KAFKA AND THE DOLL

Illustrated by Rebecca Green 

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Published by Viking Books for Children 

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Also available in French, Korean, Traditional Chinese, Greek, German, Vietnamese, and Japanese. Available soon in Turkish and Simplified Chinese.

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Inspired by a true story, Kafka and the Doll recounts a remarkable gesture of kindness from one of the world’s most bewildering and iconic writers. In the fall of 1923, Franz Kafka encountered a distraught little girl on a walk in the park. She’d lost her doll and was inconsolable. Kafka told her the doll wasn’t lost, but instead, traveling the world and having grand adventures! And to reassure her, Kafka began delivering letters from the doll to the girl for weeks.

The legend of Kafka and the doll has captivated imaginations for decades as it reveals the playful and compassionate side of a man known for his dark and brooding tales. Kafka and the Doll is a testament to living life to the fullest and to the life-changing power of storytelling.

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BRAW Amazing Bookshelf Selection 

Junior Library Guild Selection 

Booklist Top Ten Historical Fiction for Youth

Nevada Young Readers' Award 2023

 

 

★ "Spun from a true anecdote and likely to move adult readers as well as younger ones, this set of quiet encounters between a writer and a child has as much going on between the spare, poetic lines as in them. . . . A tribute to the way words can change lives, as well as a rare glimpse of a writer most of us perhaps only think we know." ―Booklist, starred review

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★ "The thoughtful production elements and Alexi-Malle’s careful and clear narration recommend this audio highly for the full elementary-school age range." ―Booklist, starred review [audio book]

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★ "A winsome tale for the young, this could also be of value in high school collections where Kafka is taught." ―SLJ, starred review

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ON THE BLOGS: 

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31 Days, 31 Lists: 2021 Informational Fiction by Betsy Bird

https://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2021/12/22/31-days-31-lists-2021-informational-fiction/ 

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Writing with a Broken Tusk with Uma Krishnaswami 

https://www.umakrishnaswami.com/blog/2021/02/09/larissa-theule-on-risk-and-joy-in-kafka-and-the-doll

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Watch. Connect. Read. with John Schu  http://mrschureads.blogspot.com/2020/07/kafka-and-doll-by-larissa-theule-and.html

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Wild Things with Vermont College of Fine Arts

https://wildthings.vcfa.edu/release-interview-kafka-and-the-doll-by-larissa-theule-09/

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Rebecca Green on her illustrative process: 

https://www.myblankpaper.com/blog/2021/2/17/kafka-and-the-doll-a-one-year-bulletin-jubilation

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