Little Plum

'Her eyes were black glass, and she, too, had little painted eyebrows; her mouth was painted in red and looked like a half open rosebud. Her hair was black with a fringe, but she had topknot wreathed with white blossom and pinned with a tiny silver pin. She was dressed in a pale blue kimono, the colour of a pale blue winter sky, patterned with sprays of white flowers, and her sash was pink.

'We will call her Little Plum.''

This book and its prequel 'Miss Happiness and Miss Flower'

gave me much joy when I was very young.

I built the Japanese house out of two box files and furnished it as per the detailed instructions in the book.

I had to make the dolls myself too,

using ping pong balls and pipe cleaners.