A Mighty Girl's top picks of Mighty Girl superhero books for National Superhero Day!

When danger threatens, Mighty Girl superheroes get ready to don their capes and masks and set out to save the day! While superheroes like Wonder Woman have been around for decades, in recent years writers, illustrators, and publishers have realized how many girls around the world have been waiting to see superheroes who look like them. And between long-time favorite superhero characters, new reimaginings of existing stories, and original characters whose stories are all their own, there have never been more choices for girls of all ages!

In this blog post, we're sharing our favorite superhero stories starring girls and women, from early chapter books to trade paperbacks collections of comic series to prequel novels telling untold parts of a character's story. These stories are full of action and adventures, with Mighty Girl superheroes who rely on brains as well as brawn when it's time to fight for justice! Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's top picks of the best new biographies for children and teens about incredible women from around the world.

Some of the greatest minds in the history of the world have been dismissed because they were covered with curls and bows. — Historian Gerda Lerner, founder of the field of women's history

When you think back to your history classes in school, you may realize, as Gerda Lerner did, that "ostensibly one-half the human race is doing everything significant and the other half doesn’t exist." But increasingly, we are reclaiming history, telling the stories of the girls and women whose contributions to our shared story deserve to be celebrated! As parents and educators, it's also important that we tell these stories to all of our children, boys and girls alike, so that they live in a world where history has always been about the contributions of all of humanity.

In honor of Women's History Month, we've collected the best biographies that have been published in the past 12 months about remarkable, determined, trailblazing women! These books for children and teens feature a broad range of women in many different fields, from science to the arts to politics and activism, making them excellent additions to any bookshelf or school curriculum. Whether you're sharing a picture book biography at bedtime or introducing your teen to an inspiring new hero, these books will remind them to tell women's stories all year long! Continue reading → Continue reading

Our top picks of girl-empowering wordless picture books that will send kids' imaginations soaring!

Storytime is a popular ritual for many children — but what if the story has no words? Wordless picture books provide a unique storytelling experience, one that’s more interactive than a regular picture book: instead of just listening to you read, you and your child get to explore the action on the page and tell the story yourselves! A good wordless book, full of evocative illustrations with vivid details, encourages creativity and fosters plenty of discussion, either one on one or in a class group.

If you’re interested in incorporating wordless picture books into your library, we've showcased our favorites girl-empowering titles in this post. These intriguing, funny, and touching books will intrigue readers young and old alike!

For many more picture books starring Mighty Girls — with and without words — visit our Picture Book Collection.

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A Mighty Girl's round-up of the best last-minute deals on girl-empowering toys!

In our final toy round-up of the season, we're helping out the last-minute shoppers: all of the girl-empowering toys featured in this blog post are currently on sale and still available in time for Christmas. From science sets to pretend play sets featuring popular characters like Princess Leia and Doc McStuffins, we've included a range of options to appeal to Mighty Girls' diverse interests. And, best of all, with free two-day shipping for Prime members, you still have time to have it under the tree on Christmas morning! Continue reading → Continue reading

The Year's Best Biographies about Inspiring Women for Older Teen & Adult Readers!

On A Mighty Girl, we feature thousands of books for children and teens about smart, confident, and courageous girls and women, but we are also often asked for reading recommendations for adults about inspiring women of the past and present. To that end, in this blog post, we're sharing our favorite biographies for older teen and adult readers about Mighty Women that were released in either hardcover or paperback this year. Whether you're looking for an empowering last-minute Christmas present or a thought-provoking title to tackle in the new year, these women's stories are sure to inspire!

For more of our favorite Mighty Girl books of 2017 for all ages, visit our special feature on the 2017 Books of the Year. Continue reading → Continue reading

The "Women of NASA" Lego Set has become one of this year's top toys -- now learn the inspiring stories of these trailblazing scientists!

When LEGO released their Women of NASA Building Set last month, it was a sensation. Our Facebook post announcing its release quickly went viral. The set became Amazon's bestselling toy and sold out within a day, showing the strong demand for science toys with female scientists at the forefront!

The set features four pioneering women who made major contributions to the U.S. space program: astronomer and educator Nancy Grace Roman; computer scientist Margaret Hamilton; astronaut and physicist Sally Ride; and astronaut, physician, and engineer Mae Jemison. The 231-piece set, created by LEGO fan and science writer Maia Weinstock, includes minifigures of all four women and buildable models of the Hubble space telescope and a space shuttle.

Weinstock, who first proposed the set on LEGO's crowdsourcing design platform, designed her set to increase awareness of the contributions these women made to the space program and to science as a whole. In her proposal, she wrote: “In many cases, their contributions are unknown or under-appreciated — especially as women have historically struggled to gain acceptance in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)." In a later interview, Weinstock added that she believes it's "critical to have toys that girls can look at and play with and think, ‘that's me!'’ or ‘that could be me!"

The massive popularity of this unique set — the first of its kind since the now discontinued LEGO Research Institute — has generated a sense of excitement and curiosity about the women of America's space program. But while many children and adults may recognize their names, few people know the details of these pioneering scientists' work. In this blog post, we're introducing you to these remarkable women, filling in the details about their careers and why they deserve to hold a special place in space history. We've also recommended books for all ages that let those interested explore their fascinating stories in greater depth. They've been immortalized in LEGO form; now it's time to celebrate the women themselves! Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's top picks of books, toys, clothing, and room decor featuring Rey!

For decades, many girls have loved the exciting stories of the Star Wars universe. But whether they were fans of the original rebel princess, Princess Leia, or eagerly followed the adventures of other Star Wars characters, like Padme Amidala, Ahsoka Tano, or Sabine Wren, it's often been challenging to find merchandise that celebrated the characters that they loved.

With the arrival of Star Wars: The Force Awakens — and the revelation that the film's star, Rey, was female — excitement began to build. But despite Rey's prominence in the film, fans were dismayed to discover that products featuring her were few and far between. This led to a hashtag campaign, #WheresRey, dedicated to seeking better representation of female characters — in particular Rey — in Star Wars merchandise. Fortunately, companies began to respond to the demand and provide more options for Rey fans.

In advance of the highly anticipated sequel, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, in this blog post, we're showcasing a variety of books, toys, clothing, and decor featuring Rey, as she is shown in both films. Whether you're seeking a storybook for a young fan, an action figure depicting Rey during her Jedi training, or artwork featuring Rey, there are many more options for all ages. Now, fans of this courageous and determined Mighty Girl character can read stories, play with toys, dress up, and decorate the walls — all with Rey! Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's round-up of the top deals of the week on girl-empowering toys!

If you love A Mighty Girl's 2017 Girl Empowerment Holiday Gift Guide, we've pulled together a selection of this week's best deals on girl-empowering toys that are featured in our guide. From the Rey & BB-8 Adventure Playset to a Pride and Prejudice Coloring Book to a star projector for aspiring young astronomers, we've included a range of options to appeal to Mighty Girls' diverse interests. And, with all of the toys available from 30 to 70% off, parents will love that they are both empowering and affordable. Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's top picks of Wonder Woman-themed books, toys, costumes, and clothing for children and adults.

For seventy-five years, Diana of the Amazons — better known to the world as Wonder Woman — has been thrilling fans young and old! The DC superhero has been an icon of feminism, a champion of peace and truth, and an inspiration to girls in particular, presenting them with a strong, powerful female pop culture role model. And with the live-action Wonder Woman movie becoming one of this year's blockbuster successes, a whole new generation of Mighty Girls has been thrilled to see their hero on the big screen!

To celebrate Wonder Woman's rise, we've put together a blog post showcasing our favorite Wonder Woman-themed books, toys, costumes, and clothing for both children and adults. No matter your age, there's plenty of ways that you can let your love of Wonder Woman shine! Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's top picks of girl-empowering pretend play toys!

Remember spending hours enjoying imaginary play? Most adults fondly recall hours, days, and sometimes years of pretending — from career dress-up to action figure adventures to playing house. These flights of fancy develop all sorts of skills in our kids, from cooperating with other kids to understanding of how our world works, but most importantly, they are lots of fun!

To spark your Mighty Girl's imagination this holiday, we've collected a selection of our favorite pretend play toys. Unlike toys and games that move a storyline in one direction, these flexible toys encourage kids to create — and recreate! — their own stories. Whether she's dreaming of superheroes or space travel, cooking or caring for patients, there's something in our recommendations that's sure to catch her attention and prompt even more exciting play. Continue reading → Continue reading