The Doll Book of the Month Club: Secrets From the Dollhouse

   I have been promising you the Doll Book of the Month Club book for May for a few days now. I totally lost track of the end of the month once again, and then I was busy with preparations for Emma's birthday, which was Saturday. I spent ages wrapping birthday presents, tidying the room we are staying in, doing some cleanup of the apartment, (I even scrubbed the toilet), so Emma could have a nice relaxing birthday. On Friday, we went to the ice cream place to check on an ice cream cake, because that's what Emma said she wanted. They had them, but they were regular flavours, like Oreo. But the place she wanted an ice cream cake from was the place that sells Indian ice cream flavours, and that's what Emma wanted. So in the end, I bought two flavours of ice cream, (rose, which Emma likes, and the flavour I thought most likely to pair well with rose and not overpower it, green tea), and layered them with lady fingers myself. It worked. Today Emma asked me to help her with a project I'll explain soon, so we worked on that. But now I am getting this book post done. It's a book that was Emma's when she was a kid, so I guess it's a fitting book to post around her birthday. It's "Secrets from the Dollhouse" by Ann Turner. You may have read my review of another Ann Turner book about dolls, "Finding Walter". If not, you can go HERE.

  See that melted spot on the cover just under the 'house' in 'dollhouse? I had been planning to do this book as the book of the month at some point, so I had taken it out of Emma's room and left it on the landing. Well, we all know what happened to the landing, don't we boys and girls? That's a melt mark! I don't know how only that little spot melted, but the workings of that fire still have me baffled. The inside of the covers were speckled with ash too.

  The illustrations are by Raúl Colón. They're very soft and pretty. Google Raúl Colón and look at some of the other  stuff he's done. It's gorgeous.

  When I opened the book I remembered why I would have bought this book for Emma.

The character telling the story is a doll named Emma. Emma always loved books with characters named Emma, and we bought her quite a few. This Emma reiterates the standard law of dolls: they can move, but not when anyone is watching.

They don't trust the cat and are kept awake by mice. Foreshadowing!

Also in the story are Emma's sister and Mama and Papa, and baby sister.

  Emma tells of a few events, like being taken outside by 'Girl'.

Emma ventures outside in Girl's pocket.

The family is gathered together, but for how long?

The baby is discovered to be missing! The family immediately blames the cat. This part may actually be a bit frightening for small children.

  But just when the dolls think the mouse is going to eat the baby, she is rescued by none other than...the cat! I guess they shouldn't judge a book by it's cover! The cat has only been curious about the family because it likes them.

  And in the end the family cozies up together, just the way I loved to do when the kids were small.

  But there's one more event to be told about.

  It's a sweet book with lovely illustrations. The age recommendation is for ages 5 to 8.