Dahlia (BOSTON GLOBEHORN BOOK HONORS (AWARDS)) - Hardcover

McClintock, Barbara

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0374316783 ISBN 13: 9780374316785

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), 2002

Synopsis

Looks can be deceiving!

When Charlotte gets a delicate doll from her aunt Edme, she is not too happy. She tells the doll that she and Bruno, her bear, "like digging in dirt and climbing trees. No tea parties, no being pushed around in frilly prams. You'll just have to get used to the way we do things." Much to Charlotte and Bruno's surprise, Dahlia seems to like getting dirty while making mud cakes and racing wagons. But at the end of the day, Charlotte's aunt arrives for a visit and wants to see how Dahlia's doing . . . and Charlotte is in for another surprise.

Charming, detailed illustrations accompany this sweet story about making room for a new friend.

About this title

About the Author:

Barbara McClintock has written and illustrated several books for young readers, including Molly and the Magic Wishbone, about which Booklist, in a starred review, said, "McClintock's telling is well paced and nuanced . . . And, oh, the charm of the pictures. The Dickensian world is fully realized." She lives in New Canaan, Connecticut.

From Publishers Weekly:

In a doll story that will win over even confirmed tomboys, McClintock (Molly and the Magic Wishbone) introduces a Victorian child who, despite her frock and pinafore, enjoys digging in the dirt and climbing trees. After Aunt Edme sends Charlotte a doll dressed "in linen and lace and delicate silk ribbons," the child brings the doll up to her bedroom (home to birds' nests, a bug collection and a pet snake) and lays out the house rules: "No tea parties, no being pushed around in frilly prams. You'll just have to get used to the way we do things." And the doll, whom Charlotte names Dahlia, does just that. She joins the girl and her teddy, Bruno, as they make mud cakes and even tastes one and participates in Bruno's favorite game of "toss-up-in-the-air-and-land-in-a-heap." When Charlotte washes the mud from the doll's face, her "prim" painted mouth "blur[s] into a soft smile." Dahlia even survives a fall from a tree, although her finery gets crumpled and torn. Readers will hold their breath when the child shows her tattered doll to seemingly priggish Aunt Edme, who responds to the beaming Dahlia's condition with a smile of her own. McClintock's detailed tableaux conveying the garb, architecture and furnishings of the era perfectly fit the mood of the story, their delicate lines and coloring belied by the robust action they convey. A timeless charmer. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0374316783
• ISBN 13: 9780374316785
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: McClintock Barbara