-speaking world through a poem by John Godfrey Saxe.

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 © 2019, 2025 by Peggy Stuart

Baking on the Moon?

“I don’t understand our science lesson today, Olivia,” Jolena complained, as the two girls walked home from school.

“It was pretty confusing, I thought,” Olivia agreed. “It will make it harder to do well on the test.”

“That’s just what I was thinking,” Jolena replied. “I mean, we can memorize the words, but if a question on the test asks us to use what the words say, I would have a lot of difficulty.”

The two dolls walked on for a bit in silence, each of them thinking about the problem.

Then Jolena stopped suddenly. “You know, Olivia,” she began, “my sister Mandy knows a lot about science. Maybe she can help us both, if you come to my house. I’m pretty sure she will be home.”

“I would love to see where you live,” Olivia said, “and if Mandy can help, it would be wonderful,” she added.

As expected, Mandy was sitting in the living room, knitting. She looked up when the two dolls came in through the front door.

“Mandy!” Jolena exclaimed. “I’m so glad you’re here! This is my friend Olivia,” she said as she introduced the other doll. “Olivia lives around the corner, close to Nico’s house. She’s in my class at school.”

While the two younger dolls climbed up onto the couch, Mandy removed her glasses and put her knitting down. “I’m happy to meet you, Olivia,” she said and shook Olivia's hand.

“I especially wanted to find you, Mandy,” Jolena said. “We’re both having trouble understanding some things in our science lesson, and we have a test tomorrow. I thought maybe you could help.”

“I’m happy to help if I can,” Mandy assured them. “What’s your question?”

Jolena and Olivia looked at each other. Jolena decided that since she already knew Mandy, she should explain.

“The lesson is about mass, weight, volume and density,” she began. “Now, we understand volume and weight. For instance, when you measure something in a cup, that’s volume, like a cup of flour, or a cup of oatmeal, when I’m baking cookies.”

“And when you put something on the scale to weigh it,” Jolena continued, “like, say, pasta, if the recipe gives the amount you need in weight instead of volume.”

Jolena looked at Olivia to give her a chance to talk.

“Yes,” Olivia agreed. “We have no trouble with that, “and density is easy, too. Density is like the difference between solids, liquids and gases. Solids are denser than liquids, because the atoms are closer together. Liquids are denser than gasses, and some gases are denser than other gases.”

“That’s what makes a balloon filled with helium float in the air,” Olivia concluded. “Helium is less dense than the air. That's why you have to tie that kind of balloon to something, so it won't float away.”

The two younger dolls looked at each other and nodded. They understood all that. 

“It’s mass we don’t get,” Jolena said finally. “I know it’s how much matter is in something, but how is that not density?”

“It’s also measured the same as weight, so why isn’t mass the same as weight?” Olivia asked.

Mandy thought for a moment, trying to figure out how to explain. “First of all,” she said at last, “You shouldn’t feel discouraged if this is confusing. It’s a very confusing thing, and scientists haven’t made it any easier for us.”

“You see,” Mandy went on, “words are sometimes used differently in science than in everyday life. Mass is how much of something there is, as you said. It has two parts: volume (or size) and density (or how compact it is).”

“When you make bread dough, Jolena, you have a big lump of dough,” Mandy explained. “Maybe it weighs a pound on the scale. It’s pretty dense until you let it rise and the yeast does its work.

If you decide to make two smaller loaves, you cut the dough into two equal pieces, so the mass of each piece of dough is half as much, but the density would be the same for each lump of dough as it was for the whole thing.”

“That's how mass is different from density,” Mandy went on. “Now, for weight. Let’s say an astronaut on the moon decided to make bread there on the moon….”

Jolena and Olivia looked at each other and tried to imagine the astronaut deciding to stop picking up rocks and instead mix dough to make bread on the moon.

“That lump of bread dough that weighed one pound on Earth would weigh much less, but the mass and density would be the same.”

“Why would the dough weigh less?” Olivia wanted to know. Jolena nodded that she wanted to know, too.

“The moon is much smaller than Earth,” Mandy explained. “And because it’s smaller it has less gravity than Earth. Gravity is what keeps us from floating off the earth. The way scientists use the word weight is about how the force of gravity works on something,” Mandy pointed out, “not simply how heavy it is.” Mandy paused to let that sink in.

“As for mass, the way scientists think of mass,” Mandy said then, “is to talk about how easy it is to move something, or to stop something that’s already moving, like a ball rolling. The greater the mass, the more effort it takes to move it and the harder it is to stop it from moving once you get it going. That,” she said, “would be the same on the moon.”

Jolena and Olivia were quiet for a moment or two, as they thought about what Mandy had said.

“I think I’ve got it now,” Olivia exclaimed suddenly!

“Me, too,” agreed Jolena. “All the time it was the scientists who made up the terms who were confused. Now that we know that, the rest is easy. We just have to pretend to be confused the same way scientists are, and we will do well on the test.”

Now that the dolls had that worked out, Olivia realized that Amber, the child she lives with, would be missing her, so she got down from the couch. “I’d better go,” she said as she walked toward the door. Then she turned around, as if she had just thought of something.

“And now that I know things weigh less on the moon,” Olivia said, “I’m going to tell Amber’s mom she doesn’t have to diet to lose weight. All she has to do is go to the moon. Thanks, Mandy! See you tomorrow, Jolena!”

With that, Olivia was out the door and gone.

Cast--
Mandy: Götz Happy Kidz Katie 2015
Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena în Aspen
Olivia: Götz Happy Kidz Chosen Ayelet
Photo of balloon: Florian Klauer on UnsplashPhoto of astronaut on the moon: NASA
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

Snow!

It snowed. It snowed and snowed and snowed. It snowed so much that school was canceled.

Mariah and Charlotte were disappointed. They were looking forward to school.


"Well, I guess we have more time to study for the arithmetic test we were supposed to have today," Mariah said.
"I think I already know my times tables well enough," said Charlotte, "but a little more study won't hurt, I guess."


Two of the other dolls were not sad. Jolena and Billy were happy for a snow day. They like to play outdoors in the snow.
"Maybe I can go skiing," said Jolena. She climbed the stairs and put on her ski clothes. She found her skis, ski poles and ski boots. She picked up her goggles and her helmet.
"Maybe I can go sledding," Billy said. He put on his hat and his jacket. He picked up his sled.
Both dolls were excited. "I will need a ride to the ski slopes," Jolena said, as she looked out the window at the snow.


"I will need a ride to the park, where the hills are," said Billy, looking out at the snow.


"Let's take our stuff to the front porch, so we will be ready," Jolena said.
The two dolls went out the front door. Jolena carried her skis and Billy took his sled. They stopped and looked at the driveway.


"I think we may have a problem," Jolena said. It had snowed so much that the cars were buried. They could hardly find them. Can you find the cars in the driveway?


Billy sat down on his sled. He knew it was going to take a long time to get all the snow off of one of the cars, so someone could drive them. Jolena was disappointed, too. By the time the driveway was cleared, it would be too late to go to the ski slopes.


"Maybe we can go sledding and skiing in the backyard," suggested Billy. The two dolls went back into the house. They wiped their feet and went to look out the back window.


"There is a lot of snow out there, too" said Jolena.
"You're right," agreed Billy. 


"What's that big lump out there?" Billy asked, as he pointed to a little hill in the backyard. 


Jolena looked. "I think there is a bush under that lump," she said. "That could be dangerous if you don't know it's there. You could fall through and get hurt if you climbed on the lump. Snow could fall in after you, and you could be buried in the snow until it melts! Your vinyl could freeze!"
"I don't think I would like that," said Billy.


"I don't think I can ski on the slide where I gave Bella her first skiing lesson," Jolena sighed. "There is too much snow." There was so much snow on the branches of the trees, it was even hard to find the slide.


"I think the snow is over our heads," said Billy. "That's too deep for sledding, too."


"I don't think we're going to be able to ski or go sledding today, Billy," Jolena said. "I guess we got on our snow suits for nothing!"
"Maybe not for nothing," said Billy. "I have been wanting to get a photo of you in your ski clothes. I never get to go to the ski area when you go skiing. Maybe we could go out in back, but on the deck, where the snow isn't too deep," he suggested. "We could pretend that you are ready to ski, and I could take photos of you."


"That sounds like fun," Jolena agreed. She went to get her skis while Billy went to get the phone camera and his tripod.
The two dolls went out through the dog door to the back deck. Billy set up his tripod close to the house, where the roof protected him, so his phone camera wouldn't get wet from all the snow coming down.


Jolena stood where the deck had been cleared, but where there was a lot of snow. "It's still snowing," she said.


"That makes the photos better," Billy said. Billy took several pictures. The snowflakes made little streaks in the photos as they fell. Billy liked that and said that it was interesting. He said that you could tell it was snowing.


"Here's one that looks like you can see your breath," Billy said, looking at the screen on his phone camera. "That's funny, because dolls don't breathe."
Jolena wanted to see it. Billy showed Jolena the screen.
"I think a snowflake fell right in front of my phone camera when I took the photo," Billy said.
"You can tell that my face is wet, too, from the snow," Jolena said. "The snow must melt when it hits my vinyl, but it doesn't melt quickly on my clothes."


"Maybe your vinyl is still warm from being indoors," Billy suggested. After Billy thought he had enough photos, the two dolls went back through the dog door into the house. They wiped their feet and took off their boots, which were covered with snow. They put their boots on a towel. Then they took off their jackets and hung them up. When they were back in their indoor clothes, Billy sent his photos of Jolena to the computer.
Billy let Jolena help him select the photos. They picked out their favorite. Billy used the computer to make it look right.
"I like it best, because you can see my skis, and I love my skis," Jolena said.


"I like that you can see your helmet," Billy said. "Your helmet keeps you safe."
"Yes," agreed Jolena. "We should always wear a helmet when we ski or ride a bicycle or skateboard or horse! It protects your brain if you fall." 
"I also like that you're smiling," Billy added. "You look happy, even though we had a big disappointment."
"It was disappointing not to be able to ski today," agreed Jolena, "but we have had a good time anyway, haven't we?"
Here is the photo they liked best.


Mariah and Charlotte were finished studying for the arithmetic test. They were ready for it. They decided to get out the cards for a card game and invited Jolena and Billy to play, too.

  
"This is fun," Jolena said. "I like to ski, but it's fun to stay in where it's warm, too." 

Cast--
Charlotte: Götz Happy Kidz Anna in Paris
Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen
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.
<a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blog/198325... my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Copyright © 2019, 2025 by Peggy Stuart