Where to Wednesday: A Very Special Trip To The American Girl Store & Details On Their New Line

My absolute favorite books to read are historical fiction. I don’t get nearly as much time to read anymore as I wish, but my long list of the books I’d like to read are all historical fiction. I credit this love of reading historical fiction to the first series of books I really loved: the books about the American Girl, Molly. I can remember my mom reading them to me and then learning to read them on my own. I was fascinated with her story and learning about World War II. I loved the character Molly and all of her adventures. I was shocked to learn that my own grandfathers had served in the war, just like Molly’s dad. Making this connection between the story of Molly and that the war was “real life” was memorable and led to a life time of enjoying books just like this. 

This all being said, having the opportunity to meet Valerie Tripp, the author, was truly a special experience. Getting to talk to her about all of the books she’s written and having her interact with Maggie and Alex was even more special. It was neat to thank the author that really sparked my love of reading and to have her talk to my two little girls, who are just learning to read themselves. 

We had been to the American Girl store before, but this was really a special trip! We were invited to the store before the doors opened to the public. We got to run around and explore first thing in the morning and then head to the Cafe for breakfast and to meet Valerie. She was there to talk to a group of us about her new stories that go with the new line of American Girl dolls, WellieWishers. 

This new line is geared towards girls 5 to 7. With Alex turning 5 in a few months and Maggie being 6 and a half, I was eager to learn about the new line.  

The WellieWishers are a a group of 5 friends (5 dolls) that are all about helping kindness and friendship bloom. They are all sweet and silly and they all have the same wish: to be a good friend. The dolls are a little smaller than the traditional American Girl dolls. They do not have soft bodies and are easy to dress. They are a great stepping stone between the Bitty Baby and the American Girl doll. 

It was a joy to hear Valerie Tripp talk about writing the WellieWishers books. You can tell she puts some much love and learning into these stories (and all her books). As a mother of two little girls, I found it very interesting to hear her talk about the fact that the key time to teach girls about empathy is from 5-7. This was very important in the writing of the stories. While the stories are really cute and fun for little girls, as I read them the book I can really feel the lesson of empathy and kindness come through. 

I will definitely continue to read the girls the entire series as I feel the books do a tremendous job of teaching these VERY important life lessons without sounding “over teach-y” to the little ones listening. The books also have a lot more pictures and are easier to read (reading level wise) than the American Girl books that go along with the other dolls. We’ve already read our first WellieWishers book at least 5 times since last week and we can’t wait to get another book. 

I would highly recommend WellieWishers dolls and books for girls ages 5-7. They are adorable, fun toys to play with and the books are educational and a pleasure to read. There’s an animated series on it’s way where it will be fun for girls to see their Wellie Wishers in action. For details on the full line of dolls, clothes, accessories and books, head over to American Girl.