#tbt: The Good, the Bad and the Barbie: a Doll's History and Her Impact on Us (Unauthorized) by Tanya Lee Stone

Image: Author's Website

The Good, the Bad and the Barbie: a Doll's History and Her Impact on Us (Unauthorized) by Tanya Lee Stone. 130 p. Viking? Penguin Young Readers, 2010. 9780670011872. (Own.)

Happy Thursday! How are you keeping cool in this heat? Boo and I have to take our long walks pretty early to avoid the heat. It's pretty bad. 

In honor of the release of the movie, Barbie, #tbt features The Good, the Bad and the Barbie: a Doll's History and Her Impact on Us (Unauthorized) by Tanya Lee Stone. Published in 2010, this book is part biography of Ruth Handler, creator of the doll and of Barbie, the doll itself, but it also examines the impact that the doll and its popularity had on culture. There are lots of photos and personal anecdotes from girls and women reflecting on their love or hatred of Barbie. Back matter includes a note from the author, source notes and a bibliography.

The book was named an SLJ (School Library Journal) Best Book and won the Golden Kite Award. I enjoyed knowing this backstory a bit before watching the film, however, I realized I forgot a lot and decided to reread it. Very balanced and informative! Happy reading!

Patti Cake and Her New Doll by Patricia Reilly Giff

Illustrated by Laura J. Bryant. unpgd. Orchard Books/ Scholastic Inc., January, 2014.9780545244657. (Finished copy courtesy of the publisher for review.)

Patti Cake's first night in her brand new and very pink, big girl room is not what she expected. The "greatly dark" was a bit frightening. The next day, her babysitter takes her to the store to buy a new doll. She chooses a "smudgy" one marked, "on sale," and names her On Sale. She feels a kinship with the doll since she is often smudgy. Patti Cake brings her doll home and her attempts to un-smudge her lead to disaster after disaster thanks in large part to her dog.

The promise of the jaunty cover dominated by purple pink is not quite fulfilled as the story is wordy and a bit awkward. Bella the babysitter seems more a parent than babysitter. I mean, why is she there all day and all night? Expressions such as "greatly dark" seem jarringly, not endearingly precocious. 

The artwork is consistently humorous though and the book will find its readership among young girls who like pink books, or who find kinship with Patti Cake's fear of the dark.