Emma Kearney is just 8 years old and is already an accomplished doll maker and historian.

With a large box containing her hand-crafted doll of Louisa Mae Alcott, a tiny biography of Alcott and a miniature trunk, Kearney flew to New York City to compete as one of 40 national finalists in the Amazon.com Toy Quest.

The young Peachtree City designer and creator was accompanied in the “Big Apple” by her parents, Shery and Philip, twin brother Will, and younger sister, Julianna.

Emma had only three minutes to present and explain her idea for a line of Young Writers Dolls, to include Maud Hart Lovelace, author of the Betsy Tacy series, Beverly Cleary and Laura Ingalls Wilder. But the detail of her work may have been lost on the judges, who awarded first place to the creator of “Mr. Itchy Pants,” a singing funny man with ants in his pants.

Nevertheless, Emma probably learned more in the process of researching and assembling her entry than most of the thousand or so children under 12 who sent in their ideas.

“Emma really likes reading biographies and likes to read about people that wrote books,” her mother explained. Louisa Mae Alcott is one of Emma's favorite writers. In fact, her plans for the future include being the owner of “Alcott Creek,” an historically authentic resort she dreams of building somewhere in the northern United States.

The Kearney children are home schooled by their parents, who have the daily challenge of keeping up with their inquiring minds. “They were high intensity from the very beginning,” said Shery, who is a teacher by profession.

The idea for entering the contest came about when Emma spotted the ad in the Kids Pages of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “She organized it and carried it out in a two-week period, which was pretty astonishing,” Shery said.

As a home-schooler, Emma had the time to do the reading, write the mini-biography, design and sew the clothes for the doll and actually make the doll from a prefabricated head. “When she dressed the doll, she actually started weeping,” her mother said. “She's so beautiful,” she recalls her daughter saying.

“Little Women” tops the list of Emma's favorite reads. Favorite character? “Jo,” she said without hesitation. Emma leaped from reading very little around kindergarten age to reading chapter books, her mother said. “Little House on the Prairie was my first chapter book,” she announced. When she comes upon a difficult word Emma said she turns to her brother for help. “He reads mostly nonfiction books and has a large vocabulary,” she said.

As the future developer of Alcott's Creek, Emma envisions a village of period-style homes with names like Queen Victoria's Getaway and Alcott House, which would serve as the hotel, and “flowers all over the place.” Until that happens, Emma will continue to read, dream and enjoy being an 8-year-old girl with lots of friends and a supportive family.

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