by Joan Jacobs Brumberg

By researching journal entries from 1830 through the late 1990s, author Joan Jacobs Brumberg finds the patterns and trends that have resulted in a national obsession over the female body. This is an incredibly educational journey for all who are invested in raising the confidence of young girls.

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written by Patty Lovell

Little Molly Lou might have huge eyes, buck teeth and what some would call a distinctive voice, but this first-grader also is packed to the brim with self-esteem. Will it remain intact after not only moving to a new school but also dealing with a bully named Ronald? (Here’s a hint: bet on Molly Lou.) Suggested for young readers.

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by Peter H. Reynolds

How many of your students feel as though they need to be involved in AND succeed at everything possible? This simple book will help explain how important it is to remove the glorification of being busy and the pressure to succeed at everything. It beautifully explains the saying, “Less is more.”

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written by Karen Beaumont

From your nose to your toes, you should like yourself! Told from the perspective of a little girl and brightened with zany, colorful illustrations by David Catrow, this book’s charming rhymes capture the enduring message that each child should revel in her (or his) uniqueness. Good for young readers.

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co-written by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn

This incredibly powerful read is no less than one might expect from two Pulitzer Prize winners who also received the prestigious Dayton Literary Peace Prize for Lifetime Achievement in 2011 for their work chronicling human rights in Asia, Africa and the developing world. The authors titled their book after a Chinese proverb that states, "Women hold up half the sky" — and its theme centers on why empowering women in developing countries is the right thing to do even...