Babushka's Doll [Hardcover]

Patricia Polacco (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1990

Babushka's doll was special. She had played with it only once, when she was a little girl like her high-spirited granddaughter, Natasha.

Now Babushka is going to the store and it's Natasha's turn to take the little doll down from the high shelf. When the naughty doll comes to life -- and is even more rambunctious than the little girl herself -- Natasha finds out why playing once with Babushka's doll is enough!

Patricia Polacco's beautiful illustrations capture the warmth, humor, and timeless spirit of her magical tale.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Little Natasha can't leave her Babushka--Russian grandmother--alone: while Babushka methodically attempts to finish her laundry and livestock-feeding, the impatient girl always has another, more urgent agenda. When Babushka goes out, she presents her granddaughter with her own doll from her childhood. Tasha discovers the meaning of peskiness when the doll comes to life and makes her jump through hoops, entertaining her every minute. By the time Babushka returns from her shopping expedition, Tasha is exhausted from her afternoon with a most demanding playmate. Polacco's ( Thunder Cake ; The Keeping Quilt ) pencil illustrations are vibrant with the addition of marker colors and paint, from the large-featured grandmother to the straggly-haired Tasha to the expressive collection of barnyard goats. Many overeager youngsters may well identify with this engaging, well - told tale. Ages 3-6.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1-- When Natasha wants something, she wants it now --not after her grandmother, Babushka, has finished her chores. Babushka gets tired of this attitude, and finally goes off to the market, leaving Natasha to play with a special doll that she keeps on a high shelf. The doll comes to life and subjects Natasha to the same sort of insistent whining that Natasha used on Babushka. The girl learns her lesson and turns out "to be quite nice after all." This pedantic story is made more acceptable by Polacco's beautiful illustrations. Her expressive, Old World figures, bright colors, and charming details of a house and farm in Russia will delight readers, even if predictability makes the story less enticing than the pictures. --JoAnn Rees, Sunnyvale Public Library, CA
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing (September 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671683438
• ISBN-13: 978-0671683436
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 10.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,017,895 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born Patricia Ann Barber in Lansing, Michigan, to parents of Russian and Ukrainian descent on one side and Irish on the other, Patricia Polacco grew up in both California and Michigan. Her school year was spent in Oakland, California, and summers in her beloved Michigan. She describes her family members as marvelous storytellers. "My fondest memories are of sitting around a stove or open fire, eating apples and popping corn while listening to the old ones tell glorious stories about their homeland and the past. We are tenacious traditionalists and sentimentalists.... With each retelling our stories gain a little more Umph!"Studying in the United States and Australia, Patricia Polacco has earned an M.F.A. and a Ph. D. in art history, specializing in Russian and Greek painting, and iconographic history. She is a museum consultant on the restoration of icons. As a participant in many citizen exchange programs for writers and illustrators, Patricia Polacco has traveled extensively in Russia as well as other former Soviet republics. She continues to support programs that encourage Russo-American friendships and understanding. She is also deeply involved in inner-city projects here in the U.S. that promote the peaceful resolution of conflict and encourage art and literacy programs.The mother of a grown son and a daughter, Patricia Polacco currently resides in Michigan, where she has a glorious old farm that was built during the time of Lincoln.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 4.5 Morality With Warmth, June 23, 2004

By 

M. Allen Greenbaum (California) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Babushka's Doll (Hardcover)

"Children's Books > Literature > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > Multicultural"

This book's archetypal story elements (e.g., magic, a moral, intergenerational conflict) are indeed part fairy tale and myth. A young girl, overly demanding of her grandmother ("Babushka"), learns what it's like on the receiving end when her grandmother's doll comes to life and makes demands on the girl. This is not, however, typical Polacco because there's a subtle punitive quality to the doll's incessant demands and misbehavior: "'You didn't do it right," said the doll... Natasha began to cry. "I'm just a little girl," she said between sobs. I wish you were just a doll."'

However, I think that Palocco's evocation of a fairy tale (which often contain gruesome scenes, unlike the mild consequences here), and her warm, very colorful illustrations soften the doll's "vengeance." This is not "Chuckie." And in the end, her grandmother slyly tells her that she must have been dreaming (although we are led to believe that the doll really did come to life), and we are reassured that `Natasha turned out quite nice after all.'

Palocco's large, loopy illustrations are always a treasure, and here, the pencil, pen, and acrylic bring some enchantment and a sense of fun to Natasha's "lesson."

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The A mazing Doll, October 22, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Babushka's Doll (Hardcover)

It is a book that is full of surprises. The biggest, most interesting surprise is when Natasha uses her grandmother's doll. It came to life and the doll was mean to Natasha. I loved the drawings. This story could be a lesson for us not to be mean to our mothers...

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Close to Best Book, June 5, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Babushka's Doll (Hardcover)

I like the book because it's not real but it seems like it could have happened in real life. It taught a lesson to Tasha. The lesson was you should realize what you're doing before you do it. Tasha didn't understand why she always had to wait for everything.