Books about strong girls are vital to raising confident young ladies and this fabulous book about the many ways we can be beautiful is a MUST for your bookshelf. You will absolutely adore BEAUTIFUL, by Stacy McAnulty!
Some people just don’t understand.
They simply do not get the power and force behind our women and our girls — girls that are beautiful not for their looks and their bodies, but for their insatiable curiosity, their stunning intellect and their unbridled spirit. Why, in this day and age, must we continue to drive this message home to people who refuse to comprehend this? Parents of both boys and girls alike- this book about strong girls is a MUST! For some reason I had saved it for a review, and I am so glad I did for there is no time more important than the present for this book to be read to our children.
Beautiful is a Happily Ever Elephants’ GO-TO Book About Strong Girls!
Gone are the days where girls are told to wear dresses and look dainty, where they succumb to the shadows, let others speak for them, and don’t speak up for themselves. Instead, there is a new kind of pretty. And Stacy McAnulty’s new book, BEAUTIFUL, captures this modern day version of what it means to be a beautiful girl so, well, beautifully.
BEAUTIFUL is an ode to the tree climbing, science loving, dirt slinging, sports playing, creativity seeking girls who regularly defy expectations and gender norms. Though the text describes perfect girls who move gracefully, understand makeup and have a smart style, the pictures tell a much more subversive, contradictory story: gracefulness is depicted through athletics, makeup is utilized for dramatic and creative play, and smart style is considered protective eye wear as girls ruminate over science experiments.
There is no better story to show your STEAM loving, gender-defying girls that they are at their most beautiful when they run from societal limitations, conquer challenges, and play with a mind towards personal empowerment. Coupled with the outstanding message, the illustrations by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff are wholly inclusive. Girls of various racial backgrounds, with glasses and braces, and even a few basketball playing girls in wheelchairs, are shown throughout the pages, making sure that so many children will see themselves reflected in BEAUTIFUL‘s pages. I love this book, both for boys and girls alike, and I have no doubt that this will be a staple in your libraries, both at home and at school. Such a fun read, such a critically important theme. Two trunks up to BEAUTIFUL for expanding our definition of beauty and celebrating our beautiful, strong willed, and brilliant girls!
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Want the book? Get it here! BEAUTIFUL, by Stacy McAnulty. *This is an affiliated link. The book was sent to us by the publisher, but all opinions are our own.
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