Dolls can’t talk; they have to wish very hard to be heard. Myrtle and Maude were tired of being in an old bookcase with other toys and books, they wanted an adventure, so they wished very hard.
Through the use of beautifully hand-colored photographs, we share in their adventure, from finding an old journal about fairies in their garden to bringing the fairies back.
Myrtle and Maude learn how to clean up the garden and what to plant to entice the fairies. They also take care of kittens that show up in the garden. Drawing on European folklore, the reader learns that fairies often shapeshift into cats! Looks like the fairies have been there all along!
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Winter is coming. Myrtle and Maude have packed up and moved back inside. Their house is quite comfortable and well stocked but they are bored. They wished for another adventure.
With the help of the fairy kittens and their friend, the great woodland elf, the girls set out for a winter adventure.
Delightful hand-colored photographs bring the wonder of winter to life. The girls learn about feeding birds and squirrels and experience the wonder of snow under the watchful eye of the great woodland elf.
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Myrtle and Maude are two hand carved wooden dolls, by Elizabeth Pongratz, that have shared many adventures with me over the years.
I grew up with The Lonely Doll books by Dare Wright and shared them with my children. Her stories were simple, well thought out, and illustrated with black and white images of Edith, Little Bear and Mr. Bear. When I was in graduate school, I began working on an idea to create stories using black and white photographs of my dolls, with a twist – I would hand color them! My story ideas combine a subtle environmental aspect with fairy lore.
I made all of their clothes and habitats; my favorite being a gypsy caravan! I also made little fairy bears! I had a wonderful time working on this project. I am currently re-doing the images using updated techniques. In the meantime, you can enjoy the prints of those I have finished.
