Common Sense Media Review
By Regan McMahon, based on child development research. How do we rate?
age 4+
Inspiring poem celebrates the bravery and power of girls.
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Girls on the Rise, by the first National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman and illustrated by Loveis Wise (Magnolia Flower), is based on Gorman's 2021 poem "We Rise." It offers an an upbeat, empowering message to girls that they are beautiful "not because of how we may appear,/ but how we look/ straight into the face of fear," and they are powerful, especially when they work together with other girls.
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Positive Messages
a lot
"We are beautiful,/ Not because of how we may appear,/ But how we look/ Straight into the face of fear." "When one girl stands up,/ She is never alone./ We are like wings,/ Lifting each other up,/ Making each other strong." "We all win when one girl tries."
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Diverse Representations
a lot
The three (unnamed) main characters are a Black girl, a girl with tan skin, and one with white skin. Background characters are diverse with various skin tones, hair types, and body types. Three different characters wear a hijab. One girl uses a wheelchair. One spread highlights the different pronouns girls may use: "Some of us go by she/ And some of us go by they./ But no matter our names/ Or from where we came,/ In our hearts we are the same." Author Amanda Gorman is Black and illustrator Loveis Wise is a nonbinary, transmasculine, lesbian/queer artist.
Did we miss something on diversity? .
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Positive Role Models
a lot
The three main girls featured are shown working together, comforting each other, and joining with other girls to play music, plant seeds, harvest and share food, and more. At the beginning and end of the book they hold up a banner that says "Liberation. Freedom. Respect." The illustration on one page features a diverse group of high-achieving girls, past and present, who are not identified but include African American sports stars Simone Biles and Serena and Venus Williams, Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, African American science fiction author Octavia Butler, and contemporary Palestinian journalist and poet Plestia Alaqad.
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Educational Value
some
Amanda Gorman's celebratory poem teaches girls that they have power and can make a difference in the world, especially if they work together, and that "everyone's eyes are on us as we make waves." There's an illustration of diverse girl role models, some of whom may be easily recognizable, but they're not identified.
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What's the Story?
GIRLS ON THE RISE starts out by saying girls have never in history had as much of an impact as they do now. "We are girls like never before,/ Speaking out like never before,/ Because when our quiet is broken,/ The world must hear us roar." The book follows three unnamed girl characters as they join a protest, share a meal, plant fields and harvest orchards, and make music with other girls. "We might have our own voices,/ But we're singing the same song." It ends with a group of girls under the same banner the book opens with, which reads, "Liberation. Freedom. Respect." The text on that last page optimistically notes that "when one girl is on the rise,/ It means everyone else is, too."
Is It Any Good?
This empowering, inclusive poem is both a celebration of girls and a call for them to "make waves." Girls on the Rise lists the ways that girls are unique, brave, and powerful, and urges them to unite with other girls to get things done. It also places their contributions in the context of girls' achievements throughout history. Author Amanda Gorman's words are stirring and Loveis Wise's cheery, often fanciful illustrations sweep readers along like the metaphorical wings that lift the main characters skyward.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about about the idea in Girls on the Rise that girls are more powerful when they work together. Why is teamwork an important character strength? What's an example of something you got done with the help of others?
What do you think the author means when she says "being a girl takes a brave heart"?
What girls and women do you know of who made a big difference in the world? Who are your girl heroes right now?
Book Details
- Author : Amanda Gorman
- Illustrator : Loveis Wise
- Genre : Picture Book
- Topics : Activism, Great Girl Role Models
- Character Strengths : Courage, Perseverance, Teamwork
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Viking Books for Young Readers
- Publication date : January 7, 2025
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 4 - 8
- Number of pages : 32
- Available on : Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated : January 13, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Girls on the Rise
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