LIKE A GIRL

Twenty-four women leaders are pictured as models of working “like a girl” in this rhyming inspirational poem.

The endpapers present the multicultural roster of talented, hardworking women and girls, all apparently cis, depicted in grayscale portraits with their names below their pictures. Each page holds one line of a rhyming couplet with one woman at work in illustrations composed of strong shapes and vivid colors. “Stand up like a girl, by refusing to stand”—Rosa Parks sits calmly on an (empty) bus, looking out at readers; “Stand up like a girl, by extending your hand”—Mother Teresa offers a bowl of rice to three children of different races. Malala Yousafzai raises a fist in the air, holding a “Resist” sign and surrounded by other feminist signs at a protest march; the young Ruby Bridges stands facing a crowd with calm dignity, with the text “keep on going; persist.” Leaders who overcame challenges, such as Hellen Keller and Tammy Duckworth, “prevail like a girl.” Artists, architects, and writers like Frida Kahlo and Zaha Hadid all “create like a girl.” Pilots and astronauts “soar,” athletes “train,” philanthropists and activists “change the world like a girl.” Minibiographies at the end of the book introduce the major accomplishments of each featured leader, helping this book to double as a fun read-aloud and an informative lead-in to further research.

As an introduction to women’s power and possibilities, this choice rises above the rest.