The Lucy Doll

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

Lucy is a doll who has seen a lot of hurt. She and her young owner,
Delphine, are being physically abused by bully. Once, they were both
happy and safe, but poverty forced Delphine’s mother to take in the
Belcher family as renters. Mrs. Belcher yells a lot. Her 9-year-old son,
Paxton, steals, lies, and hurts Delphine whenever her mother is not
looking. The more Delphine tries to get along with Paxton, the more he
abuses her. When Paxton gets tired of tormenting Delphine, he turns his
wrath on Lucy. Already the doll has lost most of her hair and her arm is
in a cast. Try as she may, Lucy cannot understand why Delphine does not
tell her mother what is happening to both of them.

This is Dianne Jarvis Jones’s third picture book. Like the first two
(Aunt Mary Buttons, 1995, and Larry, Red and Blue, 1997, both of which
dealt with death), this one also tackles a tough subject—child abuse.
As the reader tours Lucy and Delphine’s frightening world, Jones’s
lyrical prose gently but firmly probes the often complex relationship
between bullies and their victims. The accompanying illustrations, which
feature Jones’s trademark hand-sewn button-and-bead figures, are
disturbingly beautiful as they document Lucy’s injuries incurred at
the hands of Paxton. Highly recommended.