Reading Time: 3 minutes

M falling asleep after being read the book, Ambitious Girl.

To celebrate Women’s History Month, my daughter’s bookshelves are filled with books written by women with female lead characters. First up on the queue for story time was “Ambitious Girl” by Meena Harris, illustrated by Marissa Valdez.

This picture book tells the story of a young girl surrounded by powerful women, but she lives in a society that tells her it is not okay to be powerful.

To be too loud. To be too confident. It is all deemed “too much”. In the end she realizes she doesn’t need to listen to the haters because she is surrounded by those who will lift her up and who will remind her to embrace her strengths and to lift others up.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS BOOK!

I get emotional whenever I read it. It is relatable and empowering as a woman reader to see the struggle that is so familiar and to be comforted by words such as this one:

No one can tell me who I am

or who I’m meant to be.

Auntie says: What has always been

is all they’re able to see.

What I really enjoyed while reading Ambitious Girl was how I could see the wheels turning in my little girls mind. I have read this book to her in the past, I think she enjoyed the illustrations, which is typical for a three year old. Now at the age of four, almost five, she was asking really amazing questions that blew my mind and showed me how much she was listening.

Image from Ambitious GIrl illustrations do not belong to me they are a product of the book.

When it came to this line:

“I have purpose, hope, and power”

She wanted to know what power meant.

I told her power is your ability to do something. You have the power to do anything you want. You have power in your voice when you tell others what you want or don’t.

When it came to this line:

“I have goals, but I am not keeping score.”

She wanted to know what goals were.

I told her goals are things that you reach for. You have a goal to finish all of your homework. You have a goal to play all day. You have a goal to paint the prettiest picture. It’s like a dream that you create in your mind and once you set it you can work towards it and make it a reality.

“But dreams are in your head”, she said.

“Exactly!” I said.

They’re in your mind first, you think it and then you make it real. Just like when you use your imagination to make your drawings. It’s just like this book. Someone thought about it and had dreams about it, then they made it a reality by working really hard and dreaming even harder.

When it came to this line:

“If we fall, we get back up.

And if we fail, it’s a chance to disrupt.”

She wanted to know what disrupt meant.

I told her it’s when you break the silence. When you decide to take your failure and learn from it. You’ll take on the challenge that is given to you with failure and use it to help you grow. You’ll disrupt what is believed in by being different.

One of my favorite images! Image from Ambitious Girl illustrations do not belong to me.

As I wrapped up the story she fell asleep to the sound of me reading the author’s note. It was beautiful.Whenever a story can get my daughter to sleep I am happy. Whenever a story can get my daughter thinking and learning I am the happiest.

I was able to close this book and feel so many things. I felt gratitude, empowered, and excited. My daughter is so lucky to be able to grow up with books that can embody so much courage and strength within its pages. I am so lucky to have her to share these stories with and to be able to teach her things I’ve only just learned myself.

Love the sound of this book find it in my bookshop!

The Bookworm Queen

Proof that my four year old daughter is listening!

To celebrate Women’s History Month, my daughter’s bookshelves are filled with books written by women with female lead characters. First up on the queue for story time was “Ambitious Girl” by Meena Harris, illustrated by Marissa Valdez.

This picture book tells the story of a young girl surrounded by powerful women, but she lives in a society that tells her it is not okay to be powerful.

To be too loud. To be too confident. It is all deemed “too much”. In the end she realizes she doesn’t need to listen to the haters because she is surrounded by those who will lift her up and who will remind her to embrace her strengths and to lift others up.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS BOOK!

I get emotional whenever I read it. It is relatable and empowering as a woman reader to see the struggle that is so familiar and to be comforted by words such as this one:

No one can tell me who I am

or who I’m meant to be.

Auntie says: What has always been

is all they’re able to see.

When it came to this line:

“I have purpose, hope, and power”

She wanted to know what power meant.

I told her power is your ability to do something. You have the power to do anything you want. You have power in your voice when you tell others what you want or don’t.

When it came to this line:

“I have goals, but I am not keeping score.”

She wanted to know what goals were.

I told her goals are things that you reach for. You have a goal to finish all of your homework. You have a goal to play all day. You have a goal to paint the prettiest picture. It’s like a dream that you create in your mind and once you set it you can work towards it and make it a reality.

“But dreams are in your head”, she said.

“Exactly!” I said.

They’re in your mind first, you think it and then you make it real. Just like when you use your imagination to make your drawings. It’s just like this book. Someone thought about it and had dreams about it, then they made it a reality by working really hard and dreaming even harder.

When it came to this line:

“If we fall, we get back up.

And if we fail, it’s a chance to disrupt.”

She wanted to know what disrupt meant.

I told her it’s when you break the silence. When you decide to take your failure and learn from it. You’ll take on the challenge that is given to you with failure and use it to help you grow. You’ll disrupt what is believed in by being different.

As I wrapped up the story she fell asleep to the sound of me reading the author’s note. It was beautiful.Whenever a story can get my daughter to sleep I am happy. Whenever a story can get my daughter thinking and learning I am the happiest.

Love the sound of this book find it in my bookshop!