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

Augusta Fells Savage became the first African American woman to open her own art gallery in America.

Augusta Fells Savage with her 1938 sculpture "Realization"

In 1939, a new art gallery opened in Harlem in New York City. It was called the Salon of Contemporary Negro Art, and it was the brainchild of Augusta Fells Savage, a talented sculptor who had faced obstacles due to her sex and race at every turn. Savage was the first African American woman to open her own art gallery in America, and she hoped her Salon would give black artists a place to exhibit their work, free from the prejudice that kept them — and her — out of the mainstream art world. "We do not ask any special favors as artists because of our race," she said to the 500 people who attended the gallery's opening. "We only want to present to you our works and ask you to judge them on their merits." 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 favorite stories for young children starring black Mighty Girls.

All children love seeing faces like theirs within the pages of their picture books. While for many years it was often challenging to find books starring kids of color, there has been an explosion in the number of diverse books published in recent years. A study by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that 14.2% of children's books starred African American characters in 2022 compared to only 3.3% of children's books in 2012— a percentage now higher than the African American share of the population in the United States at 13.6%. Greater diversity in books not only gives children of color an opportunity to see themselves in stories but also helps broaden the perspective of all children by fostering children's sense of empathy and connection with characters who might look different from themselves. 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

Our top picks of stories to inspire your Mighty Girl to dream big this year and follow through with the hard work and perseverance to make those dreams come true.

A new year always seems ripe with opportunity, and it's not just adults who are eager to challenge themselves to achieve new things: kids and teens are often ready to tackle new goals when the calendar rolls around to January! But, of course, trying new things can seem intimidating, and it will take perseverance and dedication in order to accomplish whatever your Mighty Girl has set as her goal. Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's top picks of new biographies about Mighty Women for adult readers.

It's been another incredible year of books celebrating mighty women! From a touching memoir by Anne Frank's best friend to the thrilling story of the two female scientists who first mapped the botany of the Grand Canyon to a fascinating memoir by the new Nobel Prize winner behind modern vaccine science, this year has seen a diverse range of new biographies for adult readers about extraordinary women. And, just as our Mighty Girls love reading books about books about smart, confident, and courageous girls and women, we know that our adult supporters love their stories too! Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's top picks of picture books about girls who love to dance!

For many Mighty Girls, nothing is more fun than moving to music! Maybe she takes formal ballet lessons, or maybe she and her family just take joy in putting on their favorite tunes and dancing together for fun. Either way, a love of dance is a great way to get exercise, have fun, and express your creativity!

If you have a child who loves to step, twirl, plie, and more, in this blog post, we've put together a collection of our favorite picture books starring dance-loving Mighty Girls that are sure to inspire and delight dancers of all ages!

For books about real-life women dancers for children and teens, visit our Creative Arts book section. Continue reading → Continue reading

This trailblazing mathematician built the geodetic model of the Earth that became the foundation for GPS.

If you rely on your GPS for directions, you can thank a mathematician whose little-known contributions to the mathematical modeling of the Earth recently earned her one of the U.S. Air Force's highest honors: induction into the Space and Missile Pioneers Hall of Fame! Dr. Gladys West, like the "human computers" at NASA who became famous with the book Hidden Figures, began her career by performing the complex hand calculations required before the computer age. However, her greatest accomplishment was the creation of an extremely detailed geodetic model of the Earth which became the foundation for the Global Positioning System. Although GPS is ubiquitous today, West says that in the moment, she wasn't thinking about the future: "When you’re working every day, you’re not thinking, ‘What impact is this going to have on the world?’" she says. "You’re thinking, ‘I’ve got to get this right.'" Continue reading → Continue reading