The Doll Book of the Month Club: Moveable Mabeline

   This month's Doll Book of the Month Club entry is "Movable Mabeline", by Karen Ackerman. 

  The book, originally published in 1990, concerns two little girls, sisters named Isobel and Mimi, who see a beautiful doll in a shop window. The doll, 'Moveable Mabeline',  is sitting in her own little white 'straw' chair, and the girls are instantly in love with her. 

They are so taken by her that they dare to enter the grown up shop.

The shop clerk even let's them hold Mabeline.

The story seems to be set in the 1920's, or maybe 1930's. It may be during the depression. In any case, the girls know the wonderful doll, with a pink satin dress and movable joints, is certainly too expensive for them to hope for. 

"Moveable Mabeline! Yours and mine! Yours and mine!"

But they can't stop thinking about her. For weeks they drive their mother crazy, talking about Movable Mabeline. The girls have dolls at home, mostly worn hand me downs, (They look pretty good in the illustration!), but Mabeline is still on their minds.

  Finally, they accompany their mother on a shopping trip. They pass the store where Movable Mabeline is sitting in her chair in the window. They are excited to show her to their mother, but Mother just pats their heads.

  After that day the girls pass the shop window again, and Movable Madeline is gone.  The girls believe that their mother bought Movable Madeline, and is keeping her as a surprise for them. But day after day passes, and Movable Mabeline never appears. 

  The next year 'moveable' dolls are everywhere. The girls both get one for Christmas, but they still long for Mabeline.

  Will they ever see Movable Maybelline again? Where is she?

  It's a nice book, with a slightly less than predictable ending. It's not the most obvious ending, but maybe the next most obvious. That's okay, because this is a kids' book, and that's the way they usually work. 

  Author Karen Ackerman is another native Ohioan, from Cincinnati. Among her many awards, she won the Caldecott Medal for her 1989 book, "Song and Dance Man".

  The pretty, soft pictures are by Linda Allen, a protégé' of   Tasha Tudor, who has written and illustrated her own books, including The Giant Who Had No Heart.                           .

  The age recommendation for this short picture book is 7 to 9 years old. 

  That's the book for this month. I'll see you again soon!