Barbie Developer: Ruth Handler: Barbie Developer (Toy Trailblazers Set 1)

In this engaging biography, readers will learn about the developer of the Barbie doll, Ruth Handler. Follow the story of Handler's early work with her husband Elliott making and selling plastic products, their collaboration with Harold Matson to form Mattel, Handler's inspiration for a new kind of doll, and the company's introduction of Barbie in 1959. Readers will follow Barbie's evolution through the ensuing decades as Handler continuously reinvented Barbie to appeal to new generations. Learn how Barbies are made, who came up with the name, the role of the Mickey Mouse Club in Barbie's success, and about other Mattel products. Handler's family and her retirement as president from Mattel and her subsequent work for cancer survivors with her new company Nearly Me is also covered. Sidebars, historic photos, and a glossary enhance readers' understanding of this topic. Additional features include a table of contents, an index, a timeline and fun facts. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Checkerboard Library is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.

Gr 4–6—Students will savor these informative and fast-paced titles on the fascinating, sometimes quirky histories behind the visionary inventors of popular toys. Surprisingly, Crayola and LEGO's wordy descriptions of product production include only one small stock color photo each, whereas the other titles explain their methods creatively, with plenty of explanatory colored graphics. Brief chapters keep reading pace brisk. "Fun Facts" sidebars offer entertaining, educational bits of trivia and striking covers, colored banners, and numerous high-quality black-and-white and color photos of the products appropriately enliven the playful appearance. VERDICT These slim volumes should prove as popular as their namesakes in public and school libraries. Use in units on business/economics, inventors, and popular culture.