The Ticky-Tacky Doll - Hardcover

Rylant, Cynthia

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0152010785 ISBN 13: 9780152010782

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2002

Synopsis

Having received a beautiful doll from her Grandmama, a little girl becomes very attached to her beloved toy, yet when she begins school and is told she must leave it behind, Grandmama must come up with a new creation that she can take with her in order to ease her loneliness. 25,000 first printing.

About this title

About the Author

CYNTHIA RYLANT is the acclaimed author of more than eighty books for young people, including the Mr. Putter & Tabby and the Little Whistle series. Her novel Missing May received the Newbery Medal. She lives on an island in Puget Sound, Washington.

HARVEY STEVENSON is the illustrator of Bye, Mis' Lela and As the Crow Flies: A First Book of Maps, as well as many other picture books. He lives in Paris.

Reviews

PreSchool-A little girl worries about going to school for the first time and leaving her ticky-tacky doll that Grandmama made behind. The child is unable to eat or pay attention and her teachers and family are concerned. Only her observant grandmother is able to figure out what is wrong, and she devises the perfect solution: she sews a miniature version of the doll that fits into the corner of the little girl's book bag. The illustrations coordinate perfectly with the tale, and the muted colors reflect the youngster's sadness when she is without her companion. Similar to Kevin Henkes's Owen (Greenwillow, 1993), this story is likely to strike a chord with children who have beginning-school jitters.
Sheilah Kosco, Rapides Parish Library, Alexandria, LA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Rylant (the Little Whistle series) wisely explores a child's separation anxiety through her relationship with her doll. The author conveys the girl's bond with the doll, handmade for her by Grandmama ("It was ticky, her mother said, because Grandmama had made it from sewing scraps. And it was tacky because pieces of cloth hung from it like soft bits of hair"), through the rhythms of their day, their trips to town, a shared meal ("At the supper table the doll fit snugly on the little girl's lap, and its eyes could see what was for dinner"). Stevenson's (Bye, Mis' Lela) paintings cast a magic glow on the pair, inseparable in the opening spreads. He portrays the doll with a seam down the middle of her smiling face, X's for eyes and a mop of striped and polka-dotted fabric strips for hair. On the first day of school, when the girl must leave the doll at home, she withdraws completely: Stevenson shows her with head bowed at a table, markers and paper untouched. Only Grandmama knows what is wrong, and she comes up with an innovative solution. With the barest of statements, Rylant affirms the child's feelings and conveys the bond between child and grandparent ("Grandmama had lived a long time and knew about loneliness and missing someone," while the illustration shows a framed picture of her grandfather). Stevenson's artwork, with its layered, contrasting planes of blue and gold, resembles the loving patchwork of the doll itself. Ages 3-7. (Aug.)
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

PreS-Gr.1. The young girl in this story loves her ticky-tacky doll, made from sewing scraps. It goes everywhere with her, even under the quilt at night. But when the girl starts school, she learns the doll can't go with her. Upset at the separation, she finds it difficult to concentrate on reading and numbers. No one seems to know what's wrong, until the girl's grandmother figures it out. Fortunately, Grandmother knows there's another, smaller doll waiting to be made from the scraps in her sewing basket--a doll just the right size to fit in a pocket. Rylant's dear, heartfelt text will remind children of their own treasured possessions and the feelings they evoke. Stevenson's artwork is less successful. The doll on the dust jacket, held in the crook of the girl's arm, is endearing; her young owner is less so. Stevenson has problems drawing human figures here; the girl seems awkward, even homely. He does, however, have a way with design and color. The cozy pictures, executed in crayon and acrylic oil, reflect the story's warmth. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0152010785
• ISBN 13: 9780152010782
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Stevenson Harvey
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32