The Paper Dolls by Julia Donaldson and Rebecca Cobb

This beautifully illustrated story book is a charming delight from beginning to end. A little girl makes a pretty paperchain of dolls with the help of her kindly mother. The reader then accompanies the little girl and her new papery friends on a series of imaginative playful games. The lump-in-the-throat ending is unexpected in a children’s picture book, making it all the more impactful.