Thursday, July 7, 2011

22. American Girl Magazine, July/August 2011

MAGAZINE (ages 8-13)

Brief Description: This colorful publication is beautifully designed. Included are recipes, fashion and hair tips, crafts, quizzes, and a short story with a message, but a great deal of the content is generated by readers through drawings, life stories, and true stories of good deeds. This particular issue included a fold-out poster of fun cartoons to color. Of course, there is an entire story centered around "doll fun" in which American Girl dolls are pictured on a camping trip. Adorable cut-out posters of animals are featured at the end of the publication as well as a "Help!" column in which readers request assistance for problems. The only advertisements were two pages on the inside covers for American Girl magazine itself, and American Girl's online store of doll/kid-matching dresses. Ages of readers ranged from 9 - 13.

Awards: Recommended Award, Parent's Choice, 2011

Personal Opinion: My library has carried this publication for many years, yet I have never cracked the cover! I found it beautifully photographed and written, although it seemed a bit much to have fashion tips, but that's probably just me. The stories were well written, and the interactive games and quizzes were pretty fun. I would have enjoyed coloring the poster insert, and I think I'll be trying a few of the simple recipes for library programming. I would definitely recommend this to patrons.

Programming/Curriculum: It might be fun to center a weekly craft activity on the crafts provided in the magazine; from scrapbook paper beads, to simple no-cook snacks, this publication could easily support a weekly craft activity for kids.

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