This Is My Dollhouse

Potter's narrator has lovingly crafted a cardboard box dollhouse and all its accoutrements, including a "plate of noodles" from a bottle cap and yarn. Her dollhouse family is sweetly eclectic, too: a mouse, bear, two fashion dolls, and rag doll, all sharing a large bed. Her friend Sophie's dollhouse, by contrast, is an "all perfect" prefab residence whose inhabitants who are both literally and figuratively plastic. The girl is both appalled and cowed, but Potter (Tell Me What to Dream About) doesn't interpret this emotional turmoil for readers; they'll quickly glean from Sophie's boring, literal play that the dollhouse has stunted the girl's imagination. Happily, Sophie turns out to be a creative spirit yearning to break free, and the narrator's handcrafted house, which she initially tries to hide from Sophie, is just the ticket. As in her previous books, Potter's characters have enigmatic, mini-adult visages reminiscent of early-18th-century child portraits. The realization that creative, outside-the-box artistry can be more inspiring than anything manufactured makes for a wonderful story, one that may motivate future members of the artisanal economy. Ages 4-8. (May)

K-Gr 3--"This is my dollhouse. It used to be a cardboard box." As the narrator takes readers on an inspiring tour, her handmade dollhouse will captivate young artists, architects, and miniature enthusiasts. She introduces the eclectic family who lives there and shows how she makes the furniture out of everyday objects. A hole in a small box makes a television with a changeable picture, and cut yarn in a bottle cap makes a plate of noodles. "The rug is a small piece of carpet I cut off the one in my room. (So far, no one has noticed.)" The dolls have a Dixie cup elevator and a bowl for a rooftop pool. Engaging spreads and spot art bring out the dollhouse's whimsy while also providing a few visual how-tos. In stark contrast, the narrator's friend's store-bought dollhouse is "all perfect." At Sophie's, the two girls struggle to find a way to play together as Sophie resists any unusual improvisation around her unalterable dollhouse. The narrator becomes shy about her creative impulses and later her own dollhouse, which she hides when Sophie comes over. Ultimately the handmade dollhouse is discovered, and Sophie becomes caught up in its creation and the imaginative play it engages. The illustrations done in watercolor and ink have a folk-art style that honors the spirit of arts and crafts. Those who want to build their own dollhouse will find illustrated ideas from the book with basic instructions and suggestions under the book's jacket. VERDICT This peek into a handmade miniature world provides an irresistible prompt to create fun and make things out of found objects.--Julie Roach, Cambridge Public Library, MA