The Art of Blogging!

Slowly, but surely, I am seeing and learning how the blogging community works. Thanks to new followers, and welcome, and thanks for the kind comments and to all who have emailed. It is encouraging to hear from so many good writers and from people who are interested in dolls. Hardly anyone really knows about my collection any more, and in some ways, this can be a good thing. On the other hand, you feel a little bit out in the wilderness, and despite the popularity of this hobby, you still get funny looks at yard sales and the occasional antique show. C'est la guerre. Then again, I used to teach a class on dolls for CommUniversity, a local group of higher education organziations and colleges that teaches classes Sundays in February [www.communiversity.org]. When people came to my class, I was really surprised at the depth and interest in the subject.

Today I began organizing dolls and materials for the Girl Scouts program where we are going to make a Victorian fortune teller paper doll, and learn about the history of dolls. Little kids are great audiences; they are ready to share their own stories and inspire me as much as I hope I inspire them. With that in mind, I'd like to mention a couple books out there for kids that talk about collecting, and that they will enjoy and find fun.

1. Shari Lewis. Things Kids Collect. This is a slim paperback with chapters on doll collecting, coins, stamps, souvenirs, rocks, shells, etc. Almost anything a child might like is included. Of course, Shari Lewis is Lambchop's "mother." I was still watching Lambchop in graduate school at SIUC in the early and mid 90s. Shortly after, Shari Lewis died at a fairly young age. She had her own fantastic collection of dolls and puppets, and I don't know whatever happened to them.

2. Shirley Glubok's books about dolls and doll collecting for children are great. They cover all types of enthnic and antique dolls and also talk about how dolls relate to culture and history.

3. Tasha Tudor. A is for Annabelle and The Doll's Christmas. Tudor had her own fantastic dolls and doll house. She illustrated these two books with French Fashion dolls and old china heads and papier mache little girls. They are just great! About 20 years ago, I wrote Tudor a letter, and she answered me and drew a sketch of the dolls in The Doll's Christmas. I nearly melted with excitement.

4. Rumer Godden. Miss Happiness and Miss Flower, Home is the Sailor, Little Plum, Holly and Ivy, and The Doll's House. In honor of the latter, I named my main dollhouse family Plantaganet. Mr. and Mrs. Plantaganet were in two versions, a pair of East German rubber dolls, man and woman, in Dutch costume, or, an 8" Effanbee little boy baby doll in a red flannel suit and an 8" late composition late 40s Mexican doll with her mohair wig done up in braids on top of her head. [The N.A.M.E folks would hate me; I don't find scale all that thrilling. I like effect better in miniatures and doll houses]. Various other dolls made up the rest of the staff and family of Plantaganet house, including some homemade, rather pathetic examples I used to create. The dolls had lots of visitors, and even had stores and businesses, as well as a diary that chronicled the family history. The drama in the Tasha Tudor illustrated book is anything but childlike, but good certainly triumphs. Miss Happiness and Miss Flower and Little Plum are stories about ex patriated Japanese Dolls, and I loved reading them over and over. From them, I learned about the March 3d Japanese Doll Festival, and have tried to honor it and build Japanese doll houses ever since. Home is the Sailor is about several generations of a Victorian doll house that are much loved, and that have their own life dramas. The rest of my dolls were named Poppy and Miss Charlotte after that family. Any child would still be inspired by Godden's stories. I wrote to her in graduate school about her adult novels. She wrote a very long helpful letter, apologizing for answering late. She was in her late 80s at the time, and had just returned from Greece. She was another very talented and inspiring lady. Holly and Ivy has been made into a cartoon called, I think The Christmas Wish, and is a story about a lonely doll and a lonely little girl who find each other and become happy.

5. The Raggedy Ann Stories by Johnny Gruelle and other authors and illustrators. I never got enough of these stories, and loved acting them out with my own Anns and Andys. My third grade teacher liked dolls and used to read them to us. I began to believe there were candy cotton clouds and chocolate mud puddles, not to mention cookie trees. I also loved my Raggedy Ann coloring books which told stories as well, and my paper dolls and cards. My original Raggedy is one of my four all time favorite dolls that I would never part with. Then, what is it we say, they're all our favorites!

6. Another great story for kids is Floating Island by Anne Parrish, about a doll house family marooned on an island. It is a happy and exciting story of survival, sort of a Swiss Family Robinson for toys.

7. Missing Melinda, by Jacqueline Jackson. This is a great mystery story, first discovered in my grade school library, appropriately, Eugene Field School. Field, as we know, was another famous doll collector. Two sisters named for Shakespeare's Cordelia and Ophelia by their professor father must solve the mystery of a stolen Parian doll named Melinda, which they find in their attic but which is later stolen. They explore antique shops, thrift stores, and collector's houses, and meet the owner of a doll hospital who must have had Emma Clear as her prototype. I've read it over and over again, and never get tired of the endless array of dolls discussed. This was one of my first introductions to Shakespeare, as well, which was a good thing since I later taught him and wrote about him. I think the two sisters got me thinking.

These are wonderful stories, but they also get children interested in collecting. The Boy Scouts sell a very nice brochure about their own collecting badge, and there are other books including Miss Hickory, Hitty, The Doll People, The Little Wooden Doll, The Edith the Lonely Doll books, stories in the Little House Series, Jane Eyre, Miss Flora McFlimsey, and other stories about dolls and toys that kids would really enjoy. Amazon. com is great place to find them, as is Alibris. Happy Reading! Till we blog again.