Here are 100 books that A Girl Can Build Anything fans have personally recommended if you like
A Girl Can Build Anything.
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In grade school, when Apollo 11 landed on the moon, I was immediately swept up in the craze for space and dreamt of being an astronaut. Until I was told by my teacher that girls weren’t allowed to be astronauts. I added that to a growing list of things I was told girls couldn’t do. Flash-forward to 2017, when a prominent man insisted that females should “dress like a woman” at work. Women from all walks of life–athletes, astronauts, emergency workers, and scientists posted photos of themselves in gear appropriate for their jobs, not the dress-and-heels implied. I was inspired by those photos and my childhood feelings of injustice.
This book captured my heart from the first time I read it. As a toddler, the main character is praised for being “a big girl,” but as she continues to grow, she discovers that being a “big girl” soon becomes a negative thing that prevents her from doing what she wishes.
The illustrations are amazing, and fold-out pages can barely contain the growing main character and the empathy you’ll have for her.
A book you will hug when you’re done reading it, then immediately read it again.
3
authors picked
Big
as one of their favorite books, and they share
why you should read it.
This book is for kids age
4,
5,
6, and
7.
What is this book about?
Once there was a girl with a big laugh and a big heart and very big dreams. She grew and grew and grew. And it was good... until it wasn't.
When the girl grows big, the world begins to make her feel small. She feels out of place and invisible, and soon she isn't herself at all. But with the girl's size comes huge inner strength - and this helps her look past the hurtful words to see how perfect she really is.
With beautiful illustrations and a gatefold flap, this quietly reassuring story explores the experience of being big…
In grade school, when Apollo 11 landed on the moon, I was immediately swept up in the craze for space and dreamt of being an astronaut. Until I was told by my teacher that girls weren’t allowed to be astronauts. I added that to a growing list of things I was told girls couldn’t do. Flash-forward to 2017, when a prominent man insisted that females should “dress like a woman” at work. Women from all walks of life–athletes, astronauts, emergency workers, and scientists posted photos of themselves in gear appropriate for their jobs, not the dress-and-heels implied. I was inspired by those photos and my childhood feelings of injustice.
Cars and trucks and things that go are not exclusively the realm of boys. In this rhythmic read-aloud, a dozen girls hit the road and sky with a rumble, vroom, and roar.
Kids will love the sound words and the repetitive “Go, Girls, Go!” The bold illustrations are a joy. And an invitation near the end (“What about you?”) encourages little imaginations to race away with possibilities.
Come along for a rollicking ride in this picture book celebration of vehicles that puts girls in the driver's seat!
Girls can race...and girls can fly. Girls can rocket way up high!
Piloting fire trucks, trains, tractors, and more, the girls in this book are on the go! Join them for an exuberant journey that celebrates how girls can do-and drive-anything.
In grade school, when Apollo 11 landed on the moon, I was immediately swept up in the craze for space and dreamt of being an astronaut. Until I was told by my teacher that girls weren’t allowed to be astronauts. I added that to a growing list of things I was told girls couldn’t do. Flash-forward to 2017, when a prominent man insisted that females should “dress like a woman” at work. Women from all walks of life–athletes, astronauts, emergency workers, and scientists posted photos of themselves in gear appropriate for their jobs, not the dress-and-heels implied. I was inspired by those photos and my childhood feelings of injustice.
Roll out the role models for your girls! These twenty-four women have made their mark by standing up, prevailing, creating, soaring, training, and changing the world.
This book is the perfect starting point to introduce your girl to the women who led the way and overcame challenges. The main text offers brief introductions, then four pages of biographical information at the back delve deeper.
This book is a terrific jumping-off point for exploring picture book biographies!
Create, prevail, change the world . . . like a GIRL! This celebration of international girl power honors a multitude of women who made a difference.
"As an introduction to women's power and possibilities, this choice rises above the rest." --Kirkus
Once upon a time, "like a girl" was considered an insult. Not anymore! In art, aviation, politics, sports, every walk of life, girls are demonstrating their creativity, perseverance, and strength. From civil rights activist Rosa Parks, who stood up for her beliefs by staying seated, to astronaut Sally Ride, who soared to the skies, the 24 women profiled here…
In grade school, when Apollo 11 landed on the moon, I was immediately swept up in the craze for space and dreamt of being an astronaut. Until I was told by my teacher that girls weren’t allowed to be astronauts. I added that to a growing list of things I was told girls couldn’t do. Flash-forward to 2017, when a prominent man insisted that females should “dress like a woman” at work. Women from all walks of life–athletes, astronauts, emergency workers, and scientists posted photos of themselves in gear appropriate for their jobs, not the dress-and-heels implied. I was inspired by those photos and my childhood feelings of injustice.
I can’t resist adding this book about being a writer since it’s my job and my passion. As a child, I don’t recall ever reading a picture book about writing. There were spelling books and penmanship books, but nothing about turning an idea into a story.
If you know a budding writer, this book is the perfect place to begin. Written in simple steps, it offers encouragement to keep going and even gives tips on revising. The journey of a future author could start with this book!
The inspiring sequel to the 2015 Parent's Choice Winner, How to Read a Story!
Step 1: Choose an idea for your story. A good one.
Step 2: Decide on a setting. Don't be afraid to mix things up.
Step 3: Create a heroine-or a hero.
Now: Begin.
Accomplished
storytellers Kate Messner and Mark Siegel playfully chronicle the
process of becoming a writer in this fun follow-up to How to Read a Story,
guiding young storytellers through the joys and challenges of the
writing process. From choosing an idea, to creating a problem for their
character to resolve, to coming to…
Human psychology has always fascinated me, and studying what drives human behavior is necessary in writing realistic characters. I bring psychological studies into every novel I write, and realistic characters, often flawed, always receive top billing. One of my hallmarks is presenting a story’s setting as a supporting character, as well—much like the books I’ve recommended. I have written and published seventeen titles, chock full of the many facets of the human condition, whether I’m writing for teens (as Sasha Dawn) or adults (as Brandi Reeds). The books on my list inspire, entertain, and perhaps most importantly feel. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
What can I say about Liara Tamani’s beautiful tale of coming of age? The novel carries Taja from middle school through high school, the span of time in which Taja learns her place in her family and the world around her. One of the things I love about this gem is the method in which the story unfolds—in short chapters, reminiscent of the ever-changing whims of the teenage mind. As such, Taja feels as real and breathing as any living soul. Perhaps even more pertinent is the setting of Houston, Texas. While some novels set in fictitious towns do their diligence in supporting realistic characters, Tamani’s decision to drop Taja into Houston only adds to the realism.
“Calling My Name is a treasure.”—Nic Stone, New York Times–bestselling author of Dear Martin
Calling My Name is a striking, luminous, and literary exploration of family, spirituality, and self—ideal for readers of Jacqueline Woodson, Jandy Nelson, Naomi Shihab Nye, and Sandra Cisneros.
This unforgettable novel tells a universal coming-of-age story about Taja Brown, a young African American girl growing up in Houston, Texas, and deftly and beautifully explores the universal struggles of growing up, battling family expectations, discovering a sense of self, and finding a unique voice and purpose.
Told in fifty-three short, episodic, moving, and iridescent chapters, Calling My…
When I was young, my mother became addicted to Valium. Following years of the inevitable traumas associated with living with addiction, my mother committed suicide six weeks before my wedding. I am an accidental writer, having chosen the law as my primary profession. On its face, my first book,Inflection Point: War and Sacrifice in Corporate Americais a behind-the-scenes exploration of high-profile litigation in Big Pharma. However, it is really the story of my personal struggle to come to terms with my own feelings of loss and abandonment as a result of my mother’s passing. In writing this book, I not only healed, but found a second professional passion.
Lidsky suddenly became blind as an adult and had to rebuild his life from the ground up. Overcoming the physical, as well as the emotional, obstacles to suddenly losing his eyesight, Lidsky charts his journey from the top to the bottom and back to the top again. Since reading Lidsky’s story and co-authoring Coughlin’s book, I have found gratitude in small things, despite my own personal struggles. More than once, I have said to myself, “If they can keep going in the face of sudden blindness, so can I.”
In this New York Times bestseller, Isaac Lidsky draws on his experience of achieving immense success, joy, and fulfillment while losing his sight to a blinding disease to show us that it isn’t external circumstances, but how we perceive and respond to them, that governs our reality.
Fear has a tendency to give us tunnel vision—we fill the unknown with our worst imaginings and cling to what’s familiar. But when confronted with new challenges, we need to think more broadly and adapt. When Isaac Lidsky learned that he was beginning to go blind at age thirteen, eventually losing his sight…
I have written four novels that involve crime in one way or another, but I do not consider myself a crime novelist. I simply find crime stories offer a compelling way to explore universal human experiences. I was a prosecutor when I was younger, so I try to bring a level of fluency in criminal law to my novels, but the usual warning applies: this is fiction, and it is better that a story be authentic than actually true.
Roth was a conservative writer in terms of prose style, but he was adventurous in bending the forms of narrative fiction, so let’s stick with him for a second novel: The Counterlife, from 1986.
Roth frequently appeared in his own novels, either undisguised as a character named Philip Roth or as one of his alter egos, notably the fictional novelist Nathan Zuckerman. Here a conventional Zuckerman novel goes steadily bonkers, with jumps in point of view and setting, until the term “novel” seems not quite to fit.
NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD WINNER • A “magnificent…splendid” novel (The New York Times Book Review) from the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of American Pastoral about people living out their dreams of renewal and escape, some of them even risking their lives to change their seemingly irreversible fates.
Illuminating these lives in transition and guiding us through the book's evocative landscapes, familiar and foreign, is the mind of the novelist Nathan Zuckerman. His is the skeptical, enveloping intelligence that calculates the price that's paid in the struggle to change personal fortune and reshape history, whether in a dentist's office in suburban…
I have always been fascinated by human behaviour since going to a school where we were told there was a right and a wrong way to do everything. That never felt right to me – human beings are much bigger than that! I studied Counselling and Therapy at Norwich City College in the 1990s and later specific courses on Transactional Analysis. Many years on, I am still learning…
This book is based on the science of Positive Psychology, not just helpful tips from someone nice.
Since 1980, lots of serious research has been done on what behaviours and mindsets really make people happy – and the results are all here, in this clear, well-presented book. I dip back into this book regularly.
The key tenet of THE HOW OF HAPPINESS is that every human being has a happiness 'set point' which, depending on how high or low it is, can determine how positive or negative they feel. This book offers a practical approach to help readers increase their set point, and find a level of happiness above that which they would normally feel, and feel more satisfaction in life.
Based on scientific research and trials, this is a groundbreaking book that offers a practical plan to enable readers to achieve a more positive outlook at home, at work and in their personal…
As a medical herbalist for over 25 years, I have long been treating people for chronic fatigue, post-viral fatigue, and, more recently, Long Covid. These days, there is so much stress to consider too, and I have recognized that stress has a major effect on the health of our bodies and also our life experience. One of my great interests in life is the wisdom of Nature, spirituality, and metaphysics. I love to combine medical science with spirituality, metaphysics, and Nature to contribute to helping people to feel their best through the wisdom of nature.
I read this easy-to-read book a long time ago, and it still has a positive influence on my life. Dr. Wayne Dyer gently explains the uselessness of negative thoughts such as guilt. He encourages self-empowerment by letting go of seeking the approval of others or pleasing people.
By stepping away from these exhausting, restrictive, and destructive negative thoughts, the reader learns that they can break free to be the real version of themselves, embracing all the wonders that life has to offer and creating the best version of themselves.
Dr Dyer is keen to encourage self-actualization, which is a psychological term whereby the reader achieves their full potential. Because of this book, I learned that I could be so much more than I ever believed I could, and I am.
THE RECORD-BREAKING, #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER – OVER 35 MILLION COPIES SOLD
The first book by Wayne Dyer, author of the multimillion-copy bestseller Pulling Your Own Strings and national bestsellers There’s a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem and Wisdom of the Ages, a positive and practical guide to breaking free from the trap of negative thinking and enjoying life to the fullest.
If you're plagued by guilt or worry and find yourself unwittingly falling into the same old self-destructive patterns, then you have "erroneous zones" – whole facets of your approach to life that act as barriers to your…
When I first started traveling at 16, I struggled. It's not always easy to learn a new language, adapt to a different culture, and build connections. But as I got more comfortable and confident navigating through my new environment, things started to improve. I know what it’s like to start from scratch, to move to a new country, to develop and use my communication skills to move up the business ladder. This is why I now use my experience to speak, train, and coach people from a variety of countries and cultures on how to become impactful communicators, and have written a book on the importance of global communication skills.
Simon Alexander Ong's book has improved my approach to managing my energy, a skill that’s essential to communicating effectively. Ong's insights into optimizing daily rhythms and setting boundaries have improved my productivity and well-being. His practical steps for silencing the inner critic and focusing on health have been especially impactful, leading to a more energized and fulfilling life.
This book is a must-read for anyone looking to boost their energy levels and achieve their potential in today's fast-paced world, as you’ll communicate most effectively when you are completely energized and in rhythm. This book is not just a guide; it's the key to unlocking a more vibrant and purposeful life.
Winner of the 2023 Business Book Award for Wellness and Wellbeing
'This book is exactly what we need in this moment. With so many pulls and strains and stresses, Simon offers us simple steps for every one of us to indeed energize!' Simon Sinek, optimist and New York Times bestselling author of Start With Why
'Learning how to manage your energy changes your life. Don't just read this book, do it!' Marie Forleo, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Everything is Figureoutable
Your energy is everything: it is the fuel that drives your success and it gives you…
