William's Doll

By Charlotte Zolotow
Illustrated by William Pene du Bois

You can tell from the title what this book is all about: little boy William wants a toy doll.  He wants a doll so he can cradle it, take care of it, dress it, take it to the park, and tuck it in at night, just as if he were its father.  But his older tells him not to be a creep, and the boy next door repeatedly calls him a sissy.  His father, unhapy that William wants a doll, buys him a basketball and an electric train.  William becomes very good at basketball, and builds an elaborate train set, but that never stops him from wanting a doll.  He doesn't get one until his grandmother comes to visit.  When he tells her he wants a doll, she simply says "wonderful."  He tells her that his brother says he's a creep and his neighbor tells him he's a sissy, but she says, simply, "nonsense."  So she takes him to the store and buys a doll.  His father protests immediately.  "He's a boy! He has a basketball and an electric train and a workbench to build things with.  Why does he need a doll?"

William's grandmother's answer sums it all up: "He needs it to hug and to cradle and to take to the park, so that when he's a father like you, he'll know how to take care of his baby and feed him and love him and bring him the things he wants, like a doll, so that he can practice being a father.

I suppose I can see the controversy in a book that is about a boy wanting a toy doll.  But in all seriousness, can you really argue with his grandmother's case?  Unless you are of the persuasion to believe that young children should not imagine themselves as parents, it seems pretty clear that young William has a pretty good argument for having a doll.  So what if he's a boy?  It's a well-known fact that children love to role-play, and if a young boy wants to pretend that he's a loving father, then I think he should be able to do so.

Controversy aside, I think this is a very sweet book about a very sweet boy.  William's Doll shows children and adults alike that it's okay if you don't fit the stereotypes.  And above all, it teaches us that being loving and caring is an important trait for everyone to have.  Having a doll doesn't make William any less of a boy.  He is still good at basketball and he still plays with his train set.  He is just expressing another side of himself, one that makes him more complete as a person.  In my opinion this is a very good book!