The Doll's Storybook

Stories about dolls who live in our world. Although these stories are suitable for children, they should check with their parents before reading and always be careful online. Readers are invited to donate to a charity supporting pediatric cancer treatment and research. Images shown are taken by the author or from a free image website with attribution and appreciation. The author has no connection with Götz Puppenmanufaktur, but gives them credit for the amazing dolls they produce.

Friday, February 21, 2025

Being Colorblind

"And then she told me she was colorblind," Mariah said as Charlotte shut the front door.

"What is colorblind, anyway?" Charlotte asked when she was sure the door was closed all the way..

"That's a word," Mariah explained, as she adjusted the schoolbooks she was holding, "for when dolls or people don't see colors the same way as everyone else. I think they must be made that way in the factory. Something went wrong, like with Emil and Holly."

"That's interesting," Charlotte said.

"Yes," Mariah agreed. "I looked it up. Dolls who have red-green colorblindness can't tell the difference between red and green."

"That would make it difficult to pick out your favorite kind of apple," Charlotte said thoughtfully.

"Yes," Mariah agreed. "It could make it hard to pick out your clothes, too.

The two friends sat down on the stairs in the front hall. "Then there is the kind of colorblindness where dolls can't tell the difference between yellow and blue," Mariah added.

"Well," Charlotte said. "At least there are no blue apples, but you could still have a problem picking out your clothes."

"Just imagine," Mariah said, "if Veronika couldn't tell the difference between red and green, or yellow and blue, when she was picking out the cloth for a quilt!"

"The quilt could look ugly," Charlotte agreed, "at least to everyone but Veronika. It's a good thing Veronika isn't colorblind."

"Or Billy!" Mariah exclaimed. "Billy would have a terrible time getting his photos to look right."

"There is a test for each kind of colorblindness," Mariah said. "They show you a picture made up of little circles of the different colors, and you see something in it, like a number or an animal, if you can see those colors."

"Then there are dolls who can't see any color at all," Mariah went on, remembering what she had read, "only dark and light."

"Life would be like a black-and-white movie," Charlotte said, trying to imagine what that would be like.

"It's too bad Lucy is colorblind," Charlotte said with a sigh. Charlotte enjoys seeing colors, and she has a kind heart. She likes Lucy, too. It would be sad not to see colors.

"But she isn't really colorblind," Mariah said. "It turns out that that wasn't what she meant at all."

"What did she mean, then?" Charlotte asked, puzzled.

"I asked her about it," Mariah explained. "She said she meant she didn't see color when she looks at me. She meant she doesn't think about how I'm a different color from her other friends."

"But you are different!" Charlotte said. "Your vinyl is like a bar of milk chocolate. I know all of Lucy's friends, and none of them are your color. How could she not see that?"

"I think," Mariah said, "that she was trying to say it didn't matter to her that I'm Black."

Charlotte looked at Mariah. She thought she looked a little sad. "That bothers you, doesn't it?" she asked her friend.

"Yes," Mariah agreed. "You see, if it doesn't matter to her that I am the color I am, then she must think there is something wrong with my color, but she likes me anyway."

"I see what you mean," Charlotte agreed. "You wish she thought it was wonderful that you're Black!"

Mariah nodded.

Charlotte thought about that for a moment.

"But it's wonderful that you're the color you are," she said then. "I remember when Veronika brought you in to meet us when you first came. All I could think of was how beautiful you were!"

"And that was before I knew you," Charlotte went on. "Now that we're best friends, of course, I think you're even more beautiful! I've thought about how I almost didn't meet you! You see, the stories needed you before we knew you, because we didn't have a doll who was a different color," Charlotte explained.

"Before you came," Charlotte said, "The Writer told us that real children come in different colors, so dolls do, too. Real children read our stories, and they like some of the stories to be about dolls who are like them in some ways. Remember when you asked Santa for a doll that looked like you your first Christmas?"

Mariah remembered. She had been so happy when she got the doll she had asked for.

"You see?" Charlotte exclaimed. "If you hadn't been Black, you would not have come to live with us. Then I would not have had you as my best friend!"

Mariah knows this, but she was happy to remember back to when she arrived, and how everyone welcomed her. It made her feel good inside. She thought about how the dolls in her family know all about her now. They see her for who she is. She thought about how they needed her, not just because she was a different color, but because of who she is inside, too. "I'm so glad I got to come to live here," Mariah said. "I'm glad we're best friends, too."

"You know," Charlotte said thoughtfully, "I think Lucy was trying to be nice. Lucy is my color. I think she does see you the way you are, but she has also seen how some of the other dolls at school picked on you at first. She knows it was because someone who doesn't know any better told them that they are better than you are just because of the color of their vinyl. I think she was trying to say she knows that isn't true."

"Maybe you're right," Mariah agreed. "Lucy and I get along well, and we like a lot of the same things. She's a good friend."

"Yes," Charlotte agreed. "Maybe she just doesn't know how to say what she means in a way that means the same to you, because her experience is different from yours."

"Yes, I can see that," Mariah agreed. "Maybe I didn't understand because my experience is different from hers, too. I'm glad I have you to talk things over with, Charlotte," she added. "You're a good listener, and you're good at figuring things out. I feel better now."

"I'm glad to have you to talk things over with, too, Mariah," Charlotte agreed. "It's good to have you as my best friend."

Mariah was quiet for a moment. She was thinking. "I wonder if Emil is colorblind," she said finally. "He said he doesn't know if he sees things the same way we do with his special glasses."

"Let's look up the test pictures," Charlotte said. "We can get him to look at them and find out!"

Cast--
Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni
Charlotte: Götz Happy Kidz Anna in Paris
Mariah: Götz Happy Kidz Mariah, "Chosen" from My Doll Best Friend
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily at London

Colorblind test image from https://factsverse.com/10-images-test-color-blind/

You can follow The Doll's Storybook here.

Do you have questions or comments for us? Would you like to order an autographed copy of one of our books? You can email us at thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.

Note: No dolls were harmed during production of this blog. All dolls shown are Götz Happy Kidz, Classic Kidz or Little Kidz. If you like these stories and are willing, please make a donation of any amount to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or any organization that supports pediatric cancer research and treatment. We are not affiliated with St. Jude in any way other than these donations.

"The Doll's Storybook" is not affiliated with Gotz Dolls USA Inc. or Götz Puppenmanufaktur International GmbH.
Watch for the next story each Friday afternoon at 1:00 PM Pacific Time.

Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook and More Classic Tales Untold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are available from BookBaby and other booksellers worldwide, such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Author's page on Amazon.

Royalties (net proceeds) go to support pediatric cancer research and treatment. If you don't get free shipping elsewhere, buy from Book Baby. Half of the price goes to charity (specific information available upon request). Autographed copies of all three books are available from the author. (Multiple books to the same address have a discount on shipping.) To inquire, email thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.

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Friday, February 14, 2025

Valentine's Day

Young Billy got up early

This very special day.

Although it was midwinter,

The snow had blown away.

"What shall I do?" said Billy.

"I cannot use my sled!

I'm up and dressed already.

I can't go back to bed."

A calendar was handy;

It hung upon the wall,

And he was good at reading,

Though he was just a doll.

February fourteenth,

The day that calls for love!

A day for gifts of chocolate,

Of cooing turtledoves.

He thought about Jolena,

For she was fair and fine.

How swell, he thought, if she will

Be my Valentine?

Young Billy set out early,

Just past the break of day,

And sought Jolena's window,

To see if she would play.

He threw some tiny pebbles

Against her windowpane.

Some even struck the gutters,

Then fell back down like rain.

"Jolena, are you up yet?"

He called up from the lawn.

"I have a gift of chocolates,

And I've been up since dawn."

The window opened slowly;

The girl peeked out to see,

It was Billy standing there.

She asked him in for tea.

"Just let me change my clothes first!

You won't have long to wait."

"I'll be right there," the girl said,

"And we'll have tea and cake."

Now if you find you're lonely

And if for friends you pine,

Doll's Storybook awaits you.

We'll be your Valentine.

Cast--

Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen

Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily at London

This poem is found in Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook by Peggy Stuart, available wherever books are sold or from BookBaby here.

Special note to children: For this story, Billy and Jolena are wearing clothes children might have worn a long time ago. If you would like to read more stories about children who lived in those times, ask your librarian for Alice in Wonderland, Anne of Green Gables, Peter Pan, Little House on the Prairie and Mary Poppins. There are many more, but these are some great stories.

You can follow The Doll's Storybook here.

Do you have questions or comments for us? Would you like to order an autographed copy of one of our books? You can email us at thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.

"The Doll's Storybook" is not affiliated with Gotz Dolls USA Inc. or Götz Puppenmanufaktur International GmbH.
Watch for the next story each Friday afternoon at 1:00 PM Pacific Time.

Author's page on Amazon.

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Friday, February 7, 2025

What It Means To Be Good

Veronika was reading on the windowsill this morning. She had the feeling she was being watched, and looked up to see Jolena's bright blue eyes looking at her.

"What's up, Jolena?" Veronika asked.

"Veronika," Jolena began, "I need some help with a problem."

"What's the problem, Jolena?" Veronika asked.

"I'm good at skiing and doing tricks on skis, and I'm getting good at dancing, too, but I don't just want to be good at something. I want to be a good doll, too."

"You are a good doll, Jolena," Veronika said.
"Maybe I am now," insisted Jolena, "but my life keeps changing I want to know if there are some rules I can use when it's hard to tell what is good."

"Well, tell me what you think you need to do to be good," Veronika suggested. "What does a good doll do?"

Jolena had a list of things she and the other dolls do to be good:

Sitting quietly when you are asked (dolls are good at this).

Wearing a seatbelt to be safe in the car.

Being kind to animals, even toy ones.

"Those are good things, Jolena," Veronika agreed. "There is one thing that you didn't mention, and that is the most important of all. That is to treat others the way you like to be treated."

"For instance, what if you needed to talk to someone?" Veronika said. "You would want someone to listen to you, right? A good doll listens when someone needs to talk, even if there is nothing you can do to help. When you listen it makes the other doll feel like their thoughts are important to you."

"I like that you listen to me," Jolena agreed.

"So all you have to do when you aren't sure is to ask yourself how you would want the other doll to behave if your places were switched," Veronika explained.

"Let's try it out," Veronika continued. "What if another doll doesn’t have any toys to play with?"

Jolena laughed. "If I didn't have any toys to play with, I would want someone to let me play with their toys," she said. "So I should share my toys. When Mariah came, we shared our toys with her. So we were being good dolls."

"That's right," Veronika agreed. "Now what if there was a doll who only had the clothes she was wearing when she came, what she wore in her box, and nothing to change into?"

"That's easy," Jolena exclaimed. "If I were that doll, I would want someone to share with me, the way Charlotte did when I came. I only had ski clothes. Summer was just starting and it was warm. Charlotte found clothes for me to wear until I had my own."

"So that is how you like to be treated," Veronika agreed.
"Yes, so I should share my clothes, too," Jolena said. "I should share my toys, books and clothes with that doll," Jolena said. "Well, maybe not my dresses, if the doll is a boy, unless he likes to wear dresses. If the doll is sad or hurt, I should try to help."

"It's good to share what we have with others, but it's also very important to ask before we borrow something and never, ever, take something that belongs to someone else unless that doll says you can," Veronika said. "No matter how much you want it."

"So sharing is left up to the doll the clothes, toys and other things belong to?" Jolena asked.

"Yes, that's right," Veronika agreed, "and we don't just share our things with other dolls. We share ourselves, too, so a doll who needs help will be more comfortable and happy."

"Like when I was new in the family! A new doll might be scared, the way I was scared when I first came," Jolena said. "Everyone made me feel welcome. Then I wasn't scared anymore."

"I'm glad we made you feel welcome, Jolena. You were and you are welcome," Veronika agreed.
"That's how I knew that Mariah must have been scared when she first arrived," Jolena said. "I wanted her to feel welcome, too."

"That's because we did it first for you. That's what we call learning by example," Veronika said. "You’re getting the idea! Now what if you see a doll who is a little different, sitting all alone, and someone is telling her she can’t sit there because of how she looks, and that she should go back where she came from?" Veronika asked.

"She would be sad," Jolena said.

"What would you do?" Veronika asked again.

"I know if someone was making me sad that way, I would want someone else to help me feel better." Jolena thought about it for a bit.

"I know," Jolena said finally, "I think I would go and sit next to that doll and ask her what she likes to do for fun. I would chat with her, and then ask her if she would like to be my friend."

Veronika smiled. "You are a very good doll, Jolena. Not only would that make the doll who is different feel welcome and happy, it also sets a good example for the doll who was being unkind."

"That doll may not be very smart," Jolena suggested. "You can’t tell much about dolls by how they look, and it’s fun to get to know dolls from different places. They have new ideas and have seen and done different things. We can talk together and find out all about each other. It’s like having an adventure, and I love adventure!"

"That’s true!" agreed Veronika. "Dolls who are different are fun to get to know, but it isn’t that the other doll isn’t smart. Even smart dolls are sometimes afraid of anyone who is different, or at least uncomfortable with them. When they get to know the doll who is different, they stop being afraid or uncomfortable. We just have to help them get over being afraid," Veronika said.

"One more thing, Jolena. Being good doesn’t mean you have to give another doll everything they want. Sometimes dolls want things they shouldn’t have. We all need to learn we can’t have everything we want, like pretending to eat a piece of cake right before dinner."

"When that happens, how do you know what’s right?" Jolena wanted to know.

"Just think how you would want to be treated. You want what’s good for you, right?" asked Veronika. "So other dolls want what’s good for them, too, but sometimes maybe they don’t know what that is."
"If I don’t know something is bad for me, I want someone to explain it," Jolena said. "So why can’t I pretend to eat a piece of cake before dinner? I like cake."

"Cake isn’t real food. It’s an extra food, something you can pretend to eat after you’ve pretended to eat real food, like vegetables. Cake is filling, and if you pretend to eat it first, you may not want to pretend to eat your vegetables," Veronika explained.

"I like vegetables, too," Jolena said, "and I always chew with my mouth closed, because that’s the only way I can chew. My mouth doesn’t open. At least not when someone is watching."

"You have good manners, Jolena," Veronika laughed. "And you are a very good doll, too!"

Cast--

Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen
Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni

Mandy: Götz Happy Kidz Katie 2015
Charlotte: Götz Happy Kidz Anna in Paris
Mariah: Götz Happy Kidz Mariah, "Chosen" from My Doll Best Friend

You can follow The Doll's Storybook here.

Do you have questions or comments for us? Would you like to order an autographed copy of one of our books? You can email us at thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.

"The Doll's Storybook" is not affiliated with Gotz Dolls USA Inc. or Götz Puppenmanufaktur International GmbH.
Watch for the next story each Friday afternoon at 1:00 PM Pacific Time.

Author's page on Amazon.

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