The Marian Childhood of John Mary Vianney (I)
When John went out to the fields to herd his father’s sheep, he enjoyed kneading the clay-like soil into small statues of the Blessed Virgin and the saints as best he could. His sister told me that John had once made a fairly good statue of the Blessed Virgin. So they had it baked in a kiln and kept it in their home a long time.
Later, someone gave John a statuette of the Blessed Virgin as a gift and this made him very happy. He kept it close to him both day and night. (Catherine Lassagne 'The Virgin Mary and the Curé of Ars')