Module 8: The Doll People

a.       The Doll People is about a family of china dolls that have existed for 100 years. They live by a very strict doll code where they cannot be discovered as living, thinking beings. The dolls are mostly content with their lives with the exception of Annabelle. She is the main character who is restless and tired of the same old thing. The dolls have to deal with whatever is thrown at them, including bratty little sisters and watchful cats. She tries to eavesdrop on her owner, Kate, to learn new things like music and books. One day, she discovers a diary that her long lost aunt Sarah wrote many years ago. She realized that her aunt did not always follow the doll code. She did not stay in the same place her owner left them, nor did she stay inside the house. She explored the owner’s house! Annabelle was sure that her aunt must be somewhere inside the big house. After talking it over with her family, Annabelle decides to explore the house with her uncle. During their expedition, they discover that another doll family was purchased and brought home for Kate’s younger sister. This new family is not made out of china, much to their disappointment. These dolls are made from plastic and seem to be less interested in keeping the doll code. However, Annabelle now has a new friend, Tiffany, who also like to explore. Both families make attempts to visit and get to know each other. One of those visits, Annabelle’s father gets snatched up by the cat. They manage a way to save him. Although her family disapproves, Annabelle and Tiffany continue their expeditions. Annabelle discovers that someone is adding to her aunt’s journal with what seem to be clues. She confronts her uncle and he confesses that he has been too cowardly to find her himself even though he has an idea. Armed with that idea, they search the attic and find her aunt! She was trapped under a chest and Annabelle was unable to free her even with Tiffany’s help. They return the next day with more help and are able to free her.

b.      Martin, A. M., Godwin, L., & Selznick, B. (2000). The doll people. New York: Hyperion Books for Children.

c.       This book was definitely an empowering example for girls. I have not read many books where the dolls are the main characters so this perspective was unique to me. The author gives the Annabelle and Tiffany very different backgrounds and personalities but they still manage to form a friendship and work together. This is a great example to teach young readers on prejudices and differences. It would make a great teaching moment for students to think about read world examples where family might not want to allow certain associations due to background. I enjoyed reading the suspenseful moments where Annabelle almost gets caught or when she is trying to get out of a tough situation. The entire story flowed very well and had added depth through with the description of the human family and their involvement.

d.      Review: Gr 3-5 --A lighthearted touch and a dash of drama make this a satisfying read. When Annabelle Doll finds her Aunt Sarah's journal, she hopes it offers a clue to the whereabouts of her aunt, who has been missing for 45 years. Annabelle is forever eight years old-the same age as Kate, the current owner of the Victorian dollhouse in which she and her family have lived for the past century. Their new neighbors, the all-plastic Funcrafts, who arrive for Kate's younger sister's birthday, are modern and brashly confident. Their pink plastic house has a barbecue, a computer, and a VCR. Tiffany, the Funcraft doll-girl, is just the right age to be a first real friend for Annabelle, and her daring spirit inspires the child's quest for her aunt. Determined and brave, she persuades her cautious parents to let her venture out of the dollhouse in search of her relative. Along with the usual perils of moving about in the real world, there is the risk of being seen by a human and succumbing to "doll state" or even worse, "permanent doll state." Selznick's illustrations are perfectly suited to the innocent charm of the dolls and do much to draw readers into their world. The delightful endpapers, which resemble pages from toy catalogs past and present, tell their own tale about the characters. A light and uncomplicated fantasy/adventure in the tradition of Rumer Godden's doll stories or even Pam Conrad's The Tub People (HarperCollins, 1989).

References

Meizner, K. (2000). The doll people (Book review). School Library Journal, 46(11), 128.

e.       After sharing this book with the students through a book trailer, I would like to have students create their own stories based on their favorite toys or dolls. They could create an illustration of their living doll and adventure that they might have them go on in the absence of humans.