Then she added politely, “My name is Ellie.” After a moment he looked up.Įllie rubbed her eyes very hard to be sure she wasn’t asleep.

He wore a gold crown, red and white striped breeches, little red slippers, and a long red velvet cape. In the little blue velvet wingchair sat a very small man with a fat stomach, reading the dollhouse newspaper. Then, in surprise, she flopped out of bed completely and landed hard on the fuzzy rug. Slowly she hung the top half of herself out of bed, propped her hands on the floor, trying to see into the dollhouse living room.

“If you must change the furniture around you might at least leave the light on. How can I read the paper if I can’t find the light?” She almost fell out of bed with surprise. Not at all sure whether she was awake or dreaming, Ellie rolled over just as one of the little lamps in her dollhouse was turned on. There was a small bumping noise, and then the tiny voice said, “Ow! Oh, that wretched girl! She’s been changing the furniture around again! OW! My knee!” In the hushed softness of the summer night, Ellie could just hear the sound, which seemed to come from somewhere beside her bed.Įllie’s eyes opened suddenly, and she lay very still, listening. “Oh, drat!” said the tiniest voice in the world. Because of their enduring appeals, a number of Clapp’s novels are still available to purchase. Elizabeth: The Story of the First Woman Doctor (1974), I’m Deborah Sampson: A Soldier in the War of the Revolution (1977), Witches’ Children: A Story of Salem (1982), and The Tamarack Tree: A Novel of the Siege of Vicksburg (1986).

Clapp went on to write the ghost story Jane-Emily (1969), as well as the historical novels Dr. When Clapp learned in the course of genealogy research that one of her forbears was Constance Hopkins, who had been a passenger on the Mayflower at age fourteen, she was inspired to write the novel Constance: A Story of Early Plymouth (1968), which was nominated for the National Book Award. After she married and became a mother, she began writing plays for children, eventually publishing more than twenty (as well as a few for adults). As a young woman, she attended the Columbia University School of Journalism.

Patricia Clapp (1912–2003) was a beloved author of fiction for children.

Jane emily by patricia clapp