Babushka's Doll

Babushka's Doll, written and illustrated by Patricia Polacco. So I love this story, because of how mischievous each of the characters behave. This is a story about a little girl, of course, and her Babushka. Sound familiar? So the premise is that the little girl is a little bit of a brat, nagging and whining at her Grandmother to do various tasks for her amusement. Where things get interesting is when the little girl notices a doll belonging the Babushka. When the little girl decides to play with the doll while Babushka leaves for the market, the little girl discovers why Babushka only played with the doll once before retiring the doll to its' shelf in the kitchen. This story is a bit different in that it is more in the style of an old Slavic folk tale. This is a great book to tell a class of rowdy kids, it's funny and magical; very high energy. If nothing else it's a book that when you read it to kids, they'll have a great time acting out what they would do with a magic doll, and be able to make great text to self connections. I hope that my giant dose of Patricia Polacco works has given you a good insight on Polacco as a writer; she is very strong in her notions on tradition and relationships, especially family. I'm still unsure about the illustrations, but as I have said before to each his own, my anti-Norman Rockwell style is a personal taste that I have developed over the years. Polacco is a great writer and illustrator, and if you like the sounds of the books I have told you about, I would encourage you to go ahead and share these books with your classroom kids, they'll really enjoy them.