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 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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Copyright © 2020, 2025 by Peggy Stuart

The Cooking Lesson

Mariah and Billy went looking for Jolena. They found her in the kitchen.

"What are you doing?" Mariah asked, climbing up on the tall stool Jolena always uses to reach the counter.
"I'm cooking," she said. "I'm making something called burritos for supper."

"What kind of toes?" Billy asked.
"Burr-EE-toes," she replied. It's sort of like supper rolled up in a piece of very flat bread called a tortilla (tor-TEE-ya)," she explained. "It's filled with cooked beans with some sauce and some cheese, and I'm going to slice some avocado on top. I'm cooking the beans now. I have water in the pot, some seasonings and some onions. I just have to add the beans."
"That sounds yummy," said Mariah.

"We're going to have broccoli-kale slaw with it tonight," Jolena said. "I've made it already. It's in the refrigerator.
"I'll bet it's fun to cook," Billy said. "Is it hard to learn how?"
"It isn't too hard," Jolena replied. "You have to learn how to cut things without cutting yourself, and to be careful at the stove, so you don't get burned or catch on fire."

"That sounds scary," Mariah exclaimed.
"Not if you're careful," Jolena said with a laugh. "You have to  tie back your hair, if it's long, and wash your hands before you start. You also have to pay attention to what you're cooking, so it doesn't burn. I usually set a timer, so I don't forget to check the food if I'm doing something else, like helping set the table."

"I'll bet I could learn," Billy said. "Is that all you need to know?"
"Well," Jolena considered, "the most important part is knowing what to cook. When you eat what someone else has cooked for you, you know that they have planned the meal to help you stay strong and healthy because they love you. They have included a variety of foods so all you have to do is enjoy the meal. They have worked to make it taste good, so you will enjoy it. When you cook for others, you have to know how to do this yourself, and they are counting on you to feed them the right things."

"But we're always strong and healthy, unless we pretend to be sick," Mariah pointed out. "We're dolls."
"Yes, but children learn from dolls," Jolena said. "We have to set a good example for them, so they understand why they are eating. We pretend to eat what they should eat. It's why we're here. Parents sometimes worry if children don't eat. Children sometimes think their parents are just being bossy. They need to learn that their parents want them to eat the right things because they love them."

"So we dolls pretend to eat our food so we can show children how much we enjoy it," Mariah suggested, and Jolena nodded.
"How do you know what to cook, then?" asked Billy.
"It isn't hard," Jolena said. "Each day we need some fruit, some vegetables of different colors, some grains like this rice." She took the lid off the rice canister and showed them the rice inside.

"Bread is made from a grain called wheat. We also need milk, and foods that have something called protein. You say it PRO-teen" She said the word slowly. "Those foods are meat, fish, eggs, cheese and dried beans, like these."

"It's good to have some of the vegetables cooked and some raw," Jolena continued. "Then it's important to know how to cook these foods so they taste good."
"How about cake and ice cream?" asked Billy. "I love cake and ice cream!"

"Yes, you missed Charlotte's birthday party, didn't you?" Mariah said. "We had cake, but no ice cream. The cake was yummy."

"Well," said Jolena, "cake, ice cream, candy, cookies and chips are what we call 'extra foods.' That's why you save them until after you eat. We pretend to eat fruits and vegetables, grains, milk and protein foods because they taste good, but also because children's bodies need them. Cake is something we pretend to eat only for how it tastes. Besides, if you pretend to eat cake first, the other foods don't taste as good as they would have if you had saved the cake for later. That takes a lot of the fun out of eating."

"So how do you make the burry-toes?" Billy asked.

"Well, I put the beans, a little spicy sauce and some cheese on the tortilla." Jolena said. "Then I fold it up. I'll make six of them. I put them on a cookie sheet in the oven and cook for half an hour. When they are done, I'll slice some avocado on top. Come back at supper time, and you'll see."

Mariah understood what Jolena said to be a hint that they were keeping her from her work. "Come on, Billy. Let's go see what the others are up to.

When it was time for supper, they saw this on their plates.

It was yummy, and they pretended to eat it all. Jolena is a good cook!
Billy was a bit disappointed that there was no cake for dessert, but he was happy to have a cookie. "I'll bake a cake tomorrow," Jolena promised. Billy said he could wait until then. Then he pretended to be patient.

What do you have for supper?


Cast--
Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen
Mariah: Götz Happy Kidz Mariah, "Chosen" from My Doll Best Friend
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily of 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 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 © 2019, 2023 by Peggy Stuart

Dolled Up

"Hi!" Pauly said to the doll who opened the front door. "I’m Pauly. Is Pippa here?"

"Silly!" Pippa exclaimed., as she closed the door after Pauly.  "I’m Pippa! You know me!"

"Pippa?" Pauly asked in surprise. "I didn’t recognize you. You look different."

"It’s because I got all dolled up for Veronika's party," Pippa explained.

"Mandy and Mariah washed my hair," Pippa said. "Then they rolled it up in curlers."

"I had to sleep in them."

"Then," Pippa continued, "they fixed my hair for me. They brushed it out and tied up the front with a ribbon. Do I look pretty?"

"Mandy said I looked like a famous country western singer," Pippa said.

"It’s different," Pauly agreed, "and I haven’t seen that dress before."

"The dress has a story," Pippa told him.

"The Writer ordered me a cute snowsuit for Christmas," Pippa told him, "but it wouldn’t get here in time. When I opened my present," she said, "there was a note that told me what I was getting. It was hard to wait, but I was so excited!"

"It came from a long way away, on the other side of the world, almost," Pippa explained. "It was made by a lady who lives in a country called Ukraine.(YOU-krayn). It took a long time to get here, but it came this week."

"That was good, because we finally got snow again. When it came, I put it on and wore it outside in the snow. It kept me nice and warm."

"But back to the dress," Pippa said. "I was telling you about the dress."

"In the same box as my new snowsuit," she said, "there was this dress."

"The Writer was as surprised as I was when we opened it! There was a card that said 'Thank you,' in the package."

"I’m the only doll it fits, so it’s mine!" Pippa exclaimed. "It was like getting an extra present!"

"I decided to wear it for Veronika's birthday party," Pippa said. "Isn’t it pretty?"

"Yes," Pauly agreed. 

He wondered if he needed to say more, but Pippa seemed satisfied, so he didn’t.

"How old is Veronika now?" Pauly asked, as the dolls walked down the hallway to the kitchen.

"We don’t know exactly," Pippa said. "We celebrate the day she came out of her shipping box at The Writer's house, February 2, six years ago."

"She lived with someone else before that." Pippa explained. "I think she came out of the factory about the same time as Mandy, so about two years before that. She says she spent a lot of time standing on a shelf, watching people. She learned a lot."

"Mandy stayed in her box for two years!" Pippa continued. "She says she spent that time thinking and figuring things out. She used her imagination to keep from being bored."

Pippa and Pauly found Mandy and Mariah in the dining room, trying to come up with a recipe for a cake The Writer had ingredients for.

Hi, Pauly!" Mariah said when she saw Pippa's friend.

"Jolena is skiing in Idaho," Pippa told him, "so Mandy and Mariah are trying to make the cake on their own."

"All the other dolls have taken Veronika to see a movie for her birthday," Mandy said.

"Do you need help baking the cake?" Pippa asked the older dolls.

"Thank you," Mariah replied, but two dolls are about all who can work on it at one time, and we would have to put a hairnet over your hair."

"We have to tie back out hair when we cook," Mandy said, "because you don’t want to get hair in the food, but you have…um…too much to tie back. Jolena always ties her hair back when she cooks."

"Why don’t we sit on the living room couch, then, and play cards while we wait?" Pippa suggested. "I’ll bring us a treat to pretend to eat."

Soon both of the smaller dolls were seated on the couch with the playing cards and a plate of little donuts.

"These are mini donuts," Pippa told her friend. "The Writer gets them in great big yellow boxes. I wonder why she needs so many, especially since we only pretend to eat them."

"Dog treats?" Pauly asked.

(Pauly could be right, but maybe someone else eats them, too. Who could that be?)

"So I was wondering," Pauly said. "We’re all dolls. How much hair do you have to have to be all dolled up?"

Maybe ask that country western singer? Open the cards, Pauly! It will be a while before the party.

Cast--
Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni
Mandy: Götz Happy Kidz Katie 2015
Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen

Mariah: Götz Happy Kidz Mariah, "Chosen" from My Doll Best Friend

Pippa: Götz Little Kidz Lotta

Pauly: Götz Little Kidz Paul

Snowsuit and dress from Nataliia Onishchenko on Etsy Sofia Doll Shop. 

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.

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

Copyright ©2023, 2024 by Peggy Stuart