Pinkie Promises

Polly, a bespectacled child with dark brown pigtails and warm brown skin, is “tired of hearing what girls can’t do.” Her life is full of males telling her that her gender precludes her from certain activities—fixing the sink’s plumbing with her light-skinned uncle Ed; building a drawbridge for a school project, under the judgmental eyes of her brother Jack; even washing the family’s car, which inexplicably earns admonishment from neighbor Mr. Lee. When her mother takes her to a rally, and the duo meets white presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren, soon Polly realizes that girls can do anything. After the two pinkie promise to remember this sentiment, Polly approaches activities with a new attitude. Employing the refrain “that’s what girls do,” Warren traces Polly’s journey toward self-assertion and confidence; Chua’s sunny digital art, depicting a cartoon-style cast of varying abilities, hairstyles, religions, and skin tones, augments this simple encouragement for girls to dream big. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)