The Ticky-Tacky Doll
Rylant (the Little Whistle series) wisely explores a child's  separation anxiety through her relationship with her doll. The  author conveys the girl's bond with the doll, handmade for her  by Grandmama ("It was ticky, her mother said, because Grandmama  had made it from sewing scraps. And it was tacky because pieces  of cloth hung from it like soft bits of hair"), through the  rhythms of their day, their trips to town, a shared meal ("At  the supper table the doll fit snugly on the little girl's lap,  and its eyes could see what was for dinner"). Stevenson's (Bye,  Mis' Lela) paintings cast a magic glow on the pair, inseparable  in the opening spreads. He portrays the doll with a seam down  the middle of her smiling face, X's for eyes and a mop of  striped and polka-dotted fabric strips for hair. On the first  day of school, when the girl must leave the doll at home, she  withdraws completely: Stevenson shows her with head bowed at a  table, markers and paper untouched. Only Grandmama knows what is  wrong, and she comes up with an innovative solution. With the  barest of statements, Rylant affirms the child's feelings and  conveys the bond between child and grandparent ("Grandmama had  lived a long time and knew about loneliness and missing  someone," while the illustration shows a framed picture of her  grandfather). Stevenson's artwork, with its layered, contrasting  planes of blue and gold, resembles the loving patchwork of the  doll itself. Ages 3-7. (Aug.)Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.