For a World of Good

Thank you for visiting Little Friday Reads, a new Girl Friday initiative for children nursery through grade 8. I created Little Friday Reads because I believe that books can help develop courage, compassion, and a host of other incredible qualities and traits. Do you remember the stories that shaped your childhood? Are there any books that were a source of inspiration, taught you something unexpected, or broadened your personal worldview? My list of life-changing childhood books would definitely include the Betsy, Tacy, Tib series by Maud Hart Lovelace, The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, Children of the River by Linda Crew, The People Could Fly by Virginia Hamilton, and The Tillerson Cycle by Cynthia Voight. Through those stories, I learned about developing lasting friendships, persevering through unimaginable struggles, and the magic of imagination.

In March 2020, I launched Girl Friday with a simple idea: awareness impels to action. For the past year, on Instagram and through my weekly newsletter, The Friday Brief, I have been sharing pressing challenges around the world, the organizations working on those issues, and how we can work together to help solve the problem. To name just a few, I have covered ending child labor in the chocolate industry, protecting farmworkers’ rights, and reevaluating the use of solitary confinement in the U.S. prison system. Since that first launch day, I have learned several lessons, namely that it is sometimes hard for adults to connect with issues that feel overwhelming, beyond their reach, or outside of their communities. Friends have asked me, “why are you posting about The Big Cat Public Safety Act? Does it really matter that Americans personally own a bizarre number of Tigers?” Yes, it actually does matter (see why here). And, I have been met with, “but what can we really do about a war happening in another country? Can we honestly help?” Yes, we definitely can (see how here). So, I wondered: how can I get adults to see that our local, national, and global challenges are related, important, and impact each other? Then, I remembered my wide-eyed younger self and instantly knew the answer. Start with children.

From there, I started building Little Friday Reads, a companion to Girl Friday’s Bold and Bookish club, for children in nursery through grade 8. For Bold and Bookish club members, I pick a book (all genres are welcome!) about a topic I think the Girl Friday community might like to explore further. We have read books about refugees’ journeys to safety (The Beekeeper of Aleppo), tackling government corruption (It’s Our Turn to Eat: The Story of Kenyan Whistle-Blower), injustice in the American South (The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist), and so much more. Similar to Bold and Bookish, I will be selecting Little Friday Reads books that help children explore the world around them. I will also host book giveaways, so be sure to follow Little Friday Reads on Instagram! All Little Friday Reads selections, unless otherwise unavailable, will be featured on Bookshop, which supports independent booksellers. As an affiliate, Little Friday Reads will receive a small commission if you click through to make a purchase.