There’s something tragically ironic about toys that are abandoned, à la in the Toy Story trilogy; or, worse, left unplayed on the shelf like Corduroy, who is (initially) deemed damaged goods. Like Corduroy, the eponymous doll in this story suffers the same fate, but for the opposite reason: she’s a collectible vintage doll who is considered too valuable to be played with by children, and thus sits in the window of an antique shop all day.

But, no matter what they are, all toys want to be loved and played with by a child, and vice versa — like the mailman’s daughter, Marie, who loves the beautiful vintage doll, but sadly cannot afford to bring her home.

First printed in 1957, this beautifully illustrated and charming story will make you think about whether there is a point in “collecting” toys and fastidiously keeping them in pristine condition, when they were originally designed and intended for children to play with however they pleased.

Of course, sometimes, (happy) accidents happen, and the toys’ collectible status is killed for good; then and only then might they get a new, real lease of life — like a certain vintage doll who, through a few twists of fate, finally gets to be a sweet little girl’s treasured companion.

Naturally, A Doll For Marie would be the perfect book for little girls with a treasured doll/stuffed toy of their own, especially since this reprinted edition comes with a matching doll-sized booklet for their doll to “read” along — just like in the book.