Books for kids and adults about the lives of women and girls under Taliban rule - and how you can help Afghan girls and women today.

After the Taliban's swift takeover of Afghanistan, culminating in the fall of Kabul to these brutal extremists this week, Afghan girls and women are facing a terrifying future with the likely return of laws requiring that all women cover themselves in burqas and restrict their freedom of movement, education bans on girls, and forced marriage and rape. Shamsia Hassani, Afghanistan's first female graffiti artist, shared a powerful painting entitled "Nightmare, Afghanistan 2021" that captures the grief and fear of Afghan women, reminding everyone that Afghan women's precious freedoms – all too recently kindled – are being brutally snuffed out. Continue reading → Continue reading

Three actions you can take today to help the women leaders of Afghanistan threatened by the Taliban.

A bipartisan group of 46 senators is calling on the Biden Administration to take swift and robust action to protect Afghan women leaders who are at "unparalleled danger following the Taliban’s violent sweep across Afghanistan and seizure of Kabul." In a sign-on letter organized by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez of New Jersey and member Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the senators wrote: "We and our staff are receiving regular reports regarding the targeting, threatening, kidnapping, torturing, and assassinations of women for their work defending and promoting democracy, equality, higher education, and human rights." They added that many of these high-profile Afghan women are now being "hunted by Taliban fighters who are going house-to-house with their names." The letter further observes that "in areas captured by the Taliban, there are reports of war crimes including summary executions, public beatings and flogging of women, sexual violence and forced marriage, as well as clampdowns on media and other forms of communication." Continue reading → Continue reading

Wally Funk made history as the oldest person to ever travel to space!

In the 1960s, pioneering aviator Wally Funk, who could fly just about anything with wings, was part of the "Mercury 13" program exploring whether women could be astronauts — but despite excelling at all the tests male astronauts took, NASA refused to accept women into the space program. Today, the 82-year-old finally achieved her lifelong dream of traveling to space when she left orbit on commercial space company Blue Origin's inaugural crewed flight! Funk, who became the oldest person ever to leave Earth's atmosphere on today's 10 minute, 19 second journey, joined Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos, his brother Mark Bezos, and 18-year-old Oliver Daemon, a physics student who became the youngest person ever to go to space on the same trip. "No one has waited longer," Bezos wrote in an Instagram post when he announced he had invited Funk on the flight. "It's time. Welcome to the crew, Wally." Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's top picks of children's books about female Olympians, from gymnastics greats to soccer stars!

With the Tokyo Olympic Games about to begin, Mighty Girls around the world will be looking on — and dreaming of standing on the podium to claim their own gold medal one day! A century ago, only 65 women competed in the Olympics, making up only 2.5% of Olympic athletes; at this year's Tokyo 2020 summer games, almost 49% of competitors are women, setting a new record for women's participation at the Olympics. It's never been a more exciting time for women in sports or for girls who dream of going to the Olympics someday. Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's introduction to the top three types of reusable menstrual products for tweens and teens!

There are far more period product choices for today's girls than ever before, and that includes many reusable options! There are numerous reasons a girl might prefer reusable products, from environmental concerns to cost savings to avoiding worries about supply shortages. However, choosing the right menstrual product, or combination of products, is critical to ensuring that she feels comfortable and confident at home, school, and extracurricular activities during her period. Continue reading → Continue reading

Whether your Mighty Girl is a member of the LGBTQ community, or an LGBTQ ally, these books will show her that her experience is not unique: millions of people stand with her.

“I stand for honesty, equality, kindness, compassion, treating people the way you want to be treated, and helping those in need. To me, those are traditional values.” — Ellen Degeneres

One of the founding principles of A Mighty Girl is that girls of all ages should be able to find books that reflect who they are: their background, their interests, and their dreams. But when a girl identifies as lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or queer/questioning — or someone in her life does — it can be challenging to find stories that reflect her experience. Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's favorite books of humor and inspiration to honor Mighty Dads and their special role in their daughters' lives.

Behind many Mighty Girls is a Mighty Dad! It can be hard to find gifts that celebrate the role that a father plays in his daughter’s life, so in honor of all the dedicated dads in the Mighty Girl community, we’ve gathered some great gift ideas for the father in your life. Whether he’s sharing his life and memories, enjoying a laugh about the ups and downs of parenting, or getting inspired by tributes to the special place he holds in his Mighty Girl’s life, these gifts are sure to make his Father’s Day extra special. Continue reading → Continue reading

Kamryn Gardner recently put the persuasive writing skills she learned in her first grade class to work — by asking clothing retailer Old Navy to put pockets in their girls' pants!

Kamryn Gardner recently put the persuasive writing skills she learned in her first grade class to work — by asking clothing retailer Old Navy to put pockets in their girls' pants! After she received yet another pair of jeans where the pockets were sewn shut, Kamryn observed indignantly that "they were fake pockets. It bothered me that they weren’t real pockets." Now, the 7-year-old from Bentonville, Arkansas has gone viral after sharing Old Navy's reply promising to respond to her complaint. "Our design and product teams love hearing feedback from customers, especially young people like Kamryn," says company spokeswoman Sandy Goldberg. "We [will] take suggestions into consideration as we work on future products." Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's top picks of new biographies about Mighty Women for adult readers.

Moms can be an incredible source of inspiration, but that doesn’t mean they can’t use a little inspiration themselves! Stories of the incredible women of past and present aren’t just great to share with young readers: they’re also a great gift when you want to honor a special woman in your life. With that in mind, we've gathered a selection of new biographies for adult readers in a blog post which tell the stories of Mighty Women, all perfect for Mother's Day gift giving! Continue reading → Continue reading

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

Every year, more and more books are published recognizing the incredible contributions that girls and women have made throughout history! These inspiring stories give kids — girls and boys alike — a more nuanced and complete understanding of history, while also providing role models for the next generation of groundbreaking women to come. Continue reading → Continue reading