Customer Reviews

William's Doll

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An oddly tender tale about a boy and his desire to own a doll of his own. Books that break stereotypes rarely do it as intelligently and simply as Charlotte Zolotow's remarkable, "William's Doll". Usually if a picture book has something to say, it'll announce the fact to you with great pomp and flair, and maybe a little more pomp. It'll take its message and shove it down your throat, attempting to cram every little bit of lesson into you. This is not the case with this book. In "William's Doll" you've a delicate tale told in such a way that its message, while remaining very powerful, is spoken in a small quiet voice.

William is a boy who wants a doll. He wants to play with it and hug it. He wants to tuck it into bed at night and wake it up in the morning and pretend that it's his own child. Needless to say, this plan is met with not a little bit of derision by his peers. His brother thinks it's creepy and the boy next door even goes so far as to call William a sissy. As for William's father, he decides to stem the boy's desires by purchasing manly toys for him. Basketballs, and trains, and tools. The only one who understands William is his grandmother, a wise woman who gives William his heart's desire and patiently explains to his father that there is nothing odd or abnormal about a boy wanting a doll. After all, if girls play with dolls to be good mothers why shouldn't boys play with dolls to be good fathers?

There's a bit of a satirical bite to the end of this picture book that I enjoyed. When the grandmother explains why Williams needs a doll, she tells his father that he needs it so that he'll know how to take care of his own baby, "and bring him the things he wants, like a doll so that he can practice being a father". Which is basically her way of saying to William's pop, "Obviously you never had a doll as a child, so you're not as prepared a father as William someday will be". Nice. The book treads a delicate line as well. Many families today may recognize the fact that it's perfectly possible that William is just as likely to be a boy who wants to be a good father as it is that he may someday be gay (obviously his father's big worry). And there's nothing wrong with that. But whatever William's reasons for wanting a doll, this book makes it plain that gender stereotypes are wrongdy wrong wrong. So I was very taken with the story. The illustrations are rather nice as well. The book was written in 1972, and as such there are some incredibly 70s children here. William looks half a step away from joining the Partridge Family on their bus. His brother and brother's friend look normal enough, but they're fans of wearing tennis sweaters and white shorts, something seen rarely today. Illustrator William Pene Du Bois conveys the tender feelings William wishes to lavish upon his doll perfectly. His pictures are just as adept at placing a sly look into the protagonist's eyes when he beats his brother and pal at basketball as when William stares longingly at the neighbor girl's doll. The result is a perfectly written little work that stands to be remembered today.

It's a little sad that the idea of boys playing with dolls is just as scoffed at today as it was in 1972. Not much progress has been made in that area, I'm afraid. If you don't believe me, just check out the section of Toys R Us labeled "Boys" and the section labeled "Girls". Gender stereotyping is prevalent in our society, and will likely remain so for a long long time. That alone is reason enough for books like "William's Doll" to remain in circulation. As long as a book is capable to teaching both kids and adults an important lesson, it will remain an influential work. So a tip of the hat to "William's Doll". We still have a lot to learn from it.

UPDATE! I now have a 4 year old son with whom I read this wonderful book. And guess what? He likes to play with dolls, trains, balls and my iPad. I am so pleased to read this to him and to support him in whatever style of play he wishes to engage.

This was helpful for me when I was a little boy who liked to play with dolls and got teased for it. My mom bought it and read it to me and it was just the thing. Now I'm pleased to be able to read it to my 3 yr old daughter.

This is a beautiful book that shows how our preconceived notions twist and make ugly a child's innocent desire to practice being a father. The author shows us that playing with dolls is not just for girls, rather it's a way of allowing our sons to get in touch with the more gentle and loving side of themselves.

I'm sure this is a wonderful book for boys who have been mocked. HOWEVER, this would NOT be a good book for boys who have never faced such mockery! My 5 year old son loves his "babies," and we have always been surrounded by family, friends, and teachers who support boys and girls playing with dolls. I am glad I read this book first, as I would never want to introduce him to the kind of mockery and belittlement that William faces. William's grandmother buys him a doll and defends his desire, so in that sense it is a "positive" book, but for my son, it would be "negative" in that it would actually introduce him to shame that he has never felt.

As a children's librarian, I wander through the children's book section on Amazon quite often. When I found William's Doll, I knew our library had to have it. The day I brought it in to share with second grade, one sharp boy spied the book with, "She has William's Doll. Hahahaha." Then boys surrounding William (I deliberately picked this class because "William" is in it) began to laugh and call him names. Immediately, I squashed the teasing. We talked about dolls, the various kinds, what dolls are for, and why William wanted one. We talked about whose daddies changed diapers, put babies to bed, and so on, and why they did these things. We talked about maturity and immaturity. I asked if second grade could be mature. One boy blurted, no, we're just kids. So we talked about maturity again.

William wanted a doll because he envied the neighbor girl who had one. He wanted to change it, sing to it, coo with it, put it to bed. His brother and brother's friend walked in while William was acting out these emotionally charged moments. Of course, they laughed and called him names. His daddy gave him a basketball and goal, and a train set. William mastered layups, goal throwing, then beat his brother and friend. He used engineering (guy) skills to build stations and storage areas. Finally, granny bought him a doll, exactly the one he wanted with eyes that went blink and clicked when they closed, and told the worrying dad that William wanted to grow up to be a good father who helped with the tending of a baby.

My second grade class took in the entire story without once snickering. They were totally on William's side in acquiring a doll. Books cause adventures. Magic happens. This book is highly recommended!

We think this book is great for all children, but especially for boys. We think this book is great for all parents, but especially for parents of boys. We know that all kids need someone to love!

I have been a teacher of young children for 15 years and I have yet to find a story that better illustrates the need our little boys have to love and cuddle a baby of their own than "William's Doll". All William wants is a baby doll like the little girl next door has, but when he tells his father he gets everything but. Then William's Grandmother comes to visit and as she says, "He can learn how to be a good father". I get this book as a baby shower gift for everynew father I know!

This is an excellent book!! If only more people could see things from William's grandmother's perspective, the world would be a better place! This book is about accepting and trying to understand differences. William is a boy who really wants a doll, and his father and brother ridicule him. Read this book and see how his grandmother has a positive impact!

There's a wonderful musical segment of "William's Doll" on "Free to be You and Me." My mother in law got the movie for my husband when he was in elementary school because it had open and affirming messages, and when it came out on DVD, my husband picked it up for our girls. They love it--it's funny, thought provoking, and even though it was made in the '70's, it's timeless. If you like William's Doll, pick up Free to be You and Me.

I have been giving this book as a baby shower gift for many years! I consider it a MUST read--especially for dads--- and for parents of baby boys. It's such a good, gentle lesson for both sexes.