Rosie Revere, Engineer By Andrea BeatyIllustrated by David RobertsBest for: Ages 5-10
Rosie is a brilliant inventor and the Rose’s great, great niece. Young readers may not know who Rosie the riveter is, but this story will give you a nice way to start the conversation. Much like the other books in this series—Ada Twist, Scientist and Iggy Peck, Architect—Rosie Revere follows a similar story arch. She has wonderful ideas but worries about exploring them until a key role model gives her the push she needs. Aunt Rose helps Rosie understand that just because projects don’t go the way she expects, they aren’t failures. You learn from them and keep building.
Take time to let your eyes wander through the illustrations. They are filled with wonderful contraptions from past projects, including helium pants, rockets and more. This modern tale of girl power adds a bit of history to the conversation.
What’s good: Wonderful illustrations filled with color and energy.
What’s bad: Similar storyline to the other books in the series.
I Am Enough By Grace ByersIllustrated by Keturah A. BoboBest for: Ages 4-8
This simple poem offers a strong and much needed message of self-worth. Byers fills the verbal imagery with analogies, making it easy for young readers to follow and understand. Although the book is written for 4- to 8-year-old girls, this is a message of positive affirmation that can translate to any age and any gender.
The main character is a young African-American girl. Bobo brings her to life in bright colors and with playful expressions, as she and her friends discover all the ways they are enough. As Byers says, like the birds, they are here to fly high and soar over everything.
This is an excellent book for grade school classrooms. And both moms and dads should read passages like these to their children every day. What children wouldn’t wake up ready for the day when they went to sleep after hearing these messages?
What’s good: Fantastic positive affirmations.
What’s bad: A little simplistic for readers 10 and up.
I Am a Warrior Goddess By Jennifer Adams Illustrated by Carme Lemniscates Best for: Ages 4-8
You don’t have to be an adult to make a difference. Our hero in this tale is a young girl with flowing red hair. From the time she greets the morning to the time she goes to bed, this young girl is filled with confidence and kindness. She keeps her mind strong with books from the library. She keeps her body strong at play in nature.
Written as a tribute to her single mom, Adams tale seeks to spread the message that her mother gave her: Be strong without having to be brash or aggressive. Adams brings this message home when she speaks about the warrior goddess embodying kindness. She says it is the most powerful weapon there is, along with love, gratitude and generosity. This is an excellent addition to any young girl’s library.
What’s good: Good message for young girls to understand their strength. What’s bad: Similar messages can be found in picture books that introduce oga.