Looking to identify a story about a family of dolls that come to life one day each year (NOT on Christmas Eve). The dolls, which belong to a little girl, have their own house – outside of the girl’s house, I believe. The dolls have a maid, and one of their legs is inadvertently glued on backwards by the girl’s dad
Very likely The Book of Live Dolls by Josephine Scribner Gates, which is told in three parts: The Story of Live Dolls, More About Live Dolls, and The Story of the Three Dolls. The doll with the leg problem is Dinah, the cook. See Solved Mysteries.
I’ve got that one! It’s actually a series, “Live Dolls” by Josephine Scribner Gates. back at the beginning of the 20th century. Alice and her doll Rosabell find a message from the Queen of Dolls, who enchants all the dolls in Cloverdale town to come to life for several weeks one summer, and for the Christmas holidays in the next book. Alice also has a doll family who live in a play/dollhouse in the back yard.The doll with the backwards leg is Dinah the black cook, who has to hobble around, as it can’t be broken off again while she’s “alive”, though she tries to be good nature’d about it. Worse, she ends up with both legs backwards in the second book. (Dinah’s accent is sadly stereotypical, one reason I doubt these books will ever be reprinted.) The girls and dolls have many genteel adventures, including tea parties, beach picnics, and picking clothing from magical trees on the Doll Farm. Hope this helps.
Thanks to both of you! This is indeed the story I was seeking, and I didn’t know there were more stories, so I’m doubly pleased.