Gritty and Graceful: 15 Inspiring Women of the Bible

God gave girls grit and grace. From the very beginning, God looked to girls and women to teach, to lead, to love, to change the world.

We know because we can read their stories in the Bible. From Eve to Mary and everyone in between, the Bible is full of gritty and graceful women who faced tough circumstances with courage, toughness, intelligence, and faith.

This companion to Caryn Rivadeneira's critically acclaimed Grit and Grace: Heroic Women of the Bible combines exciting storytelling with the vivid illustrations of Sonya Abby Soekarno to bring the stories of these biblical women to life. Gritty and Graceful: 15 Inspiring Women of the Bible will inspire the gritty and graceful girls in your life to imagine their place in God's story, how they can make a difference in the world, and do great things for God.

Sonya Abby Soekarno is an Illustrator and Visual Development artist currently based in San Francisco. Originally from Jakarta, Indonesia, she recently graduated from the Academy of Art University. Sonya's interest for children's book illustrations stem from her love of bright and vibrant colors, as well as the various whimsical fantasies she grew up reading. Sonya has been recognized in her school's Illustration Spring Show for two consecutive years, and was also a finalist in the 2017 Society of Illustrator's Student Scholarship Competition.

Caryn Rivadeneira is the acclaimed author of seventeen books for children and adults, including the multi-award-winning Helper Hounds series. Her work has appeared in the Washington Post, Christianity Today, Sojourners, Relevant, Aleteia, and many more. She is a member of INK: A Creative Collective and the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Caryn lives in the suburbs of Chicago with her family and their beloved rescue pit bulls.