Girls Can Do Anything: From Sports to Innovation, Art to Politics, Meet Over 200 Women Who Got There First

Gr 6 Up—Covering individuals from antiquity to the present day, this book highlights many well-known, spirited women. Each entry is one to two pages long and is designed to resemble a case file. Some of the "files" are about groups or organizations of women (e.g., the Girl Scouts). The entries are informational, but the writing is occasionally awkward and unclear. (Helen Keller's page begins, "Many people know Helen Keller as the woman born blind and deaf" yet later states that "Helen was struck with an illness…that left her blind, deaf, and unable to speak.") The subjects are predominantly white, and at times the accomplishments of women of color are treated as an afterthought. For example, Shirley Chisholm and her run for president are mentioned at the bottom of Hillary Clinton's entry. Some profiles start with one woman, then add two or three more, making for an uneven reading experience. Photos and cartoon-style illustrations are included for each figure. However, many contemporary figures are without photos.