Mommy Buy Me A China Doll

Young Eliza Lou considers some unusual sleeping arrangements after suggesting that her mother buy her a china doll by trading her father's featherbed.

"This delightful song tells the story of Liza Lou, who dreams of woning a china doll after seeing one in a peddler's cart. Owning a china doll, however, would be a luxury far out of reach for a poor mountain girl from the Ozarks...includes a description of the history of the song, the notation of the song, and a link to download the song in audio form at no cost"--Back cover.

It's 1938 and the exclusive Oriental nightclub in San Francisco's Forbidden City is holding auditions for showgirls. In the dark, scandalous glamour of the club, three girls from very different backgrounds stumble into each other lives. All the girls have secrets. Grace, an American-born Chinese girl, has fled the Midwest and an abusive father. Helen is from a Chinese family which has deep roots in San Francisco's Chinatown. And, as both her friends know, Ruby is Japanese passing as Chinese. Then, in a heartbeat, everything changes. The Japanese attack Pearl Harbor and paranoia, suspicion, and a shocking act of betrayal, threaten to destroy their lives.

Christina receives her first store-bought doll and finds her old rag doll superior in a number of ways.

Illus. in full color. "While Granny is a-rockin' and a-knittin' and Ma's a-cookin' and Pa's a-fixin', that old possum in his top hat and vest just keeps on knocking. The narrator, a redheaded boy, tries to tell family members about the possum, and when the family checks, the possum hides. Should be popular with story-hour groups."--Booklist.