Betsy Devany

Although she owned many dolls - seventeen, to be exact - Lucy's favorite was Smelly Baby, a well-used and well-loved doll whose odor hinted at the many adventures she had shared with her little girl. When Smelly Baby was slobbered all over by her grandmother's dog, and then lost out the window during a car trip, Lucy was deeply distraught. Fortunately, Smelly Baby was returned to her by a neighbor. Unfortunately, Smelly Baby had been washed. Could she be the some lovey, without her usual odor...?

This debut from author Betsy Devany, who works in a toy shop in Connecticut and seems quite in tune with children's feelings about their favorite toys, is a picture-book that I would recommend to any child that has clung, against all familial incomprehension or resistance, to one particularly beloved plaything. I myself never had this childhood experience - the idea of only valuing a toy because of its rancid smell is an extremely odd one to me, actually - but I am aware that it is not that uncommon. The illustrations by Christopher Denise are colorful and cute, although I think I prefer the work he did on titles such as The Wishing of Biddy Malone. All in all, this was a fairly engaging picture-book, even if it didn't really hit any of my particular storytelling or artistic buttons, and is one I would offer to those looking for children's tales about the special bond between a young person and their preferred plaything or comfort object.… (mehr)