Like a Girl
By (Author) Lori Degman
Illustrated by Mara Penny
Union Square & Co.
Sterling
22nd October 2019
12th September 2019
United States
Children
Fiction
823.92
Hardback
40
Width 254mm, Height 254mm
Age range 6 to 12
Create, prevail, change the world...like a GIRL! This celebration of international girl power honours a multitude of women who made a difference.
Once upon a time, "like a girl" was an insult. Not anymore! In every walk of life, girls are demonstrating their creativity, perseverance, and strength. From artist Frida Kahlo and activist Malala Yousafzai to award-winning architect Zaha Hadid and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and founder of the Green Belt Movement Wangari Maathai, the 24 women profiled here took risks, broke barriers, and transformed the world.
This tribute to girl power will inspire young women everywhere.
"Twenty-four women leaders are pictured as models of working 'like a girl' in this rhyming inspirational poem. The endpapers present the multicultural roster of talented, hardworking women and girls, all apparently cis, depicted in grayscale portraits with their names below their pictures. Each page holds one line of a rhyming couplet with one woman at work in illustrations composed of strong shapes and vivid colors. 'Stand up like a girl, by refusing to stand'--Rosa Parks sits calmly on an (empty) bus, looking out at readers; 'Stand up like a girl, by extending your hand'--Mother Teresa offers a bowl of rice to three children of different races. Malala Yousafzai raises a fist in the air, holding a 'Resist' sign and surrounded by other feminist signs at a protest march; the young Ruby Bridges stands facing a crowd with calm dignity, with the text 'keep on going; persist.' Leaders who overcame challenges, such as Hellen Keller and Tammy Duckworth, 'prevail like a girl.' Artists, architects, and writers like Frida Kahlo and Zaha Hadid all 'create like a girl.' Pilots and astronauts 'soar, ' athletes 'train, ' philanthropists and activists 'change the world like a girl.' Minibiographies at the end of the book introduce the major accomplishments of each featured leader, helping this book to double as a fun read-aloud and an informative lead-in to further research. As an introduction to women's power and possibilities, this choice rises above the rest. (bibliography)" --Kirkus "Degman overturns the negative connotations associated with the phrase 'like a girl' by highlighting the lives and work of iconic female figures. Degman includes Amelia Earhart, Rosa Parks, and Harriet Tubman as well as lesser-known figures, among them Bessie Coleman, the first Native and African-American female pilot; Gertrude Ederle, the first woman to swim the English Channel; and architect Zaha Hadid. Degman repeats the title in the context of each figure's accomplishments: 'Change the world like a girl, from the land to the sea, ' she writes of Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai, who appears planting trees. Penny works in stylized collages that distinctively capture the likenesses of the women, who encompass people of varying backgrounds and abilities. In final spreads, Degman invites readers to be curious, ask questions, 'and discover the ways.'" --Publishers Weekly
Lori Degman is the author of the award-winning picture books 1 Zany Zoo and Cock-a-Doodle Oops! as well as Just Read (Sterling) and other books for children. Lori was a teacher of the deaf and hard-of-hearing and is now a full-time author. She lives in Vernon Hills, IL, with her family. Visit her at Loridegman.com. Mara Penny studied both interior design and jewelry design in college. She is the illustrator of The Practical Witch's Spell Book (Running Press). She lives with her family in Oakland, CA.