"Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful princess who longed to be salvaged and married by the prince charming.....". No... No... this Book is not that kind. Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls is an illustrated children's book that introduces the life and adventures of a hundred real-life heroic women - from all over the world. 

A friend of mine gifted this book to my 6 years old daughter, and we just loved reading a few pages before bed every day. The stories are actually mini-biographies, but written in short and simple “fairy tale” format (with some ‘once upon a time’ and ‘long long ago’s), so that kids can easily be attached to it 😐. 

Two pages are dedicated to each of the extraordinary women – one page tells her mini-biography and the other side has a beautiful picture/illustration of the same person. It’s also remarkable that 60 different female artists have created the illustration for each story/achiever.

Some people don’t agree to see Margaret Thatcher or Hilary Clinton portrayed as an inspiration. A few more friends perceived the story of “Coy Mathis” (a transgender boy who’s attracted by “pink” color) as gender stereotype and absurd. If you don’t like a such few, just forget the odds, there are plenty other inspirations to choose from! 

It's never a bad idea to show your children with more role models/examples who have created great influence in the world around us. I would highly recommend this book - not just for girl children, but for everyone. 

Just before releasing the book, the Elena Favilli and Francesa Cavallo released the below video “If Cinderella were a guy". The viral video ends with a shrieking noise and note “We wouldn’t read this to our sons. Why read it to our daughters?”. I think the message is loud & clear. Isn’t it?