The Doll's House [Paperback]

Rumer Godden (Author), Tasha Tudor (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: September 30, 1976 | Age Range: 10 and up | Series: Puffin Books | Lexile Measure: 700L (What's this?)

The activities, sorrows, and joys of a family of dolls living in an old doll house are related from the dolls' point of view.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Rumer Godden was one of the UK's most distinguished authors. She wrote many well-known books for adults and children, including THE STORY OF HOLLY AND IVY and THE DIDDAKOI, which won the Whitbread Children's Book Award in 1972. Rumer was awarded the OBE in 1993 and died in 1998, aged ninety. Christian Birmingham is one of the most outstanding children's book illustrators of his generation. He has been shortlisted for the Mother Goose Award, the Kurt Maschler Award, the Kate Greenaway Medal and the Smarties Book Prize. His line drawings illustrate many best-selling novels by Michael Morpurgo. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Age Range: 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (September 30, 1976)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 014030942X
• ISBN-13: 978-0140309423
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.4 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #290,043 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 51 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Exquisite children's classic June 8, 2005

By klavierspiel VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Rumer Godden, the author of those absorbing novels about nuns of yesteryear, "Black Narcissus" and "In This House of Brede," both successfully filmed with Deborah Kerr and Diana Rigg respectively, tries her hand here at a book for younger readers. This is the tale of a doll "family," not related by biology but the simple fate of being thrown together. Although there are nominal mother and father dolls, the real head of the household is Tottie, a wooden farthing doll, wise beyond her childish appearance. The dolls' relative happiness and the way it is threatened by the appearance of Marchpane, an expensive, arrogant and, as it turns out, really malevolent interloper, makes for surprisingly gripping drama. Indeed, the tale of Marchpane's machinations and the tragic climax of the story may be too intense for younger or more sensitive children, for whom this book needs to be introduced with care. For the rest of them, and for adults who simply like a good story, "The Dolls' House" still exerts its considerable spell. Tasha Tudor's illustrations are a notable contribution as well.

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This book was better than I remembered it being. November 19, 1997

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

Fortunate to have read this book at the age of ten, I never forgot it. Having recently read some of Rumer Godden's adult books, I decided to purchase a copy. The money I paid was well worth it. The book is still a wonderful read. If you are an adult who read it as a child, re-read it. If you've never read it, you will enjoy the drama about a family whose home and happiness are threatened and how they dealt with it. This is a must-read for all Godden fans. All her storytelling skills are used, deft foreshadowing, proper use of detail and strong dramatic scenes. It was written for children but it can be enjoyed by anyone who enjoys fine writing.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful complex characters September 24, 2002

By A Customer

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Quite affecting. A very rich story of the "family-dynamics" in an antique doll-house. Perhaps best read to the younger child (under 10). There are some very complex emotions at play. My 7 year old burst into tears at Birdie's "sacrifice". Still it's important for young readers to experience a full range of emotions when reading, espcecially as they move into chapter books

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Jenny's book review-The Dolls' House January 22, 2005

A Kid's Review

Format:Paperback

Have you ever gotten something as a present but then something/someone takes it? That's what happens in the fantasy where dolls talk, The Dolls' House, a book by Rumer Godden, who's also the author of Listen To The Nightingale.

In The Dolls' House, a family of dolls owned by Charlotte and Emily Dane, two little girls who love to play with dolls, get a present. The present is a huge deluxe dollhouse that Tottie, a wooden farthing doll, used to live in. Tottie Plantaganet (the oldest child), Birdie Plantaganet (the mom of the family), Mr. Plantaganet (the dad), and Apple Plantaganet (Tottie's little brother), move into the dollhouse. Later, Marchpane, a nasty little stuck-up doll that thinks she is too delicate to be played with by those "silly little children that don't know how to be careful", moves into the Plantaganet's house and takes over.

My favorite part of The Dolls' House is when Tottie goes to an exhibit for dolls only because it's funny-one of the many elements mixed together to form this wonderful book. There is also lots of anger, happiness, and action in this book. The ending is a little sad, but I love The Dolls' House anyway-I would rate it a 9.2 out of a full 10.

The Dolls' House is perfect for 3rd graders, 4th graders, and 5th graders.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this book! September 23, 2005

By Book Family

Format:Paperback

I am 8 years old. I think this book is great for 10 and under readers. I recommend it for girls mainly. If you love dolls, you should read this fabulous book about them. It is easy to read...even a beginner could read this. (dictated to my mother!!!)

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A poigant book January 3, 2000

By Natalie

Format:Paperback

This book was wonderful when I read it as a child, and now when I read it. It's incredible, a very grown up tale , yet it can be read at any age. Rumer Godden is a wonderful author, and this book will capture your heart like nothing else - except maybe The Mouse and his Child. It is the story of a family living in The DollHouse, and learning to come to terms with themselves, it is both happy and sad........but ultimately rewarding.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Memorable and Classic May 12, 2001

By Julie Schultz

Format:School & Library Binding

Although I read this book for the first time when I was seven, it has stayed with me as one of my favorites. Reading it again as an adult adds a new layer of depth to the plot that so enthralled me in second grade. It is not just a story about dolls.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Very Cute Story May 10, 2006

By Dana McDowell

Format:Paperback

The Dolls' House is a very lovely, but adventurous book written for little girls from ages 6 through 10. The author, Rumer Godden does a remarkable job of narrating and explaining the time period of England and uses great detail to make the young readers feel part of the story. A family of mixed matched dolls is owned by two sisters living in England in the 1940's. The children's imagination and creativity bring the dolls to life in the story, but the dolls seem to come alive by themselves, too. The dolls are unhappy with their current living arrangements and are thrilled to receive a new, but very old doll house. Many life lessons and relations are learned and tested by the dolls and the children as they try to make the house a home. The children and the dolls restore the dolls' house in the end, but not without sacrifice.