This inspiring board book features women who worked in STEM, “abridged for tiny feminists.” Each of the 15 two-page spreads briefly describes an (unfortunately) lesser-known woman who contributed to the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Every page is delightfully illustrated, in pen and watercolors, that both my little ones and I can appreciate. The brief biographies, which point out how each woman “persisted,” are very well-written, with admirable warmth and clarity. I especially like the italicized quotations from each woman, each of which explains how and why she persisted in her efforts. The book ends with several young women who are helping today, like Greta Thunberg, to help inspire our daughters today, and in the future!

This is a thoughtful and inspiring board book(!) which tells Greta Thunberg’s life story (thus far). It is written with simplified, yet direct, phrasing, explaining about her depression after a class on climate change, her resulting autism diagnosis, her one-girl protests each Friday, outside the Swedish parliament, and her continuing dedication to hold world leaders to account for their lack of progress in preventing global climate change and its many resultant catastrophes. The book ends with her inspiring others. The book itself is easy to read, with engaging 2-D illustrations throughout, with top-notch printing. It’s an impressive book to help people feel that they can make a difference, even (or especially?) if they’re young, female, and autistic.

Open the front cover’s flap, illustrated with Jane Goodall as an adult, and you (and your little ones) will see Goodall as a young girl. Each page of this charming board book explains how she loved being outdoors, how she realized that if she stayed still, she could see what the animals were doing (and figure out why), and how reading the book, The Story of Dr. Doolittle, led her to wonder if she could travel and learn to “talk” to the animals. After traveling to Africa, as a young woman, she was assigned to observe chimpanzees — who avoided her for a year! But then… The charmingly illustrated board book explains how she explained to the world that many animals are more like us than we’d ever known before. This board book would be a delight for any young child with an interest in animals and adventure (which, I suspect, is pretty much all of them). This inspiring book is well made, with very good printing and binding for a board book.