Reading Things

Jolena found Mandy knitting on the porch.

It was breezy, and Mandy's ball of yarn kept trying to roll away, so she put it into her knitting bag. 

"Mandy," Jolena began, "I've been wondering. I know I need to wear special glasses when the sun is bright, but why do you wear glasses indoors sometimes? I mean glasses that aren't sunglasses"

Mandy looked up from her knitting. 

"Some dolls that come with glasses need to wear theirs all the time because they can't see far away, or maybe they have to wear glasses when they read because they can’t see things that are close," Mandy explained. "They told me when they put the glasses into my box in the factory that I should wear the glasses when I read or do any close work, like knitting," she said. "It is supposed to keep me from getting nearsighted. If I become nearsighted, I won't be able to see as well far away." 

"Does wearing your glasses when you knit keep you from making a mistake?" Jolena asked.

"No, I still make mistakes, even with my glasses on, but not because I can't see," Mandy went on, "For instance, before you came to live with us I was knitting a sweater."

"I remember I saw a mistake in the sweater when I was working on the sleeve, and I had to rip out three rows and knit them again," Mandy admitted. "I was upset."

"Why do you knit if it upsets you," Jolena wanted to know.

"I knit because it's fun," Mandy explained. "Sometimes I make a mistake if I'm thinking about something else or I forget where I am in my work. When I make a mistake, I might be upset at first, but I learn from it, and fix the mistake. Then my knitting gets better. That makes knitting more fun."

"How did you find your mistake," Jolena asked.
"I have learned to read my work," Mandy explained. "That means I can look at my knitting and see what stitches I have made. It's like reading a book." she said. "Let's go inside. I want to wind some more yarn while we talk."

(Jolena had a feeling talking might make Mandy make a mistake, because maybe she couldn't "read her work" and talk at the same time.)

The dolls climbed off the bench, and Mandy put her yarn bag on her back.

"Mandy, your needles are sticking out," Jolena said. "You could get poked. Let me help you," Jolena went on. " I can push them down at bit."

"Thank you, Jolena," Mandy said. "You are so good at seeing when things need to be fixed. That's a kind of reading, too. I'm not afraid of being poked, though, because it doesn't really hurt," Mandy pointed out. "Dolls only feel imaginary pain, but it could leave a mark on my body."

Mandy led Jolena to another part of the porch. "Before we wind the yarn," she said, "let me show you some thermometers. We have to know how to read them, too." She pointed to a big thermometer on the side of the rail.

"This kind of thermometer tells us how warm the air is right here," she explained. "Besides wind and clouds, this is one way people read the weather. If they can read the weather, they know when dangerous weather is coming," Mandy said.
"I see two sets of number," Jolena said. "Why is that?"
"That's because people use two different ways of telling temperature depending on where they live, so thermometers are made with both," Mandy replied. "Can you see the top of the red line in the middle?"
"Yes," Jolena answered. "There is a 74 on one side and a 23 on the other."
"People who understand each way of reading the temperature will know that it's comfortable outdoors, so we don't need to wear sweaters," Mandy said. "The 74 is using Fahrenheit (FAIR-in-hyt) and the 23 is using the other way, Celsius (SELL-see-us).
The dolls went into the house. "Let me show you another kind of thermometer," Mandy suggested. They went into the bathroom and climbed up on the sink. Mandy reached over into a drawer and pulled out a long stick of glass.
"This thermometer measures how warm a person's body is," Mandy said.

"Why do they need to know that," Jolena wanted to know.

"It's one way to tell if they are sick," Mandy said. "When someone goes to the doctor, they have their temperature read, even if they are not sick. If it is normal, the doctor or nurse will read something close to 98.6 in Fahrenheit or 37 in Celsius, depending on which way they are using to read temperature."
"If we have a thermometer at home, why do they need to go to the doctor," Jolena asked.
"Doctors and nurses have been trained to read people's bodies to find out if something is wrong," Mandy answered. "Temperature is just one way. They might look that person all over, ask questions and use special equipment to listen to the person's heart and lungs, look into their eyes or mouth, or they might poke around at the person's tummy. Now come help me wind the yarn."

Mandy found the rest of her yarn. They found a place where they had space to wind the new ball. Mandy asked Jolena to put out both of her arms. Then she put the yarn around Jolena's wrists.

"Just hold your arms out like that, and I'll do the work," Mandy said. Jolena held her arms out in front of her.

"People learn to read each other by how they look, not just what they say."
"There seem to be lots of things to read," Jolena decided. "We can read books, but we can read lots of other things, too."

Mandy wound the yarn around and around, making a ball out of it. "That's right," she said, "and you already know how to read some things because you pay attention to what is going on around you."

"Maybe that's like how I read the wind direction and how strong it is when I start a run on my skis," Jolena suggested. "I know how to take off into the air by how I feel the wind is right."
"Yes," Mandy replied. "You're good at that. I only know enough to tell that the breeze might blow my ball of yarn onto the porch. You know where things are and what your body is doing. That's why you're good at skiing and dancing. You also can read when something is out of place, like my knitting needles."

"You looked at your knitting and knew you had a mistake," Jolena pointed out, "and then you read your knitting to see what you needed to do to fix it."

Then Jolena looked up. "Mandy, will you teach me to knit?"
"Yes, of course I can teach you!" Mandy exclaimed. "I think you will be very good at it, because you can see when things are out of place."

So Mandy found another pair of needles and some yarn and taught Jolena how to knit. Jolena made a dishcloth for The Writer, who was very grateful. She could read Jolena and knew it meant that Jolena was a kind doll.

Cast--

Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen

Mandy: Götz Happy Kidz Katie 2015

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 and soon Classic Tales Retold: Stories from the Doll's Storybook are available from BookBaby and other booksellers worldwide, such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. 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 St. Jude. Autographed copies of all three books are available from the author for $20 including shipping. (Multiple books to the same address have a discount on shipping.) To inquire, email thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.

Image on Mariah's yellow T-shirt used with permission, from Free To Be Kids, where human-size shirts with this image are available.

<a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blog/19832501/?claim=j3fj3mbb8kt">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Copyright © 2018 and 2023 by Peggy Stuart

Where Dolls Come From

Mandy and Jolena were playing in the backyard when they decided they needed to pretend they were hot and thirsty, so they went to sit in the shade with their water bottles.

“Mandy,” Jolena began, “I’ve been wondering. Where did I come from?”

“You came from a store in a country called England,” Mandy replied. “I remember that we followed your trip using something called tracking on the computer, and that you were sent to Miami by accident,” Mandy continued. “We were worried, because we knew you were dressed in warm clothes, and it was already hot in Miami, but you arrived here safely on time.”

“I don’t remember being too warm, so it must have been OK. Where was I before that?” Jolena asked.

“You were made in a factory in a country called China (CHY-nah),” Mandy said. “We all were. We were designed by artists in another country, Germany, and then made in China.”
“So we’re works of art!” Jolena exclaimed.

“That's true,” Mandy laughed. “We are works of art. I don’t remember much of anything about before I was in the box, but I have read all the writing on my box, and I have also worked out some things on my own. Come. I’ll show you our boxes,” Mandy suggested.

The dolls went into the house to where the boxes were stored. “This is my box. Mandy pointed to the box on top. I know that if I ever have to be put away for a time, I will be safe and protected in my box.”

“Each doll has different experiences after coming out of the box,” Mandy went on. “When I came here, it was still cold, so Veronika loaned me a sweater,” Mandy explained. “When we looked in the mirror, we noticed that I’m a little taller than she is, so we took off our shoes to see how much. That was interesting.”

“There are four of us,” Jolena said. “I only see three boxes.”

“That's because Veronika didn’t come here with a regular box,” Mandy remembered. “But maybe she should tell you about it. Let's go talk to her.”

Mandy and Jolena found Veronika in the sewing room, just beginning to cut out strips of cloth for a quilt. 

“Veronika,” Mandy began, “We’re sorry to bother you, but we were wondering why you don't have a special box, like ours.”

Mandy and Jolena climbed up on the cutting mat with Veronika, being careful not to mess up her work.

Veronika carefully closed the safety guard on the sharp blade of her rotary cutter, so no one would get hurt with it. “I’m happy to tell you. I didn’t come here right from a store,” she explained. “I lived for a while with some other dolls like us in a different place with a nice man named Papa Simon.”

Veronika explained that she has no idea what happened to her first box and the clothes she had on in the box, but she arrived here in a beautiful hand-smocked dress, which she is very proud of.

“It’s a lovely dress, and I still have it,” Veronika went on. “Even without my regular box, I knew I would be safe, because Papa Simon wrapped me in some soft white cloth, and you know how much I love cloth.”

“We spent last summer exploring our new home and getting to know each other,” Mandy said. “We had some fun times, didn’t we?”

“After the summer was over, Charlotte came to live with us,” Veronika said. “Her first days here were very interesting, too, but you should let her tell you.”

“Let’s let Veronika get back to her cutting,” Mandy suggested. “We can go look for Charlotte now.”

Off they went to find Charlotte. They found her on the couch, reading. Jolena slipped off her shoes and climbed up onto the couch. Mandy decided to sit on the edge of the couch, next to Charlotte, because her shoes are more trouble to get off and on.

“Charlotte,” Jolena began, “I would like you to tell me about your first days here with Veronika and Mandy.”

Charlotte put her hand in her book, so she wouldn’t lose her place. “Those first few days were very interesting,” she said.

“For one thing,” Charlotte went on, “I had never seen snow before, and there was a big storm. My new sisters told me that this was normal, so I wasn’t afraid.”

“The electricity went out because of all the snow, so we had to use the fireplace for heat,” she went on. “That was fun, for a while.”

“We sat in front of the fire and talked,” Mandy said. “I remember that. It’s how we got to know you.”

“And I got to know you and Veronika! Later we read a book together,” Charlotte went on.

“Yes,” Mandy said. “It was dark outside by then. We had to use a flashlight to see the book! Then we talked about the book together.”

“The next day, we went out and played in the snow,” Charlotte said. “We threw snow at each other, and I accidentally knocked Veronika’s hat off. She couldn’t figure out which one of us did it,” she continued, “but she wasn’t hurt, and so it was OK. Then we all laughed.”

“I remember when you came, Jolena,” Charlotte said. “You came with skis and a ski suit. You will really enjoy the snow.”

“I was so glad to get out of the box!” Jolena exclaimed. “I’m so glad to be here, and I’m really looking forward to getting to ski on real snow. I have already had lots of adventures with all of you to remember and talk about.”

Jolena and Mandy let Charlotte get back to reading. They went back to look at the boxes.

 

“I think I understand something,” Jolena was telling Mandy. “It isn’t so important where we came from. What's important is what we learn, what we do and what we become once we come out of our boxes. Where we came from isn’t all that we are.” Then Jolena noticed something about the boxes she had missed before. “Mandy,” she asked, “why is your box smaller than my box and Charlotte’s?”

“Well, Jolena,” Mandy began, “You two came with special equipment. You came with your skis, remember? And Charlotte came with her dog and the things she needed for the dog, so both of you needed bigger boxes. I came with only a dress, hat and shoes, and no special equipment, other than my glasses.”

“Mandy,” Jolena said. “I think you're wrong about that. I think you came with very special equipment. You just didn't need a bigger box for it.” 

“Now I have another question,” Jolena said. “I want to know why we're here.”

“Jolena,” Mandy said. “You're a very smart doll. You ask questions and you learn from the answers, and what you’re asking is a very important question, but if we try to learn too much at once, we don’t remember as well. Let’s save it for another day. Let’s go back outdoors and play!”

Cast--

Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni

Mandy: Götz Happy Kidz Katie 2015

Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen

Charlotte: Götz Happy Kidz Anna in Paris

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 and soon Classic Tales Retold: Stories from the Doll's Storybook are available from BookBaby and other booksellers worldwide, such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. 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 St. Jude. Autographed copies of all three books are available from the author for $20 including shipping. (Multiple books to the same address have a discount on shipping.) To inquire, email thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.

Image on Mariah's yellow T-shirt used with permission, from Free To Be Kids, where human-size shirts with this image are available.

<a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blog/19832501/?claim=j3fj3mbb8kt">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Copyright © 2018, 2023 by Peggy Stuart