Doll Book of the Month Club: William's Doll

  Okay. I lied. I did not catch up on my posts the other day. My sister called and talked me senseless, and I was too sleepy to work on my posts. Actually, I have the playset post written, but Ivy  won't let me dig her set back out of her closet so I can photograph it. I am having a hard time with playsets because most of mine are second hand and missing pieces. I don't want to give you guys a crappy half post. As for the book of the month, I did have one, but my sister and I ended up going to a toy show yesterday. She has never expressed an interest in going to a toy show before, and nobody ever offers to go to a toy show with me, so I thought I should take her up on it. I found some great doll deals, which I will show you all at some point here.Now...
   This month's Doll Book of the Month Club selection is "WIlliam's Doll", by Charlotte Zolotow.

The covers are out of order. Blame the computer.

It's the story of  little boy named William who longs for a doll. William's brother and the boy next door laugh at him and call him a sissy.

  William's father tries to make him forget the idea of a doll by buying him traditional 'boy' toys, a basketball and hoop and a train set. William plays with and masters the 'boy' toys, but he still wants a doll.

 William's grandmother visits, and buys him the doll he's been dreaming of. She explains to William's father that the reason William needs a doll is so he can learn to take care of a child and grow up to be a good father.

   The book was written in 1972, so the reasoning behind why it's ok for William to have a doll is still based on gender stereotypes. William can have a doll, but it has to be so he can be a good dad when he grows up.

  It's made clear that William is a 'real boy', because he can play basketball well, and likes his train. That makes it 'okay' that he wants a doll too. How about if William wants a doll just because he likes dolls? What if he wants a doll and isn't good at basketball, or interested in trains? How about just letting William enjoy what he enjoys, and not forcing him to do things he doesn't necessarily want to do just because it makes his dad more comfortable? And how about telling the other kids that it's wrong to make fun of others, and that everybody is different and should be accepted just the way they are? So while the book might have been ground breaking at the time, it's outdated and not exactly what it needs to be.
 Charlotte Zolotow is also the author of a book I love called, "Mr Rabbit and the Lovely Present".  The book is very simple, and somewhat repetitive, but it has the most gentle story and gorgeous illustrations by Maurice Sendak.
  You can hear "William's Doll" read aloud by going HERE.