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Paper Dolls Perfect For Women's History Month

by Kenza Moller

Happy Women's History Month! If you're wondering how to teach your daughters (and sons!) about the awesome women who have made a positive mark in our world, there's a new collection of paper dolls that celebrate badass women in history that you can now get your hands on. They're about as far from Barbie as toys can get (not that there's anything wrong with the iconic plastic dolls, of course) — and the Awesome Women Who Changed History book comes with awesome cutouts of women like Amelia Earhart, Sacagawea, Harriet Tubman, Frida Kahlo, Oprah Winfrey, and Jane Goodall. Is it bad that I kind of want one of these books for myself?

The Simon & Schuster book was created by illustrator Carol del Angel, whose portfolio alone is a work of art, and the women featured in the paper doll book all represent groundbreaking women who have charted a new course of their own. Each paper doll comes with her own short bio, a quote, and accessories. (Can we talk about Joan of Arc's sabre accessory, or Susan B. Anthony's handcuffs or "Votes for Women" picket sign?)

In order to celebrate Women's History Month, Adams Media created a short video of young girls playing with their paper doll idols. It features young girls who want to be aviators, ballerinas, astronauts, and artists, and shows the girls playing with paper doll versions of Amelia Earhart, Misty Copeland, Sally Ride, and Frida Kahlo.

The $13 book is available on Amazon and in stores at Target and Indigo/Chapters. The book features 20 women in total, including scientist Marie Curie (the first woman to win the Nobel Prize), poet Maya Angelou, comedian Lucille Ball, and tennis player Billie Jean King. It even includes a cut-out of a pantsuit-wearing Hillary Clinton, because hey, #We'reStillWithHer.

After playing with the paper dolls, kids can use them to decorate their rooms or paste them in journals. Parents can also encourage their kids to make their own paper dolls of women that inspire them — whether that's their teacher, Adele, NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson, or their mom, it'll let them reflect on the ladies who have influenced their lives.

And the very best part? These artsy paper dolls are totally not limited to children only, so if you want to celebrate Women's History Month by picking up your own copy of Awesome Women Who Changed History, there's no reason you shouldn't. I'm pretty sure the collage on my wall could stand to have a little Jane Goodall inspiration added to the mix.