Older picture books are snapshots of history. With this perspective, I contemplate Tomboy’s Doll by Charlotte Steiner (1969). On the first page of this story, we meet Mary Louise. “Because she was a tomboy nobody ever called her by her right name. They called her Tommy instead.” Tommy doesn't like to play with girls and doesn't care for dresses. Tommy’s mother wants her to be more like the other girls her age, so she bought Tommy a doll. Tommy doesn’t know how to play with a doll. Tommy hits her doll back-and-forth over a badminton net, tries to make it a scarecrow in a tree, ties it to the back of her dog for a ride, and strings it onto a fishing line for a swim. In the end, Tommy does discover how to befriend her doll.
I suspect that Steiner heeded the identity struggles of children way back in 1969, and she shared her insights in this story. The resolution works, regardless of who the protagonist is. It's a story about empathy. However, in 2021, I doubt this book would make it beyond a publisher's slush pile.
MissIrvine's class has Worry Doll Labels . Inner Seagull has The Five Senses Paper Doll. Books Too has a lesson based on Elizabeti's Doll .
