Looks can be deceiving! When Charlotte gets a delicate doll from her aunt Edme, she is not too happy. She tells the doll that she and Bruno, her bear, "like digging in dirt and climbing trees. No tea parties, no being pushed around in frilly prams. You'll just have to get used to the way we do things." Much to Charlotte and Bruno's surprise, Dahlia seems to like getting dirty while making mud cakes and racing wagons. But at the end of the day, Charlotte's aunt arrives for a visit and wants to see how Dahlia's doing . . . and Charlotte is in for another surprise. Charming, detailed illustrations accompany this sweet story about making room for a new friend. PreSchool-Grade 1-Charlotte is not your typical young Edwardian heroine. When readers first meet her, she is playing happily in the mud with Bruno, her rough-and-tumble teddy bear. When Aunt Edme gives her a doll that is dressed in linen and lace, and looks frail and prim, the child is skeptical. Dahlia, however, belies the frilly name her new owner has bestowed upon her by enjoying a mud pie, participating in a race down a steep hill, and falling out of a tree. The last hurdle to their friendship is cleared when Aunt Edme visits and pronounces the doll well loved. The illustrations show Charlotte as a girl of energy and action, with a bedroom filled with birds' nests and collections of cattails. The pictures are packed with detail but pastel in color, leaving viewers with the impression of a time gone by. Charlotte is a girl of long ago who has all the qualities we encourage today-curiosity, confidence, and strength. She is surrounded by supportive women-an aunt who invites her to play freely, and a mother who gives her daughter a safety net from which to grow. Dahlia will be loved by young girls who are forging their first friendships, both with real and imaginary friends. Susan Marie Pitard, formerly at Weezie Library for Children, Nantucket Atheneum, MA Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. *Starred Review* PreS-Gr. 2. Charlotte doesn't want a doll for a playmate. With her trusty toy bear Bruno, she prefers to climb trees, make mud pies, and dig in the dirt. When her Aunt Edme sends her a doll that's dressed in lace, ribbons, and gloves, Charlotte wrinkles her nose and informs the doll that there will be no tea parties or riding in "frilly prams!" Told she must get used to the way Charlotte does things, prissy Dahlia, named for the beautiful flower, seems to throw herself into the fun--fishing, planting stones, and even winning a wagon race against taunting boys. When Dahlia falls out of a tree, worried Charlotte rushes to clean and comfort her. Finally, Aunt Edme arrives for dinner, and from the doll's bedraggled appearance, the prim aunt, who looks surprisingly like Dahlia, realizes that Charlotte and the doll have become friends. McClintock tells an engaging story about an unusual character, a Victorian tomboy who prefers rough and tumble play to the usual sugar and spice. In her trademark delicate pen-and-ink outline art--filled with soft watercolors--McClintock delightfully juxtaposes spirited Charlotte within the old-fashioned setting, capturing, without words, the personalities of the toy companions. Bruno the bear is well rendered, too, but Dahlia simply blooms with charm. Julie Cummins Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved "A doll story that will win over even confirmed tomboys . . . McClintock's detailed tableaux conveying the garb, architecture, and furnishings of the era perfectly fit the mood of the story, their delicate lines and coloring belied by the rubust action they convey. A timeless charmer." --Starred, Publishers Weekly Barbara McClintock has written and illustrated several books for young readers, including Molly and the Magic Wishbone , about which Booklist , in a starred review, said, "McClintock's telling is well paced and nuanced . . . And, oh, the charm of the pictures. The Dickensian world is fully realized." She lives in New Canaan, Connecticut.