A Gift from the Lonely Doll

So far, this has been my favorite of the books I have collected which were written by Dare Wright. It is simply delightful. Not just for Christmas, but a lesson to be applied all year round. The photographs are gorgeous, too.

I favorite of mine from when I was young and is now a favorite of my daughter. She treasures these books as I did. There's something magical about them...

While many Edith Doll books are outdated socially (spankings, poor family relations). This book is a gem. It would be a great Christmas gift or a gift for a knitter. The images are great and the messages are great. Edith is making her gift by hand. Her brother (Little Bear) is trying to help and Edith doesn't want to listen. Little bear teases her stubbornness, just like a friend should. The Bears visit their cousins for Christmas (sledding, ice skating, tree decorating, presents) and the family picture is nice. Edith comes up with a creative solution to her knitting disaster that pleases everyone and brings the loving family together. OK, so this paragraph might be pushing it, but it has merit. I like that the family units in this book are not traditional. No kid would question the bear/doll family units. They are toys, but I suppose if you were looking for a book that was inclusive of race, adoption, physical differences, and sexual relations, this book might be one to pick up. You could infer that the two male bear cousins were gay lovers under cover (2 old male bears living to together in the country) The book could also illustrate diversity. Everyone loves Edith. There is no mention that she is different, though she is clearly physically very different from the rest of the family (and adopted!). This world is a happy world full of very real love and devotion.

I read these as a child but haven't seen them in years as they were out of print. I was so excited to give them to my niece.

I loved this book as a child, and was thrilled to see it reissued. Little Bear is the perfectly annoying little brother nagging Edith about the gift that Mr Bear loved even before it was "fixed".