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King of the Dollhouse
A miniature royal family moves into the dollhouse of an only child and keeps her company the summer her mother is writing a story for children.
94 pages, Library Binding
First published January 1, 1974
3 people are currently reading
118 people want to read
About the author
Patricia Clapp
16 books36 followersPatricia Clapp was born in Boston and attended the Columbia University School of Journalism. Her first novel, Constance: A Story of Early Plymouth, was a runner-up for the 1969 National Book Award for Children's Literature. Her other books include, I'm Deborah Sampson, King of the Dollhouse, Dr. Elizabeth, and Jane-Emily. She also authored many plays for children.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
May 27, 2020
Child me would have loved and reread this, despite all the 'but wait' questions that arise (other reviews mention some; the one that bothers me most is 'why does the queen have to wear a gown & ride the mouse in that special side-saddle?). Neat that the gender roles of the king and queen are reversed. Delightful pictures. A few light bits that will appeal to adults more than children. Rounding up from 3.5 stars.
Share it with your children, boys and girls, as a quick read-aloud, about age 7. But skim it yourself first because it is creative/original and I imagine some children will ask some questions that you want to be ready to talk about.
Available on openlibrary. I will look for more by the author.
Share it with your children, boys and girls, as a quick read-aloud, about age 7. But skim it yourself first because it is creative/original and I imagine some children will ask some questions that you want to be ready to talk about.
Available on openlibrary. I will look for more by the author.
March 26, 2020
Read as a kid.
January 27, 2010
I read this book over and over and over. A favorite from my childhood.
April 24, 2013
I had a dollhouse as a kid and loved the idea of an actual tiny family moving in. In this story, Ellie actually had it happen. Suddenly a king and his huge brood of tiny babies were living in the house, and she has to figure out how to provide for him. Using her imagination and ingenuity to make sure the king and his kids have food to eat and facilities to use, she marvels at their small size and enjoys her time with them when she has to amuse herself. (Her mother's busy writing a book, and she has no siblings.)
As a "what-if" child, I found the unanswered questions a bit bothersome, though. I loved that the king was having to raise his kids (though he was inept at it) while his queen was away doing who knows what (adventuring!), but . . . how the heck did they get so many babies the same age? Despite being tiny, the small people's anatomy appeared to be like anyone else's, so I found myself thinking . . . "did she lay eggs??" It also bothered me a lot that when they needed the queen to come back and care for sick babies, they decided that the way to bring her back would be to wish really hard that she would return. (I remember Ellie thinking "QUEEN" as loud as she could, which actually worked. Suddenly there was a tiny queen, riding a rat.) I didn't know how this worked since other than that the tiny people were not suggested to actually be telepathic or something.
Overall the chapter-by-chapter format was very episodic and fun to read, and its whimsical impossibilities reminded me a bit of the Pippi Longstocking books. I thought the king was kind of a jerk because he was bossing Ellie around all the time even though she was a giant to him and didn't need to do his bidding just because he had a crown. The babies, though . . . they were so cute. Especially picturing them covered in peanut butter.
As a "what-if" child, I found the unanswered questions a bit bothersome, though. I loved that the king was having to raise his kids (though he was inept at it) while his queen was away doing who knows what (adventuring!), but . . . how the heck did they get so many babies the same age? Despite being tiny, the small people's anatomy appeared to be like anyone else's, so I found myself thinking . . . "did she lay eggs??" It also bothered me a lot that when they needed the queen to come back and care for sick babies, they decided that the way to bring her back would be to wish really hard that she would return. (I remember Ellie thinking "QUEEN" as loud as she could, which actually worked. Suddenly there was a tiny queen, riding a rat.) I didn't know how this worked since other than that the tiny people were not suggested to actually be telepathic or something.
Overall the chapter-by-chapter format was very episodic and fun to read, and its whimsical impossibilities reminded me a bit of the Pippi Longstocking books. I thought the king was kind of a jerk because he was bossing Ellie around all the time even though she was a giant to him and didn't need to do his bidding just because he had a crown. The babies, though . . . they were so cute. Especially picturing them covered in peanut butter.
July 19, 2008
This was one of my favorite books as a kid & still holds a special place in my heart. When Ellie hears a little voice say, "Drat!" she discovers tiny little King Bora Bora and his babies living in her dollhouse. She has to try to sneak them food and keep them entertained without her parents finding out.
January 2, 2023
My favorite childhood book! A little girl wakes up to find real people living in her dollhouse - a King and his tiny peanut butter babies. Delightful!
My daughters read this book in first grade and adored it, too.
My daughters read this book in first grade and adored it, too.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 23, 2023
I have had this book since I was in early elementary, many years ago. I read it a few time in my childhood, and my girls enjoyed it also. Most kids have imagined or wished that there were little people to live in their dollhouse. The author captures the joy and essence.
May 13, 2017
So sweet.
August 28, 2022
Housework would be more enjoyable if I had a tiny king living in my dollhouse to encourage me. Or I could give him a duster and let him loose in my living room.
August 15, 2016
One day Ellie's dollhouse is suddenly occupied by a tiny king and his dozens of even tinier babies! Ellie has to put up with the king's attitude, use her creativity to provide for his family and give them appropriate facilities to use, and handle crises as they come.
As a kid it bothered me that this king and his miniature absent queen apparently had a hundred children that are all the same age. I hope mini-people don't use the same birthing process that big people do! There were also a lot of unexplained things even in the context of the story, but sometimes it was semi-implied that Ellie was using her imagination rather than actually caring for real small people. The off-the-wall silliness and impossibility was enjoyable and cute, with each chapter containing enough of its own story that a young reader could put the book down and not get lost upon starting the next chapter later. I wanted to watch those itty-bitty babies swim around in peanut butter.
As a kid it bothered me that this king and his miniature absent queen apparently had a hundred children that are all the same age. I hope mini-people don't use the same birthing process that big people do! There were also a lot of unexplained things even in the context of the story, but sometimes it was semi-implied that Ellie was using her imagination rather than actually caring for real small people. The off-the-wall silliness and impossibility was enjoyable and cute, with each chapter containing enough of its own story that a young reader could put the book down and not get lost upon starting the next chapter later. I wanted to watch those itty-bitty babies swim around in peanut butter.
April 28, 2010
One of more than 100 children's novels from the 1970s left in the attic of my house. I'm slowly going through them to decide which to keep for my daughter. This one is sweet and charming, with the oddly acceptable strangeness of an ages-old fairy tale.
Want to read
August 20, 2009Oddly, I don't remember reading this.
May 21, 2015
I adored this book. I wish I knew where my copy is.
March 18, 2011
I'm pretty sure Ellie gives the King a toothpaste cap to use as a cup. I remember thinking this was a great idea.
June 16, 2011
There's just something very magical about this book (:
Very fond memories.
Very fond memories.
April 25, 2013
This is my favorite book.
September 15, 2013
My favorite book as a kid!
April 16, 2015
I read this book when I was a young girl and it impacted me so much that I wrote about it in my book "HerStory - Victim to Victorious available here
http://www.deborahkinisky.com/
http://www.deborahkinisky.com/
May 2, 2015
read with my kids - it was fun. I've been reading books from my childhood to them which we all enjoy
August 26, 2016
I love this book and have since I was a young child.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews