Peggy Stuart's Blog, page 8

Looking After Pets

Veronika stood over the fishbowl. "Hello, Cleo," she said, as she sprinkled some goldfish food on top of the water. 

Veronika knows that she needs to feed Cleo every day. She is responsible (re-SPON-sih-bul) for the health of her goldfish. That means that looking after Cleo is her job.


Veronika knows that real fish use their gills to breathe their water, so once a week, she pretends to change Cleo's water so she can pretend to breathe the way real fish do.


Charlotte and Billy take care of their dogs. They feed them every day and make sure they have fresh water to pretend to drink all the time.


Charlotte and Billy take their dogs for a walk every day. Pierre and Freckles need exercise and fresh air. Sometimes one of the other dolls will go along, just for fun.


Charlotte and Billy pick up any messes their dogs pretend to leave on the sidewalk, the grass or under bushes, because that's what good dog parents do.


The dolls like to throw a ball or a toy for the dogs, and the dogs race to get to the ball or toy first.


The dolls teach their dogs not to chew up anything that doesn't belong to them and not to jump on people.


The dogs need brushing sometimes, so their hair doesn't tangle or come out on the furniture. Charlotte and Billy help each other brush their dogs, because Freckles and Pierre don't always want to stand still.


The dogs need to have their pretend teeth brushed, too.


Mandy doesn't have to take Marmalade for walks, but she does need to clean his litter box every few days.


Mandy gave Marmalade a cardboard box to use to pretend to sharpen his claws so he doesn't use the furniture. She showed him what he was supposed to do by making clawing motions with her hands.


Mandy helps make sure there is water in the water bowl, because Marmalade shares the water with the dogs.


Mandy brushes Marmalade, too. It isn't always easy, because the brush is so big, but she has found a way.


Brushing keeps him from leaving hair on the furniture. It also keeps him from swallowing too much hair when he washes himself. If he has hair in his stomach, he pretends to throw up a hairball. That can make a mess on the floor.


Dogs and cats need to have shots so they don't get sick and so they don't make other dogs and cats sick. Pierre, Freckles and Marmalade are toy animals, so they don't really get sick, but they go to the vet for pretend shots and for the vet to check to make sure they are still pretending to be healthy.


The dolls share a little horse named Brownie, but Emil is responsible for her. The dolls decided he should be the one, because Brownie can tell him what she needs and teach him how to look after her.


A horse is a pet you can ride. The dolls know they need to wear a helmet when they ride, just like when they ride a bicycle. The helmet protects the dolls' heads in case they fall off the horse.


Before his first ride, Emil put the halter and reins (raynz) on Brownie. He needs the reins so he can guide her when he rides. The halter is the part that goes over her head, so the reins stay put.


Brownie's halter doesn't have a bit, the metal bar that goes in the horse's mouth, because Brownie's mouth doesn't open. She is like the dolls in that way.
Then Emil put the saddle on Brownie. She told him how to do it.


Emil reached under Brownie's belly to fasten the saddle, so it wouldn't come off.


Emil used the reins to lead Brownie out to the backyard for a ride. They went out through the dog door.


When they got to the backyard, Emil talked to Brownie and pet her, so she would trust him to ride her.


He had to adjust the stirrups, so they would be in the right place for his feet. If they are in the right place for Emil's feet, they will be in the right place for the feet of most of the dolls, because they are the same size as Emil, but if a bigger or smaller doll is going to ride Brownie, Emil will adjust the stirrups for that doll.


Brownie explained to Emil that he had to get on her from her left side, so he did. Then he rode around the yard for a while. Emil gave Brownie a pat on her neck every once in a while to encourage her. She had never had a rider before. She had never been outdoors before.


Brownie knew real horses are supposed to be outdoors for riding, so she was proud and happy. She pretended to be a real horse. She let Emil ride her around the yard until they were both tired.


Brownie needs to be brushed every time she comes back from taking a doll for a ride, so after Emil took the saddle, the reins and the harness off of Brownie, he gave her a good brushing. He brushed down her sides.


Then Emil brushed Brownie's mane and tail with a different kind of brush. He talked to Brownie and called her by her name. He told her what a good horse she is.


Emil put a blanket over Brownie, so she would stay warm.


Brownie isn't a real horse. She has to stay in the house with the dolls and the other doll pets, but Brownie doesn't sleep in a bed the way the dolls do. That would be silly.


A real horse is supposed to stay in a stable in a little room called a stall (stawl). Horses sleep standing up or lying down on straw on the floor. The house doesn't have a stable, so the dolls made a stall for Brownie out of one of the kitchen cabinets. When Brownie was in the stall, Emil pretended to feed her a sugar cube as a reward. He petted her face and told her what a good horse she is.
"You are a good horse, Brownie," Emil said.


Every day Emil will bring Brownie some oats to pretend to eat or he will take her out to the backyard, so she can pretend to eat the grass.

Dogs, cats, horses, and some kinds of birds and fish, can make good pets because animals like these have lived with people for a long time. They are used to being with people. They are nice family members. The same is true of toy animals. They have lived with dolls and are used to them.


Some kinds of real animals have to live in the wild or in a zoo. We can't just bring home any animal we find and make a pet out of it. That could be dangerous for us and for the animal.


If you find a wild animal in trouble, tell a grownup, who will call someone who knows about animals that live in the wild.

There are plenty of pets to choose from, so almost anyone can have a pet.


Only people with a lot of room outdoors can have a horse. Many people have other kinds of pets, especially dogs and cats, but some families are unable to have a dog or a cat. Sometimes those people have birds or fish, but sometimes they can't even have birds or fish. Everyone can have doll pets.

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
Brownie: Götz Big Plush Combing Horse
Marmalade: Purrrfect Cats
Cleo: Herself. (Cleo is actually a paperweight that was given to The Writer by a very old woman she knew when she was a child.)  

Many thanks to Alpine Veterinary Clinic for allowing us to shoot "on location" in their waiting room.

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 and Our Favorite Verses: Poems 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, 2024 by Peggy Stuart

Hidden Talents

Mariah looked up from her writing. "How do you see and hear what dogs and cats are thinking?" she asked Emil.

Emil thought for a moment. "I don't really know," he replied. "I guess, when I noticed it with the dogs, I thought everyone could do that."

"What did you see and hear with the dogs?" Mariah asked then.

"Nothing important," Emil said. "It was just things like finding a worm in the backyard, or chasing a squirrel, or it's time to go for a walk."

"I suppose," Mariah suggested, "the dogs are happy and have everything they need. What Marmalade needed to say was important."
Emil nodded. "Yes, Marmalade really wanted Mandy to know that she belonged to him now," he agreed.

Mariah was still puzzled. "I wonder why I can't see or hear the animals in my head," she said. "I wonder if Mandy can explain it.

"Maybe we should go ask," Emil said. "I'd like to know, too.

The two dolls found Mandy on the table in the workroom, selecting yarn for a project. She looked up when they climbed up onto the table.

"Mandy," Mariah began, "we have a question we think you might be able to answer."

Mandy put down the yarn she was holding. "What is it?" she asked.

"Well," Mariah began. "Emil can't see much without his glasses, and he can't hear at all without the hearing aids in his glasses, but he can see and hear what dogs and cats are saying, just the way we see and hear in our heads what other dolls are saying without using our eyes or ears."

"Yes," Emil agreed. "I wondered how I can do that when other dolls can't. We thought you might know."

"You know," Mandy began, "I had been wondering about just that very thing ever since we found out that Emil has this special ability."

"So I decided to do some research," Mandy went on.

"What did you find out?" Emil asked.
"Well," Mandy continued, "We are made to be like people, so we react like people in a lot of ways."

Mariah and Emil looked at each other and nodded. They knew this already.

"I have known for a long time," Mandy went on, "that people who are born blind or deaf often grow to have special abilities, like being really good at music or hearing things most people can't hear, or a deaf person noticing things they see that hearing people don't." 

"I've read about that," Mariah said. "It's as if they have a superpower to make up for what's missing."

"I remember being in my box," Emil said. "My box was lined up with with a lot of other dolls in their boxes. They were talking about what they could see, but all I could see was when it was light and when it was dark."

"Sometimes they talked about noises or sounds," Emil continued, "but I didn't understand what they meant. I didn't find out about hearing until I came out of my box and I got these special glasses with the built-in hearing aids."

"That's what I thought," Mandy agreed. "You are like a human person who was born deaf and nearly blind, because you couldn't hear, and you couldn't see much of anything."

"I thought, of course," Mandy went on, "that people who are blind or deaf just learn their special abilities, because they need them to make up for not being able to see or hear."

"That would make sense," Emil agreed, and Mariah nodded.

"However," Mandy went on, "I found out that some scientists (SY-en-tists), those are people who study things in the real world and figure out how things work. Scientists have learned that there is a part of the human brain for hearing and a part of the brain for seeing. When these parts of the brain are not used because the person is deaf or blind, they do other things that the person needs or can use."

"So that's why I can hear what animals say," Emil said.

"I think so," Mandy agreed.

"Some of the dolls had pets, usually dogs, with them in their boxes," Emil went on. "There were doll pets alone in boxes, too. I could hear the animals, and see what they were thinking."

"Yes," Mandy agreed. "Maybe you were able to use that part of your brain to listen to the animals, because you weren't hearing anything with your ears or seeing with your eyes. At least I think that's what happened."

"I wonder what part of my brain that is," Emil said thoughtfully.

"Actually," Mandy said, "if we took your head off, we would not be able to see a brain in there. We might see the inside of your eyes, but no brain."

The dolls all thought about what that might look like. Emil did not offer to take his head off.

"Dolls only have a pretend brain," Mandy continued, "but they work for us the way human brains work, and maybe yours is like the brain of someone who was born deaf and blind but had some other ability instead."

"Wow!" Mariah exclaimed. "I wish I could talk to animals." She looked at Emil. "You're really special, Emil!"

"You're special, too, Mariah," Mandy said. "You have a gift for writing, and if you keep working on it the way you do, you can make your writing even better. You are really good at putting words together."

"I'm special, too?" Mariah asked.

"Yes," agreed Mandy. "We are all special, but the way each one of us is special is different for each doll. Children need us to be different from each other, because each child is different and special, and when children meet other children, they need to know that it's normal for them to be different. It's what makes human people––and dolls––interesting."

Just then, Marmalade came into the workroom. He jumped up on the table and came over to the dolls. He looked at Emil.
"Meow!" Marmalade said.

"Marmalade says that cats are very special," Emil said.

"Of course they are!" Mandy exclaimed. "Marmalade is sweet and beautiful. I'm glad he found me!"

"Meow," said Marmalade.
"He says he loves you, too," Emil told Mandy.

"I always wondered what meow meant," Mariah said, "and now I know."

"Meow means cats are special," she said, "but it also means 'I love you.'"

Cast--
Mandy: Götz Happy Kidz Katie 2015
Mariah: Götz Happy Kidz Mariah, "Chosen" from My Doll Best Friend
Emil: Götz Happy Kidz Emilia
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 and Our Favorite Verses: Poems 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, 2024 by Peggy Stuart

A Hole in the Sky

Pippa and Pam were walking in the woods, talking about this and that, when suddenly, something hit Pippa on the head. “Ouch!” she cried.

Pam looked on in alarm and then looked at the thing that fell. “What happened?” she asked. 

Pippa picked up the object and showed it to Pam. “This fell from the sky and hit me!” she exclaimed.

Both dolls looked up. They saw nothing but the sky above. 

Then they looked at each other. “The sky is falling!” they both yelled at once.

“We have to take this to someone and tell them,” Pippa said, and Pam agreed.

Pam took the kerchief off of her head and they put the piece of sky in it. They found a twig and put it through the kerchief, so they could carry the package between them.

Then the two dolls walked as quickly as they could to the trail, carrying their burden with them. They walked down the trail as quickly as they could.

When they reached the paved part of the trail, they came upon Pauly, who was playing with a ball. He looked at the bundle they were carrying. “What have you got there?” he asked.

“It’s a piece of the the sky,” Pam told him. “The sky is falling!”

“We’ve got to tell someone,” Pippa added. “It could be bad!”

“Maybe we should go and tell The Writer,” Pauly suggested.

The three dolls agreed that The Writer should know about this. She would know what to do. The sky must be saved!

The three dolls walked on, taking turns carrying the big bundle and Pauly's ball.

A little farther along the trail, they noticed two dolls coming toward them. As those dolls got closer, they recognized Charlotte and Billy, who were out walking Pierre and Freckles.

“It’s Charlotte and Billy,” Pam said. “Maybe they’ll help us carry this piece of the sky.”

“Hi, kids,” Charlotte called out. “What’s up! What’s that you have in that bundle?”

“It’s a piece of the sky,” Pauly told them. “It fell and hit Pippa on the head. We’re taking it to The Writer.”

“We think she’ll know what to do,” Pam explained.”

Charlotte and Billy looked at each other.

“The Writer will definitely know what to do,” Billy said.

“Maybe you could carry the piece of sky for us,” Pippa suggested. “We’ve been taking turns, but it’s getting heavy.”

Charlotte handed Pierre’s leash to Pam and took one end of the twig.

Pauly took Freckles’ leash from Billy, as Billy took the other end of the twig.

When they were all set, off they marched to big house where The Writer lived with her husband, her dogs and her family of dolls.

The dolls carried the bundle with the piece of the sky all the way to the house. They climbed up the front steps. They had to work together, because it was even getting heavy for the bigger dolls.

The door opened as if by magic to let them in. Right away, they saw Mandy in the doorway.

“I saw you coming up the walk,” Mandy said. “What do you have in the bundle? she asked.

“It’s a piece of the sky,” Billy explained. “Part of the sky fell and hit Pippa on the head.’

“We’re bringing it to show The Writer,” said Pauly, who had been struggling with Freckles’ leach, which had wrapped around one of his legs.

Mandy thought for a moment. “Let’s have a look,” she suggested. “The Writer and Mariah are working on a story, and they didn’t want to be disturbed, but maybe I can be of help.”

The dolls carried the bundle with the piece of sky over to the stairs. They put it down on the bottom step.

Then they unwrapped their package, so that Mandy would see it.

Mandy looked at what was in the kerchief. Then she looked at the other dolls. “I don’t think we need to bother The Writer with this,” she told them.

“The sky isn’t falling,” she explained. “This is a fir cone,” she said, gesturing toward the thing in the kerchief. 

“You see,” she said, “it only seemed to fall from the sky. You must have been close to a fir tree when it happened. Fir cones fall to the ground on their own, or the wind blows and they fall, or a squirrel scampers over the branch and knocks them off. It has the seeds that cause new fir trees to grow.”

“Well,” Charlotte said then, “I feel pretty dumb.”

“We never looked in the bundle,” said Billy, who knew a fir cone when he saw one.

Mandy noticed the three smaller dolls looking rather embarrassed. “It’s an easy mistake to make, though,” she told them, “if you’ve never seen a fir cone before.”

“It was very smart of you to realize the danger, too,” Mandy added. “The sky was really in danger once,” she explained, “but human scientists worked together with countries around the world to fix it.”

All the dolls were interested now. “Tell us about it, please,” Pam begged.

“Well,” Mandy began, “long before any of us were made, there was a hole in the sky, in a part called the ozone layer. The ozone layer filters the sunlight that falls on the earth. Because of the hole, people had trouble with their skin burning easily. (Their skin doesn’t actually catch on fire when it burns; it just gets red and sometimes makes blisters.) That can cause skin diseases if it happens often.”

“Another problem with the hole,” Mandy continued, “was that it damaged food crops. Scientists figured out what was happening, though. They found out that it was because human people were using a certain kind of chemical for making things like insulation, (the stuff they put between the walls of a house to keep the temperature right). They also used it in refrigerators so they could get cold enough to keep food from spoiling quickly. Some of it was leaking out and going up to where the ozone layer is. It made the hole, and the hole was getting bigger all the time.”

“Is it still there?” Billy asked.

“Yes,” Mandy replied, “but it’s much smaller now. When human scientists found out what was causing the hole, they worked together and with other human people around the world to find other chemicals they could use instead of the ones causing the damage. They made everyone stop using those chemicals. The hole is closing up again now.”

“So the sky can’t fall, exactly,” Charlotte suggested.

“No, it can’t,” Mandy agreed, “but things can fall from the sky, like hail.”

“Little balls of ice,” Billy explained to the younger dolls.

“I remember that!” Pippa said. “I know what hail is. This didn’t look like hail, though.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Mandy agreed. “Now you’ve learned that these things fall from the trees, not the sky, so you don’t need to worry.”

“I learned something, too,” Charlotte said.

Everyone looked at Charlotte. 

“I learned that when someone says something terrible is happening,” she explained, “you should check it out before you get all excited.”

“Yeah,” agreed Billy. “You should look inside the bundle to see if it really is a piece of the sky or not.

Children who want to know more about the ozone layer and what happened to it can read here. 

Image of ozone hole from NASA. 

Readers may recognize the old folk tale known as Chicken Little, Chicken Licken or Henny Penny. The mistakes made by the characters in the old folk tale may also be made by dolls, or even human people.

Cast--
Mandy: Götz Happy Kidz Katie 2015
Charlotte: Götz Happy Kidz Anna in Paris
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily at London
Pippa: Götz Little Kidz LottaPauly: Götz Little Kidz PaulPam: 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 and Our Favorite Verses: Poems 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 © 2024 by Peggy Stuart

Emil's Gift

Emil gazed out of the window. "I'm happy here," he said to himself. He can do that without moving his lips, because his lips don't move.

Emil thought about how he had worried before he received his special glasses that he wouldn't find a place in the world because he was different. He could only see to tell whether it was dark or light where he was. He couldn't hear at all.


Of course, dolls can talk to each other in their heads, so they don't need to be able to hear when they talk to each other. If you look in a doll's ear, where the sound is supposed to go in, you will see that it's blocked off. 


That's because dolls' hearing is pretend hearing. They need their pretend hearing to hear other sounds in the world, like cars and bicycles, or the alarm clock.
Somehow, however, Emil didn't even get that. He did get eyes, but he couldn't see much. He couldn't see much or hear anything until he was given his wonderful glasses with hearing aids built in.


Even with his special glasses, he had been afraid he wouldn't find a family, because he is different. He was afraid, but he knew he had to tell them about this problem in his letter. Not telling them would be a lie. There are two kinds of lies, he thought to himself.


There is the kind where you say something that isn't true and there is the kind where you don't say something that is true but important to tell. Not telling them would have been the second kind, so he told them in his letter.


"I told the truth, and they still wanted me," Emil said to himself. "That makes me happy." Now he has a doll family that cared about him.


Emil remembered how Billy had shown him where the girls keep their dresses. "They sometimes borrow from each other," he had said, "but they always ask first."


Then Billy showed him where he kept his clothes. Emil could keep his there, too. Billy had said that he and Emil could borrow clothes from each other, now, too, but they would always ask first.


"I don't borrow the girls' dresses," Billy had said, and they had both laughed. Emil held up one of the dresses to see how it would look on Billy.


Emil thought about how each of the other dolls can do things he can't do. Jolena can dance.


She can flip through the air on skis.


She can cook.


Mariah can write poems that make you laugh and poems that make your pretend heart break.


Charlotte can play the violin, and you can sing along in your head if you know the tune.


Billy can take beautiful photos and then make them even better using the computer.


Emil knew he could go to Mandy if he had a question about how the world and even how the universe worked. If she didn't know something, you and Mandy would find out together.


Mandy also likes to knit. Emil thinks maybe she ponders how the universe works while she knits. Maybe that's why she understands it so well.


Emil knew if anyone had a problem they were worried about, and they didn't know what to do, they could ask Veronika, and she wouldn't just tell you what to do, she would help you work it out, so you understand. You could discuss it, and then you would see what to do for yourself. That makes you feel good about yourself. It also teaches you how to solve problems yourself.


Emil has seen Veronika sewing a quilt. It was fun to watch, and he especially likes to see her use a sewing machine, because he thinks machines are fun.


All of these dolls in his family have talents. They have things they can do that the others can't do or can't do as well. Some are things you can learn, but some are things that are just there inside them from the start. Maybe he could learn to ski. Most dolls can learn how to ski, even if they can't see, but he was sure he couldn't fly through the air like Jolena. What if his glasses fell off? 


Maybe he could learn to dance. Everyone should learn how to dance, but what if his hearing aids ran out of power while he was performing. He wouldn't be able to hear the music. Maybe dancing was just for fun for Emil.


Emil thought everyone should know how to cook. How can a doll pretend to eat without cooking something. You would have to have someone else do it for you all the time. He knew Jolena would make sure he knew how to cook at least a little. He thought that would be fun.


Everyone should learn how to write. Writing can be fun and useful, but Emil didn't think he could ever write as well as Mariah, even if he worked at it. He needed to have something important to say.


Everyone should learn to make music (even if just to hum, because your mouth doesn't open) but Emil thought it would be hard for him to learn to play a musical instrument, because he isn't sure that what he hears with his hearing aids is exactly what the sound is like. When you play an instrument, you want it to sound pleasant to dolls who can hear normally.


Everyone should learn to take photos. It's fun, and Billy is teaching him how, but Emil knows the photos are never as good as Billy's.


Everyone should learn about the universe works, but Emil thought he would have to be very interested in it to ever know as much about it as Mandy, and it would mean a lot of study. He knew Mandy had studied science for a long time. She must have started a long time ago.


Emil can learn how to knit, too, and it's fun. Emil thinks everyone should know how to knit. Even dolls who can't see can still knit, but he doesn't think it would be his favorite thing to do. He isn't sure that the way he sees colors is the way other dolls do.


Emil thought he could learn to be a good person and to do the right things. Everyone should learn those things, but he doubted he could ever help other dolls know how to deal with their problems as well as Veronika can.


Everyone should learn to sew. Emil likes to watch Veronika sew, but he isn't sure he would want sewing to be his life's work. He thinks he should know how to sew a tear in this clothes shut, though, or to sew a button back on if it came off. What if Veronika isn't around when it comes off? But to put little pieces of fabric together in a quilt? Well, there would be the colors thing again. He wasn't sure he could ever do that, not the way Veronika does.


Emil knew he could hear in his head what animals were saying. That was something the others couldn't do. He can hear and see animals' thoughts in his head. The other dolls can't do that. He isn't sure it's something you can learn to do. "I'm happy here," he said to himself again. His lips still didn't move. "I have my special glasses, and I can talk to animals. I have a family to love, and they love me, even though I'm different. In fact, I'm glad I'm who I am!"


"Meow," said Marmalade.Freckles said, "Woof!"
"Not everyone can talk to animals," Emil said.Marmalade and Freckles agreed.


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
Marmalade: Purrrfect Cats

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 and Our Favorite Verses: Poems 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, 2024 by Peggy Stuart 

Some Marmalade

When Mandy came home from school, she had a box with her. She put down the box to take off her coat.


Jolena went over to look at the box while Mandy hung up her coat.
Jolena looked at Mandy and gestured to the box. "What's in the box?" she asked.


Emil looked up from the book he was reading in the window. "Yes, Mandy," he said, "I have a feeling something very interesting is in the box."


"The box has holes in it," Jolena told him, "so maybe there is something alive inside. You put holes in a box if you want something inside to be able to breathe!"

Mandy nodded. "He didn't really need holes," she said, "but, like us, he pretends to breathe, so I put holes in the box. I think it makes him feel better."As Emil came and joined the girls in the front hall, Mandy carefully opened the box. In a sweet voice, she said, "There, there, now, it's OK." She reached inside and made stroking motions with her hand.

Emil and Jolena looked inside the box. A little orange-and-white face looked back from a rumpled towel.

"It's a cat!" Jolena exclaimed.


"He has been outside the school for three days," Mandy explained. "Today I gave him some of my tuna sandwich at lunchtime. After that, he started following me around. He must really like to pretend to eat!"


"Why was he in the box," Jolena asked.
"I couldn't leave him there," Mandy said, "and I thought he wouldn't like the walk home, so my teacher gave me the box. She said that most cats don't mind being carried in boxes."
Just then, the cat jumped out of the box. He came and rubbed his side against Mandy's leg.
"I guess he's your cat now," Emil said.


"Unless he has an owner who is missing him," Jolena pointed out. "We could take him to the vet to see if he has a microchip (MY-krow-chip). That will tell us if he belongs to someone."


The cat started down the hall toward the kitchen. "I don't think a doll cat would have a microchip," Mandy said, as the dolls followed the cat down the hall, "but we can check the neighborhood lost-and-found website."The cat looked up from the dogs' water dish, where he had been pretending to drink. "Meow," he said solemnly.


"He says that he doesn't belong to anyone," Emil told Mandy.


"How do you know?" Mandy asked.
"He's showing me pictures in my head," Emil replied. "He was given to a lady who didn't want him. She threw him into the trash. He climbed out of the trash and went to the doll school, because he had seen dolls there. He knew he was supposed to belong to a doll."
Mandy looked down at the cat.


"Meow," the cat said again.
Mandy looked at Emil.
"He says he's Mandy's cat now," Emil said. "He's showing me how you fed him. He is showing me how he followed you around. He is showing me his face, looking up at you. He says he loves Mandy."


"Is he showing you my yarn, too?" Mandy asked. "Well, I guess I have a cat now," she added. "I will have to pretend to take him to the vet to get a checkup and shots."
"You will need food and a litter box," Jolena pointed out.


"Meow," said the cat. The two girls looked at Emil.
"He wants to know if the dogs are friendly," Emil explained.


"How does he know there are dogs?" Jolena asked.
"He probably can smell them," Mandy suggested.
Emil agreed. "Especially around the water dish," he said.


Just then, the dolls heard someone coming up the front steps.
"Billy and Charlotte are back with the dogs!" Mandy cried, scooping up the cat and running back to the front door, where she put him quickly back into the box. 


Mandy closed the flaps of the box firmly. "We had better explain to Charlotte and Billy about the cat," she said to Emil and Jolena. "It's important for the dogs and the cat get off on the right paw if we want them to be friends."
The door opened, and Charlotte and Billy came in from walking Pierre and Freckles. They could tell something was up.


Holding the box closed, Mandy explained to Charlotte and Billy about the cat. She explained how she found the cat at the school and how he was still there after three days. She told them how she had shared her tuna sandwich with the cat, and how the cat followed her around. She explained about the box. She explained that the cat was going to live with them now.


Meanwhile, the dogs were sniffing at the box. They could hear something moving inside. They could smell the cat. "Maybe we should put the dogs out in the backyard for now," Billy suggested picking up Freckles.


"That's a good idea," Emil said. "They need to get used to each other's smell in the house before they meet. We should feed them in separate rooms for now." 


"We can explain to Pierre and Freckles that the cat is a family member," Charlotte suggested. "They will understand, I think, but it may take a few days."
After they put the dogs outside, Charlotte and Billy came back to look at the cat.


"Why do dogs and cats not get along?" Charlotte asked.
"I think," Emil said, "it's because their language is different. There are lots of things a dog does that mean one thing to the dog," he continued, "but when a cat does the same thing, it means just the opposite. Like if a dog wags his tail, it usually means he's friendly. If a cat wags his tail, it usually means he's ready to pounce. That makes for a lot of misunderstandings."


"That's like people who speak different languages," Mandy said, "or have different customs or different religions." Then she looked up at Emil. "We just found out today that Emil can talk to animals," she added.
"How do you do that?" Billy asked Emil.
"I don't know," Emil replied. "I just found out that I can. I've seen pictures in my head from the dogs, but it didn't mean anything to me until now. It was just stuff like their food and the ball, or wanting to go out. The cat had important things to say."
"I think it's your special gift," Jolena said. "We all have some kind of special gift," she added, "but you found out yours very fast!"
Veronika and Mariah came down the stairs to see what was going on. Mandy went through the story again, including that they had just learned that Emil can understand animals."


"I need to get some cat food and cat litter," Mandy said. "Can some of you look after the cat until I get back?"
"Sure," said Veronika, who was waiting for a turn to pet the cat.
"We all will," Mariah added. "It's nice to have a cat."


Mandy left the cat with the other dolls and used one of the bicycles that had a basket to ride to the store to get some cat food and cat litter. She had a cat to look after now!


Mandy came home with the cat food and the cat litter. She put the litter box in the laundry room, where they could keep the cat for a few days. They put a folded-up blanket on the floor and put down food and water, in case the cat wanted to pretend to need those things.
"He will need a name," Emil said, looking at Mandy.


Mandy thought for a few moments. "I think he looks like what I see when I open a jar of marmalade," she said, "and he's very sweet. I think I'll call him Marmalade."


The girls looked at Emil, who looked at Marmalade. Then he looked up. "He likes it," he said. "Of course, it could be because he's still pretending to be hungry."


"Well, Marmalade," Mandy said to the cat, "go pretend to eat your dinner. Now you never have to pretend to be hungry again!"


"Meow," Marmalade replied.

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
Marmalade: Purrrfect Cats, all man-made fiber.

Image on Mariah's shirt used with permission with thanks, from Free To Be Kids, where human-size shirts with this image are available.

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 and Our Favorite Verses: Poems 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, 2024 by Peggy Stuart 

How Emil Came to The Doll's Storybook, Part Two

Billy and Veronika brought a letter to the other dolls, who were busy in the living room.

"We have a letter from Emil!" Billy exclaimed. As the other dolls gathered around, Billy began to read.


"Dear Veronika and Cast of The Doll's Storybook," he read.
"I am so happy to read that you have chosen me to be the new boy doll for your stories. I will try very hard to do a good job."
"I'm sure he will," said Jolena." All the dolls nodded.


"Please tell Billy my name is said like eh-MEEL," Billy continued, "and thank him for asking. I get called a lot of funny things when other dolls don't know." Billy looked up from the letter and tried the new name, "Emil."


The other dolls all tried to think of how many different ways you could say Emil.


Then Billy continued reading. "Please tell Jolena my favorite food is...." Billy paused. "KWIT-chee?" Billy asked and looked at Jolena, puzzled.


Jolena looked at the letter where Billy was pointing.
Then she laughed. "That's quiche," she said, saying it like KEESH. Then she looked up. "I know how to make that. It's sort of a pie with eggs and cheese. I have several good recipes. I'll make my favorite."


Charlotte nodded. "The word is French. You don't say French words the way the letters sound in English."


"Quiche is a French recipe," Jolena added. "All my French recipes have unusual spellings, or maybe they're usual for French, I guess."


Billy continued to read, "I enjoy pretending to eat pretty much anything, though, so tell her not to go to any trouble."


"Forget that," Jolena said. "This is the kind of trouble I like!"


Billy looked back at the letter. "Mariah asked what kind of books I like to read," he read. "Please tell her I like to read lots of things but I especially like stories about real children."
"I like stories like that, too," Mariah said.


Then Billy went on. "I am excited to tell you," he read, "that I can hear music with my special hearing aids. Please tell Charlotte my favorite song is 'Old MacDonald Had a Farm,' because I like all the animal sounds in it. I can only hear these animal sounds for real with my hearing aids."


"I have a book of fun songs," Charlotte told them, looking up from the letter. "I'm pretty sure this song is in there."


"I am very glad that Mandy asked about my hearing aids," Billy read. "The batteries are rechargeable. All I need is an electrical outlet near the bed, because I can't see much when I take off my glasses to sleep. Someone will need to come and get me if the smoke alarm goes off during the night, but I will not need to have someone wake me up in the morning. I have an alarm clock that will shake the bed to wake me up."
"Wow!" Billy exclaimed, looking up from the letter. "An alarm clock that shakes you out of bed! What a cool invention!"


The other dolls all agreed. 
"Here's how he ends his letter," said Billy, "Thank you all for choosing me," he read. "I understand from your letter that it was unanimous." Billy sounded out the word, (you-NAN-ih-mus). "That means all of you wanted me. That means a lot to me. I am excited to meet you all! Sincerely, Emil."


"We have a lot to do to get ready," Veronika said, and they did.


Billy cleaned his room and made room for Emil's clothes in the dresser and in the closet, because Emil would be sharing his room. He made sure the outlet next to the bed was easy to get to.


Jolena found her favorite recipe for quiche, and made a shopping list.


Mariah went off to the library to find books of stories about real children.


Charlotte found the music for "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" and tuned her violin, so she could learn to play it.


The dolls were busy, so the next few days passed quickly. Before they knew it, Emil was standing in the front hall. The dolls all ran to the front door to greet him.
"You look like Harry Potter!" Jolena exclaimed as soon as she saw Emil.


Emil laughed. "I get that a lot," he said, "but I don't have a scar on my forehead and I can't do magic, so you know I'm just Emil." The dolls welcomed Emil. They shook hands with him and told him their names, one after another. Emil looked at each face as he shook their hands, and repeated that doll's name. He tried to remember all six names and which face went with which name. He thought about what he already knew about each one from their letter.


Billy took Emil upstairs and showed him where to put his clothes. He showed him the drawer for his underwear and pajamas. He could hang his other clothes up in the closet.


Billy helped him plug in his hearing aid charger and his special clock. Emil pushed the clock's bed shaker under the mattress. He set the alarm on the clock for when they had to get up in the morning. Then the two boys went back downstairs.

Emil looked out at the backyard. "You have a nice place to run and play," he said, "and things to climb on, and a slide, too!" he added.


"We have a nice place to run and play," Veronika corrected him. "This is your home now, too."
Emil knew it would be fun to play outdoors here.


Billy showed Emil the bicycles in the storeroom. "Two of them are girls' bikes," he said. "The girls sometimes have to ride when they're wearing dresses, so we have two girls' bikes. I won't mind riding a girl's bike, though, when we go for bike rides together."
"I don't mind, either," Emil said. "How many dolls have bicycles, even just to share?"


"We always wear helmets when we ride," Billy pointed out. "That's why we have one helmet for each bicycle."
"That's really important," Emil agreed. "I have to be careful not to damage my glasses, and the helmet helps protect them as well as my head."
Billy explained that there was also a sled and a skateboard they could share. (The sled was Billy's Christmas present, but he had learned that it's more fun to play with the sled when you take turns.)
Mariah gave Emil the books from the library, so he could read when he wanted to. They talked about the books, and he picked out which one he wanted to read first. He thought Mariah did a good job picking out books that were interesting, and he told her so.


Charlotte played "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" on her violin, while the other dolls pretended to sing. They sat on the stairs and pretended that they were an audience of real children. They had great seats in the theater.
The dolls had fun making the animal sounds. Emil thought it was nice of Charlotte to learn the song just for him. He thought about how much more fun it was to sing it with his new family.


Billy took a photo of all the dolls sitting on the stairs, so they would have something to remember the day Emil came to live with them. He set the timer and then ran to be in the photo.


Jolena made her favorite quiche recipe and salad for supper. When it came out of the oven, she put it on the table to cool while the others got ready to set the table. Emil wanted to help set the table, too, but first he paused to enjoy the delightful smell coming from the quiche.


The dolls pretended to eat the quiche that Jolena had made. It was delicious! The salad was good, too.
By the time Emil went to bed that night, he knew he was in the right place, and it made him happy. Dolls need to have a purpose, and he had found his.
Emil and Billy talked for a while about things they found interesting, until they felt sleepy. Then Emil took off his glasses and plugged them in to recharge. He had to put the end of each earpiece into each of the two holes. Billy noticed that Emil did this without looking at the charger. He used his hands to know where to put in the plugs.


Emil put on his sleep mask, and Billy turned off the light.


The last thing Emil knew before morning came and his alarm clock started shaking his bed was that he was home! His new sisters were pretty and kind. Billy was fun and helpful. Best of all, they enjoyed sharing what they had with him.



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

Note to parents: Not all hearing aids can be put in glasses. Billy's hearing loss is conductive. You can find out more about hearing loss and deafness here. Although Emil can hear the thoughts of other dolls and can communicate in the same way, real children cannot. This is one place dolls have an advantage.

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 and Our Favorite Verses: Poems 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, 2024 by Peggy Stuart

How Emil Came to The Doll's Storybook, Part One

The dolls were studying and doing their homework when Veronika came into the room.

"Everyone, you need to listen to this," Veronika said, waving a piece of paper so they would see what she had.


The dolls gathered around Veronika. "It's a letter," she said. Then she began to read. 


Here is what the letter said:

Dear Veronika and Cast of The Doll's Storybook,
I heard you were looking for another boy doll, and I am hoping you will choose me.
Before you accept me, you should know something about me. I'm not perfect. It isn't the fault of the factory where we were made. Sometimes these things just happen. Anyway, I wanted to be sure you knew about this before you decide.
First of all, I'm very nearsighted. That means I can't see very far from my nose. This isn't too bad, though, because my special glasses correct my sight to almost normal. I just need to wear my glasses all the time, except when I'm asleep.
My other problem is more serious. I'm almost deaf without my hearing aids. Fortunately, they were able to build my hearing aids into my glasses. I can talk with other dolls with no problem without my hearing aids, because, like other dolls, I talk by sharing my thoughts and listening to yours, but I need the hearing aids so I don't get hurt by things like cars and bicycles, and so I know when water is running and when an alarm goes off. I can't hear those things in my head without the hearing aids in my special glasses.
If you accept me as a new cast member, I promise to try very hard not to let these things make problems for you. I will also try to be the best doll I can be.

Sincerely,
Emil

"It's a good letter," Mandy said when Veronika had finished reading the letter.


Mariah, who had been looking over Veronika's shoulder, pointed at the letter. "There are no words misspelled," she said. "The ideas are easy to understand. He must be smart. He must have worked hard on the letter."


"He could have used Autocorrect," Billy said. "Autocorrect will fix the spelling."


"Yes," agreed Mariah, "but Autocorrect just changes something that isn't a word to something that is. It may not be the right word."
"Sometimes," put in Jolena, "Autocorrect gives you something silly, and it makes you laugh, and the letter looks as if he might have written it out instead of using a computer, and Autocorrect only works if you're using a computer or a phone."


"That's right," Mariah agreed. "You have to know if the word is the right one, and you still have to write what you want to say so it's easy to understand."
The dolls all smiled and nodded. They could remember times when they had seen this happen, and they agreed the letter looked as if it might have been written by hand. "Emil must have had to use a dictionary to check the spelling of all the words he wasn't sure of," Mariah concluded.

Charlotte had been very quiet. Now she had something to say. "I like that he sounds honest," she said.
The other dolls looked up at Charlotte.


"How do you see that in his letter, Charlotte?" Veronika asked.
"Well," Charlotte began, "he wants to be chosen, doesn't he? He could have just told us how wonderful he is, and how he's the best one for the job. He could have left out the part about his problems."


"You're right," Mandy said. "Then we wouldn't have known until he arrived, when it was too late."


Veronika turned to Billy. "What do you think, Billy?" she asked. "If we choose him, he will be your pal. You need to be satisfied with the choice."


"I like the letter," Billy said. "He sounds interesting. He says he isn't perfect, but none of us is perfect. He's different, but we're all different, even though we are alike in lots of ways."


"Like that our eyes don't close," Jolena said, "and we each have one hand with two fingers stuck together."


"It sounds to me," Billy said, "like he can do everything I like to do. I think we will have fun together."


"Let's vote on it," Veronika said, "unless anyone has something else to say."
The dolls shook their heads. They were ready to vote.
"All right," Veronika said, "who wants to choose Emil to be our new brother? Raise your hand if you do."
All the dolls raised their hands.


"Good," said Veronika. "It's unanimous (you-NAN-ih-mus)! That means we all voted the same. Then I don't have to ask who doesn't want Emil to be our new brother. I will write back and let him know."
"Veronika," Billy said, "there is something I would like you to ask him. You said his name like 'eh-MEEL.' How do we know it isn't 'EE-mul' or something else? It's an unusual name. Would you ask him how he says it so we can say it correctly when he comes?"


Veronika said she would ask. It was an important part of helping him feel at home when he arrived."When you write, please ask him what kind of food he likes to pretend to eat best," Jolena said. "I want to fix him his favorite food when he gets here."


"I want to find out," Mariah added, "what kinds of books he likes. We can go to the library right before he arrives and check out some things."
"Ask him if he can hear music," Charlotte said. "If he can, please find out what his favorite song is, so I can learn to play it for him on my violin."


"I have something for you to ask him," Mandy said. "Ask him if he needs to plug in his hearing aids at night or if his hearing aids use batteries, and please ask him if he needs anything else we might not think of."


That night, Veronika wrote a letter to Emil and told him that he had been chosen to be their new brother. She wrote that they liked his letter and thought he sounded nice. She asked him how to say his name. She used Autocorrect to make sure she had spelled the words correctly, and when Autocorrect changed something, she looked to see if Autocorrect was just being silly.


Veronika asked Emil what kind of food and books he liked best. She asked him if he could hear music with his special glasses, and if so, what was his favorite song. She asked him if he needed batteries or a charger for his glasses, or if there was anything else he might need. Then she added that they could tell he was special from his letter, and that was good. Then she printed off the letter and signed it. She put it into an envelope. She put a stamp on the letter.
Then all the dolls went to the mailbox together to mail the letter to Emil.


They could hardly wait. They knew Emil would be special.

We are all special, and so are you.


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 and Our Favorite Verses: Poems 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, 2024 by Peggy Stuart

Skiing With Kiwis

“I’m glad you’re here,” Pippa said, as she let Pam in. “Jolena is back from skiing in New Zealand,” she told her. “She was just getting ready to show us her photos!”

“But it’s summer,” Pam pointed out. “I know you need snow to ski. We get snow in the winter.”

“But they do have snow in New Zealand,” Pippa told her. “The whole Southern Hemisphere (HEM-iss-feer) has snow right now.”

“It must be very cold in the Southern Hem-Hemisphere!” Pam struggled with the new word. “Do human people live there? I know human people don’t like the cold. It’s why they heat their houses.”

“It’s colder there right now,” Pippa told her friend as they walked down the hall. “but that’s because they have winter when we have summer. It’s complicated. Just ask Mandy to explain it.”

While Billy was setting up The Writer’s laptop so they could all look at the photos, the other dolls settled in their places, where they could see the screen. Billy made sure he could turn the laptop easily, to allow each of them to see. Before Pam arrived, he had shown Jolena how to send her photos to the cloud, so they could pull them up on the laptop. (She wondered how the photos knew which cloud to go to, but she was happy to see her pictures appear on the screen.)

“Did you get to practice your Spanish?” Pippa asked the older doll.

“Only with the team from Spain,” Jolena replied. “There are lots of countries where Spanish is spoken, but most of them are in South America, where it’s winter now, too, so they can practice at home.”

“They don’t speak Spanish in New Zealand,” Jolena said, “unless they know Spanish and someone who speaks it is visiting. I mean it’s not an official language of the country.”

“What language do they speak there?” Billy asked. “Did you have time to learn it before you went?”

Jolena laughed, “I’ve had plenty of time to learn it,” she replied. “Most human people speak English there, like here, and the dolls do, too, although it does sound a little different from how English sounds here.”

“I did find out, though,” she went on, “that New Zealand has two other official languages. One is Māori (MAH-oh-ree), or Te Reo Māori. That’s the language spoken by the human people who were already living in New Zealand before the English-speaking people came to live there. That's my first picture,” she told them.

“We went to see a music and dance performance of the Māori people while we were there,” Jolena said.

The dolls all looked at the photo. Billy turned the laptop a bit, so Pippa and Pam could see. When the had had time to look at the picture, he turned it back so Emil could see, too.

Jolena turned to Emil. “And Emil, you will like this!” she said. “New Zealand Sign Language is the third official language of the country.”

She knew he would be interested, because he was learning a sign language called Signing Exact English, so he could understand what human people who couldn’t hear, even with special glasses, were saying when they use their hands to talk. He had taught Pippa a few signs.

“I wonder how it’s different,” Emil pondered.

“I wondered that, too,” Jolena told them, “so I asked. I found out that there are lots of different kinds of sign language, just as there are many spoken languages all over the world.”

“New Zealand Sign Language,” Jolena said, “isn’t just American Sign Language or even British Sign Language with an accent (AK-sent), because an accent is the way the words sound. It borrowed from British Sign Language, but it has changed over the years.”

“What else did you learn about New Zealand?” Billy asked.

“Well,” Jolena began, “I learned that the country is made up of mostly of two big islands. Where’s the photo of the map, the one I took at the airport after we landed?” she asked Billy.

He found the photo of the map of New Zealand and brought it to the screen.

“We went to the island on the bottom,” she told them. “That’s South Island. We flew into Christchurch. That’s a city on South Island.” Jolena showed them where it was on the map. She had to climb up onto the table to be able to reach the screen to point to the right place. When Billy and Emil had seen where she was pointing, she moved the laptop around so the two smaller dolls could see.

“Then we took a short flight to another place, closer to where we would be skiing,” she explained. “The name of that place is Queenstown.” She pointed to where that town was on the map. Then she turned the laptop back so Billy and Emil could see.

“From there,” Jolena went on, as she climbed back onto the big chair, “we had a bus that took us to the ski area. I took the next photo out of the bus.”

Billy turned the laptop so the smaller dolls could see.

“I took another photo from where we were staying at the ski resort,” she told them.

Billy turned the laptop around again for Pippa and Pam.

“You can tell it was getting late by then. They had lights turned on on the runs the skiers were using,” she added.

“Did you win any medals in New Zealand?” Pippa asked. 

“This was just practice,” Jolena replied. “We’re getting ready for the competitions next February, but it was great for practice. I finally did a triple cork. I was really nervous when I was ready for my turn, because I knew I was going for it,” she added. “This photo was taken by our coach. I think you can see how nervous I was!”

“What’s a triple cork?” Pam asked.

“A triple cork,” Jolena told them, “is where you go up into the air and turn over three times. I could only do two times before. (That’s what we call a double cork.) Maybe I’ll even get a medal next time we compete, if I can do it right again.”

“After I took off my skis, my teammates all cheered and clapped their hands,” Jolena told them, remembering how proud she felt. “My teammate Elizabeth took this photo while they were clapping.”

“Wow!” the other dolls all said at once.

“You must be happy about improving your tricks,” Emil suggested.

Jolena thought about it and agreed. It made her feel good that all her practice was paying off.

“It sounds like a lot of work,” Billy said.

“It was a lot of work, but it was a lot of fun, too. We went back to Queenstown on our way to come home,” Jolena continued, “and we went to a special zoo there.”

Billy brought back the map of New Zealand so they could all look at it again and remember where Queenstown was.

“We saw some animals only found in New Zealand, unless they're in a zoo,” she told them. “I took a photo of a kiwi (KEE-wee),” Jolena said, as Billy found the kiwi and the dolls saw it on the screen.

“It looks like a bird,” Pippa said.

“That’s what it is,” Jolena agreed. “The kiwi has wings, but they’re so tiny, you can’t see them, and they can’t fly. They are native (NAY-tiv) to New Zealand. That means they evolved (ee-VOLVD) there.”

“I found out that if you call someone a Kiwi, it isn’t an insult. It just means the person is from New Zealand. The kiwi sleeps in the daytime and comes out at night,” Jolena explained. “The bird, I mean, not the person. Well, maybe some human people do that, too. They say a creature is nocturnal (nok-TER-nel) when it is only active at night and sleeps during the daytime.”

“Another one of New Zealand’s special animals is a bird, too,” Jolena told them. “That bird is called a kea (KEE-uh). The kea is a kind of parrot, and the only parrot in the world that lives in the mountains.”

Billy pulled up the photo of the kea.

“It’s kind of plain,” Pam pointed out. “The parrots in Maryanne’s bird book are all bright colors.”

“The kea hides its bright colors under its wings,” Jolena told her. “It shows in the next picture.” She looked at Billy, so he would know she was ready for the next one.

Billy brought the photo Jolena was talking about onto the screen and turned the laptop so Pam and Pippa could see.

When the dolls had seen all of Jolena’s photos, Pam climbed down from the chair in the dining room. “This has been fun, but I need to talk to Mandy,” she told them. “I need to find out about this alternate universe you can go to where it can be winter in summertime and summer in wintertime.”

Just like that, she was gone.

The three larger dolls looked at each other and then at Pippa. “Alternate universe?” Jolena asked.

“The Southern Hemisphere,” Pippa replied with a sigh.

Cast--

Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily at London
Emil: Götz Happy Kidz EmiliaPippa: Götz Little Kidz LottaPam: Götz Little Kidz Springtime, from My Doll Best Friend
Do you want to know what makes the seasons change and how it can be winter in one place and summer in another? Read about when Mandy explained it to Billy, Charlotte and Mariah in It’s Spring!
Photo of traditional Māori man: Swain DestinationsPhoto of map of New Zealand: Honey Bee SuitePhoto of ski area: SnowpakPhoto of ski area with skiers: Coronet Peak Ski AreaPhoto of Kiwi: Reader’s Digest CanadaPhoto of Kea: A-Z AnimalsPhoto of Kea in flight: Kea Conservation Trust
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 and Our Favorite Verses: Poems 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 © 2024 by Peggy Stuart

The Cruise That Didn’t Happen

 Veronika was very excited. She was going to go on a cruise! She was going to go on a ship on the ocean with lots of passengers.

The cruise ship would take her to some islands off the East Coast of the United States. They are called The Bahamas. She knew it would be nice and warm. She could swim in the ocean, so she was going to take her new bathing suit.



The day before she would leave, she took her new bathing suit out of the closet to pack.



Dolls' eyes shouldn't get water in them, so she knew she would need her swim goggles.



Veronika also knew there would be a big party on board the cruise ship, so she was taking the pretty new dress Mandy had knitted for her.



She tried it on, and she looked pretty in it.



When it was time to pack, Veronika got out her suitcase. 



She started packing her clothes in it, along with everything she needed for the trip.

She was so excited, we hated to have to tell her the bad news. Someone from the cruise line had just called. The cruise was cancelled! That meant there was no cruise to The Bahamas for Veronika.

She didn't cry when we told her. She just stared at us for a moment. Then she asked, "Why?"



We explained that a big storm called a hurricane was coming. It wouldn't be safe to travel there or to be on the ocean near there. It would not be fun. Many people in The Bahamas and in Florida would have to leave their homes.
Veronika looked out the window. She felt like crying, but she did not want to get her eyes wet. She was disappointed.



When the other dolls found out, they were sad for Veronika. They were also sad for themselves. They had been looking forward to seeing the photos Veronika had promised to send them. They had been looking forward to reading Veronika's post cards. Mandy had been looking forward to seeing photos of Veronika wearing her new dress at a party on the ship.
"I know why you aren't crying, but why aren't you throwing pillows across the room?" Mariah asked Veronika. "That's what I do when I'm disappointed."



"When I'm upset, I like to kick pillows," Billy said.



"That's a good thing to do with your anger," Veronika said. "That way nothing gets hurt or broken. I'm disappointed," she added, "but I feel very lucky I'm just missing out on a fun adventure. I'm not going to be on a boat on the ocean in a hurricane. I'm not going to be lying at the bottom of the ocean knowing it won't matter if my eyes are wet, because if I get silver eye, there will be no one to see me. I don't have to leave my home and wonder if it will be there when I come back."



"What's a hurricane?" Billy wanted to know. "I know it's a big storm, but it must be special to have a special name."
All the dolls looked at Mandy.



"Yes, I know," Mandy said. "It's a Mandy question."
She found a big book in the bookcase. The other dolls helped Mandy get it down and hold it so she could open it to the page she wanted. Then they listened to Mandy as she explained. 



"A hurricane starts at the equator, that's the invisible line around the middle of the earth," Mandy explained. "The air there is warmer because the equator gets more sun. Warm air rises. That makes room for colder air to come to where it's warm, but then the colder air gets warmer and rises." 



"When the warm air gets up high," Mandy continued, "it cools off and comes down again. All that moving up and down makes a lot of wind. The wind starts to go in circles, and the circle starts to move away from the equator."



"This is what a big hurricane looks like from space," Mandy said. She showed them a photo like this in the book. "We're looking down on it," she told them. "That's the earth below it. You can see where there is land and where there is ocean."



"If the wind gets to be faster than 73 miles or 118 kilometers an hour or so," Mandy continued, "we call it a hurricane. We call this kind of storm a hurricane where we live, but in other parts of the world this kind of storm is called a cyclone or a typhoon. Big hurricanes can do a lot of damage if they reach the shore where people live. Our weather scientists watch them, so they can warn people. It's good they cancelled the cruise. We would not want Veronika to be in a ship on the ocean with a storm like this."

Mandy showed them a photo like this in her book. "This is a real house and car, not toys," she said. "A hurricane did this. It was good the people who lived here had left."



"I wish we didn't have hurricanes," Mariah sighed. "I feel bad that people have their homes and cars destroyed. I feel bad that Veronika had to be disappointed."



"Disappointment is part of life, Mariah," Veronika said. "I understand that. We are all disappointed sometimes. It makes the happy times more enjoyable, because we know what it's like not to be happy. It's important for us to learn what to do with our disappointment, because it will come, sometimes when we least expect it," she sighed.


"I know what you mean," Billy said. "I was disappointed at first when I found out I was the only boy, but then I found that girls can be fun, too."



(The girls were glad that Billy had said that, because they sometimes felt sorry that he was the only boy.)

"Well, I have an idea!" Mariah exclaimed. "Let's see if Jolena will bake us a cake! Let's ask Charlotte if she will play her violin for us! Let's have a Disappointment Party!"
"That's a great idea!" Mandy agreed.



"That sounds like fun," Veronika said. "I can wear my new dress!"



Jolena baked a cake and made some ice cream, too.



Charlotte got out her violin and tuned it, so she could play it at the party.


Freckles and Pierre sat under the table and waited for crumbs that might fall. They know not to beg. They just sit and wait, but they make sure the dolls know that they are there, just in case they want to let some crumbs fall. That isn't begging.



The cruise company says that they will exchange Veronika's ticket for another time, or she can have her money back. In the meantime, the dolls are having a Disappointment Party.


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 and Our Favorite Verses: Poems 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, 2024 by Peggy Stuart

On the Wing

 "That was a butterfly," Jolena said.

"I thought that creature was called a moth," Charlotte replied.


"It looked just like the butterflies on my shirt," Jolena pointed out, "only yellow and black, not pink and silver."


"Let's ask Mandy!" both girls exclaimed together.


They found Mandy knitting. Mariah was reading to her as she worked. 


"Mandy," Charlotte began, "we have a question."
Mariah stopped reading, and Mandy took off her glasses and put her knitting down.


"We saw a creature flying around in the garden," Jolena said. "I thought it was called a butterfly, just like the ones on my shirt."
"I thought it was called a moth," Charlotte said. 


Mariah was interested, too. "I know there are some flying insects that have big wings," she said.


"I've heard them called butterflies," Mariah continued, "but I've also heard them called moths. I thought there were just two names for the same thing. I thought a butterfly was just a pretty moth," she added.


"They are very close to the same thing," Mandy said. "That's because they are related. They are insects that belong to the order Lepidoptera (leh-pih-DOP-ter-ah), which means 'scaly wings,' but they are different from each other in some ways. You're right, Mariah. We think of butterflies as pretty, because most butterflies are more colorful than most moths, but not always."


"If I don't know anything about what you saw," Mandy continued, "I would have to guess that it was a moth, because there are many more kinds of moths in the world than butterflies." Mandy paused and thought. "On the other hand, if you saw it just now, and it was flying around, it was probably a butterfly," she said.


"You see, butterflies usually are awake in the daytime, like us," Mandy explained. "Moths usually come out at night, but there are some that like to be out in the daytime."
"It was definitely awake," Jolena said.
"We saw it flying around," Charlotte said, "so it must have been awake."
"Or flying in its sleep," Jolena pointed out. Then she giggled.
"Did it stop flying while you were watching it?" Mandy asked.
Charlotte and Jolena looked at each other and thought.


"Yes," they both cried at once. 
"It landed on a flower in the garden," Jolena said.


"Yes," Charlotte agreed. "It crawled around on the flower and then stopped for a little bit."
"Then," Jolena added, "it went to another flower and did the same thing."
"It was probably drinking," Mandy explained. "Most butterflies and moths drink nectar (NEHK-ter), which is a sweet liquid found in flowers. They drink it the way hummingbirds do. Now tell me, when the creature stopped, what did it do with its wings?"


The two girls looked at each other and thought. They tried to remember what they saw. They would have closed their eyes to remember better if they could have, but their eyes don't close, so they had to pretend. They remembered something like this.


"When the wings stopped moving," Charlotte began, "the creature sort of held them like this." Charlotte put her hands up over her head and back as far as she could reach.


Jolena nodded.
"That sounds like a butterfly," Mandy said. "Most moths rest with their wings covering their sides."


"Some, though," she explained, hold their wings flat against whatever they are resting on."

"What did its antennae (an-TEH-nee) look like?" Mandy asked.
"What's that?" Mariah asked. (As a writer, Mariah is always interested in new words.)



"Antennae are something like ears," Mandy explained, "but they do more than just hear. They can smell and feel. There are two of them."
Mandy asked Mariah if she could use her pencil and notebook. Mariah agreed and handed them to her.


Mandy drew two pictures on it. She drew a line with a little ball on top. It looked like a line with a little ball on top. Then she drew another line and some little lines coming off of it. That one looked sort of like a skinny feather.


She showed the pictures to Jolena and Charlotte, while Mariah looked on. 


"Did your creature's antennae look like this," she asked, pointing to first of the pictures, "or was it more like this?" She pointed then to the second picture.
Charlotte and Jolena both pointed to the first picture. They pointed to the one that looked like a line with a little ball on the end.


"Then it was a butterfly," Mandy said. "There are moths that are awake in the daytime and butterflies that are awake at night. There are moths that hold their wings more like butterflies when they rest and butterflies that hold their wings more like moths. There are moths with antennae that are more like those of butterflies and butterflies with antennae more like moths, but if your creature had all of these features, it had to be a butterfly."


"That's interesting," Charlotte said. 
"There's one more way butterflies and moths are different," Mandy went on. "You see, both of them start life as caterpillars (KAT-uh-pill-ers)."



"But caterpillars" objected Jolena, "don't look anything like moths or butterflies! They look like worms with little legs!"



"That's true," Mandy agreed, "but caterpillars are baby moths or butterflies. They change shape when they grow up. They shed their skins several times as they grow. Then they go to sleep to change and grow wings."
"How do they do that?" Mariah asked.



"The caterpillar makes itself a little changing room," Mandy explained. "Here's another way moths are butterflies are different. The kind of changing room it makes depends on whether the caterpillar is a moth or a butterfly."
The dolls all looked at each other, trying to imagine a caterpillar in a changing room.


"A moth caterpillar will attach itself to a branch, twig or leaf in a safe spot," Mandy said. "It will spin a cocoon (cuh-COON) for itself."


"A cocoon is like a sleeping bag out of yarn from the moth's own body," Mandy continued. "In fact, the silk we sometimes use for clothes is made from the cocoon of a very special caterpillar."


"On the other hand," Mandy went on, "after a butterfly caterpillar attaches itself to a branch or twig in a safe spot, it sheds its skin for the last time, and its outside hardens to make something called a chrysalis (KRIS-ah-liss)."


Either way, the caterpillar goes to sleep for a long time. When it wakes up, it has wings and a skinny body. During this in-between stage, while it's sleeping and changing, it's called a pupa (PEW-pah), no matter whether it is a moth or a butterfly," Mandy said.


"I wonder what it's like," Charlotte said, "to wake up and find you have wings and a skinny body."
The dolls thought about that.
"In poetry and stories,"Mariah said, "a butterfly is often used to mean the beginning of a new life. Now I think I know why. I guess that's because it starts out as one thing and changes to another."
"Yes," Mandy agreed. "It's like how a ball of yarn can become a sweater."


"It's like how waffle batter can become waffles," Jolena suggested.


"Or," Charlotte added, "how a bunch of notes on a piece of paper can become music!"


"Or how words we write can become a story," Mariah suggested, "like this one."


"Will we change into anything?" Jolena wanted to know.
"No, Jolena," Mandy said. "We will always be dolls. Our purpose is to help children change and grow up to be adults who can look after themselves and their families. We teach them to be kind to others, and to know how special they are."


"That's good," Jolena said. "I don't want to change into something else. I like what we are and what we get to do."



"That means we're special, too."

Cast--

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


More information about butterflies and moths can be found here.

Photos from UnSplash.com are: First butterfly photo by Sean Stratton. Second butterfly (closeup) photo by Richard Lee. Moth with closed wings photo by Tim Goedhart. Caterpillar photo by Sara Codair. Chrysalis photo by Suzanne D. Williams.

Silk cocoon photo by Emily Peters through UIHere.

Mandy's T-shirt design adapted from an image found on UIHere.

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 and Our Favorite Verses: Poems 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, 2024 by Peggy Stuart