Paper Dolls

The beautifully illustrated Paper Dolls by Julia Donaldson is a poetic and emotional story about childhood imagination, memory, and resilience. This touching narrative follows a little girl and her five paper dolls as they journey through imaginative scenarios-escaping dinosaurs and crocodiles-only to face the very real threat of a pair of scissors. The story evokes nostalgia and encourages emotional engagement while highlighting the power of storytelling to process feelings and preserve special memories. Written by one of the most celebrated children's authors and illustrated by rising star Rebecca Cobb, this book offers rhythmic and lyrical text that captivates readers of all ages. It is a fantastic choice for sparking discussions about creativity, impermanence, and emotional expression in early childhood education. With gentle language and memorable characters, it provides opportunities to develop empathy, listening, and comprehension skills through narrative exploration.

Educational Benefits:

• Develops emotional literacy and empathy through storytelling.
• Supports rhythm and phonemic awareness with lyrical text.
• Encourages narrative comprehension and sequencing.
• Inspires creativity and imaginative thinking through storytelling.

Classroom Ideas:

• Have students make their own paper dolls and write mini-adventures for them.
• Discuss the themes of memory and emotions after reading the story aloud.
• Use as a creative writing prompt focusing on imaginary journeys.
• Act out scenes from the story to develop expression and performance confidence.

Information:

• Ages: Ideal for 3 years and up
• Author: Julia Donaldson
• Illustrator: Rebecca Cobb