KatyComesNext

Katy Comes Next by Laura Bannon, 1959.

Ruth is little girl whose parents own a doll hospital. She has always been proud and fascinated by how her parents can make old or damaged dolls beautiful again.

KatyComesNextDollShop

However, Ruth’s own beloved doll, Katy, is in need of repair herself. As her parents rush around repairing dolls for their customers, they keep assuring her that Katy’s turn will come next.

KatyComesNextRuthsFather

After being put off repeatedly, Ruth starts to think that poor Katy will never get the attention that she needs.

KatyComesNextRuthMending

When Ruth’s parents realize how discouraged she is, they decide to take a day off for Katy to come first.

KatyComesNextFatherPaintSpray

This was one of absolute favorites when I was little!  The pictures alternate between black and white and color and show the process that Ruth’s parents go through to repair Katy, repaint her body and features, and give her new hair and eyes.

KatyComesNextWigs
KatyComesNextClothesTrunk

Ruth also gets to pick out an entirely new wardrobe for Katy. I was always fascinated with the description of how Ruth’s parents fixed the doll, and I enjoyed imagining the doll clothes that I would have selected from the ones they showed in the pictures.  Making the choices is half the fun!

KatyComesNextDresses
KatyComesNextPajamas

When Katy is finally finished, she looks beautiful, and Ruth is happy!  This is one of the many out of print children’s books that I wish would come back into print!

KatyComesNextPartyDress

6 thoughts on “Katy Comes Next”

  1. There are so many good things about this book – the family members’ relationships with each other, the wonderfulness and care of old toys, the satisfaction of having one great toy that meant a lot to you instead of a dozen shaggy Barbies. I just saw a copy for sale on Amazon for $198, which means this wonderful story will never reach very many people. THIS IS AN IDEAL SITUATION FOR “publish on demand,” where a digital copy of the book is uploaded to one of many PoD publishers (by someone who owns the rights to reproduce and do this), and people who want to own the book just buy the copy they want, and it is created on the spot by the printer. This is not an expensive process, people just have to agree to do it.

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    1. I would love to see this book back in print! The truth is that I’ve never owned a complete copy of this book. I think my mom got it for me at a used book sale or garage sale when I was a kid, and it’s always had one torn page. Since the book is such a collector’s item now, it’s unlikely that I’m going to find a complete copy unless the book gets reprinted. I have no idea who currently owns the rights, though.

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  2. Hi Jess, a childhood book I have been searching for is a picture book for which I don’t have a title, but it was about a family deciding what color to paint their house. I am 72 years old, so I think this would have been published in the 1950s. Any thoughts?

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      1. If that’s the book, it looks like it’s still in print, but you can also borrow it for free through Internet Archive to have a look at it first: https://archive.org/details/houseoffourseaso0000roge

        If you use Internet Archive, you’ll have to sign up for an account, but that’s just to keep track of your borrows. It’s an online library, and it doesn’t cost anything to use or create an account. You read the books in your browser window, and they automatically “return” themselves when your time runs outs. They just disappear from your borrows.

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