A Doll for Marie

 By Louise Fatio
Illustrated by Roger Duvoisin

I really liked this book, but my daughter did not.  It's probably meant for older kids.  The story was too long, and it was pretty slice-of-life, which is not her scene.


 An antique doll in a shop is too fancy for the poor little girl to afford.  But one day she gets bought and subsequently destroyed and the girl ends up finding it on the street.  She takes the doll in and fixes it up.

There are some great things about this book.  Firstly that it's basic endearing subject matter.  Girls love dolls, so a love story about a girl and a doll should be fairly well received.  Plus it's an indirect message to children that they are loved unconditionally.  It shows how the girl loves the doll by taking care of the doll.  All sorts of nice basic messages in a simple story.

I don't think my daughter appreciated the art, either, which is a shame, because it's good.  There's a good mix of colour and black and white.  It's very stylized.

This is definitely a book for kids 5 and up.  It's sophisticated and honest.  Not condescending in the least.