“Pleasant Roland created a collection of magical moments for girls – moments that strengthened the bonds between girls and their mothers, grandmothers, and aunts for generations.”
Okay, if you know me at ALL on this website – you KNOW I was going to devour this book the minute it was released.
And let me tell you, this is EVERYTHING I dreamed of and more. Absolutely stunning.
This giant coffee table book goes into the origins of the American Girl Company then provides deep dives into the first six of the historical dolls (Samantha, Kirsten, Molly, Felicity, Addy, and Josefina). It also provides an in depth look at the American Girl Magazine and the American Girl Place (their stores).
I found it incredibly cool to learn so much about how this company started – it is exceedingly rare to have a business start because they wanted to focus on letting girls experience the history through era appropriate and accurate dolls.
Now, you may be wondering whether this book is worth your time if you’ve read all the books.
Well, let me tell you, I have read just over 200 books written for the American Girl Company and even so – I learned so much!
It was fascinating to see the early sketches of Samantha’s character, to see the Wisconsin Historical Society’s real-life dresses that were used as inspiration for the dolls, and to learn just how much research went into each and ever piece showcased in a collection.
As someone who got into American Girl rather later that most, I have always been blown away by the depth of the stories and now I’m equally fascinated by how dedicated the company was to showcasing these stories based on real research.
The fact that the company would spend years (yes, years (plural!)) researching and consulting various historical and cultural societies in order to ensure that their dolls were era and culturally appropriate down to the last detail is EXACTLY what I love about this franchise.
Overall, if you want a love letter to the original historical American Girl dolls then this is the book for you.
Also, note: this book does not go into any of the other historical girls past Josefina, and it does not cover Girl of the Year or the Beforever era other than broad strokes.
Miranda Reads 