American Girl, a premium brand for girls and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mattel, Inc introduced Gabriela McBride™, a true creative talent who uses the power of poetry to help her break down barriers and overcome a personal challenge with stuttering.
The 18-inch doll which features curly dark brown hair and brown eyes is not only a great reflection of diversity but also teaches other girls to overcome personal challenges by finding an outlet and expressing yourself.
Gabriela also comes with several performance-inspired outfits and accessories, including a dance barre, rehearsal and dance outfits, plus pretend headphones and a microphone. Additional Gabriela products and books will be available starting in spring 2017, and—for the first time—the new Girl of the Year collection will be available for a full 12 months and beyond, according to a press release by the company.
Her story, written in a series of three books by Teresa E. Harris and published by Scholastic, shows Gabriella as a quiet and creative girl growing up in a family of artists.
“Gabriela inherited a love of the arts from her parents, especially her mother, but spoken word poetry is becoming her own passion,” the release explained. “Although Gabriela often finds herself in a battle with her own words because of her stuttering, she discovers that her poetry, filled with wit and honesty, helps her speech flow more easily and gives her the confidence to find her voice to help save her beloved community arts center from being torn down.”
To connect both boys and girls with Gabby’s inspiring message, American Girl also announced a partnership with Scholastic, publisher and distributor of children’s books, to create and distribute Express Yourself, a custom curriculum program that teaches 3rd-5th grade students how to use poetry as a tool for self-expression.
Starting March 1, www.scholastic.com will host free materials including teacher lesions and corresponding classroom activities, a poetry poster, plus parent tips and learning ideas to do at home.
Also, as a part of the Express Yourself program, to celebrate National Poetry Month in through the month of April, the program will feature a poetry contest for students to help them find their creative voices and share their own personal stories, while building confidence along the way.
