Hearts For Hearts Girls Rahel's School Time Play Set (Including a Brief Rahel Review)

As some of you will recall, Little Gal received Rahel's School Time set for her birthday.  I managed to get some pics before the outfit got too disheveled and the accessories got lost. ;)  (My daughter is only 4, after all.  You can only expect so much.)

Here's a picture of the back of the packaging.  I didn't manage to get a picture before everything was opened.     As you can see from the above pictures, the set includes a school shirt, a denim skirt, orange flip flops, a soccer ball, two pencils, a composition book, and a notepad.  It's really an adorable little set! :)

Here are Rahel's flip flops and her soccer ball.  I must say, I was disappointed by the flip flops.  This is the first pair of Hearts For Hearts shoes that did not fit well and refused to stay on her feet.  I've been pleased with all of the other shoes we've tried so far, but these ones were not up to par.  

The soccer ball, on the other hand, was absolutely adorable and perfect for Rahel.  I must confess, I'm not sure exactly where it is right at the moment...most likely under the couch.  But it was greatly enjoyed before it was misplaced! ;)

I LOVE the pencils.  Seriously, I was never more tempted to commandeer one of my daughter's birthday presents!! :}  At first, we thought they had actual lead, because when Little Gal tried writing with them, they left markings on the paper.  After closer inspection, I realized that it was simply the black paint (added to the points of the pencils to look like lead) coming off!  Now Rahel has two colored pencils, since the black has come off completely, revealing the yellow and red plastic underneath. :}

A closer look at the red pencil.

I thought this miniature composition book was adorable, too. :)

It opens up and has lined paper inside, just like a real composition book.

Then there's the yellow notepad.  I honestly tried to get a picture of this before Little Gal wrote on it, but she was too quick for me! ;)

It looks really realistic, though, as you can see from the inside.

Ugh, the lighting messed up on this one.  I included it anyway because I wanted to show you how it looks like a button-up-the-front shirt...

...but in reality, it opens and closes with Velcro.  I think this was a smart decision on the company's part.  Velcro is much easier to work with for little hands.

The skirt looks absolutely adorable on Rahel...

...but as you can see, it makes it nearly impossible for Rahel to sit down when she's wearing it.  This was as far as I could get her to bend while wearing her skirt.

Overall, on a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give this set a 9 out of 10.  I'm docking one point for the sitting difficulties created by the skirt and the flip flops that refuse to stay on Rahel's feet.  I loved everything else.  

And here are some pics of the lovely Rahel in her new outfit:

As you can see, Rahel has held up very well in the past couple of weeks (and even as I type this, nearly a month after Little Gal first received her, Rahel looks about the same).  I've been especially impressed with her hair.  I knew that the other H4H dolls had great hair, but I was nervous about Rahel's because it was so very curly.  It still looks remarkable, though!  I had a big conversation with Little Gal at the beginning about never brushing Rahel's hair (I didn't want her curls ruined), and Little Gal's been great.  She's taken very good care of her newest dolly.  

The only thing I've noticed over time is that sometimes Rahel has a bit of a bare patch in the back if Little Gal leaved her laying down for too long.  The nice thing is, Rahel's scalp is painted black, so it's not nearly as noticeable as it would be if her scalp was brown.

I thought I'd share a few pics of Rahel that I took when she was still in the box, just to give you an idea of everything she comes with.

Front view...

...side view...

...back view...

...and the other side.

The box does say ages 6 and up.  However, my daughter has done a great job with her, even though she only just turned 4.  I think you're the best judge of what your child is capable of.  Little Gal has seen her older sisters and Mommy taking care of our dolls, so she knows how to take care of hers, too.  We have a designated place for Rahel to go at the end of the day, so it helps that she's not just lying on the floor with some of the other toys.  I've also noticed that the slim, 14" bodies of the Hearts 4 Hearts Girls are a lot easier for Little Gal to manage than the bigger, taller bodies of the 18" dolls.  Without fail, whenever Little Gal's Alexander Girlz doll comes with us, she gets tired and asks me to hold her doll.  But she's able to hold on to Rahel without any problems.  If you want a nicer, good quality doll for your youngster, you might consider a Hearts 4 Hearts Girl.

The inside flap of Rahel's box.

And here she is! :)

Rahel comes with several plastic beaded necklaces.  The beads are formed from one long piece of plastic for each strand (a total of 5 necklaces), so there's no chance of little beads coming apart. :)

Rahel also has these pretty woven bracelets, as well as the rubbery plastic ones that each H4H Girl comes with.

Her shirt is actually a bodysuit, and has a low v cut in the back.

Her skirt is a wrap skirt that fastens together with Velcro.

Rahel's bracelet came with a red charm, which was perfect for Little Gal, since red is her favorite color! :)

I have been extremely pleased with all 3 (well, 4 counting my Nahji) of the Hearts For Hearts Girls we've purchased.  The girls adore them, and they've held up very well.  A few of their joints are starting to get a little loose (they've already shared MANY adventures with my girls!), but they all still stand and hold a pose very nicely.  I would definitely recommend these adorable dolls.  You can find them at Target, ToysRUs, and Amazon.com.  You can also visit their website HERE.