Lea Clark is American Girl's 2016 Girl of the Year. Lea is a photographer and animal lover who goes on the adventure of a lifetime when she travels to Brazil with her family. As always, American Girl has tied the release of the new GOTY to a worthy cause: saving wildlife. The company will be contributing $50,000 to the World Wildlife Fund, and donating $1 to WWF with every purchase of a plush animal in Lea's collection -- a rainforest cat, a sloth, or a sea turtle -- up to $100,000. In addition, girls are encouraged to host an art sale and donate the proceeds to WWF.
Even more exciting is the new American Girl Beforever girl, Melody Ellison! She is the first African American character doll released by American Girl since Cecile Rey in 2011. Year after year, The Pea and I have been hoping for an AGOTY of color. Obviously the AGOTY for 2016 is white, but having a new Beforever girl of color is just as good. Melody is a girl who loves music and singing, living in Detroit during the Civil Rights Movement of the 60's. I'm so glad that American Girl is highlighting this portion of American History, especially with the recent Black Lives Matter movement. It's so important for young girls to understand how our past has shaped our present, and Melody's story will really help them get there. It has a been a long, 5-year wait, but when Melody comes out this summer, it will be worth it!
Disclosure: I did not receive a sample or monetary compensation for this post. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
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My little lady will be 8 in November and loves art and animals. Her favorite subjects to draw are her pet chickens. We will do an art sale later this year to contribute money to the WWF. We also help wildlife by gardening organically. All the bugs, frogs and snakes that visit our yard thank us.
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