I have some feelings about this book. Let me start by saying that I love the idea of a book filled with the biographies of women from the Bible. I think that’s a really cool idea. Celebrating the lives of women mentioned in the Bible and talking about God valuing women sound like great goals for a book for young readers.

I also love that there’s a cartoon illustration of each of the women or characters profiled in the book. Those show brown-skinned women, and the author comments on this in her biography of Mary. The author points out that artists often depict Mary, Jesus’ mother, with fair skin and blue eyes when she would have looked like someone from the Middle East. I love that the author commented on this.

Was including 50 women’s stories too ambitious?
The book profiles 50 women (including four stories from writings in which a woman is depicted as part of the story rather than being a person who was born and lived). 50 is a pretty ambitious number.

The book includes all the stories I was familiar with as women heroes of the Bible: Deborah, Ruth, Esther, Elizabeth, Mary, etc. And it included some stories that I didn’t remember. One that stood out to me were Shallum’s daughters, who helped him rebuild his section of the wall that would protect the city of Jerusalem even though that was considered the duty of a father and his sons.

The book also included some choices that I thought were odd, like Wisdom, the Woman of Virtue, and the Bride from Song of Songs. Those are not actual women, but are virtues personified as women.

I found myself wishing that instead of 50 stories, the author had chosen a smaller number of stories and focused specifically on the “positive, loving” ways it shows their value in God’s eyes.

Instead, the book feels muddied by the inclusion of stories in which the author has filled in assumptions about the woman’s character or motives that aren’t included in the Bible. There are also stories in which women are treated in harmful, immoral ways and the author doesn’t comment on how God views this treatment.

Assumptions and Lack of Comment on Immoral Treatment of Women
HER STORY, HER STRENGTH also tells the story of Naaman’s servant, a young woman who the book identifies as having been carried off into captivity as one of the “spoils of war”. The general who captured her falls ill, and she suggests he visit a prophet to ask for healing. The virtue identified in the story is her great forgiveness for the captors who enslaved her. That’s quite a lesson to pull from this story. Also, the Bible is not clear about her motivation. It felt like a big leap to assume she spoke up because she forgave her captors and then frame a whole lesson around that idea.

Several stories mention the practice in those days where a woman would “give” her servant over to her husband to impregnate her. If the servant had a child this way, the child belonged to the people who enslaved her. That’s stated pretty matter-of-factly and without any judgment passed on the inhumanity and immorality of that practice. Seems a weird choice for a book with a goal of teaching women their value in God’s eyes.

Conclusion for My Review of Her Story, Her Strength
I really enjoyed some of the stories in the book, especially the stories of Deborah and Rahab in addition to Shallum’s daughters, which I mentioned above.

Telling fewer stories would’ve allowed the author to emphasize stories that best teach spiritual lessons on women’s value. Some of the problematic stories could be left for discussion with an older audience, where it would be easier/more appropriate to address those issues. I would have liked to see more in-depth stories of women like Esther and Miriam, too. I’d love to see something for kids that went into more depth on biographies like those.

This was a sweet, informative and heartwarming read about the different women of the Bible. I would definitely buy a copy of this if I had a daughter of my own someday. I wasn't crazy about the fact that used a far different Bible translation than I do, but the stories themselves were true to the original text. Other than that, this book was great!

I received a complimentary e-book from the publisher through Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review, and the thoughts above are my own.

Did not finish:

I found several theological differences in opinion between me and the author's opinions. I chose not to finish and will not recommend.

I really enjoyed the authors take on the stories of the women and girls in the Bible. She gave each woman a bit more of a story. Although much of it was the authors imagination, she mostly kept it biblical. Some of the stories were women we know a lot about and some were women who are not given much information in the Bible. I appreciate the authors devotional for each woman and what we can learn from them, even if they weren’t “heroines”. This book is written for older children and was too old for my daughter, but I still enjoyed reading it myself. I do caution the reader to read each Bible story along with this book and take the rest of the details as fiction.

This book walks you through the life outline of 50 different women from the Bible. It describes what she is most known for. Then it shares a life principle you can learn and grow from based on her story. As I read through it, I thought it did an excellent job of showing each of the women in a positive light. Some of what they are known for may not be positive but when you look at it through the principles presented, you can find it helpful to your life right now. I thought the writing was easy to follow and not overwhelmed with details. I liked that the author listed where in the Bible you could read her story if you wanted to. This would be great as a devotional or used in a Sunday School type class.

Have you ever wished you could step into the lives of women whose stories are in the Bible? If so, this book is for you. In its pages, you will find fifty stories of women from the Bible. Each chapter begins with scripture references for each woman’s account in the Bible. The Table of Contents lists all of the women. You will likely recognize several such as Eve, Sarah, Esther, Elizabeth, and Mary, the mother of Jesus. You may not readily recognize a few of the women. I enjoyed meeting Naaman’s servant, the Woman of Valor, Jairus’s daughter, and women who followed and supported Jesus.

Read the book as written or select a specific chapter. Each chapter includes a fictional account written from the woman’s point of view. These accounts are fun and allow you to experience the story as it was lived. Next, you learn about her world and her God. This book targets girls, but I enjoyed reading it myself. It can serve as a mother-daughter read or as devotionals for a girl’s group.

Amazing. I love this. Gives so much insight about the women in the bible. I loved this! I am so glad that younger kids are going to have access to this

A powerful devotional for mom and daughter to study together. This study is on women of the bible.

The title A woman...Strong Belief. A verse that pertains to her story. You are introduced to each woman by her story. What she may have been feeling and the culture in which she lived in her own words. The 2nd part is her world. It gives the reader context and ends with Her God. Each woman studied is a lesson in the power of God in our lives, the power of faith. Faith emboldens us with resolve to stand firm. What a great study to do with a young girl in your life.

A special thank you to Zonderkidz and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

Great lessons on women in the Bible! Great resource for teaching to young women to give biblical examples to learn from and emulate.

I just loved reading this book with my niece. It goes through individual women of the old and New Testament, both named and unnamed. It also looks at those women who are a ‘group’. Most know of the woman at the well, she has no name - just a town she came from - yet she is known for her story, this book serves more strong and empowering tales looking at the women mentioned in scripture. The illustrations are beautiful and vivid and each chapter has the relevant passage to refer to. Told in an informal chatty style to appeal to 7-11 year olds, I loved that each woman had a moniker to understand them and their name.

What a beautiful work! It unwraps the stories of Biblical women with honesty and empathy and truth, revealing the God of these women and His goodness throughout it all. The illustrations are gorgeous. The writing is careful, using appropriately speculative language when stating more than the Scriptures tell of the story. The story section brings the Word of God to life for young readers. The world section gives historical and cultural context to the narrative. The God section reminds us of God's character, bringing the story from humanity to home: He was and He is.

I will say that I don't 100% agree with all of the analysis. For instance, suggesting that God has a "most essential and important characteristic" seems unhelpful at best and will require some conversation to correct, but I didn't encounter many such problems. I think it's overall a great resource to read or study with young girls, sparking thought and starting conversation about who God is and how He shows up in the lives of women then and now!

Her Story, Her Strength
50 God-Empowered Women of the Bible
by Sarah Parker Rubio
Pub Date 07 Mar 2023
Zonderkidz
Children's Nonfiction | Christian


I am reviewing a copy of Her Story, Her Strength through Zonderkidz and Netgalley:


This book reminds girls that they are beautifully and wonderfully made. It reminds young readers that God has a plan and purpose in their life, by using the biblical retellings and reflections that include the historical context behind each story to remind young women that they have a God who loves them deeply and empowers them to live and love like he does. For any girl ages 8 and up who is asking questions about her worth, identity, and place in the world and church, this colorful and engaging book provides a positive, loving, and scriptural lens that helps them interpret the messages they receive from their peers, media, and society.



The girls who read Her Story, Her Strength will see. God’s love for them and their value in his eyes see how they reflect God’s image both innately and through the actions, words, and attitudes they choose each day, learn about biblical characters and events in a way designed specifically for them.


Her Story, Her Strength: features readers’ favorite women of the Bible as well as many less-well-known characters, showing God’s consistent presence in the lives of women throughout Scripture. This book is divided into short sections that are both comprehensive and accessible, making it a wonderful tool for school or church lessons as well as family devotions or personal reflection. It emphasizes how each woman reflects the image of her Creator, demonstrating the immense value God places on women and girls and pointing them back to him—all from a position rooted in biblical values.


I give Her Story, Her Strength five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

What a great book! It is so empowering and inspiring to dig deeper into the women in the Bible. The hardships they faced were sometimes insurmountable, yet they persevered and their faith grew!

I love the format and visuals in this book. With short stories about many important biblical women, it makes it clear the importance of them throughout the Bible. I loved the colorful and powerful visuals of each these women along with their meaningful stories and bible verses attached to them. A very well thought out book.