Cover Image: What Little Girls Are Made Of

What Little Girls Are Made Of

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Member Reviews

Adorable book! Absolutely loved this for my daughter. Provides affirmations for little girls to remind them how strong and wonderful they are. Very inclusive as well!! The illustrations are beautiful. Highly recommended.

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An empowering read for girls still growing up in a world that tries to tell them who they are or what they can do. Susan Leonard Hill takes the classic rhyme as a starting point to make a beautiful and encouraging book. It also works well to expose other genders to the diversity of what girls — and everyone — can be. Talitha Shipman’s illustrations are masterful and show both the diversity of experiences girls can have and the diversity of identities girls can have.

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I received an electronic ARC from Sourcebooks Kids through NetGalley.
A refreshing change from the old nursery rhyme. The author includes all sorts of things little girls are made of. This is an empowering story with brightly colored illustrations. The representation is inclusive. A bit wordy at times but a much needed book.

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What a sweet little book that every little girl should read. It is so much more that old little girls are made of sugar and spice. This is an empowering book that teaches girls from a young age all of the things they can do someday. The illustrations of great and keep you turning the pages. I love the affirmations at the end of the book.

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First of all, thank you so much to Susanna Leonard Hill and Net Galley to give me access to this ARC.
I want to buy this book, give it to my younger self and give it to every little girl I find on the street! This is such a big deal!
This book is so important in terms of message and diversity. Disabled and abled children, various colored skin people, and most of all, the idea that a girl, a woman, can do anything they set their mind to!
The illustrations are obviously a big plus and I love this kind of drawing, the colors are vibrant and so much fun!
I especially like the end of the book and the little last message it sends, so important.
I think this is a book where a lot of little girls will see themselves and remember these values of strength and valor, grace and kindness, in general things we should uphold as a society.

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Phenomenally written to remind and empower the girls of our world! I loved every line and page in this book. The illustrations are stunning and I love that there are many representations on each page! My girls have asked me to read it four times already today! This will be added to our home library as soon as possible and will quickly be a favorite in our household!

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I love the idea of this book so much. Having a daughter myself, I want her to know that she is capable of anything she puts her mind to. This book conveys that and more.

I do think it is a little wordy at times though and I wish that it stayed repetitive with “little girls.”

Overall, I think this book is a great one for little girls to be taught they’re capable of anything!

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Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I think this is an excellent concept. I do think we need more books that give children morale boosts. And quickly I want to address the gendered nature of this book by saying that I don't mind things targeted at a single audience if it doesn't exclude people who identify in the same way and this is very inclusive to people who identify as girls. Its big problem is that it doesn't do anything with that concept that is interesting, new, or even inspiring. I actually think I've seen other books named and themed the exact same way before. There is nothing wrong with this, I just wanted more. The illustrations are good, however, and show girls of all kinds which I appreciate.

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What Little Girls Are Made Of
3.5 Stars

I like everything this book represents, but I'm not a fan of the execution. I wanted to love What Girls Are Made Of, but it's just OK. It's too generic, nothing stands out when you close the book. The storytelling is missing something: phonics, rhyming, or passion. That said, I'd definitely bring this book home from the library and add my own "sparkle" to it. This is the type of book I hope my daughter will want to read over and over again. For me, it's not there yet. The message of being yourself and dreaming big is great. However, what was most memorable to me was the diversity in culture, skin color, and persons with disabilities represented in the artwork. Thank you, NetGalley and Source Books Kids, for providing me with a digital ARC for an honest review.

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I love that the covers show how much diversity was in the book. It was sweet and I loved the affirmations. This is part of a series that is both what little boys and little girls are made of. While each book is different, it doesn't reinforce stereotypes. I love that so many different kids will see themselves in this book.

4 stars.

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Maybe I'm biased in that I once was a little girl and I now have a little girl of my own but I loved this book.

There once was a time when someone insisted that little girls are made of sugar, spice, and everything nice, but in this children's picture book, author Susanna Leonard Hill breaks that assertion down and insists that, no, little girls are made up of so much more than just that.

Over the course of the book, Hill elaborates on that old nursery rhyme by celebrating all the different things that make up little girls - kindness, adventure, bravery, generosity, giggles, moxie, and so much more. Hill breaks down stereotypes that have existed for girls for centuries and replaces them with new possibilities. Girls can be whatever they want.

Additionally, the illustrations, done by Talitha Shipman, were stunning. I love the art style and colours chosen, and there was a good amount of diversity mixed into the girl characters that moved from page to page.

While the poetry of the book sometimes fell flat for me, it was never so much that I would opt out of reading the book to my daughter. In fact, I will likely get her a copy of the final printed version to add to our collection of women-dominated picture books.

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What Little Girls Are Made Of: Modern Nursery Rhyme
"What are little girls made of?
What makes them who they are?
Sugar and spice and everything nice?
It's more than that by far."

I love this book. Hands down. This is not just a little book with cute rhyming about how girls are sweet and cute with bows on in their hair. This is an amazing story about how important girls are and how they can do so many important things in the world.
The illustrations are beautiful and bright. It is encouraging and inspiring and I will read this to my little girls every chance I get.
Thank you NetGalley for the eARC to review.

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Thanks NetGalley for the preview!

This book was sweet! The rhythm of the poem made it an enjoyable read. I especially loved the positive affirmations at the end!

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My girls and I loved this book! It takes definitions of girls beyond “sugar, spice, and everything nice” and shows all they can do.
My girls loved seeing themselves in the characters- as gymnasts and people who advocate for things. The cadence isn’t regular, but has enough rhyming for kids to want to finish the phrases. The illustrations are great!
It offers affirmations at the end, further shoring up lessons about mindfulness, self talk, and positivity. 5⭐️s!
Thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebooks, and the author for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

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Thank you, NetGalley, for giving me a digital ARC of this book.
I am excited for the release of What Little Girls Are Made Of! They had me at the cover art. The illustrations are so beautiful, bright, and inclusive. This book is an excellent take on an old rhyme that many might look back on fondly, brings those good feelings to the surface, and expands on them. Leading the reader joyfully to new powerful images of girls with a rhyming cadence you are sure to enjoy! What Little Girls Are Made Of, is already in my cart, waiting for its release!

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#WhatLittleGirlsAreMadeOf #SusannaLeonardHill #TalithaShipman #SourcebooksKids #NetGalley

This is a charming book full of positive affirmations for little girls. “What are little girls made of?” is the question that is answered here. They are earthshakers, peacemakers, ceiling breakers, give-and-takers! They can be anything that they set their minds to.
The lovely, lively illustrations by Talitha Shipman and the positive reinforcement by Susanna Leonard Hill, make this ARC a valuable addition to a little girl’s library.

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I cannot wait to buy this book for my daughter! It is so encouraging to girls of all ages! The author does a great job at telling the reader all the ways girls can change the world. Girls are great!

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This rhyming picture tells of all of the things that make little girls special. Whether it is being curious, helping others or participating in a variety of activities, it is likely that all male children would identify with the things described in this story. There are also a variety of ethnicities and abilities portrayed in the story, making it even more relatable to a variety of readers. The content and illustrations are nice and overall it is a well designed book. That being said, I don’t love that this book is gendered. I went into reading it with an open mind, and while the author does include some activities that are not gender stereotyped or are stereotypically “boy activities”, but why does this book need to be gendered itself? What would happen if a child was questioning their gender identity and received this book as a gift? What messages would that send them? As educators and society in general are trying to move away from gendering things, this book is unnecessarily creating a gender divide.

I was provided an advance this book by NetGalley and my review was voluntary.

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WHAT LITTLE GIRLS ARE MADE OF: A MODERN NURSERY RHYME written by Susanna Leonard Hill and beautifully illustrated by Natalie Vasilica is due to be released on December 6th, 2022 and will make the perfect Christmas gift for any young child.

I was curious to see how the author altered the original "What Girls Are Made Of" poem to better reflect modern society and I was impressed with the results.

The original author of the rhyme is uncertain, but may be English poet Robert Southey (1774–1843). The words were:

"What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice
And all things nice
That's what little girls are made of"

This poem is (rightly) considered to be sexist and as such you don't see it used very often for kids in today's world.

Susanna Leonard Hill has changed the sexist lyrics to be much more inclusive and to reflect the reality that girls can (and do) come in all shapes and sizes and have personalities that are varied and diverse.

Her book begins with the following quote:

"What are little girls made of?
What makes them who they are?
Sugar and spice and everything nice?
It's more than that by far."

The illustrations in this beautiful children's book also reflect the multicultural world we live in. There are children of many different races reflected in the illustrations. There is also a girl in a wheelchair depicted in this book. This is fantastic as children will be able to find pictures of children who look like them, which is very important. No longer are white children the only ones depicted in children's literature.

I rare this title as 5 out of 5 Stars. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book

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I loved this book! The illustrations are beautiful! It's hopeful and inspiring and adorable! A book every family, regardless of the gender of their kids, should have in their home. I love the diversity among the people throughout the book, normalizing differences. Go girls!

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