Josefina: An American Girl Boxed Set (American Girls Collection Series: Josefina #1-6)
American Girl is an American line of 18-inch dolls released originally in 1986 by Pleasant Company (now Mattel). The dolls portray eight- to eleven-year-old girls of a variety of ethnicities. A line of books was developed for each character told from the viewpoint of the girls. Originally the stories focused on various periods of American history, but were expanded in 1995 to include contemporary characters and stories. Josefina Montoya is a young Mexican girl living in 1824 New Mexico with her extended family. She and her family (including her oldest sister, Ana who is married to Tomas and has two sons, and her two other sisters (vain and headstrong Francisca and practical and sensible Clara) must adapt following the death of their mother before the books and the introduction of their mother's sister, Tía Dolores (who later marries Josefina's widowed father), to the family circle. Josefina dreams of becoming a healer like her grandmother and is taught in this by her aunt, Magdalena, her father's sister. Josefina has a pet goat named Sombrita. Themes include adjustment to loss, day-to-day life of the Mexican people, and the cultural and societal changes and influences that occurred once Mexico opened trade routes with the US. Josefina's family speaks Spanish and there are Spanish words and phrases in her books which are defined in the glossary.