Girls Who Build: Inspiring Curiosity and Confidence to Make Anything Possible

by Katie Hughes

Celebrate the can-do attitude of fierce girls who know how to wield a hammer, fire up a saw, and build everything from a bookshelf to a playhouse. Featuring project photographs, this guide will inspire you to pick up your power tools and make something great.
Carpenter Katie Hughes frequently found that she was the only woman on construction worksites. To change that, she began teaching classes to girls ages 8-14, showing them how to drill, saw, and weld. Her classes quickly became sold out summer camps and she founded her own non-profit, Girls Build.

Girls Who Build features candid and arresting photographs of forty-five girls showing off their power tools and can-do attitudes. Accompanying each girl is a profile interview where she speaks to her inspirations and favorite builds, plus tips for others starting out. Also included are building skills, techniques, and safety tips to teach girls -- and older beginners -- how to handle hammers, drills, and saws plus thirteen do-it-herself building projects (from the featured girls themselves) such as picture frames, nightstands, playhouses, and more.

Genres: Nonfiction

272 pages, Hardcover

Published October 13, 2020

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Must read and so important to have this sort of book available. Wide range of projects from simple to intricate and using all sorts of tools and supplies. Inspiring

[Karen Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish there were more reviews of this book - how do I get the word out?
The title says it all - inspiring curiosity and confidence!

I sort of expected it to be boring, but it was anything but. The author explains how she discovered her talent for and love of building.
Then it goes on with a "how to use this book" section.
The projects specify gear needed as well as explaining terminology (I learned a lot).
There is information about tools and how to use them, and the projects included are a variety of different difficulty levels.

I love the idea of builder camps for girls - it's so empowering. Some of the real girl responses to the question, "Building makes me feel..." include: strong, big, powerful, and important.
And finally, there is a materials glossary and index.

As soon as I read it (chapters with projects by real girls), I bought a copy for my nieces.

This belongs in every school library and elementary classroom.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reading the interviews with girls and learning why they enjoy building. I was surprised that so many of them described building as an activity that relaxes them. This book made me feel hopeful and inspired.

[Megan Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked finding a girl-empowering book that I would carry in my classroom.

[James Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great books for little girls to be inspired to build and create!