Elizabeti's Doll

Beautifully illustrating the point that life is sometimes what you make it, this lovely iconographic adaptation of Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen's 1998 picture book, featuring artwork by Christy Hale, introduces viewers to Elizabeti, a young Tanzanian girl with a new baby brother who wants her own baby. When a stick proves a little too uncomfortable to cuddle, Elizabeti settles on a rock she christens Eva. Unlike her brother, Eva "behaved very nicely in the bath," was "too polite to burp," and still had a "clean bottom" when it was time to change diapers. One day, after leaving Eva near some other rocks while she goes to fetch water, Elizabeti returns to find her beloved rock/doll has disappeared. Although her mother tries to cheer her daughter up with a new rock, Elizabeti points out that the substitute is just a rock, not Eva. Featuring a lovely score by Crystal Taliefero and winning narration by Lynn Whitfield, Elizabeti's Doll is a pure delight (and, yes, it does have a happy ending). Highly recommended. Aud: K, E, P. (R. Pitman)