The Melodious Adventures of Molly Dolly

By Susan Bourrie

Join Molly Dolly and Mistletoe Mouse, whose adventures and misadventures filled the pages of The Misadventures of Mistletoe Mouse, More Misadventures of Mistletoe Mouse, The Merry Misadventures of Mistletoe Mouse, and The Collected Misadventures of Mistletoe Mouse, as they prepare to make another Christmas terrific.

Molly Dolly has been working with Mistletoe Mouse for several years. But now he’s getting on her nerves as he hops on his noisy old typewriter and listens to music she dislikes. She’s also tired of sleeping on Santa’s lumpy old couch. So the determined doll sets out to learn what she must do to have a home and office of her own. She’s assisted by many friends, including Junior Elf and Express, the super reindeer. In addition, four beautiful new dolls are introduced. They are Black, Latina, Asian, and Indigenous.

The Melodious Adventures of Molly Dolly is sure to please children of all ages as they learn that what the world needs most is love.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Susan Bourrie
• Release date: Jan 3, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215984888

Book preview

Acknowledgements

Special thanks go out to my son, David M. Bourrie, PhD, Professor of Information Systems and Technology, who encouraged me in 2016 to independently publish my children’s books using the newest emerging platforms.

Continuing thanks go out to my daughter, Mary M. Bourrie, who as both a creative child and a skilled video game producer has encouraged me to add more books to the original Mistletoe Mouse story since it was first read to her and inspired her interest in art.

Chapter One

Strike Up the Music

Molly Dolly slept late the day after Christmas. She was dreaming about all the nice presents she had received. But most of all, she loved the new red and white dress with its bright green bow and the matching green shoes that Santa and Mrs. Claus had given her. This had been the merriest and busiest Merry Christmas that she and Mistletoe Mouse had shared since he had found her all alone in Santa’s workshop just a few years earlier. The elves had been too busy to get her ready to go on Santa’s sleigh. Her hair wasn’t curled. The bow on her dress wasn’t tied. Her pretty silver shoes were still on the workbench instead of on her little feet. She was so sad after being left behind that she cried an avalanche of snowflake tears.

After Mistletoe Mouse gave her the love she needed, Molly Dolly was determined to make sure no one ever had a terrible Christmas. Mistletoe Mouse liked her idea. Together they founded a business, Mistletoe and Molly Christmas Consultants. Their motto was, We Make Terrible Christmases Terrific. When terrible things started to happen all over the world almost every day, their mission expanded to make every day terrific. They became Mistletoe and Molly Caring Consultants.

Now Molly Dolly just wanted to rest and think about all the girls and boys Mistletoe and Molly Caring Consultants had helped. She knew that the world’s troubles were not over, and she wanted to get her strength back for the adventures and misadventures that would soon come their way.

Mistletoe Mouse didn’t want to rest. He wanted to get back to work immediately and went to the workshop to start a new to–do list as soon as the sun was shining in the sky. With Grandpa Elf using the workshop to write his book and Alexa to entertain them with music, Mistletoe Mouse was full of vim and vigor and raring to go back to work.

Molly Dolly yawned a big yawn and opened her eyes very slowly. She was an old–fashioned rag doll with stuffing that made her as nice to cuddle as a teddy bear. She wasn’t cold, like a ceramic doll made of glass and only good for looking at or collecting and admiring. She wasn’t stiff, like a plastic fashion doll. She was the kind of doll that was meant to love a child and be loved in return.

Molly Dolly stretched her arms and legs as far as they would go and wiggled her fingers and toes. Sleeping on the couch in Santa’s living room had been very cozy for many years since her first Christmas, but she was starting to dream about a home of her very own and a bed that didn’t rearrange her stuffing the way the couch cushions sometimes did. She didn’t want to hurt Santa and Mrs. Claus’s feelings, but she knew it was time to leave their cozy home. All she needed was a good reason to do so, which Mistletoe Mouse was about to give to her and make loud and clear—very, very loud and clear.

I’m done for now, Grandpa Elf told Mistletoe Mouse as he put away his pen and paper. "I’ll be back bright and early tomorrow morning to write more of my book, but it’s time to get back to work telling the little elves what to do next. Now that a new