Cindy Eagan

First sentence: Ruth Handler loved to invent. She was always thinking of new ideas for fashionable jewelry and dollhouse furniture.

Premise/plot: This is a picture book biography. Is it of Ruth Handler? Yes. In part. Is it of Barbie? Yes. In part. It is perhaps slightly limited in scope. It is the story of how Ruth Handler created/invented/marketed a doll, Barbie. It is about Ruth's vision for the doll, and the ongoing, continuing vision for the doll. That vision, that persona has changed--evolved--through the decades.

My thoughts: I think the 'wow' factor of this one (if it has one) is the artwork. Amy June Bates was able to 'capture' the many, many, many, many, many 'looks' and 'styles' of Barbie as she has involved from 1959 to the book's publication in 2017. These illustrations will pack NOSTALGIA for adult readers. For children, perhaps, more of an opportunity for context and backstory. It might be a good introduction to all Barbie has been and has meant--in the past. Of course, Barbie is never solely defined by her past. She's never solely defined at all.

I think one of the strengths of the narrative of this picture book is that while, yes, Barbie is a "singular" icon packed--for better or worse--with meaning, she is also defined by each and every child who has a doll. She is WHO YOU imagine her to be.… (meer)

Cindy Egans tells the generic story of how Ruth Handler came to invent Barbie. The book begins when Ruth noticed her daughter playing with paper dolls, and crafting together stories for the paper dolls as adults. At the time, young girls only had baby dolls to play with, no adult dolls were available yet. Ruth took this idea to the men at her shared company with her husband, Mattel. The men suggested this idea would never sell, which motivated Ruth to create the perfect product. In 1959 at the Toy Fair, Barbie was introduced to the world. The book goes on to show Barbie changing with the world, as she developed a variety of careers, wardrobe changes, and new friends. Ruth wanted Barbie to inspire girls to become whatever they wanted, and used Barbie for this purpose. The book includes interesting facts, such as Astronaut Barbie going to the moon 4 years before humans did in 1969. This book, does not include any information about the challenges Barbie faced with diversity and body images. I believe Eagan chose to leave out the negative reviews of Barbie, and to keep the book uplifting. There are always two sides to the story, and Eagan definitely stuck to one. On that note, Eagan does highlight how Barbie did inspire girls to create different goals for their lives. Before Barbie, girls didn't have an adult toy to play with and to imagine their own lives through. The book also doesn't include any additional access features such as an author's note, source notes, or references. I would recommend this book to pre-school through elementary school, however for older students I would suggest pairing this book with a more thorough explanation of Barbie's history.… (meer)

A beautifully illustrated picture book about Barbie--the most famous doll in the world--and her visionary creator, Ruth Handler. After watching her daughter playing with paper dolls Ruth had the idea to create the Barbie doll. Mattel at first was reluctant to the idea but with persistence she was able to get Barbie into the toy fair and the rest is history. The story is written for a very young audience. Their seems to be a gap in the story where we learn that Mattel was not interested in her idea then a few pages later Mattle is showing the doll at a toy fair. That was a big leap in the story with wish they would have made this transition better. But overall the message to pursue your dreams come across.… (meer)