Edward Hopper: Painter of Light and Shadow

The Quilts of Gee's Bend

Balloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade

Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks

Women in Art: 50 Fearless Creatives Who Inspired the World

Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré

We Will Not Be Silent: The White Rose Student Resistance Movement That Defied Adolf Hitler

Alexander Hamilton: The Making of America

An inspiring, uplifting picture book biography about iconic doll creator Madame Alexander, whose love for dolls and bringing joy to others began at a young age and only continued to grow.

Someday, she thought, I will make dolls that don’t break so children will never be unhappy.

Beatrice Alexander’s family ran a doll hospital in their home in New York’s Lower East Side, where she grew to love fixing and making dolls. Beatrice dreamed of becoming an artist, but her family couldn’t afford to send her to sculpting school. She never stopped dreaming, even as she stayed home, graduated from high school, and got married. When World War I broke out, she came up with the idea to make unbreakable, cloth dolls modeled after nurses to support the war effort and help keep children happy. After the war, Beatrice founded Madame Alexander and redefined the doll industry, creating some of the first plastic and collectible dolls, dolls that never break.

With beautiful, vivid art by Sarah Dvojack, author Susan Goldman Rubin tells the powerful story of savvy, feminist entrepreneur Beatrice Alexander, who founded the Madame Alexander Doll Company and became one of America’s most celebrated toy makers.

Discover Your Child's Next Read

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Balloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade

Melissa Sweet, 2011

Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks

Suzanne Slade, Cozbi A. Cabrera, 2020

Women in Art: 50 Fearless Creatives Who Inspired the World

Rachel Ignotofsky, 2019

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Anika Aldamuy Denise, Paola Escobar, 2019

We Will Not Be Silent: The White Rose Student Resistance Movement That Defied Adolf Hitler

Russell Freedman, 2016

Alexander Hamilton: The Making of America

Teri Kanefield, 2017