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American Girl: Molly
Molly's Craft Book
Patterns and instructions detail how to make 15 crafts, including a patriotic pinwheel, soap fish, and button collage.
44 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1994
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124 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 5, 2026
It took me a while to enjoy Molly's books but in the end I appreciated her character and was a bit sad to see her go. Luckily, I have her craft book so I can make fun decorative items alongside her.
Molly's Craft Book starts with a section "Crafts from the Past" that teaches girls about what life was like for girls Molly's age - how they had to be mindful of their clothes and toys because there were shortages. We also learn about how children would make their own toys as well as practical items.
From there we transition into five main sections:
Star-Spangled Handicrafts - this sections teaches us about why people were so patriotic in the 1940s and how Molly would have celebrated the Fourth of July. We learn about what parades were like - how children decorated their bikes and the various activities they would participate in.
--Star Whirler (a baton with glittery stars attached by ribbon)
--Patriotic Pinwheel (homemade pin wheels decorated with stars)
--Star-Stamp Stationary (create a wooden stamp with a star to decorate paper)
"V is for Victory" - we learn about victory gardens, the 'victory speed limit' (35 mph), and 'victory alarm clocks'. We also see the little ways that people incorporated the idea of victory in their lives, like writing letters on rolled up pieces of paper so they'd take up less space in mail carrier's bags or wearing "V" pins.
--Victory Garden in a Jar (this is just a terrarium, though with herbs and little figures to decorate)
--V-stitch Handkerchief (an embroidered handkerchief)
--V-J Day Parachute (a miniature parachute you can drop out of the window)
A Stitch in time - this section provides information about how women would work outside the home during the war to fill the places of soldiers in factories (and would still get paid much less). We learn about how fashion was effected by the war and how Molly and her friends would help the war effort with their crafts.
--Apple Potholder (shaped like an apple, very cute)
--Scottie Bookmark (absolutely darling - a wee flat Scottish terrier on a plaid ribbon)
--Photo Holder (made of felt and quite small, so it can be taken with you)
Rainy Day Fun - we learn about Movie Days (which were wonderful activities to do on a rainy Saturday) and other activities that Mrs. Gilford would suggest for the children to do. They would also read about Bugs Bunny and Donald Duck in their comic books or listen to shows on the radio like the Lone Ranger.
--Soap Fish (a fish carved out of soap)
--Handshake Game (fill gloves with beans and toss them to get them to 'shake hands' on a game board)
--Corral Bookends (use two wooden blocks and miniature animals to make bookends)
Odds and Ends - this section teaches us about how people would save all the scraps (the 'odds and ends') and find ways to use them. Mrs. Gilford was particularly thrifty. Ricky thought it was a silly thing to do but Molly would see potential in all the interesting bits and bobs that were saved.
--Leather-Topped Box (attach a leather scrap to a wooden box, stamp a design into it if you desire)
--Scrap-Paper Jar (decoupage tissue paper onto a glass jar)
--Button Collage (decorate a picture with buttons)
Note: The crafts that need patterns have them included in the back of the book.
Overall Thoughts:
I thought this was a fairly good set of crafts based on Molly's experience. I was a bit disappointed that several of the crafts would require one to go out and buy supplies - the book emphasized how Molly and her family would make due with items they had around the house but I don't think many people would have wooden boxes and leather scraps.
That being said, I did really like all the connections to real-life moments in history and all the bonus information given to explain why certain crafts and activities were included in this book!
Molly's Craft Book starts with a section "Crafts from the Past" that teaches girls about what life was like for girls Molly's age - how they had to be mindful of their clothes and toys because there were shortages. We also learn about how children would make their own toys as well as practical items.
From there we transition into five main sections:
Star-Spangled Handicrafts - this sections teaches us about why people were so patriotic in the 1940s and how Molly would have celebrated the Fourth of July. We learn about what parades were like - how children decorated their bikes and the various activities they would participate in.
--Star Whirler (a baton with glittery stars attached by ribbon)
--Patriotic Pinwheel (homemade pin wheels decorated with stars)
--Star-Stamp Stationary (create a wooden stamp with a star to decorate paper)
"V is for Victory" - we learn about victory gardens, the 'victory speed limit' (35 mph), and 'victory alarm clocks'. We also see the little ways that people incorporated the idea of victory in their lives, like writing letters on rolled up pieces of paper so they'd take up less space in mail carrier's bags or wearing "V" pins.
--Victory Garden in a Jar (this is just a terrarium, though with herbs and little figures to decorate)
--V-stitch Handkerchief (an embroidered handkerchief)
--V-J Day Parachute (a miniature parachute you can drop out of the window)
A Stitch in time - this section provides information about how women would work outside the home during the war to fill the places of soldiers in factories (and would still get paid much less). We learn about how fashion was effected by the war and how Molly and her friends would help the war effort with their crafts.
--Apple Potholder (shaped like an apple, very cute)
--Scottie Bookmark (absolutely darling - a wee flat Scottish terrier on a plaid ribbon)
--Photo Holder (made of felt and quite small, so it can be taken with you)
Rainy Day Fun - we learn about Movie Days (which were wonderful activities to do on a rainy Saturday) and other activities that Mrs. Gilford would suggest for the children to do. They would also read about Bugs Bunny and Donald Duck in their comic books or listen to shows on the radio like the Lone Ranger.
--Soap Fish (a fish carved out of soap)
--Handshake Game (fill gloves with beans and toss them to get them to 'shake hands' on a game board)
--Corral Bookends (use two wooden blocks and miniature animals to make bookends)
Odds and Ends - this section teaches us about how people would save all the scraps (the 'odds and ends') and find ways to use them. Mrs. Gilford was particularly thrifty. Ricky thought it was a silly thing to do but Molly would see potential in all the interesting bits and bobs that were saved.
--Leather-Topped Box (attach a leather scrap to a wooden box, stamp a design into it if you desire)
--Scrap-Paper Jar (decoupage tissue paper onto a glass jar)
--Button Collage (decorate a picture with buttons)
Note: The crafts that need patterns have them included in the back of the book.
Overall Thoughts:
I thought this was a fairly good set of crafts based on Molly's experience. I was a bit disappointed that several of the crafts would require one to go out and buy supplies - the book emphasized how Molly and her family would make due with items they had around the house but I don't think many people would have wooden boxes and leather scraps.
That being said, I did really like all the connections to real-life moments in history and all the bonus information given to explain why certain crafts and activities were included in this book!
December 1, 2020
This book gives clear instructions for how to make crafts inspired by 1940s America. Some of them are specifically patriotic in nature, and others are just general crafts inspired by the make-do, resourceful era. The author contextualizes the crafts with historical information and 1940s photograph reproductions, and also includes fun character tie-ins, like a side-note about Molly liking Wonder Woman. She totally would! :D
Some of the crafts would benefit from adult assistance, but these are all achievable for children, and use materials that kids can have easy access to. Some of them are more practical than others, but they're all interesting and look fun. Since I was obsessed with both American Girl characters and crafts when I was younger, I wish that I had pursued these books then, but alas, I almost never ventured into the nonfiction section of the library, and didn't realize how much could have been available to me.
I bought this book and the Samantha craft book used online to add an order up to free shipping, and I'm glad that I did, because I enjoyed them a lot. They are very well-designed and educational, and I now want to pursue some of the other books from the series as well.
Some of the crafts would benefit from adult assistance, but these are all achievable for children, and use materials that kids can have easy access to. Some of them are more practical than others, but they're all interesting and look fun. Since I was obsessed with both American Girl characters and crafts when I was younger, I wish that I had pursued these books then, but alas, I almost never ventured into the nonfiction section of the library, and didn't realize how much could have been available to me.
I bought this book and the Samantha craft book used online to add an order up to free shipping, and I'm glad that I did, because I enjoyed them a lot. They are very well-designed and educational, and I now want to pursue some of the other books from the series as well.
April 18, 2020
Molly's Craft Book is a supplement to the American Girls Collection. Molly's story takes place in 1944 during World War II. In the introduction it talks about how the factories were makings for the soldiers, not things that children needed like clothes and toys. So the kids got creative and put the things that they found to good use and made many of their own toys and made crafts that they used at home and sent to the soldiers.
In looking at the three projects that I picked most will be very easy to make, as long as you have the materials around the house. Otherwise these projects may not be as useful as the author wants them to be. The first project that I looked at was a Victory Garden in a Jar. The materials and directions were clearly written out. They were also easy to follow. The only problem that I would see with this project is that it was requiring gravel, potting soil, and herb seeds. If you don't have those around then this would not be a project that a child would not want to do at home. But if a teacher was going to do this as a class then I could see purchasing the materials needed.
The next project I looked at was a V-J Day Parachute. Again the materials and directions were easy to follow. This also included pictures to help make the directions even clearer. Since this requires fabric, except for maybe right now, families may not have fabric just laying around the house. But in thinking like a teacher this would be another good class project to do. I think that students would have fun making a parachute then dropping them from different heights to watch their parachutes work.
The last project that looked at was Scrap-Paper Jar. This had the same kinds of details at the previous two projects, clear list of materials, clear directions, and picture clues. This is something that a family could do at home, since most families have tissue paper for gift bags and you could use any size bottle that is laying around the house. This project is famous in elementary schools.
The one important part that really drew me to this book is that each project has a primary source picture and a description of what was going on that relates to the project. For example with the parachute. There was a bride that made her wedding dress from the parachute that saved her fiance.
As for the target audience of this book I am torn because I can see this book being used with 7-10-year-olds. But I can also see this book being used by teachers that are teaching World War II history to bring it alive. So I am going to say both.
American Girl Collection, How-to, Crafts, World War II, 1944, V is for Victory, Teacher Resource Age Recommendation 7-10-year-olds Recommended for History Teachers
In looking at the three projects that I picked most will be very easy to make, as long as you have the materials around the house. Otherwise these projects may not be as useful as the author wants them to be. The first project that I looked at was a Victory Garden in a Jar. The materials and directions were clearly written out. They were also easy to follow. The only problem that I would see with this project is that it was requiring gravel, potting soil, and herb seeds. If you don't have those around then this would not be a project that a child would not want to do at home. But if a teacher was going to do this as a class then I could see purchasing the materials needed.
The next project I looked at was a V-J Day Parachute. Again the materials and directions were easy to follow. This also included pictures to help make the directions even clearer. Since this requires fabric, except for maybe right now, families may not have fabric just laying around the house. But in thinking like a teacher this would be another good class project to do. I think that students would have fun making a parachute then dropping them from different heights to watch their parachutes work.
The last project that looked at was Scrap-Paper Jar. This had the same kinds of details at the previous two projects, clear list of materials, clear directions, and picture clues. This is something that a family could do at home, since most families have tissue paper for gift bags and you could use any size bottle that is laying around the house. This project is famous in elementary schools.
The one important part that really drew me to this book is that each project has a primary source picture and a description of what was going on that relates to the project. For example with the parachute. There was a bride that made her wedding dress from the parachute that saved her fiance.
As for the target audience of this book I am torn because I can see this book being used with 7-10-year-olds. But I can also see this book being used by teachers that are teaching World War II history to bring it alive. So I am going to say both.
American Girl Collection, How-to, Crafts, World War II, 1944, V is for Victory, Teacher Resource Age Recommendation 7-10-year-olds Recommended for History Teachers
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November 14, 2022I'm both amazed with how much America was able to come together and really "make do" with things... and how we got into this plastic crisis we are in now, almost 80 years later.
September 8, 2019
I was lucky enough to find this used at a book sale. It has lots of interesting crafts that could have been made in the 1940s when people were using materials that they had on hand, as well as lots of interesting facts about World War II on the home front. There are several crafts that would make good stocking stuffers and all crafts would be fairly easy to make with school age children.
September 11, 2024
The least exciting craft book out of all the craft books I have read so far in American Girl (the original ones). The crafts were very simple or way too complicated and they honestly didn't look that appealing to craft. However, I did enjoy the facts about Molly's time period throughout the book and little snippets about Molly's story too.
February 14, 2024
It's really interesting learning what things were scarce during the war. I think I understand now how people from this generation can become hoarders!
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September 9, 2009J745.5
January 31, 2010
Some of these crafts use things that are not normal in everday life, so you would have to buy things to do them, not like other craft books, but fun crafts during World War I period.
July 29, 2011
A book filed with fun period crafts that are attractive and apropriate for young girls.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews