A Mighty Girl's top picks of empathy-building picture books for kids!

Small acts of kindness happen around us every day — and anyone, no matter how young, can help make the world a better place through their thoughtful actions. In fact, when children are encouraged to see things from another's point of view, and shown how their actions can help lift others up, they are often the most compassionate of all. So if you want a more empathetic world in the future, the best way to achieve it is by teaching our kids how much you value being kind! Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's 2020 Halloween Gallery is now live! A small sample of the many hundreds of photos submitted can be viewed in our Halloween Highlights blog post.

Thank you to everyone who submitted photos of their Mighty Girls in costume to our 2020 Halloween Gallery! We were awed by the creativity and variety of the Mighty Girl costumes submitted to the gallery. As we've always said, Mighty Girls know that their costume possibilities are limited only by their imaginations and with costumes ranging from ones based on favorite superheroes to ones inspired by historic role models, these Mighty Girls clearly know no bounds! Continue reading → Continue reading

Our top picks of Mighty Girl role model dolls from Frida Kahlo to Rosie Revere, Engineer!

For many Mighty Girls, a beloved doll or action figure becomes a constant companion. With so many new dolls based on both real-life and fictional female role models, now is the perfect time to give her one to look up to! From scientists to artists to superheroes, these dolls represent many positive values including intelligence, courage, compassion, perseverance, curiosity, and more. Whether you're picking a person that your Mighty Girl already admires, or introducing her to a role model that you think she'll love, our blog post will help you find the perfect doll for encouraging her to dream big! Continue reading → Continue reading

The top books on helping kids overcome anxiety and worry for children, teens, and parents.

With everything going on in their lives and the world, it's no wonder that many kids and teens are struggling with worry and anxiety — plenty of adults are too! But while anxiety may be a normal response to many day-to-day stressors, it's important for all of us, including kids, to learn how to manage our worries so that we can feel in control, think clearly, and make healthy choices that suit what we really need, both now and in the future. Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's 2017 Halloween Gallery is now live! A small sample of the nearly 2,000 photos submitted can be viewed in our Halloween Highlights post.

Thank you to everyone who submitted photos of their Mighty Girls in costume to our 2017 Halloween Gallery! We received nearly 2,000 photo submissions to this year's gallery and were awed by the creativity and variety of these Mighty Girls' amazing costumes. As we've always said, Mighty Girls know that their costume possibilities are limited only by their imaginations and with costumes ranging from ones based on favorite superheroes to ones inspired by historic role models, these Mighty Girls clearly know no bounds!

In this blog post, we've showcased a small sample of these incredible costumes -- to browse all of the amazing costume photos submitted, visit our 2017 Halloween Gallery. And, to help you and your Mighty Girl learn more about the wonderful historic figures and characters depicted, we've also linked to our character collection and biography section where relevant.

And, if you're seeking girl-empowering dress-up clothing or costumes anytime of year, visit our extensive costume collection with options for all ages from infants through adults in A Mighty Girl's Halloween Costume Guide. You can also find Mighty Girl stories for many of the upcoming holidays, including Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and Christmas, in our Holidays & Celebrations collection. Continue reading → Continue reading

Our favorite occupation-themed Mighty Girl costumes from our own costume collection and photos of Mighty Girls in costume shared by our community!

Halloween dress-up fun gives kids a wonderful opportunity to imagine themselves in any number of roles, such as pursuing a future career aspiration! Whether she sees herself as a doctor, firefighter, ballerina, or scientist, she can "try on" her dream job for a night -- and perhaps even spark an interest that will last a lifetime.

In today's blog post, we share some of our favorite occupation-themed costumes, including a number from A Mighty Girl's costume collection such as veterinarian, astronaut, and chef costumes. Of course, many Mighty Girls enjoy the challenge of creating their own costume, so in the second section, we highlight a few of our favorite costumes inspired by careers that community members have shared with us in previous years!

For even more costume inspiration on themes ranging from superheroes to animals, you'll find hundreds of costumes for all ages from infants through adults in our Girl Empowerment Halloween Costume Guide. 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

We received a record number of photo submissions for our 2014 Halloween Gallery and we're awed by the creativity and variety of these Mighty Girls' amazing costumes. As we've always said, Mighty Girls know that their costume possibilities are limited only by their imaginations and with costumes ranging from ones based on favorite superheroes to ones inspired by historic role models, these Mighty Girls clearly know no bounds!

In this post, we've showcased a small sample of these incredible costumes -- to browse the over 1,300 photos submitted, visit the 2014 A Mighty Girl Halloween Gallery. And, to help you and your Mighty Girl learn more about the wonderful characters and historic figures depicted, we've also linked to our character collection and biography section where relevant.

And, if you're seeking girl-empowering dress-up clothing or costumes anytime of year, visit our extensive costume collection with options for all ages from infants through adults in A Mighty Girl's Halloween Costume Guide. You can also find Mighty Girl stories for many of the upcoming holidays, including Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and Christmas, in our Holidays & Celebrations collection. Continue reading → Continue reading

By Katherine Handcock, A Mighty Girl Communications Specialist

Maybe you first heard the name Hayao Miyazaki in 2003, when Spirited Away won the Academy Award for Best Animated Film, and wondered what was so remarkable that had everyone talking; maybe you had long since discovered the wondrous, fantastical works of this visionary writer and filmmaker; or maybe you’ve only just heard about Miyazaki’s work, and you’re wondering which film you might want to check out. Whatever your experience with Miyazaki, or Studio Ghibli, the animation studio he co-founded, chances are good that you’ll recognize the name!

Miyazaki’s body of work holds a special place with us at A Mighty Girl. In the world of animated films, girls are surprisingly under-represented, especially adventurous, daring girls. Unlike many anime or manga writers — and many children’s media writers in general — Miyazaki's films frequently star strong female characters. And while Western audience often think of animation as a medium strictly for children, Miyazaki’s works range from the fanciful and fun, like Kiki’s Delivery Service, to darker, more complex works that tackle challenging issues, like Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.

Miyazaki, who is often called “the Walt Disney of Japan”, has also inspired others with his love of traditional hand-drawn animation, his nuanced and complex characters, and his vivid fantasy settings. In fact, much like Walt Disney, the hallmarks of his work are clear, even on Studio Ghibli projects that he did not direct or write. Filmmakers and animators around the world have declared the powerful influence Miyazaki’s work had on their own, including John Lasseter, Akira Kurosawa, and Guillermo del Toro — as well as the creative team behind The Simpsons, which included a scene referencing multiple Miyazaki films in a 2014 episode.

In honor of Miyazaki’s retirement, A Mighty Girl has put together a tribute to the works of Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. Here, we’ll share some of his manga comic titles and films, as well as toys, gear, clothing, and decor that celebrate these beautiful stories. If you're a fan of Miyazaki’s work, you’ll find some great products to celebrate your favorite characters, and if you’re new to Miyazaki, we hope this blog will inspire you to check out some of his work. We’re confident that you — and your Mighty Girl — will love Miyazaki as much as millions of other fans do. Continue reading → Continue reading

The Mighty Girl winners of this year's Newbery, Caldecott, and other top children's literary awards.

The beginning of the year isn't just awards season for movies: it's also the time when many literary organizations name their picks for the best books of the previous year! The American Library Association has a selection of prestigious awards that recognize children's and young adult titles — and in 2019, many excellent Mighty Girl titles are among the award winners. Continue reading → Continue reading