Girls of the World

February 15, 2024
Calling all girls: Stand up and be counted! Stepping up and speaking up, doing what needs to be done, expressing themselves, dreaming big dreams: This is what girls do and what they're capable of. Girls are out there and in the forefront of things, both individually and collectively. You'd better believe it's a "great truth all people should know. / The girls of the world are ready to go!" This uplifting, empowering book, expressed in jaunty verse, depicts different girls who are diverse in skin color, hair color and style, race and ethnicity, religion, and physical ability (two use wheelchairs; one uses a prosthetic leg and crutches). These girls actively engage in a variety of activities: caring for and cleaning up the earth; imagining future professions, from mechanic to newscaster; painting; publicly voicing opinions and ideas; and, notably, uniting with other girls so as to affirm each other's strengths and bolster belief in themselves. Girls would seem to be the primary readership here, but young boys might well learn to better understand and respect a thing or two about their female siblings, relatives, classmates, and neighbors. The colorful illustrations, which portray wide-eyed, mostly smiling girls and young women on the path to success, are cheery and expressive. You go, girls--read, be you, stay excellent, and achieve! (author's note) (Picture book. 5-8)

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