Colorful feminist picture books line the children’s sections of booksellers everywhere. From short stories to illustrated biographies, finding empowering books for young girls has never been easier.
Make Your Mark: A Journal for Capturing Big Dreams is one of these vibrant books for young feminists that goes beyond storytelling.
Written by Amy Richards, the interactive journal inspires reflection in its feminist readers by providing prompts and empty pages following brief profiles of powerful female historical figures.
The PBS video series MAKERS, which tells stories about American women who impacted their respective industries, led to the creation of the journal. Richards is an advisor for the video series.
The Notorious RBG, Lena Waithe of Master of None and Ready Player One, and Girls Who Code founder Reshma Saujani all appear in the journal before writing or drawing prompts, representing a diverse list of businesspeople, scientists, artists and more. In fact, Ms.’s very own Gloria Steinem is the last female figure featured before the end of the book!
The reflection activities are equally varied, ranging from creating their own comic strips to discussing moments of insecurity and what they would do differently now.
Sandwiched between profiles are motivational quotes from famous women about topics like confidence, positive thinking, overcoming fears and facing failure. The journal uses every page intentionally, empowering its young readers with every sentence.
Although the journal is targeted at adolescent girls, the biographies, quotes and prompts could provide guidance for people of any age.
Pick up a copy for your little feminist—or yourself—here.
