Daisy and the Doll

by Angela Shelf Medearis and Michael Medearis

Book Overview

Boldness and a gift for improvising verse enable eight-year-old Daisy Turner, an African American living in Grafton, Vermont, in the late 19th century, to triumph over an incident of discrimination in her school. Told in Daisy's voice, the book's themes of identity and self-affirmation offer a powerful lesson to today's youngsters who face similar situations of prejudice and stereotyping in the 21st century classroom.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0916718158
• ISBN13: 9780916718152
• Release Date: July 2008
• Publisher: August House Publishers
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 10.4" x 8.4"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children

Jessie Daisy Turner, an eight year old child in the late 1800s, lives with her parents and twelve siblings on a beautiful Vermont farm surrounded by daisies. Her father had settled in Vermont after he escaped from slavery in Virginia and joined the Union Army. Daisy is one of the only children of color in her classroom, and she is both embarrassed and angry when the teacher, in assigning poems to read and props to hold for a school program, singles Daisy out by giving her a doll with a black face. That moment was the first time someone had treated Daisy differently due to her skin color, and Daisy had trouble making sense of this experience. Ultimately, Daisy is able to use her courage and her talent as a poet to show her teacher, classmates, and the community the importance of speaking out about race and racial equality. Based on a true story, Daisy and the Doll provides readers with an important reminder of the hurtful feelings associated with discrimination, even if the person responsible for the treatment may not have intended to be cruel. Although the book focuses on race, the astute reader will also notice an interesting discussion point related to gender, given that the teacher assigned dolls only to the girls.

GREAT BOOK!

THIS IS A FANTASTIC BOOK. I COLLECT ANYTHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH BLACK DOLLS, WHICH WAS HOW I STUMBLED UPON THIS JEWEL. BUY IT. READ IT. APPRECIATE IT. ************

Poetry of the Soul

This is a fantastic book and should be a part of every fourth and fifth grade classroom. The story gives a soul stirring look at life for a minority in the late 1800's in such a way that children can relate to the emotions experienced and actions taken. The story shows how even a child can respond to challenge prejudice and unfair bias in a mature way. It would also be a great introduction to a unit on poetry.