(3) PS Translated by Linda Burgess. With pages that flip up from the ­bottom, little ones can dress this ­adorable (and calm) tot by adding an item of clothing with each turn. Brunellière's inviting, ­graphically simple images work as de facto paper dolls for toddlers. Brief, read aloud–friendly text ("Beep beep, belly button tucks into a top") names each upcoming article of clothing, from socks to winter hat. The ­companion, Good Night, Belly Button, follows a similar formula and allows the reader to tuck a toddler into bed.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(1) 4-6 Illustrated by Lizzy Stewart. In this fable/fantasy, Almond (Brand New Boy, rev. 5/22) revisits his signature theme of what it means to be human. Silvester, an elderly puppet-maker and performer, retires, giving his puppets to a museum and then wondering what to do with the rest of his life. Using bits and remnants, he fashions one last puppet, a wooden marionette the size of a seven-year-old. "Puppet," who passes as "Kenneth" out in the world, comes to life, learning to walk, speak a few words, laugh, and enjoy jam. Through Puppet, Silvester makes friends with neighbor Fleur and her mother. Fleur becomes Silvester's apprentice and together they all -- adults, children, and Puppet -- -perform a play in the town square. The sadness of this tale is built in from the outset. Silvester is an old man, lucky enough to be able to pass on his legacy of skill and passion, but mortal nonetheless. But what of Puppet? What becomes of a doll when its creator and animator dies? The denouement is classic Almond: sweet, strong, consoling, and with an echo of his masterwork, Skellig (rev. 5/99). (Think wings.) In short chapters, generously illustrated with pencil drawings in spots and panels, we are treated to a singular story with wide-ranging takeaways concerning community, loneliness, memory, the magic of theater, and the joy of making.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024

(2) K-3 Lu sets up an intergenerational conflict familiar to many immigrant families: Bao, a young Taiwanese American child, yearns for her immigrant mother to understand her, but neither of them is fully able to empathize with the other. This tension reaches a peak when Bao's unfulfilled wish for an "All-American Artist Amanda" doll -- a white, blond, blue-eyed doll that closely resembles one of Bao's own friends -- leads her to commit a rash act of shoplifting. In the aftermath, Mama and Bao finally communicate with each other. Mama relates painful stories about her own childhood and mother, and together they hand-sew a doll for Bao that shares her features, with hair "straight like dry noodles," eyes "as dark as sesame," and a smile "curved like a crescent moon." Lu skillfully juxtaposes simple but poetic language with expressive digital illustrations that mimic the soft texture of smudged oil pastels. Her judicious use of hue and composition, especially within and around the gutter, creates a clear visual of the characters' internal emotional landscapes and the evolution of their relative distance and intimacy. Bao's red and Mama's blue, initially segregated, eventually converge and blend into a gradient containing purple. The illustrations also include various cultural and linguistic details that will likely resonate with many Taiwanese diaspora readers and add another layer to the reading experience.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by David Elmo Cooper. This powerful picture book brings to life the essential research of psychologists Kenneth and Mamie Clark, whose work significantly influenced the fight against segregation, having concluded that "school segregation made Black children feel as if they were not as good as white children." Narrating from the unusual perspective of the dolls in the Clarks' renowned 1939 experiment (which presented schoolchildren with two dolls, one white and one Black, and asked them to choose which one was "bad," among other questions), Weatherford distills a complex moment from the past into an accessible and profound story for young readers. Cooper's digital illustrations in a muted palette make innovative use of off-kilter perspectives reflective of the warped perceptions created by segregation and systemic racism to bring emotional depth. Cooper's visuals enhance Weatherford's assured storytelling, creating a harmonious blend that amplifies the story's impact. Weatherford's elegant and relatable explanation of the significance of the Clarks' work is more than a recounting of facts; this book is a call to action, prompting readers to consider the ongoing pursuit of equality and justice. Back matter includes author and illustrator notes, historical background, and suggestions for further reading.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Tarun Lak. When India is partitioned in 1947, Azra and her Muslim family members carefully plan their journey to Lahore, in what will be Pakistan, from their home in the Himalayan town of Dehradun in India. However, sudden violence calls for a hasty departure, and the family escapes, dinner still hot on the stove. In the chaos, Azra forgets her beloved doll, Gurya. Digital illustrations show caravans of families fleeing on foot and by crowded trains; the sequencing of several vignette illustrations on a double-page spread deftly captures the chaotic jumble of events. Upon reaching Lahore, where the new Pakistani flag waves, Azra's family moves into a house that, like theirs, was abandoned hastily, and Azra finds a doll under the bed. With a page-turn, a wordless image shows a Hindu family entering Azra's house and a little girl finding Azra's Gurya. A concluding split double-page spread, comfortingly, ­juxtaposes the two girls smiling at the dolls in their respective new homes. Back matter contains a map, a glossary, and further context about Partition. This child's perspective on a major twentieth-century instance of forced migration is rendered with both tenderness and urgency.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2022

(3) K-3 Translated by Kathryn Bishop. Illustrated by Eve Tharlet. Tiny elf-like Oli finds a large blue stone. The forest creatures tease him for keeping it, but Oli says: "I'm sure I will find a use for it one day." And in fact, he eventually meets a distraught child whose doll is missing an eye. The dreamy illustrations, in which perspective is skewed and emotions are stronger than reality, suit the text’s sense of longing.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Claire Almon. A girl shows off her princess-y bedroom to her unimpressed playdate guest. When the visitor sees her host's Princess Penelope doll, however, she smiles: she's brought her secret-agent Penelope doll. In a surprising twist, the two dolls (resembling their owners) come to life; the girls disappear from the illustrations. Adventures ensue, courage and cooperation save the day. Showing you can be frilly and fierce, this dialogue-only story is clever and amusing.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2019

(3) 1-3 Jasmine Toguchi series. Illustrated by Elizabet Vuković. Japanese American Jasmine Toguchi, eight, receives a daruma (Japanese wishing doll) from her grandmother, which will grant her a wish if she works hard for it. Jasmine wishes for a pet flamingo. In her fourth adventure, energetic Jasmine remains an engaging heroine as she accepts her wish's impossibility and finds a creative solution. As always, Vuković's tidy spot illustrations capture Jasmine's lively spirit. Instructions for making a daruma doll are appended.

Reviewer: Mariko Turk

(3) PS Illustrated by Sara Gillingham. At the Doll Hospital (a dollhouse), Dr. Pegs has a growing list of priorities, including setting a porcelain doll's cracked arm and providing new stomach stuffing for plush doll Scoop. Luckily, help arrives from the "Nesting Nurses," five nesting dolls who pitch in to mend the dolls in need. This charmingly old-fashioned story has appropriately retro illustrations featuring patterned stripes, dots, and shapes in an almost neon palette.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(3) K-3 Charlotte's parents appreciate her ever-useful tech-savviness but worry about screen time, so they give their daughter a doll to encourage imaginative play. Nonplussed, Charlotte updates the "human-shaped pillow" into "Doll-E 1.0." McCloskey's appealing illustrations, in pencil and watercolor and edited in Photoshop, fuse old and new technologies, echoing the story line of bringing classic play into the gadget-focused present day.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Mariko Ando. In Canada during WWII, Esther and Michiko are best friends. But when Esther receives a fancy princess doll and Michi doesn't, the friendship sours. Then Michi is sent to an internment camp, and Esther tries to help from afar. Schwartz deftly shows how a once-simple friendship can be complicated by class and race. Black-and-white illustrations depict important moments with depth and detail.

Reviewer: Mariko Turk

(3) PS Illustrated by Bob Graham. Jack and Alex find common ground in the sandbox at the playground, even though Jack likes trucks and Alex prefers dolls wearing "pink, sparkly" tutus. With some flexible thinking ("Let's play dolls...that drive trucks"), the two boys play together while remaining true to themselves. Graham skillfully illustrates a diverse cast of characters to support Stott's gentle message about individuality and inclusion.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Madeline Valentine. Teddy loves his redheaded doll in a pink dress with the "sickest fighting skills." One morning, his mother accidentally throws the doll away and must perform some sick moves of her own to catch up with the garbage truck. The story's implicit messages--presenting gender nonconformity as perfectly normal; that parents can become superheroic for their children--ring loud, true, and (particularly in the mixed-media illustrations) funny.

Reviewer: Nell Beram | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2018

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli. Hadley wants her life back--before her mom married Ed, Hadley gained a stepbrother, and they moved into a decrepit old house. After Hadley finds a dollhouse replica of the house in the attic, she discovers her wishes change reality. Switching between present and past, the story's darkness slowly unfolds as Hadley learns that wishes can be dangerous and not all endings are happy.

Reviewer: Lauren Chambers

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Amy June Bates. Eagan's rosy picture-book biography focuses on Ruth Handler's persistence in the face of naysayers and her desire to create dolls that would "encourage girls to be anything they want to be." However, the girl-power message feels forced, and the book lacks resources and back matter for reference. Bates's appealing pastel-colored illustrations exude nostalgia, featuring plenty of iconic Barbie styles and outfits from 1959 to today.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter

(4) 1-3 Calico: Ghost Detectors series. Illustrated by Dave Shephard. Young ghost detectives Malcolm and Dandy encounter a doll-obsessed poltergeist (Dolled), a haunted mini-golf course (Lies), a dance teacher running rehearsals from beyond the grave (Kick), and a ghost zookeeper with a full complement of ghost zoo animals (Lions). Stilted dialogue aside, the large print, simple plots, and comic-style illustrations make these light books accessible for those not quite ready for Goosebumps. Review covers these Calico: Ghost Detectors titles: All Dolled Up!, As It Lies!, One, Two, Three, Kick!, and Lions, Tiger & Bears, Oh My!.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(4) PS Illustrated by Jane Massey. A pigtailed, rosy-cheeked narrator expresses her devotion to a beloved doll in this picture book. The repeated comforts expressed in singsongy rhyme ("What if you're scared to slide and climb? / I'll catch you, baby. Every time") seem more like an adult's reassurances than a child's sentiments. Nevertheless, the appealing candy-colored illustrations of the pair's tender interactions capture the pleasures of independent, imaginative play.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Brett Helquist. In 1892 Saint Petersburg, Irina's father is chief custodian for the Mariinsky Theatre, tasked with solving the theater's mouse problem before the Nutcracker's Christmastime debut. Meanwhile, under the stage, the Mariinsky mouse corps de ballet members, including plucky Esmeralda, are rehearsing their own Nutcracker. Irina's and Esmeralda's story lines are individually engaging, and their overlapping moments are warmhearted. Copious illustrations enhance both worlds.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2017

(4) 1-3 Born in the dryer, Lint Boy and Lint Bear fall prey to vicious, doll-hating girl Tortura; she grows into "a wicked old hag" who has disfigured and caged dozens of dolls. The graphic novel's gently grim illustrations evoke art nouveau and Tim Burton's animation in an intriguing way. Choppiness in the storytelling and occasional layout missteps detract from the otherwise clever (if strange) comic.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(4) K-3 In her sixth adventure, Ella Bella wanders into a lesser-known ballet, La Boutique Fantasque (a.k.a. The Magic Toyshop). In the shop, Ella Bella and the magical toys save a romantically involved pair of can-can dancing dolls from being sold separately. Mayhew's colorful, sparkling illustrations capturing the clutter and curios of the fantastical shop compensate for the predictable story. An endnote discusses this unique ballet.

Reviewer: Mariko Turk