Elizabeti's Doll [Hardcover]

Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen (Author), S. A. Bodeen (Author), Christy Hale (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

When a young Tanzanian girl gets a new baby brother, she finds a rock, which she names Eva, and makes it her baby doll.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In an impressive debut, Stuve-Bodeen warms the heart and hearth with this sweetly evoked tale inspired by her experiences in the Peace Corps. Set in a Tanzanian village, the story tells of Elizabeti, who watches her mother care for her new baby brother and longs for a little one of her own to cuddle. She has no doll, so instead she looks around for a suitable "baby" and soon finds a rock that's shaped just right. Carefully mimicking her mother, she bathes, feeds (her doll is "too polite to burp") and changes "Eva," and when doing chores ties Eva to her back "with a bright cloth called a kanga," just as her mother does. Downcast when Eva is misplaced (her sister accidentally uses the rock for the cooking fire), Elizabeti finds her special doll in time to sing her to sleep. Stuve-Bodeen's well-balanced prose strikes just the right tranquil, gently humorous tone. She lovingly delineates the mother-daughter relationship, and offers a rare, intimate view of another culture while sounding a universal chord. Hale (Juan Bobo and the Pig), meanwhile, deftly captures the story's mood in softly shaded mixed-media illustrations, juxtaposing brightly printed motifs in African fabrics against an earthy, sundrenched palette. The artist is equally adept at conveying close-up portraits with a full emotional range as she is a village scene of Elizabeti carrying a water jug atop her head. A little slice of perfection. Ages 4-up.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2-Elizabeti doesn't have a doll and yet she wants to take care of a baby all her own, just like Mama takes care of the new baby. So she finds a rock, kisses it, and names it Eva. Like her friend Rahaili, readers may at first laugh at such an idea, but they will soon be won over. The text is original, clever, and consistent in its respectful treatment of Elizabeti's notion. As the rock is compared to the real infant, it actually takes on a personality so that when it's lost, having been mistakenly used for the fire pit, it's clear that no other rock can take its place. Once found, Eva is quickly cleaned off, hugged, and soothed with a lullaby. This story takes place in Tanzania, and lifestyle differences, such as how a baby is carried in a kanga cloth and the way that food is cooked in a separate hut, are an integral and unobtrusive part of the text. The mixed-media illustrations are intimate and remain focused on the girl and her family while also giving a sense of place. Bright cloths and patterned dresses add a touch of color to the splattered backgrounds painted in dry desert tones. This book is a splendid celebration of life and the power of a child's imagination.
Martha Topol, Traverse Area District Library, Traverse City, MI
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Lee & Low Books (September 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880000709
• ISBN-13: 978-1880000700
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #777,104 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, December 23, 1999

By 

Children's Librarian (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews

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

The power of love is gently told in this tale of a little Tanzanian girl and her doll, Eva, who is a rock. My four-year-old grand-daughter, an American child living in rural Idaho, identified immediately with Elizabeti, telling me that, "It's okay if her doll is a rock, Gramma. That's okay." She loves this story, and so do I. As a children's librarian in a public library, I use it often in story times. It's an excellent choice for reading aloud. Also, it has been selected as a finalist in the North Carolina Children's Book Award Program 2000. Obviously, I highly recommend this book!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most charming children's books I've ever read, October 3, 2000

By 

J Weber (Albion, Michigan) - See all my reviews

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

As the mother of two young girls, I have read hundreds of picture books. "Elizabeti's Doll" is, in my opinion, a rarity: a book for children whose characters and plot are unique, compelling and satisfying, all within a handful of words on a few pages. This book is what literature should be for adults and kids.

Elizabeti is a completely endearing character, who reminds adults and children that childhood has its special joys, and high among those is the ability to involve the entire family in a fantasy world of the child's own making. Elizabeti turns a rock into the family's new baby, whom everyone loves and cherishes right along with her. It's a story about what is best in all of us.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a wonderfully sweet book for children., September 22, 1998

By A Customer

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

Elizabeti's Doll is the imagination of children. It is a book that a child will want to read over and over again. Be sure to find this one at your bookstore.