A charming and well-written story about a little girl and her remarkable doll family. Melissa, a tomboy in the 1870s, has fallen out of a tree onto frozen ground and broken her hip. She has to lie flat on her back for four months until her broken hip heals. Four months!! Her mother brings home a tiny doll family to break up Melissa's unbearable boredom. From the very first day, Melissa and the dolls understand each other. The dolls wish for a dollhouse, and her older brother and a neighbor make one for Melissa. Then a cousin her age comes visiting from the South, which is still recovering from the recent Civil War, with her own problems and a doll. Somehow the dolls want to try to help the cousin to find the Grandfather's hidden gold so as not to lose their farm. Lovely illustrations, and an unusual story about a tomboy who comes to love these particular dolls, and try to overcome her fears, including having a limp when she finally does heal. A warm family story, but not sappy.
A charming and well-written story about a little girl and her remarkable doll family. Melissa, a tomboy in the 1870s, has fallen out of a tree onto frozen ground and broken her…
