Floating Island - Anne Parrish
Floating Island tells the story of The Dolls, a toy family shipwrecked on a tropical island. The story involves their little adventures and misadventures as they first work to find one another after the crash, and then survive island life. It's a cute premise with a few little bright spots, but not one that I am likely to ever revisit or even one that I would recommend anyone but a Newbery completist to read. I appreciate how Parrish tries to draw the young reader into the story with her little questions, explanations, etc. There were times when I really was quite amused - particularly by odd, brash Mr. Doll. I can also tell that Parrish took some pains to include descriptions about the natural world in her narrative, thus educating her young audience. That said, it just didn't come together for me. It mostly felt old-fashioned (and not in a good) and just too self-consciously earnest and cutesy.