Good night stories for rebel girls 2 by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo

Timbuktu, 2018. ISBN 9780997895827
(Age: 5 - Adult) Highly recommended. Themes: Women. Read aloud. Like Good night stories for rebel girls 1, this volume has 100 stories about women, some well known (Beyonce, Madonna) and many less well known (Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche, Beatrice Vio). Each woman has a double page spread, one side with information about how the woman managed, some times overcoming great odds, to achieve their dreams. 60 different female artists have illustrated the book, and each fabulous portrait of the woman described adds to the reader's understanding of their personality.
The book is set out beautifully, each entry a joy to read, making it a book that is sure to be a keeper in any family's library. It was immediately grabbed when spotted in the bookshop by my 9 year old granddaughter, who already had and loved the first book. It is a book that responds to being read aloud as a bedtime story as the one page entries are just right for a short bedtime story with the story, the dates of birth and death, and the illustration providing great entry points for discussion. The book equally responds to having the reader pick out different inspiring women to read about silently.
The book will inspire all readers with its tales of real women from the past and the present, who have changed the world. It is sure to appeal equally to boys as well as girls as the information is not only informative but also written in a clear, interesting and easily accessible manner. Adults will find it equally fascinating as they read about women known and unknown to them (Agatha Christie, Sophia Loren).
Pat Pledger