Cooking Lesson

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

"What are you doing?" Mariah asked.
"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 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," 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 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.
"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 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 (tor-TEE-yah)." Jolena said. "Then I roll 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 will see."

Mariah understood that to be a hint that they were keeping Jolena 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.

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. 

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Copyright © 2019, 2023 by Peggy Stuart

Cousins!

Billy heard that company was coming. He decided it was time for a real haircut. We got into the car and drove across town to the place where they cut hair.

The lady who cuts hair wrapped him in a big apron to keep hair from falling into his shirt. He knew it wouldn't hurt. It doesn't hurt dolls to have their hair cut. It doesn't hurt real children to have their hair cut, either. The only difference is, Billy's hair won't grow back.

The lady who cuts hair carefully took small sections of hair and cut off little bits at a time. Billy watched in the mirror. You could see the little holes in his head where the hair comes out. The lady told Billy that it is important to be very careful with scissors. You should never walk around with them in your hand and you should always put them away carefully when you're done using them. Billy as very happy with his new haircut. We went home and took this picture.

Then Billy went to find the other dolls. He found them in the living room. Mariah, Charlotte and Jolena thought they were talking to Mandy. They had a question about something.

"Mandy, where does the snow go?" Charlotte asked.
"I'm not Mandy," the doll who looked exactly like Mandy said.
"But you look like Mandy," Mariah said.
"That's because we're the same kind of doll," the doll who looks like Mandy explained.

They were very surprised.
"My name is Bella," she explained. "Mandy and I are two of the same kind of doll. There are hundreds of us, all over the world."
Just then, Veronika and Mandy came into the room. "My goodness," Jolena exclaimed. "You look exactly alike!" They did. "That isn't like real children at all."

"Two children in the same family can look exactly alike," Mandy said. They are called identical twins. That means they look just alike. There are always some differences, though. Every child is just a little different and special.

"It's like looking in a mirror," Bella said, "only when you look in the mirror, everything is opposite. That means if you part your hair on the right, it will be on the left in your reflection."

"What's a reflection?" Billy wanted to know.
"It's what you see when you look at yourself in the mirror, or in a pool of water, or a window," Mandy explained. "It's exactly like you, but it isn't you, and everything is on the other side, like the part in your hair."
"When I had my haircut I could see myself in the mirror. So that's my reflection!" Billy exclaimed.
Billy climbed up on the couch, so he could see where Mandy and Bella had their hair parted.

"Your hair is parted in exactly the same place," he agreed.
Bella and Mandy looked at each other. The other dolls looked at them looking at each other.

"Bella is here for a visit," Veronika said. "We are cousins."
"Let's take a photo," Billy suggested.
"That's a great idea, Billy," Mandy agreed.
Billy found the phone and took a photo.

This is what he took.

"Jolena, Bella brought her skis with her," Mandy said. "Maybe you can teach her how to ski."

"That would be fun," Jolena agreed. "We can start with something simple, like the snowplow. You hold your feet like this." She showed them.

Bella went and found her ski equipment and ski suit. Jolena showed her how to put everything on, so she could do it by herself. First she had to put on the pants, then the jacket, then the helmet to protect her head if she fell, and the funny glasses to protect her eyes.
"You have the same skis as I do!" Jolena said. She showed Bella how to put on her skis boots and skis, and how to hold her ski poles.

"The snowplow is an easy way to slow down," Jolena added. "We can practice in the backyard on the slide."

Jolena went to get into her own ski pants and jacket, while Bella carefully removed her skis, because she knew you don't wear skis in the house. The two dolls went to the back door, making sure that they didn't knock anything over with their skis and poles.

Once the dolls were outside, Jolena took her skis and climbed up the ladder to the slide, and both dolls put on their skis. Jolena stood at the top of the slide.

Bella watched from below.

"Now, you watch, while I come down the slide," Jolena said. "Be sure to point your toes toward each other, but not enough to make your skis cross."

Jolena came all the way down the slide, demonstrating the snowplow to slow down at the bottom.

Jolena and Bella practiced in the backyard until they were tired. Bella learned how to do a snowplow and how to get up if you fall down.
"Thank you, Jolena," Bella said. "It's great having a cousin who can teach you how to ski."
"Tomorrow we'll go to the ski slopes and you can learn some more," Jolena said.

They went the next day into the mountains. Bella and Jolena went skiing, while the others played in the snow and took turns riding Billy's sled. They threw snowballs at each other. They made a snowman.

Everyone thought it was fun having a cousin visit. The week was over before Billy remembered his new haircut. His hair hadn't grown at all.

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
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily of London
Bella: Götz Happy Kidz Katie 2015

Note: No dolls were harmed during production of this blog. All dolls shown are Götz Happy Kidz or Classic Kidz. If you like these stories and are willing, please make a donation of any amount to a charity that supports pediatric cancer, such as CURE Childhood Cancer or St. Baldrick's Foundation.
"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 2:00 PM Pacific Time.

Copyright © 2019 by Peggy Stuart

Having Fun with Toys

The dolls wanted to show off all their Christmas presents, but decided that it would be enough just to show you their favorites, so each doll picked one favorite to be photographed with. They started with the youngest: Billy.

"I love my new sled," Billy said. "It's wonderful! I can hardly wait to use it." Then he looked a little sad. "If we ever get snow!" he sighed.
"Don't worry, Billy," Veronika said. "In a few days we will all go up the mountain and play in the snow while Jolena skis."

This cheered Billy up, and he looked happy again.
Mariah was next. "I asked Santa for a doll that looks like me," she said, "and look what I got!" She posed with her doll.

"She's really cute," said Charlotte, as Mariah took the doll carefully out of the box. Charlotte picked up the box to put into the recycling bin.
"She will be fun to play with, too," Mariah sighed and asked for one more photo with her new doll out of the box.

Jolena was next. "My favorite present is this mixing bowl," she said. "I love to cook, and this bowl is heavy enough so it won't slide around when I'm stirring. It's yellow ware, and it's real!"
It was so heavy, she decided to sit on the floor with it to have her photo taken.

"Besides, it's pretty!" said Veronika, who recognizes pretty things.
It was Charlotte's turn next. "My feet don't reach the ground when I sit in the little chairs that are still too big," she said. "This footstool isn't only useful, it's cute as well," Charlotte said. "I love sheep," she added. She brought a chair over to the tree, so she could demonstrate.

When it was Mandy's turn, she picked the beautiful yarn she had received. "I can hardly wait to knit something with it," she said. "It's my favorite color!"

"Every color is your favorite color," laughed Veronika.
"That's true," agreed Mandy. "I guess my favorite color is the one I have in front of me. I love that they're all different!"

Veronika was last. "My favorite gift was given to me by Mandy," she said. "It's this book. It's all about Mr. Rogers. I'm a big fan of Mr. Rogers."

"He's my favorite philosopher (fill-aw-sih-fur)," she added, pronouncing it very carefully. "That's someone who shares wisdom with us."

Mariah came and sat down on the sled next to Billy, who scooted over a bit to make room for her. "May I try your sled sometime?" Mariah asked.

"Sure," said Billy. "We can take turns, if it ever snows. It will be fun!"
"Maybe we can ride on it together, too," Mariah suggested.
"Then if we get too cold, we can come inside and play with your doll, if that's okay," Billy said.

"I didn't know you liked dolls," Mariah said.

"Dolls are toys, and toys are fun," Billy explained. "You can use your imagination with dolls. I like dolls. In fact, I am a doll. I'm a boy doll."

They both laughed. "You're right," agreed Mariah. "There are toys that are fun to ride and toys that you can pretend things with. Boys like to pretend, too, and girls like to ride on sleds."
"Sharing is fun," said Mariah. "That way we have twice as many things to play with."
"You're right," agreed Billy. "Sharing is fun, but I will always ask you if I can play with your doll before I do it."
"Thank you," said Mariah. "I will always ask you if it's okay to use your sled before I use it."

Billy may not have been long out of his box. Billy might be a boy, but he's a boy with sisters, and he knows dolls are fun to play with. Mariah likes to play with dolls, but she likes cars and trains, too, and sleds. She knows that boys and girls can enjoy the same kinds of toys. They are both smart dolls, and they get smarter every day.

Jolena called from the front window. "Look, everyone! It snowed."
Billy picked up his sled. He and Mariah were the first two out the door. "Come out and play with us in the snow, everyone!" Billy cried.
"Yes," exclaimed Mariah. Come see the snow! Come out and play!"

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 
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily of London

Note: No dolls were harmed during production of this blog. All dolls shown are Götz Happy Kidz or Classic Kidz. If you like these stories and are willing, please make a donation of any amount to a charity that supports pediatric cancer, such as CURE Childhood Cancer or St. Baldrick's Foundation.
Sled purchased from Rowdytown.

“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 2:00 PM Pacific Time.

Copyright © 2018 by Peggy Stuart