BEAUTIFUL: A Picture Book With Classroom & Event Activities

Best Users: Character Educators, Classroom Teachers, Librarians, Booksellers, Girl Scouts, Home Learning
Best Audience: Children Grades 00-03
 

EXPLORE & DOWNLOAD THE ACTIVITIES

“McAnulty and Lew-Vriethoff shatter the cultural definition of “beauty” by showing young girls of all races and abilities studying nature, dressing up as pirates, experimenting in chemistry, and more.” —Kirkus Reviews

You can invite readers to explore the beauty of the those around them and to explore the beauty of women and girls in biographies and online resources with the activity sheets below.  To join the national conversation on girls and beauty, you and your readers can share your projects with the hashtag #BEAUTIFULGirlsAre.

DOWNLOAD Beautiful: Activity: Exploring Beauty (PDF)
DOWNLOAD Beautiful: Activity: Biography (PDF)
 

SHARE THE BEAUTY OF GIRLS WITH THESE IMAGES


 

HANG BEAUTIFUL BATHROOM MIRROR POSTERS

Consider displaying these mini posters where girls struggle to feel beautiful -in front of the bathroom mirror. Trim on the dotted line, laminate (if possible), hang, and change the definition of BEAUTIFUL! Thank you to Sherri Malget of Oklahoma City Public Schools for the brilliant idea!
DOWNLOAD Beautiful: Mini Posters for Bathroom Mirrors (PDF)
 

ABOUT THE BOOK

Beautiful
By Stacy McAnulty
Illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff
Published by Running Press Kids
ISBN-13: 9780762457816
Age Range: 3 – 8 Years

Every girl is unique, talented, and lovable…Every girl is BEAUTIFUL.

Much more than how one looks on the outside, true beauty is found in conquering challenges, showing kindness, and spreading contagious laughter. Beautiful girls are empowered and smart and strong!

BEAUTIFUL breaks barriers by showing girls free to be themselves: splashing in mud, conducting science experiments, and reading books under a flashlight with friends. This book will encourage all girls to embrace who they are and realize their endless potential.

“McAnulty and Lew-Vriethoff shatter the cultural definition of “beauty” by showing young girls of all races and abilities studying nature, dressing up as pirates, experimenting in chemistry, and more. Many folks are socially conditioned to immediately praise a little girl based on her looks or dress. It can be difficult to not squeal over ruffles or ringlet curls. Coupled with the endless fascination with princesses, sparkles, and jewels of many a young child, the world can distinctly narrow what “beautiful” means. With a text that sounds like it could have been directly lifted from a charm school handbook, McAnulty and Lew-Vriethoff upend the norm. Each phrase is paired with illustrations that show an alternative meaning…Bright, bold illustrations certainly can’t show every single girl, but many will find themselves in these pages. Celebrated here for their particularity and their diversity, girls are given the space to find beauty in all kinds of ways.”
—Kirkus Reviews
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“The tone is bold and forthright, as it needs to be to counter the ubiquitous other messages that tell girls how to behave, and the illustrations boast a multiracial cast and even girls playing basketball in wheelchairs. While this will appeal most to girls and their parents, there’s no reason why boys should not enjoy it, too.”
—Booklist
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“This picture book is filled with wit and musings on what it means for a young girl to be beautiful. The illustrations evoke a feeling of uniqueness, independence, and strength, defining beauty through diversity, talents, and passions…Simple sentences and phrases stir the imagination. Bold line drawings and rich colors bring a sense of wonder and personality to each girl…This simple yet empowering story, best suited for one-on-one and small group sharing, is infused with examples of how beauty is defined in many ways.”
—School Library Journal