The Apple Doll

I recently gave Elisa Kleven's "The Apple Doll" to family friends for their 2 young daughters. They have told me that this story has become Lucy and Stella's favorite...and they will be creating their own apple dolls thanks to the instructions at the end of the book. Any of us who remember holding on for dear life to a "blankie" or a cherished token of comfort as we approached the unfamiliar, (or have watched our children go through the same) will appreciate Ms. Kleven's beautiful portrayal of Lizzy and Susanna gathering life and strength from one another, and gaining the coping skills we all need in this world. I could actually smell the seasons, the blossoms, the world depicted in this very lovely and lovingly created story and once again I am indebted to author/illustrator Elisa Kleven for a work that like Susanna, will endure long after the anticipated life span of an apple! BRAVO!!!

I am entrhalled by Elisa's Kelven's newest book in ways similar to, but streching beyond, my response to her classic, The Paper Princess (a book I couldn't once read aloud to my daughter without breaking into tears). I don't want to say Elisa has outdone herself (that's the weirdest phrase, isn't i?) but something along the lines of: she's hit the same magical & emotional sweet spot, this time with layers and layers (agricultural literacy, psychological complexity, creative empowerment) surrounding and infusing the story. And I love the bonus arts & crafts project at the end. The embedded message of respect for the beauty and wisdom of Elder Women (so painfully rare) was not lost on me, either. Many kudos and much gratitude to this highly original and intensely gifted storyteller/artist! I can only imagne how this will ripen over time (no play on the agriculture theme intended) for the children who will get to grow up with this book as part of their iconic psychological and aesthetic vocabulary.

Kleven, Elisa, The Apple Doll, Farrar Straus Giroux, 2007 Lizzie loves her apple tree where she often lies on a branch contently alone except for some birds and squirrels. She watches the tree change through the seasons, pretending that her tree is "a skeleton rattling in the autumn" a gingerbread cake with snowy frosting during winter, "a blossomy springtime cloud" and "a leafy summer circus"; charming vignettes show her eating snow in winter, and swinging upside down on a branch of the tree in summer. Soon however, it is her first day of school and Lizzie worries about whether she will make friends, Her sister tells her that she pretends too much and that school will be good for her because she can "make some real friends". Before starting off for school, Lizzie climbs up in her tree and picks her favorite apple, "round as a ball, warm as the sunlight-too happy to pack in her lunch box" and whispers to her apple that she has named Susanna that she is scared about going to school. She gives her apple a twig body and carries her apple doll to school but her teacher tells her to put her apple away until lunchtime and then her classmates tease her: one says, "Why don't you play with a real doll?" When Lizzie arrives home that first day, she gives Susanna yarn hair, dresses her in fabric and lace, gives her toys to play with and tells her that she does not have to go to school anymore. Lizzie who must return to school sits by herself in the playground and feels very lonely. A little girl stares at her as she eats her lunch all by herself. When the apple doll begins to deteriorate, Lizzie dries her; now Lizzie's doll has a wrinkled face atop a pipe cleaner body, and is dressed in fabric and lace. When Lizzie shares her new and improved doll at show and tell, her classmates wish that they too had an apple doll, "she looks alive," says one child. Lizzy teaches her classmates how to make an apple doll and soon all the children are playing with their own and Lizzie has many new friends. The warm colorful mixed media illustrations both folksy and fanciful are filled with realistic action and reveal much interesting detail. In her usual inimitable cozy style, Kleven floods her scenes with birds, squirrels, and cats; one lady is shown feeding her chickens and deer and sheep feed on lush green pastures. One double spread shows Lizzie marching off to school holding hands with her sister as her mother waves goodbye; another shows multicultural children playing jump rope, swinging, chasing each other and playing hopscotch. Red, yellow and green apples appear on the inside of the front cover, and apple dolls dance on the inside of the back cover. This lovely reassuring picture book is perfect for a parent to share with a preschool child because together they can enjoy the visual feast.

I love all of Kleven's books, but this is one of my favorites. The art is airy and charming, warm and reassuring, and the story is a real gem. Lizzy makes her own friend (literally) using an apple from her beloved apple tree and it's this apple doll that helps her make real friends as she starts kindergarten. It's a creative way to reassure children that they have inside them what it takes to handle strange, new situations. And the book even includes directions for how to make your own apple doll. An inspiring, lovely story!