Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Tales of Extraordinary Women

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Synopsis

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls is a book packed with the stories of 100 extraordinary women of the past and present, such a Malala Yousafzai, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Ada Lovelace, Marie Curie, Amelia Earhart, and many, many more. Each mini-bio is written in the style of a fairy tale imparting the adventures of these women, making perfect bite-sized bedtime stories. Each story is accompanied by a full-page illustrated portrait of the woman featured, all of which have been created by dozens of female artists from around the world. This is the ideal book to inspire curious youngsters who want to learn more about these heroic women.

Review

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls is the first book in the series of the same name and the one that started the Rebel Girls movement that sparked a worldwide phenomena through the largest crowdfunding campaign in history. The book tells the stories of one hundred different extraordinary women who've left an indelible mark on the world today, and who didn't give up even if others told them they couldn't achieve their dreams. It covers women from all different backgrounds and time periods, including well-known figures such as Amelia Earhart, Helen Keller, Jane Goodall, Malala Yousafzai, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Serena and Venus Williams, Simone Biles, and many others, some of whom aren't as well-known but should be. Each of the stories takes on the format of a fairy tale or bedtime story, often beginning with "Once upon a time..." or "Once there lived..." Accompanying each of the stories is a full-color original artist's rendering of the woman being profiled. Sixty different female artists from all around the world were tapped to participate in illustrating the book. At the back, there is a blank page for the child to tell their own story and draw a self-portrait.

I can't recall where I first heard about the Rebel Girls books, but I do remember that I immediately put them on my TBR list. We're starting to see more books like this being published that celebrate the accomplishments of women, but we can always use more. I'm also always on the lookout for great books to share with my spirited granddaughter and this one definitely fits the bill. I love that the authors chose a wide variety of women from all sorts of backgrounds, representing people from all over the world. It covers all time periods, showing that women have been trailblazers for centuries longer than many give them credit. This broad variety meant that there were many women with whom I was familiar and many others to whom I was introduced for the first time, all of whom deserved to have their stories told. I like that in the case of a couple of potentially controversial picks, the authors acknowledged these women's accomplishments, while pointing out that we also need to grapple with their bad choices that have brought harm to others. I love the formatting of the stories that presents them like a fairy tale, which makes them perfect for bedtime reading. I think the book would have broad appeal. Middle graders should be able to read it independently, while the short format of the individual bios would be great for read-aloud with younger children, too. The portraits accompanying the bios are colorful and beautifully rendered, sure to catch children's eyes. Overall, this was a fantastic book for the budding feminist that would be an inspiration to young girls and IMHO essential reading for boys as well. It's left me eager to check out the other books in the series soon.

Note: This book includes a profile of a transgender girl (told in age-appropriate language) and another woman who is briefly mentioned to have had a girlfriend. If this type of content offends you, you should probably consider skipping this book.

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Elena Favilli

Francesca Cavallo @ GoodReads