Earning a Living

"Give us a call," Mariah said, "to let us know how you're getting along."

"I will," Gabi replied. "It should be interesting in the yarn shop. All kinds of human people will be coming and going."

"Dolly will be joining you soon," Emil pointed out, as he opened the door for Gabi. "You can keep each other company, so you aren't lonely."

"I'm sure I'll be fine," Gabi assured him. Then she turned and waved goodbye to Mariah and Pippa, who had come to the door with her. "Got to go," she said. "Mandy and The Writer are waiting in the car for me."

"What was the tag on Gabi's dress for," Pippa wanted to know after Emil had closed the door behind Gabi.

"That tag," Mariah explained, "is the label from the yarn that Mandy used to knit the dress. Gabi is going to model the dress at the yarn shop, so people who buy one of our books from there can buy the yarn to make the dress. Then they can give both together as a gift."

The dolls climbed up on the front windowsill and looked out the window to watch The Writer's car drive off.

"Why is Mandy going?" Pippa asked.

"She's picking out yarn for a sweater for Dolly," Mariah replied. "Dolly will be going to the yarn shop, too, when her sweater is finished. She will model the sweater for customers who might want to make it. It's in our books, too."

"The bookshelf in the workroom will be empty without Gabi and Dolly," Emil said after the car had left and the dolls had climbed back down from the windowsill. He was thinking about the place where the two dolls stood and watched when they weren't helping.

"It will seem strange without them," Mariah agreed.

"Why do they want to leave us?" Pippa asked with concern in her voice.

"Since they don't play parts in the stories," Emil replied, "they want to help sell the books. Helping sell the books lets them still be part of everything we do."

"They've always been part of the stories," Pippa pointed out. "Gabi holds my clothes when I'm changing. I'll have to use a chair now."

"That's true," Mariah agreed, "Dolly helps, too, behind the scenes, with hair and other things, but we can help each other, and this job is more important right now."

"Why aren't they in the stories?" Pippa asked.

Mariah looked at Emil. Emil looked at Mariah. "Let's ask Veronika!" they both said at once.

The dolls left the bottom stair and went to find Veronika. She was in the workroom, choosing some fabrics that might work for a skirt to go with Dolly's new sweater. She would make the final selection when she saw the yarn Mandy brought home from the yarn store. Mandy had said she was going to look for green, but there are lots of different greens, and not all of them go together. Veronika looked up when the three dolls came in.

"We have a question," Mariah said. "We were wondering why Gabi and Dolly aren't in the stories."

Veronika thought for a moment. She knew the answer, but it was complicated. "Well," she said finally, "the main reason is because their manufacturers (man-you-FAK-cher-ers) didn't ever answer when The Writer wrote them to ask for permission to use them in our books."

"You see," Veronika went on, after the other dolls had settled down around her to listen, "even before the first book, The Writer made a book about my birthday. It wasn't a published book, you see, but just a book she wrote and had printed as gifts for her grandchildren."

"The Writer made several other copies, too, to keep for gifts," Veronika continued. "Gabi and Dolly were already living with us then, and Mandy and Charlotte, and two boys named Alister and Matthias, who were with us to get clothes before going to live with The Writer's grandsons. We were all dolls from five different manufacturers: the company that made us and four others. The Writer wrote to each one asking for permission to publish the book so other human children could get copies." 

"She received permission from the company that makes dolls like us," Veronika went on, "and a reply from the company that makes Matthias saying they could not give permission. None of the others wrote back. That meant that The Writer could not publish the book about my birthday, nor could she publish any other book with those dolls in it."

"The boys went to their new homes," Veronika continued, "but Gabi and Dolly stayed here with us. This story won't ever be in a published book unless The Writer can get permission to use them," she added.

"How sad for Gabi and Dolly," said Pippa, who really enjoyed being in the stories.

"They tell us they don't mind," said Mariah, who had been quiet for a long time. "It's hard for them to do some of the things we need to do," she pointed out. "Their elbows and knees don't bend."

"Like our fingers?" Pippa asked, and the other dolls nodded.

"Gabi will be an excellent model," Veronika pointed out, "and she will feel useful if someone buys a copy of one of our books and yarn to make the dress she's modeling. Now, I need to get some more fabrics out of the fabric cabinet so we will have a good selection that might make a good skirt for Dolly!"

The other dolls decided to read while Veronika dug through the fabrics. Soon they were all comfortably reading.

Some time later, they heard a car door close. "Mandy's back!" Pippa cried. "Let's go see what kind of yarn she picked out!"

Meanwhile, in a yarn shop* in Bend, Oregon, a proud Gabi displayed her simple dress in a gorgeous yarn...and was proud of the job she had.

Cast--
Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni
Mariah: Götz Happy Kidz Mariah, "Chosen" from My Doll Best Friend
Emil: Götz Happy Kidz Emilia

Pippa: Götz Little Kidz Lotta
Gabi: Tonner My Imagination Play Doll

*Fancywork Yarn 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, 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.

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

Copyright © 2022, 2025 by Peggy Stuart 

Locked Out

The dolls were all out for a walk together when they came home and found their human family had gone out and locked the door. Uh-oh!

"We will just have to wait for our family to come home," said Veronika. She climbed up and sat down on the outdoor couch that sits on the front porch.
The other dolls joined her on the couch.

"I hope they aren't gone too long," Billy said, as he climbed up to join Veronika.
"I'm glad I don't have to pretend to use the bathroom," Jolena added.

"It's good to sit down," Mariah said. "Our legs are so short."

The dolls waited. Dolls are good at waiting. They are good at being patient.

Maybe Billy isn't as patient as the girls. Soon he began to feel bored. "I wish I had something to do," he said.

Veronika looked around to see what was on the front porch. "Look!" she cried. "The recycling is here!"

Veronika was right. The recycling was sitting on the porch, waiting for someone to take it to the recycling bin.

"There's paper in it," she added. "Let's play a game! Everyone think of something we can do with paper."
The dolls thought for a few minutes.
"I have something!" Jolena cried suddenly. 
The other dolls looked at Jolena.
"I like to fly through the air on my skis," she said. "Maybe it would be fun to make a paper airplane and fly it through the air!"

The dolls agreed that would be fun.
"We could make a hat out of a piece of paper," Charlotte suggested. 

"I have an idea, too!" Billy exclaimed. "If we had scissors, a pin and a pencil, we could make a pinwheel!"

"I have pins," said Veronika, "but they are in the house."
"I have a pin in my knitting bag," Mandy said, "and scissors and a pencil."

"Do you take your knitting with you everywhere?" Billy wanted to know.
"Yes," Mandy replied. "You never know when you might have to wait."

"If we have scissors," Veronika said, "we can make a string of paper dolls."

"If we have scissors," Mariah added, "we can make a snowflake."

"If we had some glue or tape," Mandy said, "We could make paper chains."
The dolls all thought that sounded like fun.

The dolls all looked at Mandy's knitting bag.
"I don't keep any tape in there," Mandy laughed, "but I just thought of another thing we can do with what we have. We can make a cootie catcher. There are some fun games you can play with a cootie catcher."

The dolls got busy. Veronika did the cutting, because she is left-handed and can use the scissors with the hand that has all the fingers loose.

They made a paper airplane.
They made a hat.
They made a pinwheel.
They made a string of paper dolls.
They made a snowflake.
They made a cootie catcher.
Just then, Jolena remembered the dog door in the back. "If we can get over the fence into the back yard," she said, "we can get into the house the way the dogs do."
"You're right," Billy agreed. "We're small enough to go in that way. We can get the tape!"
And so they did. Jolena and Billy helped each other climb over the fence and went into the house through the dog door.

They got the tape. Then they went back out through the dog door, carrying the tape, dispenser and all. They helped each other over the fence with the tape, and brought it back to the front porch.

Then the dolls all worked together to make a paper chain while they waited for their human people to get home to let them into the house.

When they were done, they collected all the little scraps of paper they had cut out from the paper and put them into the recycling can.

What would you do with paper if you wanted to have fun?
What would you do if you were locked out of the house but could get in through the dog door?
What do you think the dolls should have done?

Want to make the things the dolls made with paper? Here are some links to directions:Let your parents see these first!
Here's how to make Jolena's paper airplane.
Here's how to make Charlotte's paper hat.
Here's how to make Billy's pinwheel.
Here's how to make Veronika's string of paper dolls.
Here's how to make Mariah's paper snowflake.
Here's how to make Mandy's paper chain.
Here's how to make a cootie catcher.



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
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 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.

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

Copyright ©2019, 2025 by Peggy Stuart 

About Plants

Note: This story is from five years ago, when Emil was new. The Writer and the cast of The Doll's Storybook hope you enjoy this look back at a story about growing things.

Billy was showing Emil the garden. We were going to grow some vegetables this year.

"Last year, before you came," Billy told Emil, "we grew only radishes."

"Tell me about it" Emil said.

"Well," Billy began, "Mariah and I were reading a book together, when Mandy climbed up on the couch and showed us a packet of seeds. They were radish seeds."

Billy explained to Emil how Mandy invited them to help her plant the seeds. "We went into the kitchen," he said, thinking back. "Mandy had a clear plastic cup and some rocks. We put the rocks into the cup. She said it was for something called drainage. When you water the plant, the water has someplace to go."

"Mandy filled the cup with dirt. She called it potting soil," Billy explained. "That's special dirt you use when you plant something in a pot."

Mandy added water to the cup. She added water until the dirt was damp.

Then it was time for the seeds. Mandy tore off the top of the seed packet.

Mandy poured some seeds from the packet into a little bowl. "The seeds were tiny things," Billy said.

Mandy put several of the seeds into the dirt. Then she picked up a chopstick. She used it to push the seeds down into the soil just a little bit. She made sure the seeds were up against the sides of the cup, so they could see them as they grew.

Mandy said that they would have to wait, and the seeds would do the rest.

Mandy put the cup in a little bowl on the windowsill. She checked it every day and sometimes added water.

After a few days, the dolls were able to see the seeds change shape. They grew little arms that curled around in the dirt.

After a few more days, the arm had started to go down in the dirt.
"So maybe it was a leg, instead of an arm," Emil suggested to Billy.
"Mandy told us it's called a root," Billy explained. "She said it would grow bigger and bring water and food to the plant."

"We took turns checking on what was happening in the cup," Billy remembered. "The little plants were a bit bigger each day."

One day the little plants had leaves.

Mandy brought the cup to the workroom, so all the dolls could see.

"Mandy told us the plants were growing," Billy explained.

"When we looked at the side of the cup, we could see that the roots had tiny hairs sticking out," Billy explained. "Mandy said those were roots, too."

Every day there were more leaves on the plants and the plants were taller.

When the weather was warm, the dolls took them outside and planted them in the garden.

"They grew and grew," Billy explained to Emil. He showed Emil where they had planted the radishes. There were other vegetables there now, but there would be some radishes soon, too.

"When they are big enough, we'll pull them out of the ground," Billy explained. "That's what we did last year."

Billy remembered how Jolena had cut up the radishes last year and put them into a salad. The dolls had pretended to eat them for supper.

Just then Mandy came out of the house and heard what the boys were talking about as they walked back to the dog door. "You don't have to plant some plants in the ground for them to grow enough to eat," she said. "We've been growing some sprouts in the house. Come and I'll show you."

The boys got up and followed Mandy into the house. On the counter was a jar full of little leaves and tiny roots. "These seeds grow inside a jar. They are ready to eat in a just a few days.

These are sprouts," Mandy explained. "They grew from broccoli 

(BROK-uh-lee) seeds."

"If we planted them outside and let them keep growing," Mandy said, "they would turn into broccoli plants. We could cut the broccoli and bring it indoors for Jolena to cook."

"We can pretend to eat them this way, too," Mandy said, "by growing them in jars."
"How do you do that?" Emil asked.
"First you put some seeds in a jar," Mandy began. "Then you put some water in with the seeds and close the jar with a special lid that has a screen in it."

"You leave it for the seeds to soak overnight," she continued. "In the morning, you drain the water out of the jar. It's easier if you have a screen in the lid or a special lid with holes to keep the seeds in the jar." she told them. "You leave the jar tipped over in a bowl, so the water can drain and the air can get in. Some seeds taste better if you leave them in the dark. We use one of the kitchen cabinets for that, but these are OK out on the counter."

"We rinse them with water every morning and every night." Mandy explained. "You have to pour water into the jar through the lid, then tip it over so the water drains out."
The boys took a close look at the seeds. Some looked looked puffy, but they still just looked like seeds. Wet seeds.

"These will be a different kind of sprouts," Mandy said. "They are a mix of several different kinds of seeds."
(Here's what Mandy's seeds looked like when they had been growing for a day or two.)

"These sprouts have grown enough to eat," Mandy explained, showing them some sprouts in a bowl on the counter.

"How do you pretend to eat them?" Billy asked. 
"Jolena puts these in salads or sandwiches, like lettuce," Mandy replied, "but you can throw them in with food you cook, too." 
Now all the dolls like to pretend to eat sprouts. They like to grow them, too. It's fun to see how much bigger they are in the morning when you get up.

Jolena explained to Charlotte that sprouts are easy to grow, because you don't have to dig in the dirt. You don't have to wait for warm weather. You can even grow them in the winter.
Jolena likes to think of different ways to serve the sprouts. 

Sometimes the the dolls like to sprout a special kind of beans. They soak them overnight and then rinse them with water twice a day, just like the small seeds.

They keep these in the dark. When the sprouted beans grow to fill the jar, they are ready to eat.

Jolena likes to cook with the bean sprouts. She usually cooks them with other vegetables.

Veronika has been using a special indoor garden to grow herbs (ERBZ). 

Herbs are plants that are used to add more flavor to foods. Veronika's special garden grows the plants in water. It has a light that comes on and stays on all day to make sure the plants have enough light. Plants need light to grow. Jolena likes to use the herbs in her recipes. 

Children grow, too. They don't stay in a jar or get planted in the ground. They run around and play. They sleep in a bed at night, the way dolls do, not standing up in the dirt or squished in a jar.

Eating foods that grow in the ground or in a jar helps real children grow.They grow until they are as big as they are meant to be.

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
Mariah: Götz Happy Kidz Mariah, "Chosen" from My Doll Best Friend
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily at London
Emil: Götz Happy Kidz Emilia

Whole radishes photo: Matilda Bellman
Cut radishes photo: Louis Hansel @shotsoflouis
Broccoli photo: Annie Spratt
all of the above on Unsplash.

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.

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

Copyright © 2020, 2025 by Peggy Stuart