Like a Girl

by Lori Degman, Mara Penny (Illustrator)

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 took risks, acted up, broke barriers, and transformed the world. With its simple yet powerful text, this book will inspire young women everywhere.   

Subjects include:
Rosa Parks * Mother Teresa * Malala Yousafzai * Ruby Bridges * Helen Keller * Tammy Duckworth * Wilma Rudolph * Temple Grandin * Frida Kahlo * Zaha Hadid * R.J. Palacio * Maya Angelou * Amelia Earhart * Bessie Coleman * Sally Ride * Mae Carol Jemison * Simone Biles * Gail Devers * Babe Didrikson Zaharias * Gertrude Ederle * Jane Addams * Irena Sendler * Wangari Maathal * Harriet Tubman

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, History, Childrens, Biography, Inspirational, Feminism

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2019

About the author

"Lori Degman is a teacher of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing by day and a children's book author by night, weekend, and school holiday. She writes in rhyme, most of the time - but not always!

Lori is the award-winning author of:
1 Zany Zoo (Simon & Schuster in 2010) - An Illinois Reads Book Selection; winner of the Cheerios New Author Contest and Mom's Choice Award.

Cock-a-Doodle Oops! (Creston Books, 2014) - International Literacy Association Honor Book and winner of Mom's Choice Award.

Norbert's Big Dream (Sleeping Bear Press, 2016).

Reviews

[Jenna Grodzicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Like a Girl features 24 women and girls from all over the world who have made the world a better place. It also empowers readers to believe girls can do anything. Girls can soar like Mae Carol Jemison, create like R.J. Palacio, and train like Simone Biles. Degman's rhyming is top notch and Penny's use of vivid colors make the illustrations stand out. The back matter includes mini biographies. This is a must-have for all the young girls AND boys in your life.

[Corey Schwartz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an empowering book celebrating the accomplishments of 24 woman who have achieved greatness in a variety of fields. (science, arts, sports, politics, etc) These woman took risks and broke barriers and will inspire readers to also stand up and soar!

[Elizabeth]

This is my new favorite book.

[alisonwonderland (Alison) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring summary, in rhyme, of the impact twenty-four different woman have made and are making on the world, "like a girl."

If I had a granddaughter, I'd read this one with her over and over until she knew the words by heart and could identify the illustration of each woman by name. (Maybe someday.)

[Jen Hires · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book of inspiring women to empower young girls.

[Sandy Brehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Degman has a well-earned reputation for effective and flowing rhymed text, which shines in this picture book. She takes the long-time bullying tease "like a girl" by the words to shake and shape that intended chant into an inspiring rallying cry. Using several organizing patterns and fantatic figurative twists, she illustrates each line througnthe life of one of twenty-four diverse women, spanning geography, time, fields of interest, age, and ethnicities. Each page pairs a line of a stanza with a well-known female to issue imperatives to readers: Stand up! Create! Prevail! Soar! Train! and Change the world! Then ASK, challenge, and imagine all that you can be.
I was particularly impressed with the range of individuals she depicts, some of whom will be recognized moe readily than others. No worries, the women are each identified and their accomplishments described in several pages of colorful backmatter.
I can imagine using this approach as mentor text for a group activity to turn other negative name-calling into more literal and metaphorical examples from positive examples: bad hair day? big guy? shrimp?
It is easy enough to suggest not letting words hurt, but this is a positive and productive approach to blending research, writing, and self-empowerment in a team effort.

[Chana Stiefel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to strong female role models, and authors like Lori Degman, running or throwing or acting “like a girl” is no longer a taunt--it’s a compliment! Degman’s new rhyming picture book, beautifully illustrated by Mara Penny, features 25 strong women from around the world. Girls and boys will be inspired to stand up like a girl (eg, Rosa Parks and Malala Yousafzai), prevail like a girl (eg, Olympic champion Wilma Rudolph and U.S. Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth), create like a girl (eg, artist Frida Kahlo and architect Zaha Hadid), and so much more. Readers will learn about activists, astronauts, athletes, and others. Brief bios in the back matter describe each woman’s inspirational achievements. A lovely tribute to these remarkable women!

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am near bursting about this book I could scream. It’s. So. Good. There’s representation of race, country, religion, age, history, vocation, and ability. It’s not perfect (I feel there are some kinds of women who weren’t as visible), but nearly every kind of woman and girl is seen in this book. Girls are encouraged to soar and think and create and run. They’re encouraged to read, ask questions, and investigate. And then each woman who is featured in the beginning of the book is introduced at the end in case you didn’t recognize some (which I didn’t). BUY THIS FOR EVERY FEMALE-IDENTIFYING HUMAN YOU KNOW.

[Michelle Schaub · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Lori Degman has used her deft rhyming skills to write a girl-power picture book packed with information and inspiration. Through lyrical text, Degman invites readers to “stand up”, “prevail”, “soar”, “create”, and “change the world” like the 24 remarkable women featured in the book. An author’s note provides more information about each woman’s achievements. Mara Penny’s vibrant illustrations further enhance the energy exuding from the pages of this empowering picture book.

[Hannah Parke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This nonfiction tale about women from history brings new meaning to the phrase "You....like a girl." While the book repeats the same phrase "Like a girl" many many times, each repetition of the phrase recognizes a woman from history. I would read this to my the female students in my class when we separate the boys and girls in order to go over the different health subjects for the different genders.

[Terry]

Wow! Don't mistake this for another book that looks at women in history. The author brings the power of these trailblazers by encouraging girls to ask questions and be curious. The rhyme is exquisite, with words carefully chosen to represent not just the person on the page, but to encourage those same traits in young women today.

See why Like a Girl is on our "definitely buy" shortlist.

[A Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the children's book version of Most Girls by Hailee Steinfeld. I LOVE both the song and this book. I'm giving this 5 stars and buying copies to give as gifts. This book does a good job, I think, of including lots of different women and being intersectional. I wish there was a trans woman of color.

[Emily Snow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book has rhythm that's carried out through the text. Especially the line "like a girl" promotes to confidence and embracing who everyone wants to be in the classroom. Which is the message I want to promote to my classroom when my students first walk in. I think this book would be good for a read aloud with maybe 3rd/4th grade.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am all about the girl power books and this book did not disappoint! I love the simple language, beautiful illustrations and inclusion of information about the women featured at the end of the book. Every library needs this in their collection and it would make a great gift for the young women in your life!

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this nicely illustrated book, 24 woman and girls are mentioned for something courageous and extraordinary they did that influenced people. On the back pages is a short biography of each woman. Very encouraging, especially to girls.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read about the amazing things that different girls have done in their lifetime, with little background information on all the women mentioned in this book. Good level entry book and for someone who may want to do further research.

[Tammy McIntyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is FABULOUS. It celebrates women in the best way, with beautiful illustrations and simple, profound statements of wisdom. I love this- like Dear Girl, Julia Donaldson books, and Nancy Tillman books, it is now going to be one of my top gifted books.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is packed with historical women who have achieved greatness. The language is beautiful and the last page gave me goosebumps.
Perfect gift for every girl and important message for every boy.

[C Heaslip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read aloud for social justice or women's history month. Each page tells a biography blurb, but doesn't give away the name. All of the names are at the end. Would be a fun guessing game with kids.

[Jillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED this one!

[Annese · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the yearbook style illustrations on the inside cover.

[Maggie Mattmiller · Rating 5 out of 5]

YES! This book needs to be in every little girl's hands- and boys need to see it too!

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the stars for this one.

[Aliza Werner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Change the world like a girl!

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Empowering book with information from Harriet Tubman to Simone Biles - and all the great achievements by women in between. Back of book includes mini-biographies for each of the women pictured.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Girl power.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this! Soooo good. I hope it becomes a bestseller. I almost didn't check it out from the library because I want more people to read it.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fabulous introduction to some phenomenal women.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like A Girl highlights women over the years who have accomplished something - from Harriet Tubman to Malala Yousafzai, encouraging young girls to follow their dreams.

[Reshamad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lyrical non fiction picture book on GIRL power :)
Love how simple and beautiful this one is.