Perl, Erica S. Dotty. Illustrated by Julia Denos. Abrams, 2010. ISBN 9780810989627. $16.95. 32 p.
Reviewer: Debbie Barr
Reading Level: Preschool, Primary
Rating: Outstanding
Genre: Informative; Picture books;
Subject: Imaginary playmates--Juvenile fiction; Teacher-student relationships--Juvenile fiction; High schools--Juvenile fiction; Books--Reviews;
Ida has just started school, and of course she brings her imaginary friend, Dotty, with her. The other kids have all brought imaginary friends with them too. After the winter holidays, Ida brings Dotty to school again, as usual. Some of the other kids no longer have their friends though. Ida keeps bringing Dotty with her, but soon she is the only imaginary friend left. One day, another girl teases Ida about still having Dotty, and “Dotty” pushes the girl. Their teacher, Ms. Raymond, makes them write apology notes. Ms. Raymond asks Ida who Dotty is, and tells Ida that Dotty needs to behave better at school. Then she “accidentally” lets Ida know that she still brings her imaginary friend to school, too.
Erica S. Perl has written a simple story perfect for children with imaginary friends of their own. While she gives no description of the friends, Julia Denos does a fantastic job of bringing each child’s imaginary friend to life with whimsical watercolor and colored pencil illustrations. Each page has fun details that simply cannot be caught the first time through, making it a fun book to read over again. With a story about staying true to yourself, even when your friends are changing, Dotty would make a great gift for an imaginative child just starting Kindergarten.
Volume 31, no. 2 (November/December 2010)
