Raising feminists, with Brittany Murlas of Little Feminist Book Club
On today’s podcast, I had the amazing opportunity of talking with Brittany Murlas, the owner and founder of the website, Little Feminist. Her idea to start this company came from the work she did at her previous job where she was able to see that book giving was a popular gift amongst the baby world. So with this information in mind, plus her strong fascination with children’s literature and the children’s book market world, Brittany created this company. She works closely with parents, a librarian, and a teacher to find children’s books that feature powerful female characters and/or people of color.
As Brittany shared, a feminist is defined by the belief that all genders are equal. Within living in this society, Brittany has come to realize that this definition has come to mean a lot more then it entails. Since 90% of children’s brains are developed by the time they are 5 years old, it is critical that we, as caregivers, are sending them clear, intentional messages about gender equality. When Brittany first created the name of her website, people were critical because many people often assume that the word feminist is only geared towards girls. However, Brittany was determined to go forward with the name because she believed it was important to bring awareness to this word and encourage others to see that it isn’t solely geared towards girls, but to boys as well.
“Diverse books can’t just be for diverse kids”
Brittany shared with me all the hard work and dedication that goes into carefully selecting each and every book that is sent to a child. With a lot of collaboration from the librarian and the teacher, the three of them spend time researching books that they feel are age-appropriate and deliver important, thought-provoking messages. Not only do the children receive the books, but they also receive activities and discussion questions to go along with the books. The reasoning behind the discussion questions is to inspire conversations amongst family members.
“We aren’t looking for perfect books. We are looking for books that start awesome conversations”
Not only did Brittany mention the importance of reading books whose message is centered around feminism, but she also talked about the importance of really listening to your children’s questions and allowing there to be time and space for the questions to settle. As Brittany shared, with difficult topics, it is crucial that we, as caregivers, introduce the topics and then pause for questions and keep tabs on what children are asking about and how they are thinking about those topics. At times, conversations may be uncomfortable but it is important to become comfortable with having the uncomfortable talks because children need that from caregivers.
“What a gift for kids to know what difficult conversations feel like and lean into them and have them be ok”
As Brittany wrapped up our conversation, she shared with me all the upcoming and exciting new changes that are happening on the Little Feminist website! They plan to expand the ages in which people can buy books for children and they plan to add more resources to their blog. As she expressed, there are two types of subscriptions that people can sign-up for. One is a subscription that includes 2 paper books or 1 hardcover book a month with hands-on activities, discussion questions, and DIY ideas. The other subscription includes an educational toy that goes along with the selected books.
Coupon Code: Voices for $5 off or to be donated to the charity of their choice
If you wish to connect with Brittany you can go to:
