The Wooden Doll

Young Stephanie is called Stefcha by her Polish Grandma and Stephania by Grandpa. But when she goes to spend a few days alone with them for the first time, she wonders who she really is to them and where she fits in their lives. Grandma is kind, but taciturn Grandpa remains a mystery. Stephanie wants to take a closer look at the unusual, handpainted doll atop the cabinet in the dining room, but Grandma tells her to ask for Grandpa's permission. One day she takes it down and discovers the large family nesting inside, one within the other. She sees something else there, too; Grandpa breaks his silence and his explanation touchingly expresses his love for his granddaughter. Bonners's cozy illustrations perfectly capture the spic-and-span house of several decades ago, with its gleaming white appliances and antimacassars on the rose-colored living-room furniture. This sensitive story may be overlong for some readers; while its naturalistic style flows smoothly, the length seems to belie the picture-book format. Ages 5-8. (Mar.)