Parents and teachers are prone to telling young boys and girls what they can become. We tell our youngsters that they can become a veterinarian, a professor, a fireman, or the first female president. Brianna Grant, in her thoroughly engaging children’s book We Are The Girls Who Love To Run, takes a different approach. She reminds young girls of what they already are – strong, beautiful, loveable, and valuable.

The book is centered around an Everygirl character, not a Chelsea, Rebekkah, or Tina. Some children may wonder why the girls in the story have no names, but that absence of specifics is a strength. The girls are all girls everywhere, all imbued with the same potential and possibilities. Even Nicholas Wright’s illustrations, full of color and inertia, have an indistinct quality that precludes identifying any one girl with any one trait. All girls, both as characters and readers, are thus integrated into a sense of community. They run, shop, help, and share together.

Grant has chosen an appealing array of adjectives and verbs to characterize the girls. They are vibrant and boisterous. The smiles are radiant. The girls squeal and gaze. Hearts soar, minds sharpen, health shines, and freckles parade across the face. Children will love the sound and feel of these words, and many children will quite probably learn a word or two.

Every page has an accompanying Spanish translation of Grant’s text. For non Spanish speakers, it’s an opportunity to learn some vocabulary. More importantly, perhaps a target audience is reached, an audience eager to hear a message of optimism, hope, and empowerment. That the message is conveyed via the avenue of running simply adds to its universality and power. Almost anyone can run, which is why running is such a useful metaphor for striving, succeeding, and sharing. We Are The Girls Who Love To Run is a book that will help young girls realize not what they can become, but the beauty of what they already are.