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Welcome to Kirsten's World · 1854: Growing Up in Pioneer America
Fans of The American Girls Collection will love these beautiful nonfiction books. Each offers new perspectives on the past as it really was during the times of the American Girls -- from major historical events to the details of everyday life. Filled with exquisite photos, illustrations, and cutaway scenes, these large-format books also feature letters and diaries of real girls and women, boys and men, that bring the voices of yesterday to life for today's readers.
58 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
October 4, 2020
When I was a child, I missed out on reading this historical supplement series, because I had no idea that the library had it. I never ventured into the nonfiction section, apparently, and since the books were not shelved with the fictional American Girl books, I assumed that I did not have access to them. When I was a teenager, I discovered my mistake, but the only books I got around to reading were the Molly and Kit ones that a sibling had checked out. Recently, I found that only the Kirsten book is still available, and snatched up a copy.
This book is full of detailed information about Swedish immigration, pioneer life, Native American history, and issues related to slavery, which come up tangentially. This is truly an introduction into Kristen's world, not just her specific environment or life experiences, and I admire how the author managed to capture such scope while keeping the book simple for young readers. It is well-illustrated with both artwork reproductions and photographs, and covers lots of information, some of which was new to me.
I particularly admire how well the author incorporated Native American history. She distinguishes between the cultural practices and experiences of different tribes, instead of lumping all of them together, and even though she writes about their contacts with white settlers, she also writes about their independent lives. This book is far more thorough than I had imagined, and I appreciate how well it introduces readers to different groups. It is unfortunate that this book has now been out of print for years, but I would definitely recommend it, and will eventually pursue my own copy.
This book is full of detailed information about Swedish immigration, pioneer life, Native American history, and issues related to slavery, which come up tangentially. This is truly an introduction into Kristen's world, not just her specific environment or life experiences, and I admire how the author managed to capture such scope while keeping the book simple for young readers. It is well-illustrated with both artwork reproductions and photographs, and covers lots of information, some of which was new to me.
I particularly admire how well the author incorporated Native American history. She distinguishes between the cultural practices and experiences of different tribes, instead of lumping all of them together, and even though she writes about their contacts with white settlers, she also writes about their independent lives. This book is far more thorough than I had imagined, and I appreciate how well it introduces readers to different groups. It is unfortunate that this book has now been out of print for years, but I would definitely recommend it, and will eventually pursue my own copy.
July 12, 2022
When I was a little girl, that colorful American Girl catalogue that came in the mail every so often was one of my favorite things. Kirsten was one of the first three American Girls, and I read all the stories about her. So when my own daughter was learning about pioneers in America, we looked at the local library and found those stories I enjoyed as a girl, and this book that went into more details.
This book builds on the stories about Kirsten, but you don't really have to be familiar with the character to enjoy this book. This focuses more on the general experience of immigrants to America, who headed west once they arrived here by boat in the mid 1800s, rather than specifically on Kirsten's fictionalized story. Fans will find references to those stories, though, in the midst of historical details and brightly colored, informative photos and artwork.
Very enjoyable.
This book builds on the stories about Kirsten, but you don't really have to be familiar with the character to enjoy this book. This focuses more on the general experience of immigrants to America, who headed west once they arrived here by boat in the mid 1800s, rather than specifically on Kirsten's fictionalized story. Fans will find references to those stories, though, in the midst of historical details and brightly colored, informative photos and artwork.
Very enjoyable.
February 19, 2024
I checked this out after watching Babbity Kate's 5 hour deep dive on the American Girl Kirsten, and it really is a strong complementary material to the immigrant/frontier world of 1854. Very well balanced with immigrant, pioneer, and indigenous life in Minnesota territory including a chapter on the Sioux uprising (which does not take place in Kirsten's books but would've been something that happened during her teenage years). Some sections remind me of the Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness books which is neat.
I might look for the other Welcome to books later.
I might look for the other Welcome to books later.
December 16, 2024
its insane how much better this book is about representing native americans when comparing to the main series. its night and day.
this is AG at it's best. historical details explained in a way a 9 year old can understand. the ending peak into the future was also just... so sweet.
this is AG at it's best. historical details explained in a way a 9 year old can understand. the ending peak into the future was also just... so sweet.
July 5, 2018
I read this slowly over a few weeks and I enjoyed it! I liked learning about some of the real history that inspired stories like Kirsten's and even Laura Ingalls Wilder's books. It wasn't a page turner but it was was packed with information and I wasn't bored even though this was written for a much younger reading level. I am planning to read all of the American Girl books in chronological order and I think I will also be reading each of their "Welcome to..." books as well.
May 14, 2018
I've never read The American Girl series about Kirsten, but I ran across this nonfiction book about what things were like in her world and I thought it looked interesting. The illustrations and photographs are beautiful and the captions and stories informative. I learned a lot about Swedish immigrants and the Dakota Indian Tribe.
August 18, 2025
Full of pictures and historical facts.
February 20, 2026
This nonfiction book a wonderful addition to the Kirsten set.
This one focuses a little about Kirsten's life in Sweden then expands upon the historical context behind the events from Kirsten's Story. It rounds out with the broader picture of a settler's life and the various conflicts and challenges they lived through.
Without further ado, here's the review!
Introduction: Welcome to Kirsten's World -- Here we get a brief look into what Kirsten's life was like in Sweden - including the hardships her family endured. We learn how people packed in the 1850s, traveled across the world and what about America drew them in.
Chapter 1: The New Land -- This section delves into Kirsten's arrival at America. It focuses on what the immigration experience was like for new arrivals in New York and the further travels to Chicago for Kirsten's family. We also get more information about riverboats and the class system divides.
Chapter 2: Settling In -- Here we learn about how settlers took wild lands and turned them into farm fields. We get information about how settlers built their houses from wood and mud. This section includes a bit about the Dakota tribe homes. There are sections about how adults had fun on the prairie, "sparking" (courtship patterns), and weddings.
Chapter 3: Frontier Life -- Once the farms have been plowed and the houses built, the settlers needed to maintain their homestead. There's a deep dive on the daily life for settlers and the Dakota as well as the seasonal aspects of homesteading life. There's a section about the horrors of grasshoppers and the rudimentary medicine available to settlers. We also learn about Settler and Native American childhoods and fashion.
Chapter 4: A Rich Mix -- This section focuses on the culture of the time. We begin with "Little Sweden" - ways that the Swedish Immigrants kept their culture alive through dress, keepsakes, and holidays. Then the perspective broadens to what sort of cultures were present in Minnesota at that time and what their towns would look like.
Chapter 5: Dakota Conflict -- Here we learn about the introduction of "Reservations" and the heartache that many Native American tribes experienced due to the American Government. From there we transition to the Dakota Conflict and a few stories about the people involved and the battles that were fought. We end with the aftermath of the war and a brief blurb about the Dakota Today and what Kirsten's life would have been like during the conflict.
Overall Thoughts -- I KNOW I keep saying this but I am so freaking impressed by the American Girl Series.
I really liked how this book took the events from the first couple of Kirsten's books and really expanded upon the various events - citing historical facts, providing diagrams of transportation, and so much more.
I felt like I was learning something new with each page - from babies to weddings to barn raising to conflicts - it was fascinating. I'm really excited to read more of these as I continue my way through the American Girl Series!
More reviews in the Kirsten-verse
Main Series:
Meet Kirsten - ★★★★☆
Kirsten Learns a Lesson - ★★★★☆
Kirsten's Surprise - ★★★★★
Happy Birthday, Kirsten - ★★★★☆
Kirsten Saves the Day - ★★★★☆
Changes for Kirsten - ★★★☆☆
Kirsten's Boxed Set - ★★★★☆
Short Stories:
Kirsten on the Trail - ★★★☆☆
Kirsten and the New Girl - ★★★★☆
Kirsten Snowbound - ★★★★★
Kirsten and the Chippewa - ★★★★☆
Kirsten's Promise - ★★★★★
Kirsten's Short Story Collection - ★★★★☆
Additional History Books
Kirsten's Cookbook - ★★★★★
Kirsten's Craft Book - ★★★★★
Kirsten's Theater Kit - ★★★★☆
Welcome to Kirsten's World · 1854 - ★★★★★
Mystery Book:
The Runaway Friend - ★★★★★
Additional Picture Reader Books
Happy Birthday! - ★★★★☆
Happy Holidays! - ★★★★★
Time for School! - ★★★★☆
This one focuses a little about Kirsten's life in Sweden then expands upon the historical context behind the events from Kirsten's Story. It rounds out with the broader picture of a settler's life and the various conflicts and challenges they lived through.
Without further ado, here's the review!
Introduction: Welcome to Kirsten's World -- Here we get a brief look into what Kirsten's life was like in Sweden - including the hardships her family endured. We learn how people packed in the 1850s, traveled across the world and what about America drew them in.
Chapter 1: The New Land -- This section delves into Kirsten's arrival at America. It focuses on what the immigration experience was like for new arrivals in New York and the further travels to Chicago for Kirsten's family. We also get more information about riverboats and the class system divides.
Chapter 2: Settling In -- Here we learn about how settlers took wild lands and turned them into farm fields. We get information about how settlers built their houses from wood and mud. This section includes a bit about the Dakota tribe homes. There are sections about how adults had fun on the prairie, "sparking" (courtship patterns), and weddings.
Chapter 3: Frontier Life -- Once the farms have been plowed and the houses built, the settlers needed to maintain their homestead. There's a deep dive on the daily life for settlers and the Dakota as well as the seasonal aspects of homesteading life. There's a section about the horrors of grasshoppers and the rudimentary medicine available to settlers. We also learn about Settler and Native American childhoods and fashion.
Chapter 4: A Rich Mix -- This section focuses on the culture of the time. We begin with "Little Sweden" - ways that the Swedish Immigrants kept their culture alive through dress, keepsakes, and holidays. Then the perspective broadens to what sort of cultures were present in Minnesota at that time and what their towns would look like.
Chapter 5: Dakota Conflict -- Here we learn about the introduction of "Reservations" and the heartache that many Native American tribes experienced due to the American Government. From there we transition to the Dakota Conflict and a few stories about the people involved and the battles that were fought. We end with the aftermath of the war and a brief blurb about the Dakota Today and what Kirsten's life would have been like during the conflict.
Overall Thoughts -- I KNOW I keep saying this but I am so freaking impressed by the American Girl Series.
I really liked how this book took the events from the first couple of Kirsten's books and really expanded upon the various events - citing historical facts, providing diagrams of transportation, and so much more.
I felt like I was learning something new with each page - from babies to weddings to barn raising to conflicts - it was fascinating. I'm really excited to read more of these as I continue my way through the American Girl Series!
More reviews in the Kirsten-verse
Main Series:
Meet Kirsten - ★★★★☆
Kirsten Learns a Lesson - ★★★★☆
Kirsten's Surprise - ★★★★★
Happy Birthday, Kirsten - ★★★★☆
Kirsten Saves the Day - ★★★★☆
Changes for Kirsten - ★★★☆☆
Kirsten's Boxed Set - ★★★★☆
Short Stories:
Kirsten on the Trail - ★★★☆☆
Kirsten and the New Girl - ★★★★☆
Kirsten Snowbound - ★★★★★
Kirsten and the Chippewa - ★★★★☆
Kirsten's Promise - ★★★★★
Kirsten's Short Story Collection - ★★★★☆
Additional History Books
Kirsten's Cookbook - ★★★★★
Kirsten's Craft Book - ★★★★★
Kirsten's Theater Kit - ★★★★☆
Welcome to Kirsten's World · 1854 - ★★★★★
Mystery Book:
The Runaway Friend - ★★★★★
Additional Picture Reader Books
Happy Birthday! - ★★★★☆
Happy Holidays! - ★★★★★
Time for School! - ★★★★☆
February 6, 2023
Despite Kirsten not being my favorite Americal girl.(My favorite is Felicity) I really like ths nonfiction companion to the Kirsten series. It feels like a Museum in a book .I love how it drew Parallels between Kirsten's fictional story and the Real life of the pioneers . I love the Peek into the future page .It helps me to Imagine teen/adult Kirsten. Overall these books are a great way to learn more the historical setting of the AG characters. I think AG should start making these again. A war of 1812 one for Caroline would be awesome .
April 25, 2023
Explores what life was like growing up in pioneer times in America through the lens of the American Girl doll Kirsten Larson, a Swedish immigrant. I like that the book gives equal attention to the Native Americans of the time as it does the white settlers.
Read
June 30, 2023I'll give this book credit for talking a lot more about Native Americans than Kirsten's own books did (despite her being friends with Singing Bird). Honestly, it makes me wish yet again that they wrote the Kirsten series from Singing Bird's perspective instead of a mediocre white settler.
January 25, 2024
I really enjoyed learning about life during Pioneer times. It was rough! I learned about sod houses built into hills that would flood with mud and snakes when it rained, and how the Native Americans used bone needles and buffalo tendons to sew and dyed porcupine quills to decorate clothes.
July 11, 2020
Fascinating, maybe partially because I grew up in the same places talked about in the book.
January 31, 2021
Some really interesting information about immigrant pioneers, and there's a serious effort to include Native experiences.
Want to Read
June 21, 2023The book is totally good.
April 4, 2025
Far more about the Dakota and Ojibway in there than I'd expected to find.
November 30, 2025
Fascinating historical facts, lots of cool pictures and artifacts.
May 22, 2014
Having no children of my own, I'm a little bit clueless about the whole American Girls craze. I know there are dolls and fiction books and stores. However, I didn't know that there are nonfiction books as well. When I scooped this one up though, I was instantly charmed--the detailed illustrations of pioneer life in the Midwest and the Great Plains reminded me, so much, of the intriguing social studies books from elementary school.
(Yes, I've always been a history geek.)
Not only are there illustrations, but there are plenty of color photographs, too, of authentic artifacts from the time period, accompanied by fairly detailed text including explanation and even the vernacular of the days, plus a little bit of narrative tying it into the American Girls storyline. Not only that, but there's plenty of info packed in there about the Native American tribes of the area.
This is a high-quality nonfiction book that will be a perfect tie-in for both the American Girls series and curious children wanting to supplement what they learn in school .
(Yes, I've always been a history geek.)
Not only are there illustrations, but there are plenty of color photographs, too, of authentic artifacts from the time period, accompanied by fairly detailed text including explanation and even the vernacular of the days, plus a little bit of narrative tying it into the American Girls storyline. Not only that, but there's plenty of info packed in there about the Native American tribes of the area.
This is a high-quality nonfiction book that will be a perfect tie-in for both the American Girls series and curious children wanting to supplement what they learn in school .
August 4, 2015
If your children like the American Girls series, or if you just want a wonderful way to introduce them to pioneer life in the 1850's and 1860's, this is the perfect book. Full of photographs of real artifacts from the time period, this book tells the story of immigration from Sweden to America, traveling across and settling in the Midwest and ultimately the west, and how the immigrants lived, what they wore, what they ate, the things they did, and what their communities were like. Kirsten, the American Girl that emigrated from Sweden, is sprinkled throughout the book, making the book come alive for the younger set. The information is concise and interesting, and will hold the interest of the age group the American Girl books are aimed at. If you are reading the Little House Series with your children, this book also goes along nicely with those, as many of settlers the Ingalls live near are Scandinavian, and live in the same spots covered in this book. Well done!
April 23, 2010
Even for someone who hasn’t read any American Girl books, Welcome to Kirsten’s World, 1854 is a fun glimpse into a different time. It includes such topics as arriving on the frontier from the East or another country, building and working on the homestead, social activities and courtship, life as a Dakota, toys and clothing, other immigrants on the frontier, and conflict between the Dakota and the settlers. There are plenty of visuals, each accompanied by a brief caption or explanation that invites the reader to imagine life in 1854 Minnesota. I especially enjoyed the sections about what immigrants might have brought from their homelands and how pioneers and Dakota lived from season to season.
August 13, 2012
This was a joy to read. I was captured by the history of it and immersed in the text, reading every footnote and caption. Anyone who comes across this book about the 1800's and pioneer and frontier life may think that this would be written in a juvenile manner. In my opinion, that wasn't the case at all; it was very informative and I learned so many interesting things about way of life, customs and nationalities on the frontier, as well as battles and the struggles endured. The lives of the settlers during the days of America's true Pioneers fascinates me and I am so happy to have found this book. I would recommend it for ages young and old and to anyone with an interest in this aspect of history.
April 19, 2015
I found this book randomly, and now I'm looking forward to reading more in the series! It is a great nonfiction book about Minnesota from about 1854-1864, detailing the lives of European immigrants and Dakota Native Americans. Filled with pictures and paintings, it is a quick and fascinating read. I recommend it for both adults and children.
The plight of the Dakota Native Americans sobered me.
The plight of the Dakota Native Americans sobered me.
August 9, 2012
Definitely probably my most favorite Welcome to ____'s World book. I learned a lot of things I didn't know, the memoirs were interesting, and I just LOVE Kirsten. Definitely one of the best. Another great, informational book that history and AG fans will love. I know I fell in love with it!
June 24, 2017
Really good series. Beautifully presented, and from what I know, historically accurate. My daughter enjoyed them 1rst as picture books (the illustrations are stunning!) and now to read. And I love them too.
September 23, 2007
This is a very interesting book about pioneer history.
January 6, 2009
Pretty cool book. I liked the historical details they added through the book.
January 3, 2015
Contains a lot of information about immigrants and Swedish customs.
August 12, 2016
I liked the juxtaposition between the pioneer life and native life. Informative.
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June 30, 2009J978.02
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