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Four Dolls
"How strange our lives would appear to us, if we could see ourselves through the eyes of our dolls! That is what Rumer Godden does; she tells their stories for them. And their stories are wonderful." Nancy Willard
Impunity Jane--a china doll who goes adventuring with Joe and his gang. What will happen when the gang finds out Gideon stole her?
The Fairy Doll--as Elizabeth's life changes for the better she begins to belive her doll is the cause. But is it?
The Story of Holly and Ivy--Holly a doll, wished for a little girl. Ivy, a little girl, wished for a doll. Will their wishes come true?
Candy Floss--Jack is heartbroken when Candy Floss, his good-luck doll, is taken. Will he
Impunity Jane--a china doll who goes adventuring with Joe and his gang. What will happen when the gang finds out Gideon stole her?
The Fairy Doll--as Elizabeth's life changes for the better she begins to belive her doll is the cause. But is it?
The Story of Holly and Ivy--Holly a doll, wished for a little girl. Ivy, a little girl, wished for a doll. Will their wishes come true?
Candy Floss--Jack is heartbroken when Candy Floss, his good-luck doll, is taken. Will he
137 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1983
3 people are currently reading
151 people want to read
About the author
Rumer Godden
153 books557 followersMargaret Rumer Godden was an English author of more than 60 fiction and non-fiction books. Nine of her works have been made into films, most notably Black Narcissus in 1947 and The River in 1951.
A few of her works were co-written with her elder sister, novelist Jon Godden, including Two Under the Indian Sun, a memoir of the Goddens' childhood in a region of India now part of Bangladesh.
A few of her works were co-written with her elder sister, novelist Jon Godden, including Two Under the Indian Sun, a memoir of the Goddens' childhood in a region of India now part of Bangladesh.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 27, 2015
As a child, I grew up reading Rumer Godden's doll stories, and later graduated to her novels. To be honest, her work for adults is uneven--some is excellent (such as In This House of Brede) while other books are less than stellar; though I know tastes are personal, I think it's safe to say that "Gypsy, Gypsy" is not her best work. However, her doll stories are all quality work, as she gets inside the minds of her characters, from spoiled brats to unloved "difficult" children to the bereft. Even her dolls are "real people", so I was delighted to stumble across this book secondhand. It contains a story I searched fruitlessly for as a child in the 1960s, and now I know why.
"Impunity Jane" is the story of a little bisque doll that was sold for fivepence halfpenny in the 19th century. Over the generations she is passed down from one little girl to another, but none of her owners is sensitive enough to percieve her desire for adventure. Only when she is stolen by a little boy do her horizons widen. And now I know why this story was unobtainable in my small, rural Midwestern town. Boys who play with dolls? Nonsense! Even in the seventies, you couldn't have got a copy of William's Doll for love nor money. That just ain't right!
"The Fairy Doll" tells the story of a child who is unlike her siblings; not pretty, not clever, not slim and capable. It takes some special magic to bring her out of her shell. Oh, honey, I hear ya. My mother gave me a copy of this book, I think to salve her conscience about her true feelings about her clumsy, nearsighted ugly-duckling daughter (me). Unfortunately, she forgot to provide a loving grandma and a fairy godmother to help me out; I had to help myself. And they wonder why I ran away from home and never went back.
"Holly and Ivy" is a quintessential wish-fulfillment Christmas story, for all the characters involved; well, all except the nasty stuffed owl. Curl up under a quilt with a cup of something sweet and warm, and enjoy.
"Candy Floss" is my least favourite of all Godden's doll stories, and always was. I don't know why, it just didn't work for me. Today though I can appreciate the character of the spoiled little girl who is "very good at wanting" and doesn't understand that she is not the centre of the known universe. There's some excellent writing here, even if it's not a story I can take to my heart.
The illustrations add to the charm of these life-affirming stories. And remember, dolls are meant to be played with. A doll that you can't play with is no better than a book that's not meant to be read.
"Impunity Jane" is the story of a little bisque doll that was sold for fivepence halfpenny in the 19th century. Over the generations she is passed down from one little girl to another, but none of her owners is sensitive enough to percieve her desire for adventure. Only when she is stolen by a little boy do her horizons widen. And now I know why this story was unobtainable in my small, rural Midwestern town. Boys who play with dolls? Nonsense! Even in the seventies, you couldn't have got a copy of William's Doll for love nor money. That just ain't right!
"The Fairy Doll" tells the story of a child who is unlike her siblings; not pretty, not clever, not slim and capable. It takes some special magic to bring her out of her shell. Oh, honey, I hear ya. My mother gave me a copy of this book, I think to salve her conscience about her true feelings about her clumsy, nearsighted ugly-duckling daughter (me). Unfortunately, she forgot to provide a loving grandma and a fairy godmother to help me out; I had to help myself. And they wonder why I ran away from home and never went back.
"Holly and Ivy" is a quintessential wish-fulfillment Christmas story, for all the characters involved; well, all except the nasty stuffed owl. Curl up under a quilt with a cup of something sweet and warm, and enjoy.
"Candy Floss" is my least favourite of all Godden's doll stories, and always was. I don't know why, it just didn't work for me. Today though I can appreciate the character of the spoiled little girl who is "very good at wanting" and doesn't understand that she is not the centre of the known universe. There's some excellent writing here, even if it's not a story I can take to my heart.
The illustrations add to the charm of these life-affirming stories. And remember, dolls are meant to be played with. A doll that you can't play with is no better than a book that's not meant to be read.
September 20, 2018
If I ever decide to get married and have kids, these are the books I'm going to read aloud to them.
January 10, 2015
Charming, old-fashioned doll stories, especially The Story of Holly and Ivy and Candy Floss.
December 27, 2024
Four doll stories by a master story teller who understands children and understands dolls.
Impunity Jane is a pocket doll who loves adventure and finally finds the life she wanted when a young boy sticks her in his pocket.
Fairy Doll comes out of the cedar chest at Christmas and reigns at the top of the tree while she observes the children around her. One child is especially needy and Fairy Doll seems to impart just the magic she needs to say and do the right things and this little girl begins to believe in herself.
Holly is a Christmas doll on a store shelf wishing for a girl, and Ivy is an orphan wishing for a grandma and a doll. Does wishing hard enough make things come true? The weaving of circumstances to bring the two together is a lovely lovely story.
Candy Floss is a good luck charm doll who lives in a coconut shy, who sits on a horse on top of a music box and is tenderly cared for by owner of the shy along with his dog. The doll, the horse, the dog and the young man make for a very unusual but loving family. When a selfish unhappy rich girl steals Candy Floss away from her home, the girl learns a lesson about belongingness and about value.
Rumer Godden's children are not perfect, they are realistic in their faults, fears, and foibles. The dolls can not talk but they can think, hope and most of all WISH!
Impunity Jane is a pocket doll who loves adventure and finally finds the life she wanted when a young boy sticks her in his pocket.
Fairy Doll comes out of the cedar chest at Christmas and reigns at the top of the tree while she observes the children around her. One child is especially needy and Fairy Doll seems to impart just the magic she needs to say and do the right things and this little girl begins to believe in herself.
Holly is a Christmas doll on a store shelf wishing for a girl, and Ivy is an orphan wishing for a grandma and a doll. Does wishing hard enough make things come true? The weaving of circumstances to bring the two together is a lovely lovely story.
Candy Floss is a good luck charm doll who lives in a coconut shy, who sits on a horse on top of a music box and is tenderly cared for by owner of the shy along with his dog. The doll, the horse, the dog and the young man make for a very unusual but loving family. When a selfish unhappy rich girl steals Candy Floss away from her home, the girl learns a lesson about belongingness and about value.
Rumer Godden's children are not perfect, they are realistic in their faults, fears, and foibles. The dolls can not talk but they can think, hope and most of all WISH!
January 26, 2019
Sadly, I never read Rumer Godden as a child. But it is never too late to start.
This particular book consists of four short stories about, you guessed it, dolls.
Usually when I read a book of short stories I find myself enjoying some but not all. I may even strongly dislike some .
Not this time. I loved all four equally.
This particular book consists of four short stories about, you guessed it, dolls.
Usually when I read a book of short stories I find myself enjoying some but not all. I may even strongly dislike some .
Not this time. I loved all four equally.
sony-or-android
August 24, 2019Not Found.
October 10, 2015
When it comes to writing about dolls, there is one writer who stands out, Rumer Godden. Her doll characters are not just players acting out parts created by their owners, they have true wishes and desires. Most importantly (in my opinion of course), she manages to not be creepy. Because dolls come to life could definitely be creepy in the wrong hands.
Four Dolls is a collection of four stories about dolls and the magic we sometimes believe they possess.
In the first, Impunity Jane, a doll wishes for adventure but is cooped up in a doll house by generations of unimaginative dull girls until she is stolen by Gideon. Gideon suffers some teasing for owning a doll, but in the end, he has all his friends wishing she belonged to them.
In The Fairy Doll the youngest sister, Elizabeth, has no self-esteem and no self-confidence as a result of relentless teasing and exclusion at the hands of her older siblings, her teacher and even unkindness by her parents. It’s only when her great-grandmother intervenes that Elizabeth starts to be able to do things for herself.
The Story of Holly and Ivy is about a little girl who is an orphan. While all the other orphans have been sent to spend the Christmas holiday with families in the countryside, no one wants Ivy. She runs away, convincing herself that she will find herself a grandmother in Aylesbury. Of course, she does find herself a family and a beautiful Christmas doll, Holly. It’s a sweet story, but it may make some uncomfortable because of the casual way it treats Ivy’s adoption. I’d be interested to hear from adoptive parents as to how they view this. There’s also a question of stranger danger as she chooses her family for herself, this is mitigated somewhat by the fact that she’s in the care of a policeman, but it still worried me a little.
The final story Candy Floss has a little girl learn a lesson when she steals a doll from its rightful owner, Jack, who works as part of a traveling fair.
There are some places where American children may have difficulty with vocabulary as there are British words used. In, Candy Floss, Godden often explains more difficult words.
Great for: Anyone looking for stories where boys own dolls. Godden does not ignore the fact that there is some stigma attached to doll ownership by males, but her characters emerge victorious and proud and the dolls in both cases have a decided preference for their true male owners.
This is also great for short attention spans. The four sections help children who have trouble sustaining interest through longer texts.
I marked this as primary grades, although it is likely that readers would need to be in grade 3 or higher to be able to read it independently. Its interest level may extend as far as grade 4 or 5 to children particularly invested in the subject matter.
See my blog for a full review: http://bit.ly/1GBMHZL
Four Dolls is a collection of four stories about dolls and the magic we sometimes believe they possess.
In the first, Impunity Jane, a doll wishes for adventure but is cooped up in a doll house by generations of unimaginative dull girls until she is stolen by Gideon. Gideon suffers some teasing for owning a doll, but in the end, he has all his friends wishing she belonged to them.
In The Fairy Doll the youngest sister, Elizabeth, has no self-esteem and no self-confidence as a result of relentless teasing and exclusion at the hands of her older siblings, her teacher and even unkindness by her parents. It’s only when her great-grandmother intervenes that Elizabeth starts to be able to do things for herself.
The Story of Holly and Ivy is about a little girl who is an orphan. While all the other orphans have been sent to spend the Christmas holiday with families in the countryside, no one wants Ivy. She runs away, convincing herself that she will find herself a grandmother in Aylesbury. Of course, she does find herself a family and a beautiful Christmas doll, Holly. It’s a sweet story, but it may make some uncomfortable because of the casual way it treats Ivy’s adoption. I’d be interested to hear from adoptive parents as to how they view this. There’s also a question of stranger danger as she chooses her family for herself, this is mitigated somewhat by the fact that she’s in the care of a policeman, but it still worried me a little.
The final story Candy Floss has a little girl learn a lesson when she steals a doll from its rightful owner, Jack, who works as part of a traveling fair.
There are some places where American children may have difficulty with vocabulary as there are British words used. In, Candy Floss, Godden often explains more difficult words.
Great for: Anyone looking for stories where boys own dolls. Godden does not ignore the fact that there is some stigma attached to doll ownership by males, but her characters emerge victorious and proud and the dolls in both cases have a decided preference for their true male owners.
This is also great for short attention spans. The four sections help children who have trouble sustaining interest through longer texts.
I marked this as primary grades, although it is likely that readers would need to be in grade 3 or higher to be able to read it independently. Its interest level may extend as far as grade 4 or 5 to children particularly invested in the subject matter.
See my blog for a full review: http://bit.ly/1GBMHZL
November 25, 2020
Read these sweet short stories with Brooklyn; beautiful language for reading aloud. Any little girl who enjoys dolls would find themselves in a world of make belief with each of them.
August 14, 2010
If you're like me, you're thinking, "Dolls? Four stories about dolls?" I'm not a big fan of doll/toy stories usually. I appreciate The Velveteen Rabbit as a children's classic, but it's not one of my favourites. These stories, though, are pure magic. Two of them are Christmas stories, and the other two, interestingly, are about boys and dolls (because boys can like dolls without being "sissies", although you don't see that message enough). Anyway, these are amazing stories. My favourite is "The Story of Holly & Ivy", which you can get as a separate, gorgeously illustrated book. The collection of all four stories is sadly out of print, though.
January 20, 2010
This was a real find. If you have a daughter in the appropriate age group (5-7 or thereabouts), a book like this is as good as gold. All four stories are very involving, have truly emotional moments, and encourage children--without heavy-handedness--to think about moral issues like greed and loyalty. Godden draws her characters with great imagination and feeling.
Note: The book has quite a few nice post-Narnia Pauline Baynes illustrations.
Note: The book has quite a few nice post-Narnia Pauline Baynes illustrations.
September 17, 2011
Read this when Sarah was little. I absolutely LOVE that the story of Impunity Jane (which also is my favorite of the four stories)has a male protagonist. Written with Godden's lovely style this little book is a terrific read aloud or read alone for both boys and girls.
July 24, 2013
What a great book to read with my six-year-old daughter; I'm so glad we found this at the library. This collection is out-of-print; it is a shame these tales are being allowed to fade into obscurity as they really should be considered classics of children's literature.
November 10, 2010
Rumer Godden is wonderful!
January 18, 2012
Not my favorite, but my four-year-old LOVED it!
December 22, 2016
What a lovely book. Dolls and other toys that talk with each other and wish for boys and girls to give them a home.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews