The Christmas Doll: A Repair Shop Story (Repair Shop Stories)
This story opens in the present day when little Evie and her great-grandma, Sue, take an old doll named Lizzie to the Repair Shop. It’s a big barn where all manner of old items get restored. A repairman asks about the doll, and Sue tells Lizzie’s story.
In 1939 when she was a young girl in London, Sue’s parents sent her to live with a strange family in the country away from the threatening war. On their first Christmas, the new family gave Sue a doll. Sue was touched but feared Lizzie was hers for only that day. Sue got to keep Lizzie, who, from then on, went everywhere with her. Over the decades, Lizzie’s fabric wore down and her hard surfaces got nicked. The Repair Shop restores Lizzie beautifully, and Sue gifts Lizzie to Evie.
This lavishly illustrated work tells children a bit about WWII’s effects on common people. Notes and photographs at the end summarize the real Repair Shop, featured on British TV, and the true story of the Christmas Doll. Charming and informative; highly recommended.
