In a story that perfectly encapsulates the sentiment of paying it forward, The Doll draws on author Nhung N. Tran-Davies experience as a Boat Person back in the 1970s during the war in Viet Nam. Illustrated by Ravy Puth, this beautiful, lyrical story will capture your heart.

At the airport, waiting for a family to arrive, a girl sits with a doll, ready to be gifted to another little girl as a sign of welcome. It’s a comfort to the child who has just arrived in a new country as she moves through girlhood to young adulthood, through high school and medical school, always watching over her, always making her feel welcome. When the opportunity arises to make another child feel welcome, we find the now grown up doctor at the airport, ready to gift a doll of welcome to a new child, a child arriving in Canada from war-torn Syria.

The Doll is an incredible, concrete story to share with children about kindness and how simple acts of generosity can change a person’s perspective, make them feel safe, make them feel welcome and help them throughout their lives. We need to show children these kindnesses through stories, real and imagined, about the power of goodwill and comfort. When children can see real life examples of how actions can have such a huge impact on others, they are able to realize how they can help to fuel the world with generosity and kindness.

The illustrations by Ravy Puth are striking, carrying the reader through the journey and telling the story along with the author’s words. There are moments of great sadness in the pictures as well as kindness and comfort.