Babushka's Doll

July 31, 1995
In this vibrantly illustrated cautionary tale, a selfish girl becomes ``quite nice after all'' after learning a valuable lesson from a doll that comes to life. Ages 4-8.

November 1, 1990
PreS-Gr 1- When Natasha wants something, she wants it now -not after her grandmother, Babushka, has finished her chores. Babushka gets tired of this attitude, and finally goes off to the market, leaving Natasha to play with a special doll that she keeps on a high shelf. The doll comes to life and subjects Natasha to the same sort of insistent whining that Natasha used on Babushka. The girl learns her lesson and turns out "to be quite nice after all." This pedantic story is made more acceptable by Polacco's beautiful illustrations. Her expressive, Old World figures, bright colors, and charming details of a house and farm in Russia will delight readers, even if predictability makes the story less enticing than the pictures. -JoAnn Rees, Sunnyvale Public Library, CA