A beautiful book. Betty Doll is a constant companion to her little girl. Betty was made by the author’s mother and grandmother after a house fire destroyed their home(and dolls).

Betty adventures with and supports her little girl and generations of children til her original owner dies and leaves Betty along with a letter to her adult daughter.

I cried and cried and am in fact crying again writing this review.

So five stars as an excellent book but also I was not expecting to cry my face off while cataloguing books today. ( )

In Betty Doll, we learn about a woman named Mary Ellen who is from Michigan. After a fire burned down their house Mary Ellen and her family were forced to move in with her aunt and uncle. The significance of Betty Doll is that Mary Ellen’s mother noticed that all her dolls were ruined from the fire so Mary’s mother promised to help stitch her a new doll. After that Mary took her doll that she named Betty everywhere she went. Betty the doll has survived many obstacles in life with Mary such as, thunderstorms, snowy blizzards, parties, weddings, and deaths of old friends. Throughout this biography Mary Ellen explains her life with Betty Doll from the day she stitched her up to her last days as she held Betty close to her chest. In the story we notice that it then jumps to Mary Ellen’s daughter Patricia opening a box from her mother and showing Patricia reading a letter from her mother with Betty in her hands. I really enjoyed reading this biography. It kind of took me by surprise as to how it was all going to unfold in the end. ( )

This book is written through a letter from a mother to her daughter about her favorite doll. Her mom, in the letter, goes on to say how the doll was with her the rest of her life after the house fire. The end of the story tells about how the girl read the letter after her mother died from cancer. The book was told greatly and I really enjoyed it. ( )

Betty Doll was an excellent book, that could help in comforting any child going through a tough situation or the loss of a loved one. This biography of the author's mother was heartfelt and captivating. I loved the story of how a doll could have such a large impact on a person and a family. ( )

The genre of this book is biography/realistic fiction. It tells the story of Polacco's mother, and the many journeys she went on with her doll, Betty. Betty held a special place in her heart due to the many experiences she had with the little doll. From the time when she was a little girl to having grandchildren of her own, and eventually passing down the doll to Patricia, herself. This book would be appropriate for 3rd-4th grade audiences. ( )