Common Sense Media Review
By Regan McMahon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Inspiring poem celebrates the bravery and power of girls.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 4+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
GIRLS ON THE RISE starts out by saying girls have never in history had as much of an impact as they do now. "We are girls like never before, / Speaking out like never before, / Because when our quiet is broken, / The world must hear us roar." The book follows three unnamed girl characters as they join a protest, share a meal, plant fields and harvest orchards, and make music with other girls. "We might have our own voices, / But we're singing the same song." It ends with a group of girls under the same banner the book opens with, which reads, "Liberation. Freedom. Respect." The text on that last page optimistically notes that "when one girl is on the rise, / It means everyone else is, too."
Is It Any Good?
This empowering, inclusive poem is both a celebration of girls and a call for them to "make waves." Girls on the Rise lists the ways that girls are unique, brave, and powerful, and urges them to unite with other girls to get things done. It also places their contributions in the context of girls' achievements throughout history. Author Amanda Gorman's words are stirring and Loveis Wise's cheery, often fanciful illustrations sweep readers along like the metaphorical wings that lift the main characters skyward.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the idea in Girls on the Rise that girls are more powerful when they work together. Why is teamwork an important character strength? What's an example of something you got done with the help of others?
What do you think the author means when she says "being a girl takes a brave heart"?
What girls and women do you know of who made a big difference in the world? Who are your girl heroes right now?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Loveis Wise
- Genre : Picture Book
- Topics : Activism
- Character Strengths : Courage , Perseverance , Teamwork
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Viking Books for Young Readers
- Publication date : January 7, 2025
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 4 - 8
- Number of pages : 32
- Available on : Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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