As my little Miss grows up and goes to school next year, it has become apparent to me how important it is for her to have good role models. I have been home with her since birth and even though she sees me 'working' as a blogger, I see the way she looks at her dad in the morning when he's off to work. I could try to go back to work in computer science however I have decided to stay home to raise our children until school starts as it works better for our family. I might be imagining things however I want her to know that women can be successful in their careers and how being a girl isn't just about wearing a pretty dress.

She is only 5, however I already see how television shows, brands and the media have influenced her way of thinking already. It's all about pink and how she needs to be a princess and how boys are superheroes at the moment but what she doesn't know is how she can be that and so much more! Her preschool teachers have already picked up a minor speech delay so this has hit her confidence already so I don't want anything to stop my little girl.

I have since researched books to challenge and encourage her in understanding that she can be anything she wants to be. I want to buy them all and will do eventually as they are all so inspiring and I have learned in turn how many great women have impacted the world! I have started her with Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, Ada Twist and Rosie Revere and already I can see her eyes pop with wonder and admiration towards these girls and women!

If you love the books from this post and would like to buy any, please use the BUY this book link under each book to head to Book Depository using our affiliate link. Not only you'll get a great price on books and get FREE delivery but by doing so, at no added cost to you, you will help support Busy City Kids. This will allow us to continue helping parents find events, programs, activities and products for their little ones. We appreciate your support!

1. Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls by Francesca Cavallo, Elena Favilli

This sensational number 1 BESTSELLER funded by Kickstarter is the real-life children's fairy tale book that is so inspiring adults are reading it. Inspire your little girl, niece, friend's daughter (and even your son!) that sky is the limit and that she can achieve anything she wants to be just like the 100 stories of these 100 extraordinary women from every corner of the globe in this book! From Ada Lovelace to Malala, Amelia Earhart to Michelle Obama, Catherine the Great to Margaret Thatcher. This book is empowering, moving and inspirational, these are true fairy tales for heroines who definitely don't need rescuing! Great for all ages.

To BUY this book, head to this link.

2. Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty

From the powerhouse author/illustrator team of Iggy Peck, Architect comes Rosie Revere, Engineer, another charming, witty picture book about pursuing your passion. Rosie may seem quiet during the day, but at night she's a brilliant inventor of gizmos and gadgets who dreams of becoming a great engineer. When her Great, Great Aunt Rose (Rosie the Riveter) comes for a visit and mentions her one unfinished goal--to fly--Rosie sets to work building a contraption to make her aunt's dream come true. Her invention complete, Rosie attempts a test flight--but after a moment, the machine crashes to the ground. Discouraged, Rosie deems the invention a failure, but Aunt Rose insists that on the contrary, it was a raging success. You can only truly fail, she explains, if you quit. Reassured, Rosie returns to her engineering and inspires her classmates to join in the fun. Great for ages 0 to 5.

To BUY this book, head to this link.

3. Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty

Iggy Peck and Rosie Revere have earned their places among the most beloved children's characters and have inspired countless kids and adults to follow their passions. Determined Ada Twist, with her boundless curiosity for science and love of the question "Why?," is destined to join these two favourites. Like her classmates Iggy and Rosie, Ada has always been hopelessly curious. Why are there pointy things stuck to a rose? Why are there hairs growing inside your nose? She embarks on fact-finding missions and conducts scientific experiments, all in the name of discovery. When her house fills with a horrific, toe-curling smell, Ada knows it's up to her to find the source. But, this time, her experiments lead to trouble. Great for ages 0 to 5.

To BUY this book, head to this link.

4. Little People, BIG DREAMS Collection

The Little People, Big Dreams collection is the kind of books that adults will covet and collect as well... The language and structure is simple enough for young readers, while a biographical timeline at the end of each book offers greater historical complexity" In this new series, discover the lives of outstanding people from designers and artists to scientists. All of them went on to achieve incredible things, yet all of them began life as a little child with a dream. The first book follows Coco Chanel, from her early life in an orphanage - where she is a genius with needle and thread - to her time as a cabaret singer, hat maker and, eventually, international fashion designer. This inspiring and informative little biography comes with extra facts about Coco's life at the back. The collection includes Frida Kahlo, Audrey Hepburn, Marie Curie, Maya Angelou, Agatha Christie, the list goes on! Great for ages 4 and up.

To BUY any of these books, head to this link.

5. The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires

Award-winning author and illustrator Ashley Spires has created a charming picture book about an unnamed girl and her very best friend, who happens to be a dog. The girl has a wonderful idea. She is going to make the most MAGNIFICENT thing! She knows just how it will look. She knows just how it will work. All she has to do is make it, and she makes things all the time. Easy-peasy!? But making her magnificent thing is anything but easy, and the girl tries and fails, repeatedly. Eventually, the girl gets really, really mad. She is so mad, in fact, that she quits. But after her dog convinces her to take a walk, she comes back to her project with renewed enthusiasm and manages to get it just right. For the early grades' exploration of character education, this funny book offers a perfect example of the rewards of perseverance and creativity. This great book will likely fire up the imaginations of youngsters eager to create their own inventions and is a great tie-in to learning about Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Great for ages 0 to 5 years.

To BUY this book, head to this link.

6. The Flying Girl: How Aida de Acosta Learned to Soar by Margarita Engle

This beautiful picture book written and illustrated by award winners tells the inspiring story of Aida de Acosts, the first woman to fly a motorized aircraft. Yet to be released in March 2018 but already recommended, this book will have soaring words and illustrations and will show little girls how one girl in a lively street of Paris dazzled at an aircraft and wished she could soar through the sky too. All she needed was courage and a chance to try. Great for ages 4 to 8. Not available until March 2018 so keep an eye out for it.

To BUY this book, head to this link.

7. The Watcher: Jane Goodall's Life with the Chimps by Jeannette Winter

Little girls will love following Jane from her childhood in London watching chickens in their coop to her years in African forests of Gome in Tanzania when she was invited by brilliant scientist Louis Leaky to observe chimps. This book also observes her worldwide crusade to save these primates who are now in danger of extinction and their habitat. Young animal lovers will sure feel inspired by this book. Great for ages 4 to 8.

To BUY this book, head to this link.

8. Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofski

Beautifully illustrated and well thought-out, Women in Science highlights contributions of 50 notable women to the STEM fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics from both ancient and modern worlds. The book also contains fascinating info graphics and an illustrated scientific glossary. This book will inspire your little girl and showcase achievements of intrepid women who have paved the way for the next generation of female engineers, biologists, mathematics, doctors. Great for ages 9 and up.

9. Nevermoor: The trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

Morrigan Crow is cursed. Having been born on Eventide, the unluckiest day for any child to be born, she's blamed for all misfortunes, from hailstorms to heart attacks and worst of all the curse means that Morrigan is doomed to die at midnight on her eleventh birthday. But a strange and remarkable man named Jupiter North appears and proposes she join the prestigious organisation: the Wundrous Society by competing in four difficult and dangerous trials against hundreds of children, each with extraordinary talent yet she thinks she does not have any talent. Morrigan is a captivating heroine filled with moxie and wit. This magic filled plot that champions bravery, self-confidence and hope will captive girls. Move over Harry Potter! Great for ages 9 and up.

To BUY this book, head to this link.

10. Girls think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women by Catherine Thimmesh

In kitchens and living rooms, in garages, labs and basements, even in converted chicken coops, women and girls have invented ingenious innovations that have made our lives simpler and better. The creations are some of the most enduring (windscreen wiper) and best loved (chocolate chip cookie). This collective biography of women and girls will have your little girl witness the unique and creative ideas that were both born of necessity or simply a product of ingenuity and hard work. Great for ages 8 and up.

To BUY this book, head to this link.

11. My name is not Isabella: Just How Big Can a Little Girl Dream? by Jennifer Fosberry

Who is your hero? Isabella's include Astronaut Sally Ride, activist Rosa Parks, scientist Marie Curie, sharpshooter Annie Oakley and of course her own mum! Join Isabella on an adventure of discovery and find out how she imagines to be these extraordinary women and how it teaches her the importance of being her extraordinary self. A great book to spark self identity and self affirmation and to ignite young readers' interest in womens' history. Great for ages 4 to 8.

To BUY this book, head to this link.

12. Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World by Kate Pankhurst

Kate Pankhurst descendent of Emmeline Pankurst (British political activist who helped women win the right to vote) has created this wildly wonderful and accessible book of women who really changed the world. Discover fascinating facts about some of the most amazing women who changed the world we live in. Fly through the sky with Amelia Earhart and read all about the wonderful adventures of Mary Seattle. Great for ages 12 to 17.

To BUY this book, head to this link.

13. Not all Princesses Dress in Pink by Jane Yolen

Not all princesses dress in pink. Some play in bright red socks that stink, blue team jerseys that don't quite fit, accessorised with a baseball mitt and a sparkly crown! Princesses come in all kinds. Exuberant text by Jane Yolen and her daughter Heidi Yolen Stemple paired with charming illustrations prove that girls can jump in mud puddles and climb trees, play sport and make messes. All while wearing their tiaras! Not every girl has a passion for pink, but all young ladies will love this empowering affirmation of their importance and unlimited potential. Great for ages 6 to 8.

To BUY this book, head to this link.

14. She Persisted : 13 American Women Who Changed the World by Chelsea Clinton

Chelsea Clinton introduces tiny feminists, mini activists and little kids who are ready to take on the world to thirteen inspirational women who never took no for an answer, and who always, inevitably and without fail, persisted. Throughout American history, there have always been women who have spoken out for what's right, even when they have to fight to be heard. In early 2017, Senator Elizabeth Warren's refusal to be silenced in the Senate inspired a spontaneous celebration of women who persevered in the face of adversity. In this book, Chelsea Clinton celebrates thirteen American women who helped shape America through their tenacity, sometimes through speaking out, sometimes by staying seated, sometimes by captivating an audience. They all certainly persisted. This book features the likes of Harriet Tubman, Helen Keller, Clara Lemlich, Nellie Bly, Virginia Apgar, Maria Tallchief, Claudette Colvin, Ruby Bridges, Margaret Chase Smith, Sally Ride, Florence Griffith Joyner, Oprah Winfrey, .. Great for ages 5 to 9.

A special sequel to this book titled 'She Persisted Around the World' which will be released in March 2018 and will cover 13 Women Who Changed History across the world.

To BUY this book, head to this link.

15. Malala's Magic Pencil by Malala Yousafzai

As a child in Pakistan, Malala made a wish for a magic pencil that she could use to redraw reality. She would use it to give gifts to her family, to erase the smell from the rubbish dump near her house, to sleep an extra hour in the morning. As she grew older, Malala wished for bigger and bigger things. She saw a world that needed fixing. And even if she never found a magic pencil, Malala realised that she could still work hard every day to make her wishes come true. This beautifully illustrated picture book tells Malala's story, in her own words, for a younger audience and shows them the worldview that allowed her to hold on to hope and to make her voice heard even in the most difficult of times. Great for ages 5 to 9.

To BUY this book, head to this link.

16. Julia, Child by Julie Morstad

Julia and Simca are two young friends who agree that you can never use too much butter - and that it is best to be a child forever. Sharing a love of cooking and having no wish to turn into big, busy people who worry too much and dawdle too little, they decide to create a feast for growing and staying young. A playful, scrumptious celebration of the joy of eating, the importance of never completely growing up and mastering the art of having a good time,

Julia, Child is a fictional tale loosely inspired by the life and spirit and tenacity of the very real Julia Child - a story that should be taken with a grain of salt and a generous pat of butter. Great for ages 0 to 5.

To BUY this book, head to this link.

There you have it, I hope you've enjoyed this post. To checkout our other book related posts, head to our Top 10 All Time Kids Books post and 10 Picture Books you'll love to gift.

This post is not sponsored in any way. As always, our opinions and comments are our own and we only endorse businesses and products we believe in. This post contains some affiliate links. You don’t pay any extra however I earn a small commission to help pay for website hosting costs. Read more in my Disclosure Policy here.

Great Books to Inspire Girls

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