THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE GIRL

Fictional profiles based on real girls from countries around the world illustrate some of the gender-based inequities that inspired girl activists to champion the International Day of the Girl through the United Nations.

Flora, in Brazil, begins to learn capoeira, a martial art that can help her defend herself against men who follow girls on the “long, unsafe road to and from school.” Hana, in Afghanistan, learns to read from her grandmother when girls are prohibited from going to school. Abuya, in Kenya, learns carpentry from her father, and when her sister stops going to high school because there is no private bathroom, she practices her skills with other girls until they can build an outhouse to help girls continue going to school. Other girls use STEM skills, advocacy, and positive personality traits and talents to address mental health, access to education, nutrition, and child marriage. Each spread is dedicated to one girl’s story: One side pictures the girl being active in her community in attractive pastel illustrations; the other side relays her story in a few concise, accessible paragraphs, with a sidebar naming her country and some other countries with similar issues. A header introduces her as “strong,” “smart,” “brave,” etc. This nonfiction volume introduces heavy issues in the context of child-led social change, a powerful method that inspires hope rather than despair. Endnotes offer a timeline of advocacy at the U.N. for girls and women and further information, including statistics, with web-based sources. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-24-inch double-page spreads viewed at 61% of actual size.)

Engaging, age-appropriate, and eye-opening.