“Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood”-Marie Curie
Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls is a collection of 100 stories about the life of 100 extraordinary women from the past and the present, illustrated by 60 female artists from all over the world. This is the most funded original book in the history of crowdfunding. Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo raised more than 1.2 million dollars for this book. It shattered the worldwide crowdfunding records.
Pros: The book has short one page story and a one-page illustration image for each of the great women. The book features a diverse range of passionate women (including transwomen) of different ages from all over the world in past and present, with backgrounds, and professions. It has many stories of fearless women who defied the odds and overcame their obstacles to change the world. Through these 100 stories, it conveys the message that girls should dream big, there is no limit to what you can achieve.
Cons: Book contains difficult topics for young readers like war, death, and slavery. Some stories are poorly written, not well thought out. One story about an accomplished architect glamorizes how she got her way always. Once she was outraged when her flight was slightly delayed before taking off and insisted that they put her on a different plane even after onboarding. The crew said it was impossible, but she insisted – and got her way. This may not be behavior you want to encourage.
The target audience for this book is 8 years and above. Given very few books cover strong female protagonists, this book is a great move towards breaking the gender stereotypes and providing positive role models for girls to be fearless and free.
Content warnings: war, death, slavery.
Find this book on Amazon at Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls.
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STEM Area: Science
STEM Area: Technology
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Diversity Type: Gender
Diversity Type: Race
Diversity Type: LGBTQ
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Diversity Type: Neurodiversity
For reviews of other books that are great for the 6-8 age range, see Age Group: 6-8.
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