The Chalk Doll: A Heartwarming Story of Jamaican Childhood and Mother-Daughter Love for Kids

by Charlotte Pomerantz, Frané Lessac (Illustrator)

Rose has a cold. And while Mother tucks her in for a nap, she tells Rose about growing up in Jamaica. She describes how she clickety clacked to school on mango heels and made a rag doll because she couldn't afford a store–bought chalk doll. And Rose knows she'll feel much better once she makes her own rag doll, too. Ages 5+

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading Rainbow: My Little Island
Bea says she loved loved this book. (I found it a bit awkward to read aloud but I'm overruled in the stars...) Storywise it is simple and felt real. The illustrations go along with it well nice. We read it to go along with the Reading Rainbow episode "My Little Island" - a book also written/illustrated by Frane Lessac.

[Marissa Elera · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this simple story of childhood ingenuity and honesty as a little girl. It is still precious, like the bedtime stories my father told me about when he was young.

[Deanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story about a mother who tells her daughter, Rose, about growing up in Jamaica. Her family never had the money to buy a real chalk doll. So she made her own rag doll. This is a nice memoir of a mother and her daughter.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a wonderful story and if you can bring yourself to appreciate the art, good for you. I just can't, and it distracts me from appreciating the book, sorry.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A daughter learns how different her childhood is from her mother’s.

[KhiN’Millie Friesen · Rating 3 out of 5]

That little girl learned from her mama's stories. I want to make a rag doll. - Khi 3

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book we've had for several years, and I am still a bit baffled at how much my children like it. The story proceeds through a series of small vignettes, the small tales of when-I-was-a-girl which the MC's mom tells her. Unexpected details (e.g. the mother always wanted to drink an entire can of condensed milk someday; her daughter asks, "Did you?" and she stops and thinks--no, she didn't) make this quiet book strangely compelling.

[Mckinley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mother tells her duaghter stories about growing up without much in Jamaica.