Longtime cultural icon Barbie is coming out as a diarist, with two books in the "Barbie Diary of the Decade" series going on sale this month.

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Award-winning children's author Linda Lowery pens Barbie's prose in books covering two years of major events -- "Red, White, and Blue Jeans," set in 1976, and "Peace, Love and Rock 'n' Roll," in 1964. Publisher Random House says the books may be the beginning of a larger series, the Washington Post reported Sunday.

"It took me about five minutes to realize it was a brilliant concept," Lowery said of her reaction when approached to be Barbie's voice. She says she hopes putting such a powerful character into history would show girls "how to create change in their own lives."

The books were the brainchild of Kate Klimo, vice president and publisher of Random House Children's Books, based on the success of novels about American Girl doll characters and Scholastic's popular "Dear America series."

The series will offer "history through the Barbie filter," Klimo said.