Girls Solve Everything: Stories of Women Entrepreneurs Building a Better World – Inspiring Nonfiction About Diverse Problem-Solvers for Kids

by Catherine Thimmesh, Melissa Sweet (Illustrator)

Brave women from diverse backgrounds make the world a better place through their businesses in this inspiring companion to the best-selling Girls Think of Everything  by Sibert-winner Catherine Thimmesh and Caldecott Honor winner Melissa Sweet. For fans of Women Who Dared and Women in Science .  

Women all over the globe are asking questions that affect lives and creating businesses that answer them. Like, can we keep premature babies warm when they're born far from the hospital? Or, can the elderly stay in their homes and  eat a balanced diet?  Women are taking on and solving these issues with their ingenuity and business acumen.

How did they get their ideas? Where does the funding for their projects come from? And how have some of these businesses touched YOUR life? Girls Solve Everything answers these questions, inspiring today's kids to learn from entrepreneurs and take on some of the world's biggest problems, one solution at a time.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Middle Grade, Childrens

128 pages, Hardcover

Published March 1, 2022

About the author

Catherine Thimmesh is an award-winning author, speaker, and creativity educator.

Her creative children’s nonfiction titles have won numerous awards, including a New York Times Notable Book and the prestigious Sibert Medal. She is the author of the best-selling book: GIRLS THINK OF EVERYTHING: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women — which was substantially revised and newly released in 2018. TEAM MOON: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon won the Sibert Medal, while CAMP PANDA: Helping Cubs Return to the Wild was a Sibert Honor book.

Her newest book — SMASH, CRASH, TOPPLE, ROLL! The Inventive Rube Goldberg: A Life in Comics, Contraptions, and Six Simple Machines — is a Junior Library Guild Gold Selection and releases May 6, 2025.

You can watch her discuss the importance of creativity in her TEDx talk: Creativity in the Classroom (in 5 minutes or less) on YouTube, or Catherine’s website.

Catherine lives and works in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.

Reviews

[Megan Griest · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book, and wish it existed when I was younger. It’s so inspiring to read about these female change makers, and how one seed of an idea sprouted into a new way to think about a problem. For example, Ting Shih was given an assignment in a class and turned it into a revolutionary method of telemedicine to reach over one billion people!

This would be great to read to your class in honor of Women’s History Month in March, and learners of all ages will appreciate the stories and message.

[Sharon Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Girls Solve Everything: Stories of Women Entrepreneurs Building a Better World, written by Catherine Thimmesh and illustrated by Melissa Sweet, is currently scheduled for release on March 1 2022. Women all over the globe are asking questions that affect lives and creating businesses that answer them. Like, can we keep premature babies warm when they're born far from the hospital? Or, can the elderly stay in their homes and eat a balanced diet? Women are taking on and solving these issues with their ingenuity and business acumen. How did they get their ideas? Where does the funding for their projects come from? And how have some of these businesses touched YOUR life? Girls Solve Everything answers these questions, inspiring today's kids to learn from entrepreneurs and take on some of the world's biggest problems, one solution at a time.

Girls Solve Everything is a collection of short biographies feature women that have shown perseverance and made impacts on the world through their discoveries, inventions, and more. I like how the book illustrated that a small idea, class assignment, or serious problem can spark the inspiration for real change, and that anyone can make that change with the right tools. I thought the illustration work was extremely well done and matched the content and tone of the text perfectly. I think this book would be a great addition to school and public libraries, as well as home libraries. I have to admit that my digital copy had some formatting issues, which made it challenging to enjoy, but I know these issues will be resolved well before the final copy hits the shelves.

Girls Solve Everything is a book that shows some of the many accomplishments of women, and just might inspire current and future generations to make their own marks on the world.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this follow-up book to “Girls Think of Everything,” author Catherine Thimmesh and illustrator Melissa Sweet team up again to share stories of innovative solutions created by women for everything from healthcare and education to life skills for people with special needs. I’d heard of some of these organizations such as Teach for America, Hull House, Copia, Dress for Success, and Meals on Wheels, but some of the other projects were new to me.

Each story felt like the just the right length to me and highlighted the obstacles these women faced and how they used their problem-solving skills to make an impact. The illustrations had just the right amount of technical detail and whimsy. One quibble with the design, though: the sidebars in the digital ARC are white text against a yellow background, which isn’t very readable, especially on a screen, so I hope that perhaps that was changed for the actual book.

Also, because the book has “girls” in the title, I’d expected it to feature more young people. There are a few kids and teens mentioned, but a lot of the stories highlighted are actually about problem-solving women. These women’s stories are inspirational and often they’ve had a longer impact than a project by a kid or teen. But there are kids and teens doing amazing things, and I would have enjoyed more of a focus on them, especially because some women would feel infantilized by the word “girl.” But it’s still an empowering read for people of all ages and genders.

I received a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Wren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the concept of this book, and I think it would work for an activity that highlights women entrepreneurs just once a week. The book is packed with information, and the prose is complex because it conveys details and nuanced ideas. I had a hard time "entering" the chapters about these women and their innovated projects.

I could read one a day, look up more information, and think about that person. I believe that a teen reader would also only read one a day. I'd say the ideal readers would be 14-21 years old.

Here are some of the women profiled:

"Empowering People with Special Needs" Nadia Hamilson (Canada), created the app MagnusCards that provides step-by-step instructions for people living with autism (as just one example need) accomplish self-care tasks such as taking public transportation.

"Making Solar Energy Affordable" Lesley Maringola (American piloting the project in Tanzania)

"Supper for Seniors--Delivered" Doris Taylor (Australia), founder of Meals on Wheels

"The Tree-Planting Plan" Wangari Maathai (Kenya), founder of the Green Belt Movement

[michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are people all over the world who invent solutions to problems. The forthcoming book Girls Solve Everything: Stories of Women Entrepreneurs Building a Better World (3/1/22, Clarion Books) by Catherine Thimmesh and illustrated by Melissa Sweet does an amazing job of highlighting a number of women who have made a difference through their businesses. Women often, but not always, look at the world with a different viewpoint than men, allowing them to consider some of the problems in our world in a different light. This book showcases some of the solutions and encourages young girls to reach for the starts and help society at the same time. From the 10 year old behind Trick or Treat for UNICEF to empowering individuals with autism to thrive independently, and from helping those in developing countries with medical issues to helping women in the 1800s survive after losing a husband. This is a fascinating read for budding entrepreneurs, inventors, scientists, and activists.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an electronic ARC from Clarion Books through NetGalley.
These short writings capture women who have seen problems and created solutions. Thimmesh shares the challenges they faced and how they persevered to improve living conditions around the world. I particularly like the quizzes that begin and end the book so readers can test their own knowledge and learn more. Some of the illustrations should be turned into posters for classrooms and libraries as they make powerful points about the work being done by these women and their companies. The final chapter challenges readers to move forward and find their areas of passion also.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This feels like a real grown-oriented book -- lots of descriptions of people seeing a problem, working on a solution, incorporating setbacks and failures, and persevering with their vision. It's feminist in that it's all women, and because it looks directly at the specific problems girls and women face in various areas that these people are trying to ameliorate.

It's a quick read -- each person gets a few pages and the writing is concise and cheerful, never too preachy but also clearly attempting to be inspirational.

[K. Woodman-Maynard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really fun and inspiring book for girls! Most of the stories of girls and women were new to me—and so impressive. I particularly liked reading about Lesley Marincola and how her company's trying to make energy more affordable. I enjoyed the art, design and collage which matched the tone of the book well. I'm giving this to my niece and I'm sure she'll enjoy it. Highly recommend!

[Erin Buhr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can one girl make the world a better place? This book says indeed she can. This is a collection of brief chapters or bios of women who have made remarkable strides in improving their world. Their stories are all unique and impressive. A fun, inspiring collection that is well written and also as a bonus, gorgeously illustrated by Melissa Sweet.

[Bree Sotirovich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very impressive list of women who I have not heard of doing incredible things. Each person has a few pages written about their accomplishments. There are some questions on the hardcover about how women are viewed and treated throughout the world. The back of the book has a glossary and an a list of sources for the reader. I am looking forward to Girls Think of Everything.

[Libby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, geared towards readers age 10 and up, has short, engagingly written chapters about different women who have figured out solutions to problems in their communities. Some are fairly well known, but most will be new for readers; the representation is global. A book that will both challenge and inspire young readers, both girls and boys.

[Margaux · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the book is physically shorter, each of the 16 biographies is multiple pages long, and very compelling. They range from tech innovators to the ol' classic: Jane Addams, and each of these women have made a big impact on those they seek to help.

[Elizabeth Jorgensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED this! I learned about so many fantastic organizations which are solving problems and making life better for people all over the world every day. This is definitely going in my classroom library!

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Meryn]

A fun and inspiring book! Glad to have stumbled come across it and learn about women entrepreneurs during Women's History Month!

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Netgalley or Edelweiss

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catherine Thimmesh brings a new perspective to the lives of women inventors. Rather than ignore a problem and accept the status quo, the inventions and solutions offered by these women addressed social problems, and helped improve quality of life in all areas. They are social entrepreneurs, and they have been continuously attacking social problems for 200 years. Illustrator Melissa Stewart lends her characteristic blend of text and collage the goal and mission of each inventor's information. Highly recommended for all collections. Thank you to Edelweiss Plus and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.for the e-galley

[Brooke - TheBrookeList · Rating 4 out of 5]

Girls Solve Everything tells the story of some clever gals, who have done a great job at working to solve some big problems. They aren't all old, or all young. They aren't all rich, or all poor. They aren't all dead, or all alive either. This is just a diverse book with a global perspective on women throughout the world and history who have made a difference in real ways in the world around them.

A few of these stories overlap with Good Girls Green the World. These feel accessible perhaps to a younger audience.

The illustrations really bring these stories to life, with a beautiful 3D/layered paper feel that is just so fun. I listened to the audiobook, then later managed to flip through a digital copy of the eBook, but I think my love for the book would have been amplified if I'd been able to heft the pages.

Read as a nomination in the non-fiction book award category as a panelist for Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards (Cybils Awards).