Mary Engelbreit’s Paper Dolls

Whether you are a die-hard Mary Engelbreit fan or just love paper dolls, you (I mean your child(ren)!) are going to enjoy this set. Engelbreit is an American graphic artist and children’s book illustrator, with an array of publications and other products on the market. Her talent is bringing the innocence and fun of childhood to life in books and art.

This paper doll collection is an outgrowth of two of her popular characters, Ann Estelle and Mikayala (and little pups Henry and Maggie Lou too). The book is structured in classic paper doll style: cardstock-thick dolls to punch out and pages and pages of thinner glossy paper clothing and accessories to add to them. You do have to use a pair of scissors to cut out all of the fashion items. Anyone who grew up with paper dolls will know this is part of the fun (and for parents, this gives the book some longevity as kids will have to work hard at it to play with the pieces!). It would be very difficult for a younger child to manage the intricate cutting and folding of the clothes over the cardstock cutouts, but they may still enjoy it with a parent or older sibling.

I thoroughly enjoyed playing with these paper dolls with my daughter; I did the majority of the work on them, but it was fun to choose among the pieces and make up stories for Ann Estelle and Mikayla to act out. My only recommended change to this product (now and back in the day) is that it would be amazing if manufacturers could figure out a way to include some sort of storage pocket in the book. It’s hard to keep all the tiny paper cutouts from falling out of the book or getting lost.

Mary Engelbreit’s paper dolls are beautifully illustrated and will offer your child hours of fun. I also appreciated the opportunity to introduce my daughter to a kind of play that brought back my own girlhood memories.

Mary Engelbreit’s Paper Dolls: Fun with Ann Estelle & Mikayla

All ratings on a scale of 1 (low) to 5 (high).

Meet the Reviewer!

Sarah Wells is a working mom of a toddler daughter. She recently followed her entrepreneurial spirit and launched her own small business, which sells stylish, functional breast pump handbags (available at sarahwellsbags.com). Before starting her mom-run business, Sarah led several national nonprofit organizations. In her “spare” time she enjoys photography, travel (Thailand is her favorite destination) and really spicy food (hence her Thailand obsession).