books4yourkids

  FEARLESS FEMALES:  The Fight for Freedom, Equality, and Sisterhood  written by Marta Breen illustrated by Jenny Jordahl Published by  Yellow Jacket Books With this essential graphic novel, Breen and Jordhal have created a comprehensive look at the "fight for freedom, equality, and sisterhood" that centers itself from the start with a letter to readers that states, "Feminism is the opposite of misogyny," then goes on to define misogyny as: the notion that the opinions of women are less valid, and that their work is less worthwhile, that htey do not have the right to make decisions about their won lives and their own bodies, that they deserve less freedoms than men, and that they should obey men. This misogyny has long historical roots and is still very widespread. And it means that millions of women are subjected to violence, sexual harassment, forced marriage and other forms of oppression every single day. I feel like it's important to quote this in full becau

  Zonia's Rain Forest  by Juana Martinez-Neal Review Copy from Candlewick Press Like a rain forest itself, Juana Martinez-Neal's new book,  Zonia's Rain Forest , is lush and beautiful at first glance, revealing layers with deeper reading. Zonia's story begins in the embrace of a loving family, in a place where it is "always green and full of life." Every morning, "the rain forest calls to Zonia," and every morning, Zonia answers by heading into the jungle, a blue morpho butterfly leading the way. Zonia's joy filled journey through the jungle, punctuated by visits with inhabitants like a family of sloths, a South African coati, an Amazon river dolphin and a giant anteater, to name a few, ends when she reaches an area that has been slashed and burned. Distraught, Zonia returns to her mother to show her what she has found, burned bits of the forest in her hands. Zonia's mother tells her that this is the forest speaking to her. Knowing that the f

  Together We March:  25 Protest Movements that Marched into History   by Leah Henderson illustrated by Tyler Feder Review Copy from Atheneum Books for Young Readers Henderson and Tyler have created a superb chronicle of an important aspect of social activism, presenting twenty-five marches chronologically in an accessible format with engaging illustrations. In her introduction, Henderson tells readers, "marches both great and small have been an invaluable tool to help bring about social change for many marginalized groups. By bringing together people with different perspectives and experiences under a unified umbrella, the demand that the public, the media, and the government work towards something better for everyone - not just a select few - rings louder and clearer."  Starting in 1903 with the March of the Mill Children, Henderson's author's note shares that, when doing her research, she was struck by the "overlapping themes that continue today from as far ba

  Marjory Saves the Everglades:  The Story of Marjory Stoneman Douglas   written by Sandra Neil Wallace , illustrated by Rebecca Gibbon Review Copy from Simon & Schuster While the narrative style of Marjory Saves the Everglades is gently meandering and almost fairy tale like  at times, Gibbon's illustrations bring a sunny warmth to the natural world that is central to the story of the woman who worked most of her long life (she was 108 when she died in 1998) to save the Florida Everglades. The author spends the first ten pages covering aspects of Marjory's life, up to the age of twenty-seven, that don't feel entirely important to the work of the rest of her long life and left me wondering if those pages could have been used to take a deeper dive into Marjory's work as a writer, researcher, environmentalist and unwitting activist. Moving to Florida in 1915, Marjory takes a job as the only female journalist at her father's newspaper, the Miami Herald . Joining th

  A Most Clever Girl:  How Jane Austen Discovered Her Voice   by Jasmine Stirling illustrated by Vesper Stamper Review Copy from Bloomsbury Children's Books When I read a picture book biography, I read it with a specific audience in mind: second graders. When I started my job as an elementary school librarian, second graders had a year-end biography fair that required stacks of picture book biographies for them to choose from. While the biographies didn't necessarily have to be written at a second grade reading level, a second grader needed to be able to grasp the important contributions of the subject, or at least find aspects of the subject's childhood engaging. As an adult, I have been reading and rereading Jane Austen's novels for almost thirty years, at first for enjoyment, but over time, coming to understand the significance of her literary contributions, especially as a woman. I was curious how her life would (could) be translated for young readers, especially as

  Girls CAN!  Smash Stereotypes, Defy Expectations and Make History   by Marissa Sebastian, Tora Shae Pruden and Page Towler Review Copy from National Geographic Kids While it still depresses me that stereotypes and expectations for girls are still so prevalent that we need a book like this to inspire girls to think outside of the box and extend their reach, I'm glad that there is a book as comprehensive and eye-catching as Girls CAN! to inspire young readers. The five chapters cover Leadership, Sports and Adventure, Literature and the Arts, Science and Math and Changing the World. Authors Sebastian, Pruden and Towler bring a diverse mix of historical and contemporary women to the page, interspersed with features that present stereotypes and the women who have smashed them and boxes that suggest ways readers can tackle problems like the women in this book.  With the colorful, slightly chaotic style that employs chunky fact boxes to get a variety of information on the page that Nat

  Astronauts: Women on the Final Frontier  by   Jim Ottoviani   &   Maris Wicks Review Copy from  First Second Books With Astronauts , Ottoviani and Wicks (with Dr. Mary L. Cleave narrating) tell the story of the first women astronauts that is as much about the driving desire to go into space - and their pure joy in experiencing it - as it is the sexist challenges they faced in getting there. Drawing from many interviews, recordings, documents and conversations with Mary Cleave and Carolyn Huntoon,  Astronauts  is engaging, humorous, and rich with scientific details, from Cleave's research before she became an astronaut to technical passages on flying at zero Gs, operating a mechanical arm in space and conducting exerpiments in space along with all kinds of NASA acronyms.  With Mary Cleave narrating, the story of Russian Valentina Tereshkova, the first (1963) and youngest woman to fly in space,  unfolds, paralleling the efforts of women to break through the impenetrable male d

Breaking the Ice: The True Story of the First Woman to Play in the National Hockey League   by Angie Bullaro with and Afterword by Manon Rhéaume Illustrated by C.F. Payne Review Copy from Simon & Schuster I don't know much about ice hockey and only slightly more about Canada. But I do know that, for many Canadians, ice hockey is embraced with a massive degree of fanaticism and participation that makes Manon Rhéaume's accomplishments all the more groundbreaking. Born in Quebec in 1972, Rhéaume watched her older brothers play hockey on teams coached by their father. Having played goalie for her brothers when they practiced in the backyard, it made sense to five-year-old Manon to ask to play goalie when a spot opened up on the team her father coached.  Let me stop here and say that, as I read Breaking the Ice , I had to keep reminding myself what a huge, HUGE deal a GIRL playing HOCKEY was in 1977, which was around the same time that I played Little League with my younger brot

  Latinitas: Celebrating 40 Big Dreamers   by Juliet Menéndez Review Copy from Godwin Books / Henry Holt & Co. There are SO many things I love about Latinitas , I don't know where to start! Visually, Menéndez's illustrations are instantly engaging, from the warm palette that instantly evokes the warmth of Latin America to the folk art graphic style. I especially love the multitude of shades with which Menéndez's thoughtfully illustrates these Latinitas. The diminutive title, and the illustrations of the forty Latinas as girls, is reflected in the biographies, most of which are three or four paragraphs long. Menéndez hooks readers with stories about her subjects from childhood, reflecting the path their adult lives would take. Best of all, the table of contents includes the flag (or flags) reflecting their homeland and adopted homeland. My only wish is for a map of South America locating these countries for young readers to deepen their knowledge and understanding. Menén