Name: Hannah for Green Mountain Doll Club
Made by and When: Nancy Revoir Dezotell, 2006
Material: Resin with a cloth body, wood base, felt, cotton, mohair
Marks: The bottom of the base reads, HANNAH / Green Mountain Medley / Region 15 / UFDC Regional Conference / Green Mountain Doll Club of Vermont / June 15-17, 2006 / Nancy Revoir Dezotell. Signed and numbered by the artist as a limited edition #42 of only 182.
Height: 12-1/2 inches
Hair, Eyes, Mouth: Black curly mohair styled in two curly pigtails with bangs; brown painted eyes, slightly parted painted-pink lips
Clothes/Accessories: Red felt dress, (replaced) white felt apron, white cotton slip, white pantaloons, molded-on red socks and black boots. The sculpted boots have real laces. Hannah has a black rag doll made from black jersey knit. The book, Hannah’s Story, by Mary E. Swasey ©2005 was included with the doll.
Other: Made by Nancy Revoir Dezotell for The Green Mountain Doll Club of Vermont’s 2006 UFDC Regional Conference, the doll was inspired by the character, Daisy, in the book Daisy and Her Doll by Michael Medearis and Angela S. Medearis (The Vermont Folklife Center, 2000). The Medearis book is based on an actual incident in the life of 8-year-old Daisy Turner, a formerly enslaved man’s daughter, who was born in Vermont in 1883. Daisy’s teacher tasked her with writing about Africa and handed her a “coal-black” doll that was not (in Daisy’s mind) as pretty as the other white dolls the teacher gave to the other students who laughed at Daisy’s doll, which caused her to become aware of the difference in her skin color and theirs. Daisy overcomes this dilemma triumphantly as she did in other aspects of her life.
Read more about the book, Daisy and Her Doll here.
The doll’s book, Hannah’s Story, tells the story about a day in Hannah’s life living in a small town in the foothills of the Green Mountains in which an Aunt Daisy is mentioned.
Read more about storyteller and poet, Daisy Turner, here.
Read more and see additional photos of the real Daisy Turner, here.
Gallery
In the video below, at age 104, Daisy Turner recites the poem, Dear Madam.
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Hello Debbie,
I read it all and followed each link… Daisy Turner was a remarkable person throughout her life! I don’t recall ever knowing about her so I’m especially grateful for this rich offering.
Have you seen the books below anywhere? We were in JC Penny’s over the weekend and they are selling two books of note. I had time to glance through one of them and found that Going Places teaches about travel in the Jim Crow south including information on The Green Book and so much more. They were displayed on the entry level with no other book displays. I am not buying any longer (I have a very large picture book collection which I acquired and used when I was teaching first grade as the school library’s collection was wanting) but Going Places is calling to me.
Warmest regards, Marjorie

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Hello Marjorie,
Thank you for reading the post and following the links to read and view the additional information about Daisy Turner. I agree, she led a remarkable, long 105-year life.
I was not familiar with the book you provided the title of in your reply nor the one you shared by email. I applaud J. C. Penney and other stores that offer children’s books and other educational materials that will teach Black history beyond the fraction of information taught in most school systems.
For anyone who might be interested the titles of the books you referenced are:
Going Places: Victor Hugo Green and His Glorious Book and Dear Black Child.
Thanks again!
dbg
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