A New Children’s Book Reminds Us of When NYC Girl Scouts Made History

“Alice in Wonderland doesn’t count,” chanted a troop of New York City Girl Scouts who realized that out of twenty-two statues in all 843 acres of Central Park, not one honored a real-life woman.

Because of their activism, fundraising, and relentless pursuit of realistic role model representation, these multicultural pre-teens, who, in 2016, began their quest to challenge the status quo, saw the Women’s Rights Pioneers Monument unveiled in 2020.

Located mid-park at 68th Street, the bronze statue measures fourteen feet tall and weighs almost 7,000 pounds. The sculptor is Meredith Bergmann.

The accomplishment of the young advocates is being brought back into the zeitgeist this March, National Women’s History Month, with the publication of Where Are the Women?: The Girl Scouts’ Campaign for the First Statue of Women in Central Park.

In it, author/illustrator Janice Hechter tells the true story of how the aforementioned Girl Scouts took on elected officials and then joined forces with Monumental Women to honor the trailblazing work of Sojourner Truth, who escaped slavery and then traveled the country speaking out against it as well as gender inequality; Susan B. Anthony, who fought for women’s right to vote; and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the first president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association.

Of the girls who championed the project, Avery Leppo, now 19, said, “Reading our Troop’s journey come alive in a published children’s book is extraordinary! It’s a reminder that even the smallest voices can make a lasting impact and help shape a future where girls are seen and heard. Dreams do come true!”

Straus Media spoke with Hechter about what drew her to the Girl Scouts’ story, how women’s advocacy needs to begin in girlhood, and the importance of acknowledging women’s contribution to art and life.

How did you come upon the story?

During the pandemic, my daughter was sent home from college and taking her classes online. She asked me to sit in on her class about public monuments because she thought it would interest me. I noticed all the statues were of men so I did a Google search and found out about the statue of women in Central Park. In my research, the Girl Scouts kept popping up everywhere. They were interviewed on TV and in news articles. They were even on the cover of Time for Kids magazine.

Why did you decide to write a book about it?

I thought it would be a great topic for a children’s book since these young girls were like 10 years old. They did so much work and stuck with it for four years—marching every week after school with signs, and one day they happened to see Mayor de Blasio, and they ran over to him and started telling about [their cause]. They raised money [for the statue] by selling Girl Scout cookies and so much more.

Is your hope for the book to instill activism in more young people?

Yes, I want kids to see that they can make a huge difference.

Did you ever meet any of the Girl Scouts, and if so, what was your opinion of them?

It was during COVID, so we met over Zoom. They were inspiring. They were confident. They just seemed like social activists who saw something wrong—that there weren’t any statues of women—and they were going to do something about it. They were just very proactive and had their own agency. It was impressive.

Activism and perseverance are valuable skills for people to learn early. Why do you think youth-driven social justice initiatives are so few and far between?

Good question. I don’t know, but I just did a visit with some local Girl Scouts and one of them told me that after reading this book she’s inspired to be like [the girls in the book] and make a difference.

Making a difference isn’t easy.


Yeah, it was a long hurdle. They even testified before the design commission. [New York City’s design review agency, the Public Design Commission (PDC) has jurisdiction over permanent structures, landscape architecture, and art proposed on or over City-owned property.] I was able to include the exact quotes from their testimony so I could bring the reader right into the room.

Are you looking for more projects involving women to write about? 


I have a children’s book coming out in 2026 about artist Theresa Bernstein, who spent most of her years in Manhattan. She achieved success at a time when it was a real rarity for women. She was an outlier. The book is called The Power of Her Paintbrush.

Do you find that women’s contributions to art still take a back seat?

Yes, they really do. When I started writing the Bernstein book, I read some very interesting facts, such as nearly 46 percent of visual artists in the United States identify as women but do not receive the recognition that male artists do.

Lorraine Duffy Merkl is the author of the novel “Back to Work She Goes.”