5 stars
I have been meaning to read Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls since it first came out. I love books that focus on amazing women and their achievements, such as 25 Women Who Fought Back, The Little Book of Feminist Saints, and
Amelia to Zora: Twenty-Six Women Who Changed the World. ThenGood Night Stories for Rebel Girls 2 came out and I still hadn’t read the first one. What a slacker. So when I saw this audiobook at the library, complete with both books in one, I knew it was time to read them.
The audiobook is fantastic. To start with, the book is read by some amazing women such as Alicia Keys, Danai Gurira, and Samira Wiley. If that isn’t enough of an incentive to listen to this book, then I don’t know what is.
Besides that, both of the books are fascinating. I have read many books along these lines yet there were still multiple women I hadn’t heard of before as well as new stories about women I had heard of. Wonderful, diverse collection of amazing women.
Also, the fact the biographies were presented as bedtime stories was a completely unique and wonderful idea that was well carried out. The stories use similar language found in fairy tales, such as starting with “once upon a time”. In this way, they evoke the same feeling of hearing about fictional knights and castles, making the stories interesting, but also educational and inspirational.
The only downside to the audiobook is that you don’t get to see the original portraits from the books. There is a PDF that includes a page for written your own story and drawing your own portrait, which is a fun away to get young readers to engage more fully with the book. Having listened to this audiobook, I already know what I’m going to request for my birthday, hardcover copies of books 1 and 2 so I can check out those gorgeous illustrations and always be inspired by the amazing and fantastic rebels in the world.