Westfield 2nd Grader Tells American Doll: Create A Pandemic Doll

WESTFIELD, NJ — Alexandra "Lexi" Horvath, a second grader at Franklin Elementary School in Westfield, recently used what she learned about persuasive writing to send a letter to the company that makes the popular American Girl dolls.

“Dear American Girl Doll Company,” she wrote on April 25, “My name is Lexi Horvath and I have a few ideas for the next doll of the year. I think the doll should be about the quarantine.”

Lexi goes on to propose a name (Alexandra) and a storyline for the doll that includes distance learning, parents who are doctors, and older siblings (including a brother home from college) who are overloaded with schoolwork and unable to play with her.

She writes about how the doll could busy during the quarantine, such as building forts and drawing rainbows and other hopeful chalk art messages on the driveway.

“Her brother got really sick and her three best friends are named Lilly, Eliana, and Pippa,” she wrote.

She also included ideas for the doll’s accessories, such as “a mask to stay healthy, a laptop for distance learning, a notebook, pencil and pen for working at home, Lysol wipes and hand sanitizer to remove germs from everything, and a new puppy named Rudy since everyone is home all day to train him and play with him.”

“Earlier in the year, the second graders in the Westfield Public School District learned about persuasive writing through their Writing Workshop curriculum,” said teacher Karen Reichel. “During this pandemic, Lexi took it upon herself to use what she learned to write this heartfelt letter to the American Girl Doll Company with her opinion of what the next American Girl Doll should be like. This eye-opening letter shows the pandemic through a child’s eyes.”

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