A few years ago,, when Bella, who lives with The Writer's granddaughter was visiting, Billy took some photos of Bella with Mandy, because they are the same doll, at least on the outside, like twins.
Billy would like to take more photos. He needed a camera of his own, one he could use all the time. He looked for one online, but he is small. The cameras he saw are all too big for him and cost more than what he had saved up. Billy had an idea. He asked for the use of a discarded phone that takes photos but can't be used to make calls anymore. He asked nicely and had good reasons for wanting the phone, so The Writer gave it to him. He can use it to take photos and send them to the computer.
The first thing he did was take photos of his dog, Freckles, on the dog bed.
Then he took photos of his sisters doing things and posing for him. He took this one of Mandy and Veronika planning a tea party.
He took this photo of Mandy and Jolena looking at a photograph album.
Because he didn't have to pay for a camera, he used his savings to buy a tripod. That's a kind of stand that will hold a camera or a phone so it doesn't jiggle when you take a photo.
Now he can take photos without holding the phone. He can even take photos of himself, like this one, using the timer on the phone. He set up the phone on the tripod and aimed the phone so that where he planned to sit was on the screen. He set the timer for ten seconds. Then he ran and climbed up on the window sill. The phone took his photo when the ten seconds were up.
He took lots and lots of photos and then sent them to the computer. Some were good and some were not so good. Sometimes he found mistakes in the photos only after he saw them on the computer. He has learned that you have to pay attention to what might be behind dolls when you take photos of them, like these cooking spoons sticking out of a jug on the bench behind Charlotte. It made him laugh, but he thought it took the attention away from his sister.
Billy has learned that you have to notice where the light is coming from, so you can see the doll whose photo you are taking. It was hard to see Mariah's face when the light came from behind her. He wanted Mariah's face to show, because she's pretty and nice to look at.
He has taught himself how to pick the best photos and how to use the computer to fix them so they look even better.
One day, Billy asked Veronika and Mandy if he could take their picture some nice clothes. They thought it was a fun idea, so they looked through the clothes together to decide what to wear.
Veronika and Mandy washed their faces and put on the outfits they had chosen. Then they brushed their hair. Well, they brushed Mandy's hair. Veronika's hair doesn't need much care.
When the girls were ready, Billy found a place for them to stand where there wouldn't be anything else to see, so the photo would only be about the two dolls. There were no cooking spoons sticking up. The light was good. Billy told Veronika and Mandy where to stand.
Billy talked to the girls while he took photos. He made little jokes that made them giggle, so he could get them to smile. (It isn't easy for them to smile, you know, because their mouths don't move.)
When he decided he had taken enough photos, Billy sent them to the computer. He chose the photo he liked best and cropped it. That means he cut off some of the outside edges of the photo. He lightened up the picture a bit, so their beautiful faces were clear. He used the computer to make the edges and corners fuzzy just because he thought it was pretty that way.
While Billy was working on the photo he had chosen, Veronika climbed up to see what he was doing with the computer. "Wow, Billy!" she said, looking at the photo on the screen. "You're good at this!"
"Do you think so?" Billy asked. "I thought I was only good at using my sled and throwing a ball."
"You do many things well, Billy," Veronika pointed out. "You are fun to be with, and you listen to what other dolls are saying. You know how to put things together, how to play games and how to take turns. You can solve problems. You know how to work with other dolls, too, and you are good at being kind."
Jolena heard Billy's and Veronika's voices from the next room. She came to find out what they were doing. She climbed up to where Billy was working, so she could see the picture on the computer screen.
"Where did you find that photo, Billy?" Jolena asked.
"I took a lot of photos with the phone," he explained. "Then I sent them to the computer and looked at them. I thought this one was the best, so I fixed it to make it look even better."
"It must have taken a lot of work to learn how to do this," Jolena said.
"It isn't work," Billy replied. "It's fun!"
"Work can be fun," Veronika explained. "Just because you're doing something useful or learning how to do something that's hard, doesn't mean it can't be fun."
"That's how cooking is for me," Jolena agreed. "Cooking is useful, so you could call it work, but to me it's fun, and I'm good at it. It's my superpower. Billy, I think taking photos, choosing the best ones and making them even better is your superpower!"
"I have been worried that I would never find anything useful I could do well, but this is easy, and it's something I like to do," Billy told them. "I hope it's useful, too."
"This is useful! Now you can take photos for our stories!" exclaimed Veronika.
Billy was very still for a while. Then he took a big breath and looked up at the ceiling. Veronika thought he was trying to think how to say something very important.
"You have made me feel much better," Billy said. "When I came here, I didn't think I could be really good at anything useful. I think it's a big responsibility, being in stories that teach children about how the world works and how to be kind to each other, and how to feel good about who they are. I didn't think I would be good enough."
"Billy, you wouldn't have been called to do this if you couldn't do it," Veronika pointed out. "When you're called to do something important and good, you should trust that it's because you're the right one for the job."
"Yes," agreed Jolena. "The writer chose you because you were the right one for the stories. All of us were very carefully chosen because we were needed," she added. "It's just like when you choose the photos that work best for what you want from all the ones you've taken."
"I thought I was picked because I was a boy," Billy said.
"Well, that's true, too," Veronika agreed. "We needed a boy. All boys and girls are special, but you're the boy we needed."
That made Billy very happy. He knew his sisters were honest. They would never lie, even to make him feel better, so it must be true. He thought about that, and it made him smile.
"I have an idea," Billy said, "Let's take a group photo with all the dolls together. I can set the timer on my camera, so I can be in the photo, too."
Billy called all his sisters to come. He arranged them on the steps, because he said it's easier to get them all in the photo if the dolls in front are lower than the dolls in back. That way, no one's face is hidden behind someone else's. Then he set up his tripod. He had to make the legs of the tripod longer, so his phone camera would be high enough to take the photo he wanted, but they are easy to adjust.
The dolls posed. Billy set the timer. Then he ran and sat down in front of his sisters. He took several photos, but not because someone blinked. (These dolls don't blink, you know, because their eyes don't close.) No, he had to take a few photos before the girls stopped being silly. He wanted them to look happy, but not silly. He checked each photo on the screen. When he was sure he had some good ones, Billy sent the photos to the computer. He chose the one he liked best. It was a photo where no one was being silly. Then he fixed it and made it even better. This is the photo Billy chose after he made it look its best.
Billy is smiling in the photo. He is happy because he has found something to do that is fun and useful.
The next Christmas Billy got a real camera just his size, so he can take it outdoors and photograph all the beautiful things in nature.
Cast--
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily at London
Mandy and Bella: Götz Happy Kidz Katie 2015
Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni
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
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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.
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"The Doll's Storybook" is not affiliated with Gotz Dolls USA Inc. or Götz Puppenmanufaktur International GmbH.
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