A playful yet profound take on the phrase ?I contain multitudes?. A little girl admires her nana's wooden nesting dolls that sit side by side on the windowsill. They all look exactly the same: pink cheeks, frilly aprons, and big smiles-except for the tiniest doll, which is small and unpainted and looks like a raw peanut. The girl thinks the matching smiles of all the other dolls don't feel quite right. After all, she has many different faces and feelings inside of her, and the dolls should too! Starting with the peanut, the girl draws new expressions on all the dolls' faces, from toothy grins to grimaces. But when Nana sees what her granddaughter has done, she's furious and says the dolls are ruined. The girl disagrees. ?If those dolls were me,? she says, ?no two would be alike.? When Nana considers what her granddaughter is telling her, she slowly begins to understand. With a hug, and a warning to ask before embarking on any more art projects, Nana proudly returns the dolls to their spot. This bright, uplifting story about honoring and acknowledging emotions also touches on communication skills, creative self-expression, and conflict resolution. Written with humor and honesty, it reminds readers that, just like nesting dolls, there's more to us than meets the eye. AGES: 4 to 7 AUTHOR: Laura Alary grew up in Halifax, but spent many summers in Edmonton, where she loved to play with her grandma's Ukrainian nesting dolls. Laura now lives in Toronto, Ontario, with her three teenage children, and writes stories that make us bigger on the inside. Her recent books include What Grew in Larry's Garden, Sun in My Tummy, and The Astronomer Who Questioned Everything. Salini Perera has been making art for as long as she can remember. Now, she gets to make art for picture books-a lifelong dream come true. She was born in Sri Lanka, but grew up in Scarborough, Ontario. She lives with her husband Michael and their three cats, Victoria, Albert, and Alice. SELLING POINTS: . Colorful, eye-catching art by Beautiful You, Beautiful Me illustrator Salini Perera . Supports social-emotional learning themes of identifying and managing emotions, while respecting the emotions of others . Subtle lessons on communication and conflict resolution . Features a tender, realistic intergenerational relationship . Emphasizes art as a form of self-expression
