Go, Girls, Go!

by Frances Gilbert, Allison Black (Illustrator)

Come along for a rollicking ride in this picture book celebration of vehicles that puts girls in the driver’s seat!

Girls can race…and girls can fly. Girls can rocket way up high!

Piloting fire trucks, trains, tractors, and more, the girls in this book are on the go! Join them for an exuberant journey that celebrates how girls can do—and drive—anything.

Genres: Picture Books, Transport, Childrens, Storytime, Feminism, Juvenile, Gender

40 pages, Hardcover

First published November 5, 2019

Reviews

[KC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute rhyming (although the repeated chorus does not) story about how girls can grow up to do anything.

[Amy Layton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rhyming, bright colors, and empowerment are abound in this book.  Girls can do anything they put their mind to from operating machinery, flying airplanes, and driving tough city streets in a taxi.  Girls get around however they please and make money while doing it.  No longer are the days in which it's only boys who making a living via transportation.  As a celebration of some very important careers and work forces, this book is a fantastic example of how women can find empowerment in their everyday lives.  Great for PreK-1.

Review cross-listed here!

[Rosie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a gorgeous book with bold, bright illustrations to perfectly complement the important and empowering message to all girls: go for it! With every page turn, girls are on the go and chugging away! Whether it's a fire truck, a tractor, a race car or a rocket, they take the wheel and leave their mark. The rhyming text and onomatopoeia make this book a fun read-aloud, too!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

AH, this was perfect. A book that features girls in jobs that they aren't typically encouraged to pursue? LOVE IT. Particularly, the pilot named Bessie which is a reference to Bessie Coleman who does not get enough attention.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Look, I like that there's girls driving all these cool machines and I especially like that the book prompts the reader to do whatever they want to do, but I wish all the cool girls in this book could find their way into other books rather than a book specifically about being a girl. The book is clearly directed at girls (see: the end) but I'd love for more boys to meet these gals. I'm still glad this book exists as it is a total rarity to see a girl driving any machine in a picture book (read one the other day where the only girl was driving a pink truck--give me a break), but if our society was better this book could have been more about being sick rippin rather than being a girl who can do the sick rippin thing.

[Martha Sanchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm incredibly important than all of you who have nothing but losers 👑👑👑👑hahaha losers 👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑

[Lisa D]

Perfect girl empowerment book!

[Jessica Calaway · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baby - 8 years

[Erin Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute and great illustrations, I especially enjoyed the reference to Bessie Coleman!

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, cute book with lots of vehicles. I love the partial rhyme. There are I believe 12 different girls and vehicles portrayed. One set goes like this, "Mia's on a motorcycle, Rana loves her jeep, Daisy's dump truck loads up rubble in a giant heap. ROAR! goes Mia. HONK! goes Rana. CRUNCH! goes Daisy. Go, Girls, Go!" And then the final message is "Girls can race... and girls can fly. Girls can rocket way up high. What about you? Give it a try! Go, girl, go!" The pictures are fun and divided up into rows for each girl/vehicle. My boys liked it too, possibly because of the rhymes and vehicles, but I like the message that girls can do anything.

[Rcltigger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vibrant illustrations accompany the this story that has the empowering message that girls can do anything that they set out to do. Girls are shown in roles more traditionally performed by men.

[Maren]

what is this genre of picture book called? did it exist before like... 2012? would it be ethical or possible to do a longitudinal study on children who read stuff like this vs children who read like ... idk non schlocky picture book biographies of elspeth beard, bessie springfield (not that Hero Books arent without their own issues. idk!!) and even like american girl history books? i mean obviously not but.

i understand that this is supposed to like... encourage girls to be interested in vehicles because so many of the thomas the tank engines and the digger and the flower can become the domain of boys but like. is this not just introducing the concept of the pink camo rifle to an EVEN younger audience. that all things must be girlified for girls to interact with them?

something about these kind of feel goody girl power tm tm tm books never sits right with me and i dont think its JUST because this one in particular feels kinda soulless and mass produced and looks like it was made on canva (and honestly these plane train things that go books often do so like. equality i guess)

[Molly Rauch · Rating 4 out of 5]

GO, GIRLS, GO! by Frances Gilbert and illustrated by Allison Black shows the different ways girls can be in the driver’s seat. Whether it’s driving a fire engine, steering a boat, or flying an airplane, readers will cheer along with these girls who can do (and drive or fly) anything!
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With plenty of bright colors and engaging graphics, the illustrations complement the rhyming text and repeated refrain of “Go, Girls, Go!” With wonderful diversity and representation throughout, this story does a delightful job of reinforcing that girls can be anything they want. My 3-year-old twin girls giggled and cheered with each chorus of, “GO, GIRLS, GO!”
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Favorite Line:
“Girls can race … and girls can fly. Girls can rocket way up high. What about you?”
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Suggested Reading Age: PreK-Grade 1

[Stephanie Bange · Rating 3 out of 5]

A feminist look at modes of transportation.

Eighteen diverse females in different careers drive assorted forms of transportation as part of their job: firetruck, train, tractor, boat, ambulance, tow truck, taxi, giant crane, airplane, motorcycle, Jeep, dump truck, race car, and rocket. Gilbert's rhyming text is divided into sections by the refrain: "Go, Girls, Go!" (A nod to Bessie Coleman is noted; she is in the open cockpit airplane.)

Digital illustrations by Allison Black leap off the page with bold, bright graphics and sounds made by the vehicles operated by the females. Heavy use of clear reds, blues, yellows, aquas, and pinks add to the visual appeal. Eagle-eyed readers will notice that the dump driver is riding in a wheelchair in the parade.

Add to units on feminism and transportation.

Optional for PreSchool-grade 2.

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book all about women driving all sorts of vehicles. Have to admit, as a woman driving the Bookmobile, I love seeing a fun spin. You wouldn't believe how many people are surprised that I drive it. And really, my department has six women who do ;)

Why do I mark it as "early literacy capabilities?" Well, it is similar to "Dig, Dig, Digging," which is one the books we give out at ECRTR. The repetitive phrases make this an excellent one for the kiddos!

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, girl power book with great graphic illustrations. Sweet nod to Bessie Coleman. Love the diversity and representation, but I'm not going to fall down all over myself because of the topic and say that we have finally arrived or anything. One book does not solve everything. Especially when one book has bumpy rhyming.

You've got a long way to go yet, girl *unfortunately*.

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can I give this book more than 5 stars? Reading it made me think of similar books where you read about a little boy or anthropomorphic animal doing all sorts of activities, generally these characters are male. This one felt so lovingly focused on girls and all the things they can be. It was a joy to read and want all baby girls to grow up with this book!

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one has it all...rhythm, rhyme, things that go, and girl power! What more could you ask for?

(I listened to inspiring female musician, Maiah Wynne, the weekend before I read this book. I couldn't help but think her song Show the World / aka Rocket Girl https://youtu.be/12ePpHlqrl4 would be a great "theme song" for this picture book!)

[Christine Turner]

Come along for a rollicking ride in this picture book celebration of vehicles that puts girls in the driver's seat! Girls can race...and girls can fly. Girls can rocket way up high!
Piloting fire trucks, trains, tractors, and more, the girls in this book are on the go! Join them for an exuberant journey that celebrates how girls can do--and drive--anything.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm sure some people will find this a little pandering, but I really enjoyed it. A quick pace for reading aloud; a great repeated line; fun, fast, and colorful illustrations; and great onomatopoeias. I can't wait to use this in a 'things that go' storytime.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of my yearly reading challenge is finding girl-positive books for my daughter. She is the one who initiated this challenge, as she is a reader and likes to read about girls doing stuff. We grabbed this one from the library, on the new books shelf.

A simple, easy-to-read book.

[Jenna Grodzicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Upbeat, rhyming celebration of everything girls can do. Girls are shown driving various vehicles that correspond with different jobs. The repeated refrain will keep young readers engaged and eager to participate in the read aloud.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, the illustrations are fantastic! Bold, out there, colorful, and simple.

Second, the book screams female independence. Many books try to handle that concept. Many books fail. Not this one.

[Cyril · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vibrant, colorful illustrations and rhythmic, rhyming text make this lots of fun to read aloud. And I absolutely LOVE seeing girls in a car book! Our almost-3-year-old son loves the book and 'reads' the text along with me.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This would be a lot of fun in story time. I love the rhymes and diverse range of racial representation as well as job representation. My only problem is that there is a female cop. Should we cancel all books that have police?!

[kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute but lacks plot. and i thought it seemed sloppy that "ambulance" was printed in mirror when nothing else was

[Mackinzey Warren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A picture book that celebrates women, and that everyone can do anything they want. Overall, inspirational and fun.

[Alyssa Gudenburr · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent storytime book that is all about girl power and vehicles! Go Girl GO!

[Meg]

Meg was my favorite character.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great gift for newborn and young girls!