Scholastic Children’s ISBN 9781407177380 £6.99
This colourful, upbeat picture book conveys the powerful message of the title with real verve. It has endpapers which begin the book with portraits of ‘future’ jobs for girls like ‘carpenter’ or ‘comedian’ and which end with real portraits of inspirational women like Jane Goodall and Marin Alsop. Between these lie a fun melange in accessible and enjoyable rhyme of all the types of girls there can be, along with the many sports, hobbies and careers they can enjoy. Ali Pye’s illustrations capture the positive message perfectly, depicting girls of all shapes, sizes and abilities having a wonderful time grabbing life with both hands. Yes, there’s a pony and some pink, but there’s skateboarding, science and drumming too. This is a great book to revisit many times with children from Reception through KS1, as sadly, this contains important and empowering ideas which still need airing.
Sue Barrett, retired teacher and lecturer