Ambitious Girl

Ambitious Girl opens with a little girl watching a newscast calling a powerful woman too assertive, ambitious, and confident. The story then follows the little girl as she acknowledges that the world tells her she is “too this” and “too that.” However, hearing her mother, grandmother, and auntie affirm her true value and remind her of the strong women who have opened doors for her, the little girl becomes determined to take her place in the world and make her voice heard. In the process, words such as “persistent,” “assertive,” “confident,” “proud,” and most importantly, “ambitious,” are redefined in wonderfully positive ways.

A lawyer herself, author Meena Harris’s grandmother was a cancer researcher, her mother is a lawyer and public policy expert, while her aunt is the current Vice President of the United States. Clearly, Harris knows of what she writes. Furthermore, Marissa Valdez does a fantastic job of making the illustrations both empowering and inclusive. We can only hope that every little girl in the upcoming generations will hear this message and proudly follow her ambition to take her rightful place in the world.