Review by Booklist Review
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
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
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.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-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 (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
When a little girl just starting school has to leave her beloved doll behind, she becomes sad and withdrawn. Her understanding grandmother makes her a (miniature) replica, very small and ready to go to school. Rylant's quiet text, augmented by warm acrylic and crayon illustrations, perfectly captures the girl's strong attachment to her doll, her grief at being without it, and the security the new doll brings. From HORN BOOK Spring 2003, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A graceful tale about coping with the pangs of separation. A hand-sewn doll is a girl's constant companion, lovingly carted to and from every activity. Yet when the time for school arrives, the girl makes the distressing discovery that her beloved friend must stay home. With humbly eloquent prose, Rylant (The Storm, above, etc.) describes the abiding bonds between a young child and her favored doll. "Well, the little girl might as well have been asked to leave her nose behind, or her two ears. . . . The ticky-tacky doll was much a part of her as eyes or ears or a nose, and the little girl did not know how else to be." When the girl fails to thrive at school, too distracted by her loss and longing, the adults in her life are baffled. All except for her grandmother, who, with consummate understanding about the pain of separation from loved ones, is able to ease the girl's heartache with a surprisingly simple solution. A teeny-tiny version of the doll tucked into her school bag enables the child to confidently attend school, secure in the knowledge that a little bit of love from home is with her. Stevenson's (Shadows, p. 189, etc.) acrylic and crayon illustrations resonate with the emotions of the tale. Rendered in a muted palette of gentle colors, the heavily textured illustrations are an elegant extension of Rylant's deeply moving story. A treasure to share with young ones who are approaching this momentous milestone. (Picture book. 3-7)
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
