Note: This post contains affiliate links. You may read my disclosure here.
My three year old daughter and I have been enjoying weekly trips to the public library for story time and to play with the fun educational toys there. We didn’t used to check out books because we have a lot of books at home already that she loves to read, and we hear new stories every week at the story time.
But recently they installed a self-checkout counter in the middle of the children’s area at the library. My daughter started watching kids and parents use the scanner to check out their books and she became obsessed! She HAD to check out a book and use the scanner. So, I got her a library card in her name that she could use to check out books.
The hardest part is selecting a book to check out. She doesn’t know what she wants, so we just look through all the books on the shelves in the children’s section until a book catches our eye. I just happened to come across this book called “Doll-E 1.0“, and I showed it to my daughter.
She saw the cover and immediately said yes, and ran to the check out counter. After much trial and error and frustration for her with using the scanner, we were able to check out the book and bring it home. We have read it 5+ times a day since we checked it out, and now I’m ordering the book on Amazon so we can have it permanently at home.
My toddler loved this book so much, my older two kids wanted to read it with us as well and they both loved it too. Most importantly, I love this book (especially because I’m the one who has to read it over, and over, and over again!). What first caught my eye when I pulled this book for my daughter was the title ” Doll-E 1.0“, it sounded tech-y so I was hoping it was a STEAM themed book, and luckily, I was correct!
Book Overview
Doll-E 1.0 is written and illustrated by Shanda McCloskey. It was published in 2018, but is new to us since we just found it at the library (and the content is still relevant today). The book introduces you to the adorable tech-loving Charlotte and her pet dog, Blutooth. Charlotte can fix tech problems for her parents and creates robots.
One day Charlotte’s mom gives her a baby doll and she doesn’t know what to do with it. She can’t figure out a way to play with a stuffed doll in her tech-filled world. Eventually she discovers the doll can say “Ma-ma” and has a battery pack. This gives her the idea to upgrade the doll to say and do more.
However, Charlotte’s dog Blutooth gets jealous of all the attention she is giving to the doll, and tears apart Dolly. Charlotte puts her tech-skills to the test to rebuild Dolly and she creates Doll-E 1.0. She is half-doll-half-robot. Charlotte and Blutooth have fun playing with their upgraded doll, and learn to do imaginative play with the doll, while Charlotte stays true to her tech-y roots.
Book Review
The illustrations are adorable and lovely, and really make the story come to life. I know my daughter loves the book because the illustrations are so good! I loved that Charlotte was so into tech because my older kids are too.
Much like Charlotte, my 8 year old daughter has never played with a doll. No Barbie, no American Girl, no baby dolls, nothing! I’ve tried – I gave her my old American Girl dolls and she’s received Barbies as gifts, but she has never wanted to play with them. Maybe it’s because she has an older brother who she emulates, and they both spend most of their free time playing sports and on technology like video games, or she just simply isn’t interest in dolls. Either way, I can definitely relate to this storyline.
I loved how Charlotte eventually learned to do imaginative play with the doll. I think that is the main benefit of playing with dolls for children (and a reason I wanted to get my kids to play with dolls). When kids play with dolls and toys, they have to use their imagination to come up with what to play, dialogue for the toys, to act out a scene, role play, and more. This book combines the best of both worlds – learning to do imaginative play with dolls, and using tech to upgrade the doll.
Developing an imagination at a young age will help kids when they grow up and start their STEM careers. You have to be creative and imaginative – as well as highly skilled with tech – to innovate and come up with next big advancements in STEM.
My family loves this book and I highly recommend it for both kids who love tech and kids who love dolls (and kids who love both). We have been reading the book daily and always laugh along with the story. The book is recommended for kids ages 3 to 8 on Amazon. I agree with that – my kids are ages 3, 8, and 10 and all of them enjoyed this book – especially my 3 year old. 😉
If you’d like to read this book, I’d suggest looking for it at your local library (that’s how we found it!), or buying it on Amazon with my affiliate link (I appreciate your support of my blog by using my links for your purchase!).
Do you check out public library books often? What is your favorite STEAM themed children’s book? Do your kids play with dolls in our tech filled world?
