Publishers Weekly
01/18/2021
Harris and Valdez’s appreciable celebration of female ambition begins with a televised broadcast of a Black female speaker being labeled “too assertive, too persistent, too ambitious, too loud.” In Valdez’s bright, largely unlined art, a brown-skinned girl, who walks up the street with three older Black women, is not discouraged by what she sees. Though she sometimes hears “you’re ‘too that’ or you’re ‘too this,’ ” her mother explains that historical figures, shown in a navy wash, “have opened so many doors,” paving the way for this child’s hopes and desires to flourish. The same words once used to criticize the televised woman are seen in a new, positive light by book’s end: digital art shows the girl taking a stage of her own, where she proudly exclaims that she, too, is “AMBITIOUS!” Ages 4–8. (Jan.)
From the Publisher
"I love that Ambitious Girl both shows and tells—it shows a girl who looks like my own daughter and tells her, and her brother, that women’s ambition is powerful and something to be celebrated."
—Mindy Kaling, Actor, producer, activist, and New York Times bestselling author
"I know a thing or two about being called “ambitious" as an insult. But ambitious girls fight for change. Ambitious girls lift up their communities. Ambitious girls run for president. Ambitious girls can do anything. This celebration of girls' ambition is timely, inspiring, and much-needed."
—Hillary Rodham Clinton
"Ambitious Girl is such an important children's book, because it defines ambition in different terms than we're used to. We are so often told ambition is a drive toward professional success, but Ambitious Girl knows it's so much more — it's a drive toward owning your life and humanity. When we, especially girls, are taught about ambition it often comes with an inherent competition, that there's only one slot available. I love that this book breaks that myth. I know Meena and her family live by these beliefs, and I'm so grateful she has put it down in beautiful words to share with the rest of us."
—Kristen Bell, Actor, Producer, Activist, and New York Times Bestselling Author
"This wonderful book tells young girls what we have ALL needed to hear but haven’t heard nearly enough: Ambition is good, and girls who are ambitious achieve great things and help others. This delightful book is a must read for every little girl."—Padma Lakshmi, Author, UNDP Goodwill Ambassador and ACLU Artist Ambassador for Immigrant and Women’s Rights project
"Being ambitious means daring to be different and being willing to break the mold. That can be scary, but with Ambitious Girl by her side, young girls will know they can do anything."
—Issa Rae, Actor, producer, activist
"A pep talk, a call to action, and a beautiful story. This book reminds me of so many bedtime conversations my mother and I had when I was growing up. Our girls are powerful and limitless."
—Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley
"A pep talk, a call to action, and a beautiful story. This book reminds me of so many bedtime conversations my mother and I had when I was growing up. Our girls are powerful and limitless."
—America Ferrera, Activist, actor, producer, and director
"Meena writes an ambitious story for persistent girls who are routinely told they don’t matter. Kids deserve books where they can see themselves, their potential for greatness, and the power of dreaming big. Ambitious Girl is one of those treasures of a picture book—it entertains, it educates, it’s a must read."
—Ibtihaj Muhammad, U.S. Olympic Medalist and New York Times Bestselling Author
"In a complex world, Ambitious Girl is a powerful way to talk to kids, especially Black and Brown children, about overcoming stereotypes and owning your confidence. I am so happy to see us represented on the page, and I can’t wait to give this book to every young person in my life—and a few older readers as well!"
—Diane Guerrero, Actor, Activist, and Author
"When I learned about the water crisis in my hometown of Flint, I didn’t have many young role models who looked like me. But I did what any ambitious girl would do and took that first step. I love that Ambitious Girl will encourage the next generation of young female activists to speak up and not back down."
—Mari Copeny, 13-year-old Activist and Philanthropist
"Have you ever sobbed into a children's book? I have and that book is Ambitious Girl. It was the empowerment and good cry of relief I deserve. I'll be requiring every girl and woman in my life to read it, and I'd love for every boy, man, and being in this world to read it with us too."—Liza Koshy, Actress, Creator, Producer
"Ambitious Girl is not just beautiful for its text, it’s also one of the first times I’ve seen the ambition of girls of color centered and celebrated. I look forward to making this book a regular bedtime affirmation in our house."—Jessica Alba, Entrepreneur, Advocate, Actress, New York Times bestselling author, and Founder of The Honest Company
"A nourishing, necessary story for girls to harness their inner heroines, make them come alive off the page, and thrive in real life."—Amber Tamblyn, Author and Actress
"The quick moral? Don’t let the world judge you—'You tell them who you are.' The story is inclusive of all girls and some nonbinary folk in uplifting illustrations that shout the lessons, that 'too' is darkly overwhelming, but women before her have opened doors. Here, also, is the quote children everywhere have been learning in this political season—'You may be the first someday, but don’t be the last—make space for more!'"—School Library Journal
"Harris and Valdez’s appreciable celebration of female ambition begins with a televised broadcast of a Black female speaker being labeled 'too assertive, too persistent, too ambitious, too loud.' In Valdez’s bright, largely unlined art, a brown-skinned girl, who walks up the street with three older Black women, is not discouraged by what she sees.... Her mother explains that historical figures, shown in a navy wash, 'have opened so many doors,' paving the way for this child’s hopes and desires to flourish."—Publishers Weekly
"The soft watercolor illustrations amplify the book’s underlying messages of love and hope, filling the backgrounds with a multiracial cast of women diverse in age, sexuality, ethnicity, and ability. An inspiring, rhyming ode to female ambition."—Kirkus Reviews
"This story will enable all girls, no matter their background, culture, or ability, to see that they are able to make a difference and to stand up for what they believe in."—School Library Connection
School Library Journal
12/04/2020
PreS-Gr 2—The niece of Vice President—elect Kamala Harris probably knows a thing or two about this topic: A girl can never be too ambitious. A young girl—she is brown-skinned, with black hair, but there is no ethnic background that is not included in the many crowd scenes of this jolly, positive book—infers from the world around her that she is too confident, too ambitious, too loud, too proud, and too confident. The quick moral? Don't let the world judge you—"You tell them who you are." The story is inclusive of all girls and some nonbinary folk in uplifting illustrations that shout the lessons, that "too" is darkly overwhelming, but women before her have opened doors. Here, also, is the quote children everywhere have been learning in this political season—"You may be the first someday, but don't be the last—make space for more!" The colors intensify throughout the story until the resonant end. VERDICT A welcome addition to any library collection; the endpapers full of affirmations would make a wonderful poster for any wall.—Andrea Pavlik, Huntington Public Library, NY
Kirkus Reviews
2021-02-02
A little girl tells readers—and herself—all about the importance of being ambitious.
The story starts with a wordless illustration of a little brown-skinned girl with textured black curls stopping to watch television sets displayed in a store window. The TVs display a Black woman confidently speaking at a microphone. But while the girl appears impressed, the television commentators are not. They call the politician too “assertive,” “ambitious,” “confident,” and “proud.” The little girl looks devastated, but the politician on TV is not. In response to this criticism, she declares that no one can define us and that it’s up to us to define ourselves. The remaining pages are a poetic ode to ambition, beginning with the girl’s own insecurities about being told, repeatedly, to be quieter, duller, or more patient. Like the politician she admires on TV, the unnamed protagonist does not let this criticism stop her. Instead, she reflects on what she has—her supportive family, for example, and ambitious women who’ve gone before (depicted as the suffragists, Shirley Chisholm, and Mae Jemison)—and who she wants to be. Generally, the rhyming text is buoyant with hope, although some concepts feel on the abstract side for children: “And if we fail, it’s a chance to disrupt.” The soft watercolor illustrations amplify the book’s underlying messages of love and hope, filling the backgrounds with a multiracial cast of women diverse in age, sexuality, ethnicity, and ability. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10.7-by-16.4-inch double-page spreads viewed at 45.1% of actual size.)
An inspiring, rhyming ode to female ambition. (author's note) (Picture book. 4-8)
