Book Crafts for A Doll's Bookcase

Left, the bookcase stands empty, ready to fill with doll sized books. Right, a comparison in size
to one of our 18" American Girl dolls.  I love how this curio cabinet is in perfect scale to
our dolls. It looks just like a bookcase you might find in a traditional library or den.
See also a bookcase made for Barbie and friends here.

       Above is a curio cabinet that I purchased from resale. It is plastic made to look like faux wood and it is the perfect size for our 18" dolls. The interior is lined with a velvet like red paper and there are small plastic finials at the top, faux "carved flowers" under the arches and false drawers at the bottom that include metal handles. All in all it's a pretty fancy bookcase for a doll!

Left, pretend books made from wrapped cardboard pieces and printed book covers cut from
 a magazine about books. Center, are the nice miniature books made for American Girl Dolls.
 These come with actual printed stories on the inside. Right are faux books without pages.
 I simply cut cardboard shaped books and wrapped faux leather, paper and vinyl
around one spine and two sides. 

How we like to organize books at our house:

• Heaviest books at the bottom of the bookcase, so that the bookcase remains stable. These usually include folios. Folios and medium sized heavy books are alternated in stacks and upright patterns
• Books for children on the second from the lowest shelf, so that these may be removed by children to look at freely.
• Books then organized under common topics: Bibles, History, Crafts and How To, Art History and Lesson Planning, Botany Interests and Gardening, Cookbooks and Juvenile Literature
• Small books are usually given a shelf of their own. This shelf is adjusted to keep the small books tightly packed. 
• Novels are are always filed together.
• Movies are given shelves of their own, most frequently at the top of the bookcase.

Different Ways to Organize Your Doll's Books:

• Organize by size, shape or color
• Organize by content, author or title
• Alphabetical Order
• Organize by alternative color patterns
• Organize spines out or inverted
• Stacked and Standing alternated
• Displayed with dust jackets
• All folios laying stacked and everything else standing upright
• Alternating with ornamental items, photos, clocks and keepsakes

Sometimes the dolls even keep magazines among their books; I know I 
do. Here are a few printable titles about school that our dolls have 
kept from many years ago. Print them on home computers for 
personal crafts to add to your own doll library if you like.