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Saturday, November 17, 2018

SHAKING THINGS UP: 14 YOUNG WOMEN WHO CHANGED THE WORLD BY SUSAN HOOD BLACK

SHAKING THINGS UP is not brand new. It actually came out in January. Franki Sibberson, (who is currently presiding over what sounds like a fabulous NCTE conference, if all of the tweets coming out of Houston are the least bit reliable), reviewed the book in January.  (I thought Mary Lee also reviewed it, but I didn't find that on their blog.

The book includes poems about 14 different girls and women- some very well known:

  • Nellie Bly
  • Friday Kahlo
  • Ruby Bridges 
  • Mae Jemison
  • Malala; 

some kind of well-known:

  • Annette Kellerman, inventor of the modern swimming suit
  • Pure Belpre- Children's Author and first Latina librarian at the New York Public Library
  • Frances Mary Lappe- hunger activist and author of DIET FOR A SMALL PLANET
and some not known very well-known, at least not to me:

  • Molly Williams, the first woman Fire fighter in the United States
  • Jacqueline and Eileen Nearne (French Undercover agents during WW2)
  • Angela Zhang- Scientist and Cancer Researcher

Each two- page spread includes an illustration by a different author (Sophie Blackall, LeUyen Pham, and Melissa Sweet are three of my favorites), and a short biography. Each spread also includes  quotes from that person, embedded in the illustration.

  • Nellie Bly- If you want to do it, you can do it, The question is, do you want to do it?"
  • Frances Moore Lappe- Every choice we make can be a celebration of the world we want.
  • Mae Jemison- Never be limited by other people's limited imaginations
  • Malala- There's a moment where you have to choose whether to be silent or to stand up. 
The book also includes a timeline, a gorgeous table of contents, an author's note, and then a short bibliography and list of resources about each person.

A whole lot to love about this book!

2 comments:

Linda B said...

I enjoyed this book very much, Carol. It would be so nice for every classroom to share it!

author amok said...

I missed this book when it came out, but it looks like a wonderful collective biography. Will check it out!