Scary Things

The girls were looking at decorations for Christmas.

"I found a sheep," Jolena said. "It has a string on it."
"That's so you can hang it on the Christmas tree," Charlotte explained. "There's another sheep in the box, and I found this tree. It has a string on it, too. It will be pretty hanging on the tree. A little tree on a big tree!"

Charlotte lifted the tree up, so Mariah and Jolena could see it.

"I found this pretty ball," Mariah said, "and it has a string on it, too. Does that mean this ball is supposed to hang on the tree, too?"

"Yes, Mariah," Charlotte agreed. "Veronika will love the ball. It looks like folded fabric."

Jolena reached into another box. "Here's something strange," she exclaimed. "Very strange!"

She pulled the thing out of the box. "Look at this!"

"That is strange," Mariah agreed. "It looks odd. It doesn't have a string on it, either."

Charlotte nodded. "It looks strange, and it doesn't have a string," she agreed.

"I wonder what it's for. It somehow doesn't look like Christmas, either," Mariah said. "This pretty ball looks like Christmas."

"The two sheep and the tree look like Christmas," Charlotte added.
"How can we find out what it is?" Mariah asked.

"I know," cried Jolena. "I'll go ask Mandy. Mandy knows a lot. Maybe she knows what this is."

Mariah and Charlotte continued to look in the box for more Christmas decorations, while Jolena went off to find Mandy. 

She soon found Mandy reading a book. (Mandy can usually be found reading or knitting.)

"Mandy, can you help me?" Jolena asked. "Charlotte, Mariah and I were looking at the Christmas decorations and found this. We think it looks strange. Can you tell me what it is?" 

Jolena showed the strange thing to Mandy.

"It's a skull, Jolena," Mandy said. "It's strange because that's for Halloween, not Christmas."

"What's Halloween and what's a skull?" Jolena wanted to know. 

"Jolena, Halloween is a holiday that has a very complicated history," Mandy began, "but you probably don't need to know all about how it got started." 

"What you need to know about it," she explained, "is that children like to dress up in costumes, wear masks to hide their faces and try to scare each other, and be scared in return," Mandy explained, putting her book down and moving her glasses on the top of her head.

"They have parties and go from one house to another asking for candy or other goodies by saying, 'Trick or treat.' That used to mean that if you give us a treat, we won't play a mean trick on you," Mandy continued.
"That doesn't sound very nice," Jolena said.

"No," Mandy continued, "and grownup people didn't think that was very nice, so they started just handing out treats to children who came to the door and asked nicely."
"But where does the skull fit into all this?" Jolena asked, looking at the skull. "You know, I think it's looking back at me."

"That's part of being scared," Mandy explained. "A skull is the part of a person's body that is inside the head, under the face and hair. That's why you think it's looking at you. It's the head part of the skeleton."

Jolena handed the skull to Mandy, so she could point out where the eyes and nose belong and show her where the teeth were.

"It's scary to children, because parts of the body are missing," Mandy continued. "To people, it's scary to have body parts missing, because they are afraid of being hurt."
"I don't think it's scary," Jolena said. "It just seems strange."

"That's because dolls don't have skeletons or skulls," Mandy explained. "Our bodies are vinyl, which is firm and solid, and we can stand without a skeleton. A person without a skeleton could only lie in a heap on the floor."

"I know that dolls are not afraid of being hurt," Jolena added, "and our heads can be removed to change our eyes, but we can pretend to be hurt or sick or afraid."

"Yes," Mandy agreed. "It's fun to pretend, and it's fun for real children to pretend, too. They like to be scared when they know it's pretend, because it makes real fear less scary. This is just a make-believe skull, but skeletons and skulls can't hurt you, even real ones."

"So on Halloween it’s fun to be scared when you know you’re safe?" Jolena asked.

"Yes, Jolena. "Practice being pretend-scared helps prepare children for when they have something real to be scared about, but it's only good when they are old enough to understand that it's just pretend."

"You know," Jolena said, "Sometimes I think it would be fun to be a real little girl."

"Jolena," Mandy answered, "Sometimes I think you're a regular little Pinocchio."

"What is that?" asked Jolena.

"Pinocchio is a story about a puppet named Pinocchio. He wanted to become a real little boy," Mandy explained.
"Did he get to become a real little boy?" Jolena asked.

"You can find that book in the library, Jolena," Mandy replied, picking up her book again and putting her glasses on her nose. "It's worth reading from the beginning."

Cast--

Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen

Mandy: Götz Happy Kidz Katie 2015
Mariah: Götz Happy Kidz Mariah, "Chosen" from My Doll Best Friend
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, Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook and Our Favorite Verses: Poems 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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Copyright © 2018 by Peggy Stuart

Being Good

Veronika was reading in 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.

"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 his or her 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 to help me feel better." Jolena thought about it for a bit. 

Finally, Jolena said, "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 person who was being unkind."

"That person 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 person isn’t smart. Even smart people are sometimes afraid of anyone who is different, or at least uncomfortable with them. When they get to know the doll or person who is different, they stop being afraid or uncomfortable. We dolls 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 he or she wants. Sometimes dolls want things they shouldn’t have. We all need to learn we can’t have everything we want, like 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 have a piece of cake before dinner? I like cake."

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

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.

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Copyright © 2018, 2023 by Peggy Stuart

Stars

Jolena loves to be outdoors, no matter what the weather is like. She wants to share her enjoyment with her new friend, Mariah.

The two dolls took a towel out to the backyard, so they could lie down on the grass, which was slightly damp.

"I love that we can lie on the ground and look at the sky," Jolena told Mariah. "Did you know that some dolls can't keep their eyes open when they lie down?"

"No, I didn't know that," Mariah answered. "I'm glad we can see the sky. Please show me where the stars are."
Jolena looked at the sky a long time. "Stars are bright, twinkly things in the sky, right?" she asked. "I don't see anything like that. That's the kind of thing we should ask Mandy. Mandy knows all kinds of things about how the world works."

Jolena could see in her mind, a picture of Mandy in a special school that teaches you everything about how things work in the world. In her mind, that must have been long, long ago, because Mandy has already been out of her box for nearly two years! Jolena thought perhaps Mandy might even have been a teacher at that school.

"Let's go find Mandy," Mariah suggested.

The girls got up from the grass and went to find their friend who knows so much. They found her lying on the bed, reading a book.

"Mandy," Jolena began. "Aren't there supposed to be stars in the sky? Mariah and I were lying in the grass, looking up at the sky, and we couldn't see anything bright and twinkly."

"Yes! I really want to see the stars," Mariah added. "Where are they?"
"The stars are there, Mariah," Mandy answered. "We will just have to wait until it gets dark to see them."

"Do they turn off in the daytime?" Jolena asked.
"No," said Mandy. "They are on all the time. We just can't see them."

"Where do they go?" Mariah wanted to know.
"They don't go anywhere," Mandy began. Then she stopped and thought. "Well, actually they are moving all the time, and so are we, we all move together, sort of, so we can find each one in close to the same place in the sky every night at the same time of night. You just can't see them in the daytime, except for our own star, the sun."

"The sun is a star?" asked Mariah.
"Yes, but the sun is much closer and the other stars are far, far away. Our star, the sun, is one reason we can't see the stars in the daytime," Mandy explained. "Because the sun is so much closer, we get a lot more light from it."

"The blanket of air that covers the earth is the other reason we can't see the stars," Mandy continued.

Mandy looked in the dog toy box for a ball. "Let me try to show you how it works," she said.

Mandy handed Jolena a flashlight.
She told her to hold the flashlight so it shone on the ball. "Pretend the ball is the Earth," she said. Then Mandy turned the ball slowly. "As the earth turns, the sun shining on it makes daytime where the sun is shining and nighttime where the light can't reach." The dolls could all see one dark side and one bright side of the ball.

"Now, this is where the air that surrounds the Earth comes in," Mandy explained. "The blanket of air is very big. It goes from down here where we are to way up in the sky, and when the sun shines on it, it lights up like the inside of a light bulb, from the top of the blanket of air all the way to the ground. You can look up in the sky and see clouds, birds and airplanes," Mandy said.
"And the sun!" said Jolena.
"Yes, but people...children and adults...should never look directly at the sun, even with sunglasses on, because their eyes could be damaged," Mandy said. "Sometimes you can see the moon in the daytime, but it's safe to look at the moon, because it doesn't have light of its own. You can see everything in the sky that's near enough, but you can't see the stars."

"When it gets dark, like on the back of the ball...which is the Earth...then we can see the stars, because the blanket of air isn't lit up by the sun."

When it became dark outside, the three dolls went out and looked at the stars, which were now twinkling in the sky, along with the glowing moon.

"On the moon," Mandy said, "there is no blanket of air. Astronauts stood on the moon long ago. Even when the sun was shining on them, they could still see the stars in the sky."
"Isn't that interesting!" Exclaimed Mariah.
The dolls looked at each star and imagined how it was a big sun, but a long way away.

"I'm so glad we're the kind of dolls who can look up at the stars, and our eyes don't close," sighed Jolena.
"We're very lucky dolls," agreed Mariah.

The two dolls lay there on the towel and watched the stars wink at them.

"I wonder why the stars twinkle," Mariah said then. They would have to ask Mandy.

Cast--

Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen
Mariah: Götz Happy Kidz Mariah, "Chosen" from My Doll Best Friend

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.

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

Copyright © 2018 and 2023 by Peggy Stuart