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Teaser:  Why is doing something like a girl a negative thing? Doing something like a girl should be celebrated, which is what the people in this video will show you.
Teaching Idea: Before showing the students the video, the teacher should ask the students to demonstrate some actions that the video shows, such as, "throw like a girl", "run like a girl", "fight like a girl", etc. After having a few volunteers from the class demonstrate, the teacher will then show the video.  At the end of the video, the teacher will lead a discussion about what the students thought about the video.  To bring in new ideas, the teacher will ask the students how this same idea can be applied to boys.

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Teaser:  Who says you're not great just the way you are?  Who says you shouldn't love your unique qualities?  This song has a great message with a beat that will get everyone up and singing along in no time!
Teaching Idea:  The teacher passes around sheets with lyrics to the songs.  Then he or she introduces the song to the class and plays the music video, urging the students to follow along with the lyrics as it plays.  After the song is finished, lead a class discussion about the message the song portrays.  At the end of the lesson, have each student decorate an index card with one thing they love about themselves.  At the end of the activity, collect all the index cards and put them up on a bulletin board with the title, "Who says we're not perfect?"

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Written by: Craig Pomranz
Illustrated by: Margaret Chamberlain
Published: July 29th, 2014
Genre: Fiction; Picture books for children
Interest Level (approximate): Age 0 to 8
Text Level (approximate): Grade K to 2
Teaser: Raffi is a shy, young boy who doesn't enjoy the typical activities that boys his age do. He has a love for knitting, but is teased by the other kids at school for this interest. However, when the school play is faced with a big issue right before the performance, Raffi uses his skills to save the day.
Teaching Idea: In this book, Raffi creates a cloak for the school play. Replicate the cloak using paper on a bulletin board. Give each student a small paper patch. Instruct the students to decorate their patch with words and pictures to describe an activity they love. Once everyone has finished decorating their patch, paste each patch onto the Cloak on the bulletin board. Finally, have each student share why they enjoy the activity they chose.

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Written by: Andrea Beaty
Illustrated by: David Roberts
Published: September 2013
Genre: Fiction; Picture books for children
Interest Level (approximate): Age 0 to 8
Text Level (approximate): Grade K to 2
Teaser:  Rosie is a quiet girl with a dream of becoming an engineer one day.  Rosie's aunt, Rosie the Riveter, comes to visit and tells Rosie that she had always dreamed of flying one day.  On hearing this, Rosie takes it upon herself to help her aunt's dream come true by creating a flying contraption.  Although her invention doesn't succeed, she is taught that quitting is the only failure.
Teaching Idea: Break the students into small groups of three to four students.  Give each group a box of materials.  Each group will be instructed to create their own flying contraption.  Have each group present their flying contraption to the class and give it a "test run".  Make sure to emphasize that as the book states, even if the invention doesn't work, it is still a success.

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Written by: Jeffery and Lisa Bone
Illustrated by: Valeria Docampo
Published: May 2014
Genre: LGBTQIA Fiction; Picture books for children
Interest Level (approximate): Age 0 to 8
Text Level (approximate): Grade Pre-K to 2
Teaser:  "Not every princess lives in a castle.  Not every fairy has wings.  Not every pirate sails a ship."  If you could be anyone you want to be, who would you be?  Whatever you imagine can become a reality if you make the decision to do so.
Teaching Idea:  Assign your students the task of researching information about the job they want to have when they are older.  Then, host a career show and tell day.  Each student should come to class dressed as what they want to be when they grow up.  In class, have the students present what they are dressed as, a little bit of information about the career, and why they are interested in it.

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Written and Illustrated by: Lane Smith
Published: July 2008
Genre: Humorous Fiction; Picture books for children
Interest Level (approximate): Age 0 to 8
Text Level (approximate): Grade K to 3
Teaser: Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be the president of the United States? Follow this young girl as she goes about fufilling presidential duties for a day.  She'll show you that you can be anyone you want to be if you set your mind to it.
Teaching Idea: Have your students write a short essay (one or two paragraphs) explaining what they would do if they were president for a day. Each essay should start with the prompt, "If I were president for the day, I would..."

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Written by: Harvey Fierstein
Illustrated by: Henry Cole
Published: May 2002
Genre: Fiction; Picture books for children
Interest Level (approximate): Age 0 to 8
Text Level (approximate): Grade K to 3
Teaser: Elmer is not like the other ducks. He enjoys playing with puppets, baking cookies, and other "sissy" activities.  When Elmer overhears his father's embarrassment of him, he runs away from home.  Later, a tragic accident occurs that changes his father's view of Elmur from sissy to brave.
Teaching Idea: On the board or a poster, create a venn diagram with one circle that says, "Girls", one that says, "Boys", and the middle one that says, "Both."  Give each student a stack of two to three post its.  Tell the students to write down one activity that they enjoy doing on each post it.  Once all the students have finished coming up with their ideas, have each student stick their post it note on the section of the venn diagram that they think their activity belongs to.  For example, if a student wrote "baseball", they may place that in the boys category of the diagram.  After all the post its have been placed on the board, go over the activities as a group and determine why each was placed in that category.  At the end, share with the students the importance of being yourself and that there is no such thing as "boy" activities and "girl" activities.

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Written by: Cornelia Funke
Illustrated by: Kerstin Meyer
Published: January 2003
Genre: Fiction; Picture books for children
Interest Level (approximate): Age 0 to 8
Text Level (approximate): Grade Pre-K to 2
Teaser: Like her older brothers, Violetta wants to become a knight. When her father refuses to let her go through the training, Violetta works on her skills secretly. In a competition of knights, Violetta disguises herself and competes, so that she can show everyone what she's made of. Her perseverance shows the readers that you can do anything you set your mind to.
Teaching Idea: Break the students into 2 groups. Have one group play basketball, kickball, soccer, or any type of sport. Have the second group dance, play with dolls, or make a craft. After about fifteen minutes of performing the activity, have the two groups switch. Once each group has had a chance to participate in both activities, start a discussion about gender stereotypes. Ask them what they thought of each activity and who can participate in each. Let several students answer. Finally, end the activity by informing the students that girls and boys can do whatever they want to do and they can have a variety of interests.

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Written by: James Howe
Illustrated by: Melissa Sweet
Published: April 1996
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Interest Level (approximate): Age 9 to 12
Text Level (approximate): Grade 2 to 4
Teaser: Pinky loves the color pink and his best friend is a girl. As a result, he has to stand up for himself to the neighborhood bully. Through his interactions with the bully, Pinky discovers how important it is to be true to yourself.
Teaching Idea: Use this book as an opportunity to discuss bullying with your class. Start the conversation by discussing the characteristics of bullying found in the text and how the issue is solved. Split the students up into small groups for a short period of time and have them discuss how they would handle the situation if they were Pinky. Bring the class back together to finish up the discussion by sharing the ideas each group came up with.

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Written by: Mary Hoffman
Illustrated by: Caroline Binch
Published: September 1991
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Interest Level (approximate): Age 0 to 8
Text Level (approximate): Grade K to 2
Teaser:  Grace longs to play the lead role in her school's production of Peter Pan. However, her classmates tell her that isn't possible because Peter Pan isn't a girl and he isn't black. Never the less, Grace doesn't let the negative comments from her classmates stop her from pursuing her goal.
Teaching Idea:  Have the students complete a short writing activity about goal accomplishment. Each student should start with the prompt, "This is the story of a time I never gave up." The students should write five to six sentences about a time when they were trying to accomplish a goal and they didn't give up on it.

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Written by: Cheryl Kilodavis
Illustrated by: Suzanne DeSimone
Published: December 2010
Genre: Nonfiction
Interest Level (approximate): Age 0 to 8
Text Level (approximate): Grade K to 2
Teaser:  In this story based on real life, a mom shares her take on her son.  He enjoys dressing up in pretty dresses and partaking in "girly" things.  He is totally and completely himself in every way.
Teaching Idea: Because everyone is special in their own way, celebrate the uniqueness of your students throughout the week you read this text.  Have your students create an "All About Me" poster.  The poster should include their interests, talents, dreams/goals, and pictures of them and anything else they want to include.  Then dedicate each day of the week to certain students and let them present their posters to the class.

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Written by: Robert Munsch
Illustrated by: Michael Martchenko
Published: July 1983
Genre: Canadian Fiction; Picture books for children
Interest Level (approximate): Age 0 to 8
Text Level (approximate): Grade 1 to 2
Teaser: Have you ever wondered what it would be like if the princess had to save the prince?  Elizabeth is a princess who is set to marry a prince named Ronald. But after a dragon storms the castle and kidnaps Ronald, Elizabeth must go on a quest to rescue him.
Teaching Idea: After reading the book to the students for the first time, have students create puppets for characters from the book using paper bags. After they are done making their characters, ask for volunteers to act out the book as you read it aloud again.  This allows for a more visual and interactive reading that includes the entire class.