American Girl Co. Does It Again!

The American Girl Company consistently turns out high quality products for young girls, and their magazine is no exception. Although advertised for girls ages 10 and up, my daughter, who recently turned nine, loves it. And so do I! I love to see her sit down and go through the magazine cover to cover when it arrives. The articles and stories spark her imagination and engage her intellect in such a fun way, she doesn't even know she's doing something educational.

Each issue comes with a paper doll and period outfits designed from a subscriber's own stories and pictures of herself, her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Reading about other family histories has caused my daughter to become interested in her own. Since her grandmother is in her seventies (she never knew her great grandmother), there is no time like the present for gathering this information. She has begun a project of interviewing and collecting anecdotes and facts.

What you won't find in American Girl is a preoccupation with looks, dieting, shopping and/or dating as in other girls' magazines. The magazine emphasizes relationships between girls and their female relatives, and curiosity about the past and present lives of women. The focus is always on positive relationships and self-esteem.

Unfortunately, American Girl only publishes six issues a year, which means a long wait between issues. At $19.95 for a year's subscription, each issue costs about the same as many paperback books for children. The magazine is rather short, but it is full of content, not advertisements. And since it is the best magazine for girls published right now, and it is worth the cost of the subscription.