Once there was a little doll. Her name was Edith. She lived in a nice house and had everything she needed except someone to play with. She was lonely! Then one morning Edith looked into the garden and there stood two bears! Since it was first published in 1957, The Lonely Doll has established itself as a unique children's classic. Through innovative photography Dare Wright brings the world of dolls to life and entertains us with much more than just a story. Edith, the star of the show, is a doll from Wright's childhood, and Wright selected the bear family with the help of her brother. With simple poses and wonderful expressions, the cast of characters is vividly brought to life to tell a story of friendship.

Edith, the doll featured in Dare Wright's best-selling "The Lonely Doll" book series, together with her friends, Mr. Bear and Little Bear, leave their city home for a vacation on Ocracoke Island in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Their summer is spent playing on pristine beaches, discovering the seaside wildlife, getting acquainted with wild ponies, and imagining adventures on the high seas. Little Bear ignores Mr. Bear's warning never to go on a boat without him, and he and Edith soon find themselves drifting dangerously out to sea. Luckily Mr. Bear comes to their rescue, and the two learn a valuable lesson before their vacation ends.

Edith, the doll featured in Dare Wright's best-selling "The Lonely Doll" book series, together with her friends, Mr. Bear and Little Bear, spend a summer vacation on a farm in the mountains of upstate New York. They explore the nooks and crannies of a very large barn, and find the barnyard and hillsides an irresistible playground. It is not long before Edith falls in love with an adorable calf. Mr. Bear, however, will not give Edith permission to bring the calf back to their home in New York City. Edith then tries convincing him to let her keep a newborn colt or a baby lamb, but Mr. Bear will have nothing to do with the adoption of a large farm animal to keep them company in their apartment in New York City. When Edith discovers a tiny kitten living in the hayloft, she’s certain that she has found the perfect pet, and waits for the right moment to ask Mr. Bear if she can keep it. But before that happens, the kitten gets stuck on the highest beam in the barn. Edith’s plan to rescue the kitten by having Little Bear hoist her up in a basket goes awry when they both end up dangling over the straw. Mr. Bear comes to their rescue, lowering Little Bear gently, and making sure that Edith and the kitten get safely down in the basket. He agrees that Edith can keep her kitten, and the vacation ends happily.

The doll learns a lesson.

Mr. Bear's expensive clock fascinates Edith. She just has to touch it. But when she does, it falls down with a crash. Unable to admit that she has broken it, Edith's guilty conscience makes her so unhappy that she can't even enjoy her birthday party. In fact, Edith feels so badly about lying to Mr. Bear that she contemplates running away. What happens next makes for a timeless story that will resonate with anyone who has ever tried to cover up the truth. Dare Wright's innovative black-and-white photographs make EDITH AND MR. BEAR as intriguing as it was when first published in 1964.

A Gift from the Lonely Doll was first published in 1966 and is one of the most frequently requested and fondly remembered books in the Lonely Doll series by the author/photographer Dare Wright. A Gift from the Lonely Doll again features Edith and her friends, Mr. Bear and Little Bear, and a generous act of kindness that helps all of them understand and celebrate the meaning of the holidays.

Edith and Little Bear misbehave and go off into the woods where a black and white bear lives - a bear who is rumored to be bad!

When Mr. Bear decides to move them out of the dirty city, Edith and Little Bear try to clean up the town so they can stay.

A doll and a teddy bear attempt to capture and tame their dream horse.

Text and photographs show how Edith the doll and her teddy bear companions care for a duckling after its mother disappears.