Miss Happiness and Miss Flower

For such a short book, there is a surprising amount of atmosphere and characterization.
I found myself getting very personally invested in this story, like NOOO BELINDA DON'T BREAK THE HOUSE!!! (Spoiler: the house is okay)
Also I felt this horrible sinking feeling when Nona wished she could be a boy. :-(
Girls can be leaders too, Nona!

A story of two small older Japanese dolls sent to a family in England with two daughters, a half orphan cousin newly from India and an older brother. Nona, the cousin very much wants to build a suitable house for the two dolls. The older sister and brother are helpful but the younger sister is resentful. I was hoping for the plans were clear diagrams, but no such luck especially trying to translate 1960s English to American. Deal board? But it's true, small dolls have powerful wishes and can move their owners into all sorts of creativity.

Sweet little book. Quiet, not much happens. A little girl who feels all alone in a new place is captivated by two little Japanese dolls. For some reason I was not very comfortable with the way the author broke the fourth wall. I felt talked down to. This doesn't always bother me, but it did in this book. Was it just my mood?

This book would a be a great change in readings for a classroom. Has a cultural tie and is very engaging. You won't want to put the book down! It is a bit longer, but you could break it out when doing a culture lesson and tie in the characters of the book. Nona is sad and living in England but receives two dolls and finds happiness building a house for these dolls!

Nona overcomes her loneliness and becomes comfortable in a new country with different customs by working with others in her new home and neighborhood on a project---building a dollhouse for dolls from a third culture. (The three cultures: 1. England, 2. India, 3 Japan) The dolls talk to each other and do their best to project their wishes to people, but there is no outright fantasy.

This is a very sweet book. Although its plot is not witty or clever, the story is like a fairy tale- loving and honest.

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