Betty Doll [Paperback]

Patricia Polacco (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 1 and up

Whenever Mary Ellen needed Betty Doll, she was there. Betty Doll saw her through happy and sad times, thunderstorms and parties, weddings and births. Now, when Mary Ellen’s daughter Trisha needs Betty Doll most, she rediscovers the sweet old doll, along with a letter written by her mother before she died. This touching story is a reminder of the power of a mother’s love and the joy of life’s precious moments.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Young Mary Ellen is heartbroken when her family's farmhouse burns to the ground, taking all five of her dolls with it. So when her mother announces that they are going to make her a new doll, she is overjoyed. But little does she know that Betty Doll will travel with her as her closest confidant through her whole life, watching as first Mary Ellen grows up, then her children, and her grandchildren. Along the way, Betty is privy to family events big and small: a devastating blizzard, tea parties, weddings, floods, illness, births, deaths, and war. When a much older Mary Ellen discovers she has cancer, she writes a letter to her grown daughter, Tricia, telling her the story of Betty Doll, and passing on her own abiding love for Tricia.

Tricia, or Patricia Polacco, has shared the words of the letter in this touching tribute to her mother, with black and white (with splashes of color) sketches that reflect the time span from the early 1900s to the present. Polacco often plumbs the depths of her family history for picture book ideas. She is the author of Chicken Sunday, The Butterfly, and many other warm tales. (Ages 5 to 9) --Emilie Coulter --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Polacco (Thank You, Mr. Falker) again elegantly embroiders a patch from the fabric of her own life in a moving tale that demonstrates the importance of family legacies. "I know that someday you'll read this when your heart is aching," reads the note that the author finds attached to Betty Doll after her mother's [Mary Ellen's] death. Mary Ellen's letter goes on to explain how, as a girl, she and her mother made the doll from scraps of cloth after her other dolls perished in the fire that destroyed their home. Readers will happily tumble back in time as the fluid, conversational narrative reveals anecdotes underscoring Betty Doll's importance in Mary Ellen's life. For instance, the sight of Betty Doll who had fallen out of her owner's book bag alerts the child's father to her whereabouts during a blizzard; and when the girl is bedridden with a fever, Betty keeps her company. Over the years, the author and then her own children find solace in the beloved doll, who "kissed away tears, soothed hurt knees and was a guest at hundreds of tea parties and slumber nights." In an effective graphic manipulation, the doll alone appears in color against Polacco's finely detailed black-and-white art, which smoothly incorporates framed family photos arranged on tabletops. Together, text and illustrations credibly and poignantly capture the powerful bond among four generations of a loving family. All ages.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 1 and up
  
• Paperback: 40 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (October 21, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 014240196X
• ISBN-13: 978-0142401965
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.3 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #930,394 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #30 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( P ) > Polacco, Patricia

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

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A STORY WOVEN OF MEMORIES AND LOVE, April 25, 2001

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Betty Doll (Hardcover)

Prepare to shed a few tears and be uplifted by this touching story of family love. Patricia Polacco bases her reminiscence on a letter her mother, Mary Ellen, wrote shortly before her death and a cloth hand sewn doll, Betty Doll.

When Mary Ellen was a child of six, her farmhouse home was destroyed by fire. The blaze also took her five dolls. Seeing how forlorn the little girl was, her mother suggested they make a new doll, which they did. Mary Ellen stitched the doll together, and embroidered its face.

Soon, Mary Ellen and Betty Doll were inseparable. They snuggled in bed together during Michigan thunderstorms, attended school, and had imaginative tea parties. The pair even visited relatives in Chicago, where both were clothed in pale blue crepe de chine.

As time went on Betty Doll watched Marry Ellen become an adult, eventually marry, and have children of her own. Daughter Trisha (Patricia Polacco) played with the doll herself. As Mary Ellen's grandchildren arrived, Betty Doll "kissed away tears, soothed hurt knees, and was a guest at hundreds of tea parties and slumber nights."

Illustrated in muted grays with Betty Doll the only bright spot on a page, this story is a reminder of the enduring bonds woven of memories and love.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Polacco tells another marvelous family story, May 27, 2002

By 

Catherine S. Vodrey (East Liverpool, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Betty Doll (Hardcover)

Patricia Polacco has, once again, gone to her family for a story around which to hang her usual marvelous illustrations. "Betty Doll" doesn't disappoint. Polacco opens the book by telling the reader about her mother dying and about packing up her belongings and then finally going through them a year later. In some of the boxes Polacco packed up, she finds her mother's old, handmade cloth doll. Wrapped around it is the letter her mother wrote while dying of cancer.

Now before you decide that this is NOT a book for children, you should know that the book overall has a joyous, shimmering quality. The story concentrates on Betty Doll's travels and adventures, with Polacco deftly portraying Betty Doll in color while all else is in handsome but quiet black-and-white tones. This brings Betty's story to the fore visually, but as far as the story itself goes, she serves as a backdrop for different generations of Polacco's family.

The story is true, and it rings true. A little girl's love of her doll and the happiness she finds while playing with the doll come to the fore, as does the stability of Betty Doll throughout the changes of the little girl's life as she grows up, marries, and so on. This is a fine way to gently ease into discussing the cancer of a family member with any young child, but it is also an absorbing tale in its own right and stands ably on its own, aided by Polacco's usual impeccable illustrations.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than a picture book, June 19, 2001

By 

"my4kids" (Easton, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Betty Doll (Hardcover)

As with many of Patricia's books, her stories touch the hearts of adults as well as children. I believe that this book, along with Pink and Say and others, is more of an intermediate to adult level book but is often marketed for young children because it is a picture book. Children could certainly grow up hearing this story and having it develop new meaning as they have their own life experiences. Betty Doll would make a wonderful gift to celebrate the love between mothers and daughters. I gave this book to my nine year old and she understood and enjoyed it very much. I think it will gain new meaning for her as she grows up. Remember, we are never too old for picture books, especially Patrica Polacco stories.