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Thursday, November 6, 2008

Book Review: Cute Dolls

Title: Let's Make Cute Stuff by Aranzi Arono! Cute Dolls

The girls and I made our weekly library trip yesterday and I grabbed this for my elder daughter. I had just glanced through it and, while I wasn't sure she'd be interested in this style of doll making specifically, it has detailed instructional diagrams and patterns for every one, which I thought she might find useful.

The book features instructions for 18 different dolls ("jersey-cloth mascots" is how they're described in the book) with names like Sprite and Panda, as well as more interesting names like Mr. Tad and Mr. Pole (which count as one type of doll, even though there's 2 of them), Alien, and Bad Guy.

It wasn't until we were home and my daughter started reading the text for each doll that we discovered something. This book is completely surreal! LOL Each design has a prosaic description. The very first one, White Rabbit and Brown Bunny, reads:

White Rabbit and Brown Bunny
are girl bunnies and best friends.
They're fluffy girl bunnies
who can't live without cute stuff.
"Make us cute or we'll be angry!"


That was funny enough, but this one, for "Liar," has had us going for the past two days...

Liar lies. He tells woeful lies.
"Somebody, help me!
I'm stuck in a squid basket!"
Liar can only tell woeful lies.


In the photo, the doll is in, what I assume to be, a squid basket. Ever since we've discovered this one, we've been spontaneously calling out, "I'm stuck in a squid basket!" Or looking woefully at each other and saying, "woe" in long, drawn out voices.

'cause we're weird that way.

Then there's this one... Kidnapper.

Kidnapper is tall and trim.
He's always wearing a tight black suit.
It's so tight that it's like
a part of his body now.
Kidnapper is always wearing a black hat.
He doesn't have hair underneath his hat.
Kidnapper is always holding a white bag.
That's because his job is to kidnap kis.
He's off to work again today!


I mean... WTF?!??!? LOL

So for instructional value, the book is really great. The graphic instructions are quite clear and details, and the patterns are easy to copy to work with.

It's the prose, however, that sells it for me. What a hoot!

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