The authors of the bestselling confidence guide for girls share advice for parents on how to stop the steep drop in confidence common among tween girls.

Katty Kay and Claire Shipman are on a mission: helping tween girls keep their confidence so they can be resilient, empowered adult women! As authors of The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance - What Women Should Know, they've helped millions of adult women understand how to build their own confidence, but they frequently heard from women who wanted to know how they could help their tween and teen daughters. Kay and Shipman worked with a polling firm to learn more about the issue and were shocked to discover that girls' confidence drops by 30% between the ages of 8 and 14. "Right until age 8, there's really no difference [between girls and boys] in confidence levels," Shipman says. "We were surprised at how quickly, how deep that drop is." Continue reading → Continue reading

"There are little Mazies everywhere who will be inspired, informed, and absolutely delighted to see themselves in this imaginative little problem-solver."

As a child, Sheryl Haft loved tinkering in the garage with her father. These countless hours filled with creativity and invention are now the inspiration behind Haft's newest picture book, Mazie's Amazing Machines, starring a science-loving girl, Mazie McGear. Throughout the action-packed story, which is vibrantly illustrated by award-winning artist Jeremy Holmes, Mazie invents clever machines to help her family and, in the process, explores the engineering process from problem to ideation, creation, and finally execution. "Let's engineer," she says as she creates the "Food-O-Matic" for her dog, Doodle; the "Roly-Ramp" to help her mom lift heavy boxes; and the "Teeter Lever" to make it easier for her brother to shoot hoops. And when things go awry and Doodle accidentally gets catapulted up to the roof, Mazie and her family work together to create her largest contraption yet, the "Pulley Power Save Our Dog Tower." Continue reading → Continue reading

"You can be passionate and take action about many things: Mahani has been able to combine music, environmental activism, cultural preservation, family, and more!"

Imagine having to leave your beloved home to pursue the career of your dreams — only to have the opportunity to return and inspire a new generation while protecting the local environment! That's the incredible story of musician Mahani Teave, who's been called "one of the world’s greatest pianists" by The New York Times. Now, a gorgeous new picture book is introducing kids to this inspiring role model! Continue reading → Continue reading

"I look for traits such as perseverance, creativity, empathy, and courage in the people I write about. But most importantly, I look for people who have never given up on their dreams."

Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara celebrated the birth of her twin nieces with an extra special gift: the very first volume in the Little People, BIG DREAMS picture book biography series! The series, with its stylish artwork, intriguing subjects, and empowering stories, quickly became a bestseller. Today, more than 7.5 million copies of her books have been sold and the series is about to reach an enormous milestone: Sánchez Vegara has just released her 100th volume, telling the story of Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate! Continue reading → Continue reading

"I Love My Body Because" is a new picture book by Shelly Anand and Nomi Ellenson that shows what makes every body special.

When Shelly Anand and Nomi Ellenson were girls, both remember feeling insecure and self-conscious about their bodies. Their experience is not unique according to a study by the Girl Scouts which found 80% of 10-year-old girls are already afraid of getting fat and other studies which found that 79% of girls have opted out of activities due to a lack of body confidence. As adults, Shelly and Nomi say that they have been on a journey to learn to love themselves just as they are, and they wanted to help girls learn to do the same. That desire was the spark that led to creation of their new book, I Love My Body Because — a book they wish they'd had as kids, "one that opened up a world where we recognize all the amazing things our bodies can do." Continue reading → Continue reading

"'My Best Friend' is about the instant heart connection between two girls who meet for the first time."

After her daughter came home in tears from preschool because she didn't have "magical pretty princess hair" like her friends, Kelly Greenawalt searched for a picture book to share with her starring a princess with natural puffy curls — and when she couldn't find what she was looking for, the mother of seven decided to write one. Kelly's first picture book, I Am Truly, created with her friend and illustrator Amariah Rauscher, became a surprise hit and has now grown into an early reader series as part of Scholastic's Acorn line. Continue reading → Continue reading

"'My Best Friend' is about the instant heart connection between two girls who meet for the first time."

There are few joys as simple and as profound as a child's first friendship! In the course of a few hours — without even necessarily learning one another's names — two young children can forge a close connection that is unique to early childhood. These instant and joyful friendships are powerful moments in a child's life; Publishers Weekly aptly describes them as the "giddy infatuation when a child first meets another and feels an instant bond." Continue reading → Continue reading

With Captain Marvel, Anna Boden has become the first woman to direct a live-action movie that grossed over $1 billion.

Marvel Studios' Captain Marvel has soared to blockbuster success, becoming the first female-led superhero film to pass $1 billion at the box office! It has also made history as the first Marvel Cinematic Universe movie to feature a female solo lead. While the film's themes of perseverance and discovering your own power have spoken to a wide audience, this lead character is particularly meaningful for girls and women, who rarely see themselves as the heroic lead of a superhero film. Continue reading → Continue reading

"These aren't just the stories of famous people. This is what we're all capable of on our very best days."

For the past four years, Brad Meltzer's best-selling series Ordinary People Change the World has been teaching kids that 'everyone can be a hero' while introducing them to a variety of amazing people throughout history. This week, A Mighty Girl spoke with Brad about the release of his 15th book in the series, I Am Harriet Tubman, what he hopes kids take away from his books, and his plans for the future of the popular series.

To celebrate the new book's release, A Mighty Girl supporters can sign up to win an autographed set of all seven books from the series focused on the stories of Mighty Women. To enter, visit our I Am Harriet Tubman & Ordinary People Change the World Giveaway page. Continue reading → Continue reading

by Katherine Handcock, A Mighty Girl Senior Research Intern

Today we continue our Mighty Girl Creators Series with our latest installment: an interview with esteemed author and illustrator Jeanette Winter. Ms. Winter is the creator of numerous highly regarded picture books, many of which feature the true stories of amazing women.

Ms. Winter loves writing about artists, since her own desire to be one growing up has resulted in a fascination with the artistic process, though she also writes about any story that captures her interest. Her latest book, due for release in the summer of 2013, is Henri’s Scissors, the story of Henri Matisse’s work in his later life.

On A Mighty Girl’s website, we feature several of Winter’s books, including the picture book biographies My Name Is Georgia, about artist Georgia O’Keeffe; The Watcher: Jane Goodall’s Life with the Chimps; and Wangari’s Trees of Peace: A True Story from Africa about Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai. Her book The Librarian of Basra: A True Story From Iraq tells the amazing story of Alia Muhammad Baker’s rescue of the books during the invasion of Iraq. And Nasreen’s Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan is a testament to the power that reading and books can have to heal even the deepest wounds.

Winter lives in New York City with her husband, painter Roger Winter. You can read more about Winter’s life and writing at her Macmillan author page or her Simon and Schuster author page. Continue reading → Continue reading