Girls Hold Up This World (Step into reading. A step 2 book)
Grade 1-3–Smith celebrates the inner strength of women and girls in this short photo-essay with a rhyming text ("We girls hold up this world with a strength that's all our own./We'll see the different ways one day when we are grown." Kennedy-McCullough's full-page, glossy color photographs of girls and women engaged in a variety of activities are excellent. Unfortunately, they are overpowered by the heavy-handed message and occasional non sequiturs and forced rhymes ("We girls hold up this world as we build our self-esteem. We know that discipline will turn a princess into a queen."). The attractive layout with lots of pastel backgrounds is easy on the eye and will appeal to youngsters. Nevertheless, this book is an additional purchase.–Roxanne Burg, Orange County Public Library, CACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.