Sophie and Rose [Anglais] [Relié]

Sophie is overjoyed to discover Rose, a doll who has been in the family for two generations and is "so old-fashioned that she seemed like a visitor from another time." Sophie soon learns that Rose is fragile: when Sophie combs the doll's hair, a chunk falls out; a fall from a precarious perch chips Rose's nose; and when Sophie leaves her in the garden overnight, she loses an eye. Poor Rose is quite a sight by the book's end, but the doll's vulnerability endears her to Sophie all the more, and the two become inseparable: "[Sophie] knows she will always love her Rose, who listens with her seashell ears... and who was so brave through the long garden night." Moving but never sentimental, Lasky's (Marven of the Great North Woods) text proves the poetic power of simple, straightforward language, while Halperin's (Once Upon a Company) watercolors possess an old-fashioned quality with a muted palette and classic fabric and wallpaper patterns. The artist frequently breaks up the action into a series of freeze-frames that expand the action beyond the text (showing, for example, how Sophie inadvertently leaves Rose behind in the garden). An uplifting affirmation that beloved toys and imaginative play stand the test of time. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Kindergarten-Grade 3-Sophie finds an old doll that once belonged to her mother and grandmother and names her Rose. The doll's hair is thinning and her dress is threadbare, but the girl loves her and takes her everywhere. Later, Rose falls from a shelf and chips her nose and some of her stuffing falls out. On a camping trip she's stained with chocolate and loses an eye when left out overnight. Through it all, Sophie loves her more and more. Lasky's writing is solid but there's not much of a story here. The saving grace is Halperin's watercolor-and-pencil artwork; done in soft colors with lots of flowers and patterns, the paintings have an antique look that creates a soft, warm atmosphere. The text appears in half-moons at the bottom of the pages. The full-page illustrations alternate with small vignettes that show Sophie playing with her doll, reading to her, and taking her on bike rides. Lacking a story line, the book is more a reflection of a loving relationship heightened by artwork that visually reinforces the pair's closeness. It might appeal to young girls who have a favorite doll and those older girls who remember a special friend.
Judith Gloyer, Milwaukee Public Library
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ages 4^-8. Sophie finds an old doll, Rose, in the attic. Sophie and Rose become inseparable, and the longer they are together, the more mishaps come Rose's way. When Sophie tries to comb Rose's hair, clumps come out; Rose falls off a sill, where Sophie has placed her, and chips her nose; she is placed facedown in melting chocolate, which gets into the cracks of her cheeks. But for every calamity that befalls Rose, Sophie just loves her more. Lasky captures the special love that can bond a child and a doll, but it is Halperin's deliciously detailed pictures that expand the story beyond its natural boundaries. Using blocks of pictures, Halperin tells little stories within stories that go beyond the little half-moons of text on every page. The artistic style incorporates both delicacy--roses entwining borders--and verve, as Sophie does all sorts of real girl things, such as camping out and rummaging around the attic. A book that any doll lover will want to look at over and over. Ilene Cooper

After she discovers an old doll that had belonged to her mother and her grandmother, Sophie grows to love the doll more and more even though she is missing some hair, gets chocolate-stained, and loses an eye.