Betty Brock (1923–2003)

Got this at the library book sale. Miss the original cover so I used it here. It's definitely dated--white and gender essentialist among other things--but hey, it's from 1970 and I get why I lived it. I love how it opens with a fantastic(al) premise and knows its readers will just go with it (hooray for middle grade!). Who wouldn't want a tiny dog? Who didn't try to kiss their elbow and fly after reading this? And the ending is Dickensian!

I'm indexing all the books my family owns on LibraryThing and had taken this one off the shelf to review today, leaving it on the kitchen counter. My wife recognized it as one of her childhood favorites that she hadn't looked at in years and despite protesting she was just going to look at it for a minute, she ended up reading the whole book through over lunch.

It seemed short, so I thought I'd give it a go too as I took a walk this afternoon, and I was quickly swept up in a gentle but still show more exciting tale of a little girl and her magical talking dog who come to the house of a stern old rich woman with a collection of expensive wind-up toys. Though she has no love for children, Mrs. Vancourt invites them in because she covets the little dog since it is about the same size as her toys and can do amazing tricks. Things are odd but mostly fine at first, but the dog is keeping secrets about the girl's parents and one of the wind-up toys does something unexpected one stormy day.

The story gets more magical and more engrossing as it slowly unfolds. The ending is a bit abrupt and too neat -- I would have loved one more chapter -- but it is still quite satisfying.

A happy little find from our own bookshelves! Treasures are everywhere! show less

I would have loved this when I was a child. I think it still has value, perhaps as a family read together, or a chapter at bedtime. (But don't miss the illustrations!) Since this was written our children's books about unexpected magic have gotten more sophisticated, but imo there's plenty here for a young child. Who doesn't want to fly, have a tiny talking dog as nanny, a rich lonely woman as guardian? Who doesn't come to realize that family is most important, no matter exactly what that show more family looks like?

What's interesting is how deceptively simple this is. We're not given big back-stories on the characters, or long-winded descriptions of the house, grounds, clothing, foods. We are given the essentials that point to the plot, and to the aspects of the characters that are integral to the themes. And yet, despite the focus on the themes, it's not preachy. It's just a nice story.

It's not quite a four-star read, but I am sufficiently charmed to round my rating up.

Btw, I love the new cover. I read the old, which is fine because I'm old, but the new is perfectly apt. show less

Most little girls have parents to take care of them, but not Annabel Tippens.She has Gloria, a tiny white dog who talks and wears a gold collar. Annabel never thought it was strange that she had Gloria instead of real parents. Until one day a wicked, wicked cat named Belinda comes to tell her the truth -- she's not just a little girl, she's a half-fairy!
And she can do lots of things that other kids can't do, such as kiss her own elbow and fly around the house. But being a fairy isn't all fun show more and games, and soon Annabel must make a choice. If she chooses to be a fairy, she'll have to say good-bye to Gloria forever. How can she decide between her newly found magic and her dearest friend? show less