Beautiful by Stacy McAnulty

Beautiful

Stacy McAnulty, Author

Joanne Lew-Vriethoff, Illustrator

Running Press Kids, Fiction, Sep. 13, 2016

Suitable for Ages: 3-8

Themes: Girls, Defying stereotypes, Gender equality, Empowerment, Potential

Opening: “Beautiful girls…have the perfect look.”

Synopsis: “Every girl is unique, talented, and lovable. . . .Every girl is BEAUTIFUL.”

Much more than how one looks on the outside, true beauty is found in conquering challenges, showing kindness, and spreading contagious laughter. Beautiful girls are empowered and smart and strong!

BEAUTIFUL breaks barriers by showing girls free to be themselves: splashing in mud, conducting science experiments, and reading books under a flashlight with friends. This book will encourage all girls to embrace who they are and realize their endless potential.

Why I like this book:

There is everything to love about Beautiful.  It is not your stereotypical “sugar and spice” picture book about girls. These girls have substance and they aren’t afraid to get dirty and smelly.  They play sports, plant gardens, play pirates in ponds, study insects and tinker with gadgets. This story is a refreshing and more realistic portrayal of girls. They are happy and embrace themselves for who they are.

Although McAnulty’s minimal text describes the girls as graceful, having the perfect look, smiling sweetly, smelling like flowers and having a smart style, Lew-Vriethoff’s illustrations paint a different picture. Her bold and colorful  artwork is racially diverse and shows girls of different sizes wearing glasses and braces, or playing basketball in wheelchairs.

Beautiful celebrates girls for their individuality. It is a story about personal empowerment and it will encourage girls to realize their endless potential. It is uplifting and makes you smile at these independent little girls who play with abandonment. This also is a good book to share with boys.

Resources: This is a perfect classroom discussion book for all young children. Use Beautiful to start a conversation about how girls and boys see each other. Can girls put worms on hooks? Can boys jump rope? Talk about breaking gender roles. Ask children what it means to be beautiful.

Every Friday, authors and KidLit bloggers post a favorite picture book. To see a complete listing of all the Perfect Picture Books (PPB) with resources, please visit author Susanna Leonard Hill’s Perfect Picture Books.

Not Every Princess

Not Every Princess

Jeffrey Bone and Lisa Bone, Authors

Valeria Docampo, Illustrator

Magination Press, Fiction, May 1, 2014

Suitable for Ages: 4-8

Themes: Encouraging kids to imagine and pursue dreams, Gender roles, Stereotypes, Individuality

Opening: “Not every princess lives in a castle. Not every fairy has wings. Not every pirate sails a ship.”

Book Jacket Synopsis: Who do you want to be: a princess? Pirate? Teacher or scientist? And where would you like to play: a castle? Pirate ship? Library or spacelab? It’s  your decision to make, so think away. Your imagination and thoughts can create pictures and scenes, the most beautiful, amazing picturesque dreams!

Why I like this book: Jeffrey and Lisa Bone encourage children to think outside of the box, use their imaginations  and envision lives for themselves beyond stereotypical gender roles and expectations. The rhyming text is purposely simple and shows ways children can be princesses, pirates, ballerinas, superheroes, knights and mermaids in fun and less traditional and stereotypical ways.  For example, “Not every Princess lives in a castle,” shows a girl wearing a viking helmet and perched high in a tree house.  “Not every pirate sails ships,” shows a boy with a patch over his eye and a bandanna around his head clinging to  a kite tail and sailing among the birds. Valeria Docampo’s colorful illustrations are whimsical, magical and playful. Her artwork complements the story so the book is a fun read and doesn’t come across as a resource.

Resources: There is a Note to Parents and Caregivers filled with useful advice and strategies to help children imagine that they can be engineers, pilots, football/basketball/baseball players, dancers, doctors, and scientists no matter whether they are male or female. The authors, who are both psychologists, suggest some very creative activities to use with children.

Every Friday, authors and KidLit bloggers post a favorite picture book. To see a complete listing of all the Perfect Picture Books (PPB) with resources, please visit author Susanna Leonard Hill’s Perfect Picture Books.