By Lili Sandler, A Mighty Girl Research Intern

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our newest section, Costumes for Mighty Girls! A dress-up bin is a fabulous addition to any Mighty Girl’s toy collection, and we’re excited to provide resources for making Halloween or any dress-up occasion one that promotes girl empowerment.

Over the last few decades, commercially-made Halloween costumes have been altered in many ways, but the majority of those alterations have resulted in one-dimensional and even harmful depictions of girls and women. Whether it’s changing an otherwise genderless costume, such as an animal, into an unnecessarily gendered one by adding bows and tutus, or taking a traditional -- and arguably feminist -- costume such as a witch or superhero and sexualizing it, society has further marginalized girls and women by limiting their dress-up options to those that are either “feminine” or “sexy”.

Girls deserve more choice in their dress-up selections beyond this ever-narrowing interpretation of what constitutes a “girl’s costume”. At A Mighty Girl, we know that there are so many more interesting ways girls want to express themselves, and we’re here to help! Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's top picks of books, toys, and clothing for dino-loving girls of all ages!

All too often, books, toys, and clothing featuring dinosaurs exclusively feature boys — but what about the countless dino-loving girls out there? There are plenty of girls who know a plesiosaur from a pachycephalosaurus, or who can talk for hours about the plant life of the Jurassic versus Triassic periods! And if you've got a dino-crazy Mighty Girl in your house, you may want to stock her bookshelves, toy box, and closet with things that remind her that dinos are definitely for girls. Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's top picks of unicorn-themed books, toys, and clothing!

For hundreds of years, there has been a mythical creature that has inspired wonder in generations: unicorns! It's hard to pinpoint why the appeal of unicorns has stood the test of time, but even today, there are plenty of unicorn-loving kids (and adults) in the world. And where there are unicorns, there are often Mighty Girls who dare to dream of mystical lands, believe in magic, and strike out in search of the extraordinary in our day-to-day world! Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's top picks of books for children and teens celebrating acceptance and the value of diversity.

For parents and educators concerned about fostering children's appreciation of diversity and acceptance of others, it can sometimes feel like an uphill battle in divisive times. From the subtle to the overt, discrimination based on sex, race, sexual orientation, religion, country of origin, appearance, and ability does exist, and tackling it can be a difficult conversation to have with kids regardless of their age. Continue reading → Continue reading

The best new books for children and teens about incredible girls and women for Women's History Month 2024.

Every year, we at A Mighty Girl are thrilled to see the number of new books that are released introducing children and teens to inspiring women of history! As the bookshelves of women's history titles continue to grow, our kids — both girls and boys — have even more opportunities to learn about the women who have changed our world, giving them a more diverse and nuanced perspective on our past. Better yet, these books provide terrific role models for the next generation of bold, determined, and pioneering women! Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's top picks of books about women in politics from the First Ladies to trailblazing female political leaders.

Each year on the third Monday in February, the United States celebrates its many presidents and their legacies. At A Mighty Girl, we have a slightly different take on the holiday: we like to celebrate the role of women in politics! From the First Ladies — including Martha Washington, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Michelle Obama — and the role that they have played in molding and supporting the office of the president, to the groundbreaking women who first stood in American elections, to the politicians who are shaping our world today, the story of women in American politics is constantly evolving. Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's top picks of children's books about real-life women of science and fictional stories about girls who love science!

We don't always think about it, but every child is a scientist! From the moment she pushes a spoon off her high chair to see what happens or starts asking, "why?" to everything, she's started on a long and exciting lifetime of discovery. As time goes on, though, kids can be discouraged from this natural interest and come to believe that science is too complicated for kids -- so it's especially important to nurture that spirit of curiosity from a young age! Continue reading → Continue reading

Our favorite Mighty Girl stories about the love between girls and their parents, grandparents, and siblings!

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, it’s a great time to talk to your Mighty Girl about love — not just romantic love, but the many other kinds of love she’ll encounter in her life. After all, while your Mighty Girl may be years away from experiencing romantic love, she’s sure to have family who love her! Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's top picks of books about friendships between girls and boys.

Books about girls who are best friends forever are easy to find — but what about girls who are friends with boys? Mixed-gender friendships are all too rare in children's literature, and often those that do exist develop into a romance story, creating the impression that romance is the inevitable conclusion of all relationships between a girl and a boy. But in an ideal world, people are friends with anyone who shares their interests, and gender isn't a factor! Providing a model for these girl-boy friendships in children's books is a great way to show that friendships form with many different people — and reading about these friendships encourages kids to build and maintain mixed-gender friendships as they grow.

In this blog post, we're featuring a variety of stories about girl-boy friendships. These girls and boys adventure together, care for one another, and provide the support that everyone needs to get through tough times. It's the perfect way to encourage young readers to focus not on the gender of a friend, but on the quality of the friendship. Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's top picks of books and toys for teaching kids about money management.

Financial literacy is an essential skill for every child to learn! Money is an integral part of modern life, and whether your child is a preschooler counting coins, an elementary school child saving for a new toy, a tween learning about investing, or a teen budgeting for school expenses or their first full-time job, there are plenty of opportunities to teach kids how to earn, save, spend, donate, and invest. And yet a recent study from the Girl Scouts found that only 12% of girls aged 8 to 17 feel very confident making financial decisions, proof that we need to do more to improve kids' financial literacy.

In this blog post, we've showcased our favorite resources to help kids (and maybe parents too!) learn more about money and how to manage it. From play money that helps young kids learning to identify coins and bills, to books that introduce concepts like debt, entrepreneurship, and investing to older kids, and even a few titles to guide parents in money conversations, these resources will help you give your Mighty Girl the confidence to manage her money successfully — and use it to plan for her future. Continue reading → Continue reading