THE SCRAP DOLL
by Liz Rosenberg & illustrated by Robin Ballard
There's no money for a store-bought doll, so Lydia's mother gives her a doll that her dad made long ago. Sarah is in such sorry shape that Lydia calls her ``Ugly Old Thing''; still, step by step, she fixes her up, eventually responding to her own improvements by loving the doll and restoring the name her mother first gave her. Ballard's spare, fine-line illustrations with minimal detail are just right for this gentle, understated story concerning the sources of affection. (Picture book. 4-8)