A Mighty Girl's top children's books celebrating spring and the joys of gardening!
With warmer weather comes the first hint of the glorious green world to come! Soon, there will be a spring world to explore, flowers and vegetables to plant, and lots more. And what better way to build anticipation for all the joys of spring and the world in bloom than with a few fun spring and gardening-themed stories! Continue reading Continue reading
In celebration of International Women's Day, we're featuring a collection of 50 books about global girls and women from Afghanistan, Chile, the Philippines, China, and many other countries around the world!
When we highlight children's books about real-life Mighty Girls and women, they often focus on individuals from Western countries such as the US, Canada, UK, and Australia. While kids' books about remarkable women from elsewhere around the world are often harder to find, there are fortunately growing numbers of titles celebrating the accomplishments of girls and women worldwide. Continue reading Continue reading
Eight downloadable posters celebrating women of STEM perfect for displaying in kids' rooms and classrooms!
The saying, "If she can't see it, she can't be it," speaks to the importance of introducing girls to female role models, especially in areas where women's accomplishments were often overlooked or minimized such as in science, mathematics, and technology. A new poster collection aims to bring more of these women's stories to light — and inspire today's Mighty Girls with the knowledge that she can be whatever she aspires to be! Continue reading Continue reading
Augusta Fells Savage became the first African American woman to open her own art gallery in America.
Augusta Fells Savage with her 1938 sculpture "Realization"In 1939, a new art gallery opened in Harlem in New York City. It was called the Salon of Contemporary Negro Art, and it was the brainchild of Augusta Fells Savage, a talented sculptor who had faced obstacles due to her sex and race at every turn. Savage was the first African American woman to open her own art gallery in America, and she hoped her Salon would give black artists a place to exhibit their work, free from the prejudice that kept them — and her — out of the mainstream art world. "We do not ask any special favors as artists because of our race," she said to the 500 people who attended the gallery's opening. "We only want to present to you our works and ask you to judge them on their merits." Continue reading Continue reading
Our top picks of children's books about Japanese-American girls interned during WWII.
For most people, the idea of rounding people up into camps is decidedly un-American, the sort of thing that we associate with tyrants and dictatorships. And yet, that's exactly what happened after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor during WWII — over 100,000 Japanese Americans, the majority of whom were native born U.S. citizens, were forcibly removed from their homes and incarcerated in the name of "national security." Any person of Japanese ancestry could be suspect, the government at the time reasoned, and therefore all of them should be treated as such. In fact, the federal government admitted decades later that the policy has been based on "race prejudice, war hysteria, and a failure of political leadership." Continue reading Continue reading
The best books for children, teens, & adults about Anne Frank
“Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.” — Anne Frank
Stories about the Holocaust can seem very distant to a child today: decades of time and, more importantly, vast differences in life experiences separate them from the life of a persecuted girl suffering from the Nazi regime. And then, at some point, she will read Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl and, suddenly, there is a face to this painful history: the face of a girl her age, whose dreams, thoughts, and emotions are like her own. Continue reading Continue reading
A Mighty Girl's top picks of books about Mighty Girl immigrants historically and in modern times.
It takes courage, determination, and hope to travel hundreds or thousands of miles and start a new life in an unfamiliar country, and yet for generations, people have immigrated into new lands and cultures in search of a better life. While many things have changed about the immigrant experience over time, some things remain the same: new immigrants face unfamiliar customs and sometimes new languages, and a challenging balance between blending in to their new home and maintaining the traditions they loved from their old one. Continue reading Continue reading
"Agent Rose" rescued over 100 British and American pilots shot down during WWII.
As Europe was consumed by war, a young woman running a beauty salon would become a major figure in the French Resistance of World War II. Andrée Peel, who was known as "Agent Rose," was one of the most highly decorated women to survive the war and helped save countless lives, including over 100 British and American pilots shot down over France. "At that time we were all putting our lives in danger but we did it because we were fighting for freedom," she later recalled. "It was a terrible time but looking back I am so proud of what I did and I'm glad to have helped defend the freedom of our future generations." Continue reading Continue reading
From Wi-Fi to Kevlar: Twenty Female Inventors Who Changed the World!
Around the world and across history, innovative women have imagined, developed, tested, and perfected their creations, and yet most of us would be hard pressed to name even a single woman inventor. In fact, women inventors are behind many of the products and technologies used every day! From life rafts to disposable diapers to rocket fuel, women have invented amazing things — but they're also responsible for some of the things we use for day to day life. In fact, if you use GPS on your cell phone, turn on windshield wipers when you drive in the rain, or eat a chocolate chip cookie, you can thank the woman behind them! Continue reading Continue reading
Our top picks of books about trailblazing African-American girls and women!
Too often the stories of African-American women, who historically faced both gender and racial discrimination, have been hidden from many mainstream histories. Fortunately, in recent years, many have had their stories told in children's books and, in our blog post, we've featured 99 books for all ages, from tots to teens, about trailblazing African-American women and their diverse contributions to history. Their stories are heroic, heartbreaking, and hopeful, and are perfect for reading with your kids during Black History Month and all year round! Continue reading Continue reading
