A perfect Christmas gift. ?áA little too sweet for modern children the rest of the year, but the feelings of the youngest of a large and lively family are authentically captured by Godden's musical prose and (at least in the edition I read) the art of Caldecott winner Adrienne Adams. ?áIt certainly is a pity the teacher calls Elizabeth 'stupid' and the child is hushed when she asks 'Where is Canada?' upon learning that's Great-Grandmother's home. ?áBut all is well in the end, of course. ?á

I would have loved this when I was a child just for the descriptions of all the crafting and collecting Elizabeth does to make a home for the doll. ?áNever mind that I'm the oldest and so would not likely have empathized then with Elizabeth's plight. ?á*Perhaps* I would have been more supportive or kinder to my younger brothers, though. ?áBest of all, the book is short enough for a family to read it aloud together, perhaps after all the presents have been opened and the feast digested, in the evening of Christmas Day. ( )

A fairy doll tops a tree for a family where the youngest girl is struggling in her achievement. When great-grandmother declares that Elizabeth needs her own fairy, the doll becomes hers. With the power of the fairy doll, the girl is able to achieve. What happens when the fairy doll goes missing? You'll have to read to find out, because I'm not telling! There are some aspects to this story that are dated, such as lighting candles on the tree and having a cedar chest. It's probably not a story that modern children would enjoy, but I found it enjoyable. ( )