Dahlia

When Aunt Edme gazes into Dahlia's face, she knows that the doll has been given to the right niece. One might not think that races or tree climbing are proper for a china doll dressed in frilly clothes, but Aunt Edme sees that Dahlia has delighted in Charlotte's and Bruno the stuffed bear's rambunctious activities and that the three have forged a friendship. Kate Forbes is an unobtrusive narrator. Her inflections give just the right hint that something of a more complicated nature is happening as this picture book story unfolds. Her straightforward storytelling leaves the listener time to ponder the lavish illustrations and delight in the interplay of picture and text. A.R. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine

Starred review from June 24, 2002
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 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.