A Girl Can Build Anything
by e.E. Charlton-Trujillo and Pat Zietlow Miller; illus. by Keisha Morris
Preschool, Primary    Viking    32 pp.
4/23    9780593463741    $18.99
e-book ed.  9780593463758    $10.99

This joyful depiction takes readers throughout the creative design and construction processes, from imagining and planning all the way up to large-scale buildings. Simple, rhythmic text features girls developing skills with small projects before moving on to the big and complex, adding knowledge and hands-on experience with new tools and materials as they go. Setbacks happen, frustrations and failures are acknowledged—and then seen as opportunities, “because failure isn’t final. / It’s where new ideas are made.” Morris’s cheerful, inclusive art was created with digitally collaged tissue paper. The contrast between the textured paper and the projects’ sharp lines is eye-catching and adds another layer of connection to the text. The girls of this story imagine, learn, try, and persevere until they’ve built something new, beautiful, and useful. This ode to girl power should inspire tinkerers and future builders alike.

From the March/April 2023 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.