A Mighty Girl's top picks of empowering dolls and action figures for all ages!

Dolls and figurines have been favorite pretend play toys for hundreds of years, but there are a lot more choices now than there were in the past! Today, dolls and action figures can represent historical figures; popular book, TV, and movie characters; or people from around the world. With more options available, kids can imagine themselves as just about anything!

If you’ve been looking for a unique doll or exciting action figure for your Mighty Girl, you'll find dozens of our favorites in this blog post. From cuddly plushes for the littlest kids to highly detailed action figures and collectibles for older kids, teens, and even adults, there’s something here for everyone!

For more empowering toys of all varieties, from science to active play, visit our 2016 Girl Empowerment Holiday Gift Guide and our 2016 Holiday Guide blog series. Continue reading → Continue reading

75 New & Classic Girl-Empowering Books for Holiday Gift Giving!

"I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book." — J. K. Rowling

When you’re looking for a gift for a book lover of any age, the natural choice is a good book! And, while the hundreds of titles in A Mighty Girl's book collection have been vetted to ensure they are both high quality and girl empowering, we understand that during the busy holiday season a 'cheat' sheet of the best Mighty Girl books for gifting can make choosing a book for a special child or young person much easier. To that end, in this blog post, we've complied a selection of enduring Mighty Girl favorites, alongside a number of the best 2016 new releases (which are marked by a brand new icon below). From gorgeously-illustrated picture books to thought-provoking teen fiction, these titles will delight, intrigue, educate, and inspire girls and boys alike!

To discover more 2016 releases, stay tuned for our annual 'Year in Review' round-up of the best Mighty Girl books of 2016, which we'll be releasing in early January.

Of course, you can also find many more reading recommendations in our entire collection of nearly 2,500 Mighty Girl books for all ages. And, for anyone looking for reading recommendations for adults, don't miss our new blog post Stories of Mighty Women: 2016 Biographies for Adult Readers. Continue reading → Continue reading

By Katherine Handcock, A Mighty Girl Communications Specialist

August and September are big months for new children's book releases --- which means there are lots of newly published titles starring Mighty Girls! From terrific new picture books to engrossing teen fiction, there have been some excellent books hitting the shelves in the last two months. To help you learn about the standouts and to whet your appetite for the release of our special feature on the best Mighty Girl books of 2014 at the end of the year, we’re sharing a few of our favorite new releases. Whether your Mighty Girl is 3 or 13, we’re sure you’ll find something she’ll love!

If you'd like to learn more about any of the books featured in our post, just click the title of the book to open its A Mighty Girl page. There, you can read reviews, learn about related books, and order your favorites for your kids.

To check out our previous round-ups of Mighty Girl book releases, check out our special features: 2012 Year In Review and 2013 Year In Review.

Be Patient, Pandora by Joan Holub, illustrated by Leslie Patricelli (age 1 - 4)

“Do not open the box, Pandora!” warns Pandora’s mother, so she doesn’t...but she does touch it, lean on it, sit on it, even jump on it! Unsurprisingly, the box soon flies open, ruining the big batch of cupcakes hidden inside. Fortunately for Pandora, one little cupcake, representing Hope, is still in the box for her and her mother to share. This simple adaptation of the myth of Pandora’s Box, part of the new Mini Myths series, features simple, fun text and hilarious illustrations.

Ladybug Girl and the Dress-Up Dilemma by Jacky Davis, illustrated by David Soman (age 3 - 5)

Ladybug Girl is back, and Lulu has a big decision to make — what to be for Halloween! She tries on lots of different costumes, but none of them seems quite right. She hopes for inspiration as her family goes pumpkin picking and takes a hayride, and she finds it in the form of a little girl who needs a helping hand. Maybe the perfect costume has been right under her nose the whole time! Fans of Ladybug Girl will love this book about being true to yourself. Continue reading → Continue reading

Our top picks of history-inspired Mighty Girl costumes from our own Halloween costume collection and photos of Mighty Girls in costume shared by our community!

Halloween provides a chance to imagine yourself as a different person — and for young history buffs, that can mean dressing up as a favorite figure from history! She might be imagining herself as a specific person, like Amelia Earhart or Susan B. Anthony, or she be intrigued by the culture of a time and place, from Ancient Rome to the prairies of the pioneers. Whatever she chooses, history can provide a tremendous amount of inspiration! 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 top picks of biographies and historical fiction for adult readers in honor of Women's History Month.

We recently shared biographies for young readers from preschoolers to teens in our blog post Telling Her Story: 40 New Books for Women's History Month. But just as kids can be inspired by stories of trailblazing women of the past and present, so can adult readers! In fact, when we share stories about fascinating and often little-known women with our Facebook community, we regularly receive comments from adult supporters about how they would love to learn more about these inspiring Mighty Women.

With that in mind, we've put together a selection of great biographies and historical fiction, all aimed at older teen and adult readers in honor of Women's History Month! These books feature women from both past and present: scientists, activists, entertainers, and more. Some of their names and situations will be familiar, and others will be new, but all of them will leave you amazed by their daring and determination.

Since A Mighty Girl's website does not have a book section for adult readers, you won't find these recommendations on our website; however, we've included links below to Amazon and other vendors so you can order individual titles or learn more. So whether you're looking for a good book to delve into during Women's History Month or any time of year, these women's stories are sure to inspire!

Continue reading → Continue reading

By Katherine Handcock, A Mighty Girl Communications Specialist, and Carolyn Danckaert, A Mighty Girl Co-Founder

Every year brings great new children’s and young adult book releases, and 2014 was no exception — especially when it comes to books starring Mighty Girls! From fun fantasty to fascinating biographies, from thought-provoking realistic fiction to beautiful works of poetry, there have been dozens of wonderful releases in the past year. In fact, our 2014 Year in Review collection has topped 150 titles!

In this post, we showcase 35 of our favorite 2014 books for younger readers, including board books, picture books, and early chapter books. This wide assortment of titles feature diverse characters, engaging stories, and creative artwork that are sure to delight your Mighty Girl!

To learn about our favorite 2014 releases for tweens and teens, check out our post, Top 2014 Mighty Girl Books for Tweens and Teens. You can view our entire collection of recent Mighty Girl releases in our special feature 2014 Mighty Girl Books: A Year in Review.

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By Katherine Handcock, A Mighty Girl Communications Specialist

When you’re looking for a gift for a book lover, the natural choice is a good book! There’s nothing more exciting for an avid reader than unwrapping a title they have been dying to read — or discovering an exciting new book they haven't heard of yet.

This year has been an excellent year for Mighty Girl releases, so there are plenty to choose from if you’re looking for a newer book for the young reader on your holiday list. In our new post, we've pulled together a selection of 35 new releases for children and teens. From fantasy to biography, from picture books to teen fiction — and even a few titles for parents — these's something for everyone in this collection.

It’s also a sneak peek at our upcoming 2014 Mighty Girl Year in Review series, which we’ll be releasing at the end of the year. And, if you'd like to learn more or order a copy of any of the books recommended below, just click the links for more detailed descriptions and reviews from other readers.

And, if you'd like to take a look back at last year's fantastic Mighty Girl books, visit our special feature on 2013 Mighty Girl Books: A Year in Review, which includes over 150 books for children and teens. Continue reading → Continue reading