Friday, February 28, 2025

Snow!

It snowed. It snowed and snowed and snowed. It snowed so much that school was canceled.

Mariah and Charlotte were disappointed. They were looking forward to school.


"Well, I guess we have more time to study for the arithmetic test we were supposed to have today," Mariah said.
"I think I already know my times tables well enough," said Charlotte, "but a little more study won't hurt, I guess."


Two of the other dolls were not sad. Jolena and Billy were happy for a snow day. They like to play outdoors in the snow.
"Maybe I can go skiing," said Jolena. She climbed the stairs and put on her ski clothes. She found her skis, ski poles and ski boots. She picked up her goggles and her helmet.
"Maybe I can go sledding," Billy said. He put on his hat and his jacket. He picked up his sled.
Both dolls were excited. "I will need a ride to the ski slopes," Jolena said, as she looked out the window at the snow.


"I will need a ride to the park, where the hills are," said Billy, looking out at the snow.


"Let's take our stuff to the front porch, so we will be ready," Jolena said.
The two dolls went out the front door. Jolena carried her skis and Billy took his sled. They stopped and looked at the driveway.


"I think we may have a problem," Jolena said. It had snowed so much that the cars were buried. They could hardly find them. Can you find the cars in the driveway?


Billy sat down on his sled. He knew it was going to take a long time to get all the snow off of one of the cars, so someone could drive them. Jolena was disappointed, too. By the time the driveway was cleared, it would be too late to go to the ski slopes.


"Maybe we can go sledding and skiing in the backyard," suggested Billy. The two dolls went back into the house. They wiped their feet and went to look out the back window.


"There is a lot of snow out there, too" said Jolena.
"You're right," agreed Billy. 


"What's that big lump out there?" Billy asked, as he pointed to a little hill in the backyard. 


Jolena looked. "I think there is a bush under that lump," she said. "That could be dangerous if you don't know it's there. You could fall through and get hurt if you climbed on the lump. Snow could fall in after you, and you could be buried in the snow until it melts! Your vinyl could freeze!"
"I don't think I would like that," said Billy.


"I don't think I can ski on the slide where I gave Bella her first skiing lesson," Jolena sighed. "There is too much snow." There was so much snow on the branches of the trees, it was even hard to find the slide.


"I think the snow is over our heads," said Billy. "That's too deep for sledding, too."


"I don't think we're going to be able to ski or go sledding today, Billy," Jolena said. "I guess we got on our snow suits for nothing!"
"Maybe not for nothing," said Billy. "I have been wanting to get a photo of you in your ski clothes. I never get to go to the ski area when you go skiing. Maybe we could go out in back, but on the deck, where the snow isn't too deep," he suggested. "We could pretend that you are ready to ski, and I could take photos of you."


"That sounds like fun," Jolena agreed. She went to get her skis while Billy went to get the phone camera and his tripod.
The two dolls went out through the dog door to the back deck. Billy set up his tripod close to the house, where the roof protected him, so his phone camera wouldn't get wet from all the snow coming down.


Jolena stood where the deck had been cleared, but where there was a lot of snow. "It's still snowing," she said.


"That makes the photos better," Billy said.
 Billy took several pictures. The snowflakes made little streaks in the photos as they fell. Billy liked that and said that it was interesting. He said that you could tell it was snowing.


"Here's one that looks like you can see your breath," Billy said, looking at the screen on his phone camera. "That's funny, because dolls don't breathe."
Jolena wanted to see it. Billy showed Jolena the screen.
"I think a snowflake fell right in front of my phone camera when I took the photo," Billy said.
"You can tell that my face is wet, too, from the snow," Jolena said. "The snow must melt when it hits my vinyl, but it doesn't melt quickly on my clothes."


"Maybe your vinyl is still warm from being indoors," Billy suggested. After Billy thought he had enough photos, the two dolls went back through the dog door into the house. They wiped their feet and took off their boots, which were covered with snow. They put their boots on a towel. Then they took off their jackets and hung them up. When they were back in their indoor clothes, Billy sent his photos of Jolena to the computer.
Billy let Jolena help him select the photos. They picked out their favorite. Billy used the computer to make it look right.
"I like it best, because you can see my skis, and I love my skis," Jolena said.


"I like that you can see your helmet," Billy said. "Your helmet keeps you safe."
"Yes," agreed Jolena. "We should always wear a helmet when we ski or ride a bicycle or skateboard or horse! It protects your brain if you fall." 
"I also like that you're smiling," Billy added. "You look happy, even though we had a big disappointment."
"It was disappointing not to be able to ski today," agreed Jolena, "but we have had a good time anyway, haven't we?"
Here is the photo they liked best.


Mariah and Charlotte were finished studying for the arithmetic test. They were ready for it. They decided to get out the cards for a card game and invited Jolena and Billy to play, too.

  
"This is fun," Jolena said. "I like to ski, but it's fun to stay in where it's warm, too." 

Cast--
Charlotte: Götz Happy Kidz Anna in Paris
Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen
Mariah: Götz Happy Kidz Mariah, "Chosen" from My Doll Best Friend
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily at London

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 StorybookClassic 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
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 © 2019, 2025 by Peggy Stuart

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 StorybookClassic 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
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.

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

Copyright © 2020, 2025 by Peggy Stuart

Friday, February 14, 2025

Valentine's Day

 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.

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 StorybookClassic 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
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.

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

Copyright © 2020, 2025 by Peggy Stuart

The Doll's Storybook Table of Contents: All the Stories with Dates and Links

                                   Table of Contents Here are all the story titles with dates and links, in order: 1) June 22, 2018, “Little...