My Little Brave Girl

by Hilary Duff, Kelsey Garrity-Riley (Illustrator)

Explore each beautiful page and be inspired to reach higher, dream bigger, and approach the world with a heart wide open. Inspired by Hilary Duff's own experience as a mother, this book will empower young girls to bravely tackle every milestone, big and small.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Feminism, Family, Self Esteem, Inspirational

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 23, 2021

About the author

Hilary Erhard Duff is an American actress, pop singer-songwriter and entrepreneur. After gaining fame for playing the title role in the television show Lizzie McGuire, Duff went on to have a film career; her most commercially successful movies include Cheaper by the Dozen (2003), The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003), and A Cinderella Story (2004).

Duff has expanded her repertoire into pop music, with four RIAA certified Platinum albums and over thirteen million albums sold worldwide. Her first studio album, Metamorphosis (2003), was certified triple platinum and she followed it up with two more platinum albums, Hilary Duff (2004) and Most Wanted (2005). Duff's last studio album, Dignity, was released in April 2007 and was certified Gold in August 2007.

She has also launched a clothing line, "Stuff by Hilary Duff", and two exclusive perfume collections with Elizabeth Arden. Duff and her mother were listed as producers for the movie Material Girls, As of April 2008, her upcoming films include the action thriller War, Inc., animated comedy Foodfight!, and independent films Greta and Safety Glass.

Reviews

[Hannah Kubacak · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the illustrations, but the writing was disappointing. No plot, no rhyme... just empty cliches.

[Cherlynn | cherreading · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beautiful ode from mother to daughter. I'll admit seeing the author's name was the only reason I picked up this book, but it’s a really sweet read. Gorgeously illustrated and perfect for reading with your little girls everywhere.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had such high hopes... but this book is not worth the effort. The illustrations are adorable, but the story is one of the laziest pieces of writing I have ever seen. There’s barely complete sentences. What is there doesn’t rhyme (which you would expect out of small pieces of text). There is only one small phrase per 2 pages and sometimes it is so random that it has absolutely nothing to do with anything at all.
1 star is for the illustrations and another star is because some of the phrases can be construed as a positive message for little girls.

On a positive note: this is a good read on those nights when you don’t want to read anything.

[Nursebookie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you @prhaudio for the gifted audio book

Narrated by Hillary Duff

Length 6 min

The music was fascinating and narration well done by Hillary Duff herself. I loved and enjoyed it!

Perfect to read aloud with children.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely story about encouragement. Duff captures the wishes of every parent for their daughters - to be all they can be and to dream their own dreams. The illustrations are soft colored and lovely to match the tex.

[Jaid Wehrenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gift from Walt

[Judy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dumb.

Read this to my little granddaughter to encourage her.

Not impressed.

[Chantal · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book stopped so suddenly as it has started. I wonder how many kids will understand from this book because the whole book is metaphorical. I did like the message, it was okay to fill a few minutes with of my time.

[Nathan Bartos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sorry Hilary but this was pretty generic and bland. The art was cute, but while I love the empowering of young girls, this just fell flat for me.

[Dana Al-Basha | دانة الباشا]

Another book by Hilary for her daughter... beautiful.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who knew Hil Duff wrote a book!!!

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Softly-colored illustrations accompany brief text encouraging a young girl to embrace the world and not be intimidated by things that are new or might be frightening. Various scenes show a diverse cast of girls reaching for the stars, exploring the ocean's depths, and learning new skills such as counting, cooking, tasting new foods, and following their hearts. Many readers will appreciate the positive messages that are contained in this book as girls are encouraged to be kind, take on leadership roles, and embrace their own intelligence and uniqueness. One of the aspects of this book that I appreciated most in addition to the lovely illustrations was how there is little focus on appearance but more on intelligence and recognizing what makes each one of us special. The next-to-last pages depict two girls dreaming of all the possibilities that await them--perhaps becoming a soccer star, a politician or public speaker, an astronaut, a scientist, or a ballerina. No matter what those girls ultimately choose, it's clear that the world of opportunities awaits them and that they will have the support of the adults in their lives. This empowering book would be good to share with little ones as a way to encourage them to dream big and not allow others to limit them or their choices.

[Cara BookShelfMomma · Rating 5 out of 5]

No secret that this BookShelfMomma has some pretty amazing kiddos! In fact I have 3 daughters, all uniquely talented and strong. I love having daughters, I love seeing their personalities develop and shine. But when I really love watching is my daughters (and my son) achieve goal and conquer fears. That moment when you see on their face that they see how capable they are is is amazing!! God has big things in store for my children and I am along for the ride.

Okay, so how does that tie in with this book? Well, this book is a beautiful, it is inspirational to encourage the girls of this world to fully know that they can and will do big things. I love how it is so inclusive with all the children it represents, I hope all girls can look at this book and be encouraged to do big things. This is a great book for any girl in your life. Let them begin life knowing that they can achieve whatever they want.

“Your feet will take many big steps, my brave little girl.”

Thank you to @randomhousekids for sending me a copy of the book

[Alyssa Gassel · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Little Brave Girl is written by Hilary Duff. The audiobook version is told by Hilary Duff too, which I love (as a young Hilary Duff fan from the 2000s). I went into this book with an open mind, and tried not to be biased with my love for old Hilary Duff tv.

This book is very sweet. A book from a mother to a daughter. It is cute and brings joyful memories and milestones to light in a precious way.

It is geared toward younger children who have not yet reached major milestones, but shows that together, they will get through it all. Also that the little girl is her own unique individual, “now dream without borders my little brave girl, your future knows no bounds” (last page).

I think the book is great for new moms to read to their babies and think about all the good future memories. The baby will love the audio version read along with the extra sound effects for the different moments in the story.

[Jillian Gutierrez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have you ever experienced fear? Of course, you have. We all have. This book is a sweet and heartfelt message to her daughter. She prepares her for the challenges and joys she will face in life, but she consoles her each time and reassures her “my little brave girl” that she will make it out just fine. The Illustrations immediately popped out at me. It looked like 3D. Students would enjoy looking at these images. I appreciated that the group of girls in this book was diverse and different. I think this is a cool book to read with your kid and affirm them. However, I would not choose this book as a class read.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love this book. It’s a short and sweet read, perfect for bedtime. This book uses a poetic approach to encouraging young girls to always reach for their dreams and to be who they want to be.

Hilary Duff wrote this for her daughter and was inspired by motherhood. When she released this book, I knew if I ever had a daughter I wanted to get this for her. My daughter loves this book too. The illustrations are absolutely beautiful. They are very diverse and well done.

This is not a storybook, as clearly stated as the description, it is a poetic text. So there is no storyline or characters. The purpose of the book is to use more poetic writing to empower young girls.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is fine. It’s what I would say it’s a typical picture book. I think this could come from any picture book author. Knowing that the author is Hilary Duff, her history as a child entertainer is what makes this sound so traditional. She lived and breathed what keeps children interested or what message children need to see while being a child herself. Now as an adult she can look back on it and use that experience to make a picture book that while not stupendous and great is one that would be read and has a message worth reading.

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The text is meh and rather rushed. The repetition of "my little brave girl" makes the rhythm wonky, but the illustrations are gorgeous. I personally loved Duff's dedication to her second child as it spoke to my momma-heartstrings.

This is one of those picture books targeted at moms more than children. It's like a love song for your daughter—one she probably won't understand until later in life.

[Maeve · Rating 3 out of 5]

An inspirational poem (paired with illustrations) that celebrates, encourages, and reassures little, brave girls.

Beautiful illustrations with diverse representation. Intended for children (ages 6-8), but the sentiments might be a bit over their heads and better suited for the adults reading it to children.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Culturally diverse children, sharing and helping, enjoying nature and friends, learning and showing bravery and courage. Checks all the boxes, but there was no story to it, just a set up for the lovely illustrations. I don't think this will be read more than once.

Cross posted to https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...

[Laura Fyrqvist · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book found a special place in my heart because of how it empowers little girls. So often, young girls are taught to conform to certain standards. The beautiful thing about this book is it shows little girls that the world is their playground, and they have the opportunity to follow whatever dreams they have.

[Miss Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very very VERY lovely illustrations, and heartwarming intentions (what grown-up wouldn't want the little girls of the world to feel empowered to live fully enriched lives). It is sure to please the masses. But otherwise pretty lacking in content and depth. Great attempt, though, Hilary! Be brave and keep at it.

[Beth Bauman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice enough pictures, by the prose is abstract, amateur, and generally unappealing. Also, what is with the running motif "my little brave girl"? In English, the order of modifiers is opinion, size, age, shape, colour, origin, material, purpose, which is why we say "my brave little girl," not "my little brave girl." Ugh.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written and illustrated children's book. A must to read to little girls (and boys). It enforces the fact we live in a huge world but with encouragement and perseverance one can go far. It inspires the child to reach for the stars, dream big and view the world with an open heart and mind.

[Hannah Lewczynski · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has beautiful illustrations that include girls of every color. The books main message is that one day, if you’re brave, you’ll be able to count and swim and take adventures. The words in the book were a little simplistic for me, but I enjoyed the beautiful illustrations really took it home. The pictures described the book in way words couldn’t; an excellent example of a picture book

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of these books that I think parents and older children might get and enjoy but younger children aren't going to engage with as easily. I liked the illustration on the cover but didn't care for the actual illustrations in the book.

[Kristine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Hilary Duff and this book has great messages and intentions. It's not a total wow though, a lot of the story is overly simplified and sparse. Luckily the illustrations are beautiful and engaging so you can really linger on the page.

[Haylee Baldwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so sweet and the illustrations are beautiful! I did not know that Hilary Duff was coming out with a children’s book so when I heard I had to read it! I think this book could an emotion and mental connection with students in a pre-k-1st grade!

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Possible contender for the Mock Caldecott Awards to be held in January 2021. A sweet book that encourages all little girls to live and enjoy their lives to the fullest with no borders or boundaries to stop them.

[Muslihah · Rating 2 out of 5]

The illustrations were beautiful - they truly did inspired wonder. But the words left something to be desired. The pages felt disjoined and given that there were only two sentences per page, it would have been nice if the words were a rhyme.