Five Unique Kids Books that help #BreakTheBias this International Women’s Day
Girls CAN Fly… if they want too.
Be bold, speak up, be heard… if they want too.
And many WILL change the world, if they want too.
The earliest words children are exposed to are often shared through books. Poetry, fiction, non-fiction and everything in between. These books help build vital connections in a child’s mind and plant seeds for their futures.
As children grow, books have the power to do so much more. And this International Women’s Day 2022, we know books can also have the power to #BreakTheBias.
Books give children the opportunity to transform into someone else, for just a moment. To see what life was like for them, to feel, see, taste something from another’s perspective. They help a mind to grow, to see all the possibilities, to motivate, inspire and transform ways of thinking.
We have so many favourites but this #IWD22, we’ve put together our top 5 that project girls into the spotlight and help change ingrained realities and ideals that continue to dominate our society.
1.Ming and Flo Fight for The Future
By: Jackie French
A brand new series release from one of our all time, favourite authors and we are beaming! Perfect for our tweens (9-13 years), entering that scary crossroads between primary and high school. The story follows 12-year-old Ming Qong as she attempts to find out just how girls changed the world, despite their rare mentions in the history books.
This tale is the perfect example of giving children the opportunity to explore another world. The reader follows Ming as she finds herself following the life of a woman living on a drought-stricken farm. On her voyage she is rescued by a woman courageously fighting for women’s rights. Inspired, Ming is determined to get involved and make the difference she knows she can.
2. Girls Can Fly
By: Sally Morgan and Ambelin Kwaymullina
Of course girls can fly, if they want too! And Aboriginal mother and daughter duo Sally Morgan and Ambelin Kwaymullina makes you believe that you can. Through gorgeous poetry, Sally uses short phrases, filled to the brim with important life lessons to allow girls and young women see and feel their full potential, or to bring joy through any moment.
“Believe in your Wings”… incredibly important advice at any age.
3. Minty Mae Gray and the Strangely Good Day
By: Fifi Box
Written by long time TV presenter and radio broadcaster Fifi Box, Minty Mae Gray is all about empowering young girls to feel comfortable in their own skin. While as a society, we have come leaps and bounds in terms of showcasing diversity in our media, history means that there will always more to do.
Who better to tell the tale then someone who has experienced the spotlight and the critiques that come along with it, first hand! This playful book follows Minty Mae on a ‘very bad day’ as she receives a comment aimed at her looks. As she sinks into an overthinking spiral, her unicorn picture comes to life and takes her on an adventure to view works of art as they are portrayed and changed throughout history. Beauty comes in many forms, Minty realises.
4. Counting on Katherine
By: Helaine Becker
STEM is consistently the talk of the town and encouraging women to get involved is the priority of governments across the world. Based on the true story of mathematical genius, Katherine Johnson this book inspires just that!
Katherine helped make the historic Apollo 11 moon landings possible and made sure that Apollo 13 returned home safely when the mission was in critical danger.
The biographical tale follows Kathrine through her early life when she discovered she loved to county through to her later years when her love for mathematics grew and she became determined to find out all there is to know.
5. Bella The Brave
By: Rebel Wilson
How many times do you hear the advice of “be brave, you can do it” thrown around? It’s often and it comes from a nice place but for young women standing up against male counterparts, at school, in the workplace and other areas of life, it can be an incredibly hard thing to do.
Australian actress Rebel Wilson takes readers on a journey as Bella discovers her voice, begins to believe in herself and the bravery that lives inside her. It’s a powerful reminder for women of all ages that the power to be heard lives inside us all even if sometimes it feels overshadowed.
