The Friendship Doll

by Kirby Larson

I learned about the Friendship Dolls when I was in Montana, conducting research for Hattie Big Sky. In the basement of the Montana Historical Society Museum in Helena, I came across a photo of a blond farm girl in overalls standing next to a remarkable Japanese doll, nearly her size. They came from such different worlds—that hardscrabble girl and that elegant doll—I couldn’t imagine how they got together. I had never heard of these dolls before, and when I returned home, I set to learning as much as I could about these diminutive ambassadors of peace and goodwill. I have seen two of the dolls: Miss Tokushima, who is housed in Spokane, Washington, at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture (thank you, Laura Thayer and Rose Krause), and Miss Shizuoka, in Kansas City, Missouri, at the Union Station Kansas City Museum (thank you, Lisa Shockley). I am not embarrassed to say that these dolls spoke to me, delivering a loud and clear message: Tell our story! I hope that through this book I can, in some small way, pass on their message of friendship and peace.

  Since 1980, many people have worked to keep the spirit of the Friendship Dolls alive. Sidney L. “Denny” Gulick III, grandson of Dr. Sidney Gulick, the initiator of the doll exchange program, and his wife, Frances, continue the Friendship Doll tradition in their own way. Bill Gordon (http://wgordon.web.wesleyan.edu/dolls/japanese) maintains a complete and informative website that describes both the American blue-eyed baby dolls first sent to Japanese schoolchildren and the Torei Ningyo—“return gift dolls” or Friendship Dolls—sent to America in return. Many others, especially Michiko Takaoka, Rosie Skiles, and Rosalie Whyel, have worked tirelessly to educate others about these amazing dolls.

  Though this story is based on actual historical events, this is a work of fiction. I have created news articles—for example, the one on this page—and places—the museums in Lexington, Kentucky, and Klamath Falls, Oregon—to help make this story real.

  One thing is completely true: to date, thirteen of the original fifty-eight dolls, including the Miss Kanagawa of this story, are still missing.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Thank you to my first readers, Bonny Becker, Kathryn Galbraith, Sylvie Hossack, Dave Patneaude, and Mary Nethery; to my agent, Jill Grinberg; to Rebecca Short; and to all of the people who generously shared their knowledge and expertise as I researched this book. My biggest thanks are reserved for my editor, Michelle Poploff, a woman with the patience of Job.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Though she tried hard to keep her mind on track while researching her previous book, Hattie Big Sky, when Kirby Larson ran across a 1920s photo of a Montana farm girl in overalls standing next to an exquisite Japanese doll, she couldn’t keep her imagination quiet. What brought the two together? Kirby did some initial research to satisfy that curiosity, but it would be five long years before she could turn her full attention to the Friendship Dolls’ story.

  A passionate writer of historical fiction, Kirby also collaborates with her dear friend Mary Nethery on nonfiction picture books, such as the award-winning Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship, and Survival.

  Kirby Larson lives in Kenmore, Washington, with her husband, Neil, and Winston the Wonder Dog. You can visit her at kirbylarson.com.