lissystrata's review against another edition
5.0
Who likes women’s history? :D Here’s a book for you! What Would SHE Do? by Kay Woodward is an empowering look at women in history from authors to astronauts. It was given to me by a Scholastic sales rep who was very enthusiastic about it.
Each entry gives an overview of their lives, some biographical information, and a hypothetical Q&A. (What advice might this woman give a typical modern girl about typical modern issues?) Also the illustrations a very well-done. (Good illustrations are hugely important to me in children’s literature.)
Now, this book is aimed at readers aged 8-12, so most of the women in it are the ones that (in my experience) get most of the stage time in history classes. And there are some that I’ve never heard of before, like Junko Tabei. And it seems like the author was aiming for one woman per profession, trying to give kids a broad introduction to strong women with some familiar faces.
I think it would be totally awesome if this turned out to be the first book in a series. And each subsequent book focused on women in a particular field. For example: “You liked Florence Nightingale? Well, get ready for Mary Seacole!” “You thought Valentina Tereshkova was awesome? Then you’ll love Sally Ride and Mae Jemison!”
Anyhoo, it’s a pretty good read and I definitely want a copy of this for the library.
Each entry gives an overview of their lives, some biographical information, and a hypothetical Q&A. (What advice might this woman give a typical modern girl about typical modern issues?) Also the illustrations a very well-done. (Good illustrations are hugely important to me in children’s literature.)
Now, this book is aimed at readers aged 8-12, so most of the women in it are the ones that (in my experience) get most of the stage time in history classes. And there are some that I’ve never heard of before, like Junko Tabei. And it seems like the author was aiming for one woman per profession, trying to give kids a broad introduction to strong women with some familiar faces.
I think it would be totally awesome if this turned out to be the first book in a series. And each subsequent book focused on women in a particular field. For example: “You liked Florence Nightingale? Well, get ready for Mary Seacole!” “You thought Valentina Tereshkova was awesome? Then you’ll love Sally Ride and Mae Jemison!”
Anyhoo, it’s a pretty good read and I definitely want a copy of this for the library.
laurakatarooma's review against another edition
4.0
Pääsi tutustumaan ihan uusiin tyyppeihin tän kirjan avulla.
5elementknitr's review against another edition
4.0
I couldn't give this five stars since several of the POC were pretty lightened up in the art. Also because it seemed to have some odd judgements in the "What would [woman on this page] do" sections.
"Wear whatever you want! (Though maybe not the sparkly crown.)" - stuff like that.
I really liked the rest of it though.
"Wear whatever you want! (Though maybe not the sparkly crown.)" - stuff like that.
I really liked the rest of it though.
tamikan's review against another edition
4.0
A parent bought me this book from the book fair at school because it had Frida Kahlo on the cover.
This was so cool. I wish they had had books about how badass women are when I was 12. I definitely recommend to my friends with daughters.
There was one illustrator I really didn't like because I felt his work was too stylized for depicting people in a biography, but for the most part the artwork is fantastic.
Some of there selections were pretty standard choices kids have probably heard of but there were a lot of lesser known women too. I hope they make another one that includes even more badass rebel women.
This was so cool. I wish they had had books about how badass women are when I was 12. I definitely recommend to my friends with daughters.
There was one illustrator I really didn't like because I felt his work was too stylized for depicting people in a biography, but for the most part the artwork is fantastic.
Some of there selections were pretty standard choices kids have probably heard of but there were a lot of lesser known women too. I hope they make another one that includes even more badass rebel women.
elizabethlk's review against another edition
4.0
This is an interesting collection of stories about incredible women in history. Many of the women included are common for books of this type, but this still makes for a wonderful introduction for the target audience--older kids and middle grade. I even learned a couple of fun facts about women I was less familiar with. The art is very pretty. The magazine style is very kid friendly, making it an ideal introduction for any younger readers. I also liked how it framed the problems modern kids might face by looking at how powerful and important women in history and today might have seen that problem.
I recommend this to anyone looking for a solid middle grade read on important women in history. It's a great start for beginners.
I recommend this to anyone looking for a solid middle grade read on important women in history. It's a great start for beginners.
kukkamultatytto's review
4.0
If I were to review just the visual outlook of this book, it would be 5 stars, no questions. Beautiful! I love the colors and the different art styles.
I'm all for having a book of very important female role models, and I also appreciate that there were women from all over the world, from different times and different walks of life represented here. I discovered some amazing personas that I hadn't encountered before. However, the text itself lacked substance: it was probably good for a 12-year-old (and maybe that was the target group here?) but I would have loved to learn so much more! Everything seemed really simplified, all the nuances were gone. I was also disappointed that bisexuality was not mentioned with Viriginia Woolf and Frida Kahlo, even though that would definitely have been a good topic for kids who are just discovering their sexuality. What would Virginia have done if she had suddenly got a crush for her friend? Would she have walked away from her true self so that she would fit the norm better?
The answers to the "What would she do?" questions seemed a bit vague most of the time. "We don't know but maybe this..." They could have gotten the opinions of those who are still alive, I think.
But all in all, this book is a treasure to look at, and it includes a wide variety of good role models.
I'm all for having a book of very important female role models, and I also appreciate that there were women from all over the world, from different times and different walks of life represented here. I discovered some amazing personas that I hadn't encountered before. However, the text itself lacked substance: it was probably good for a 12-year-old (and maybe that was the target group here?) but I would have loved to learn so much more! Everything seemed really simplified, all the nuances were gone. I was also disappointed that bisexuality was not mentioned with Viriginia Woolf and Frida Kahlo, even though that would definitely have been a good topic for kids who are just discovering their sexuality. What would Virginia have done if she had suddenly got a crush for her friend? Would she have walked away from her true self so that she would fit the norm better?
The answers to the "What would she do?" questions seemed a bit vague most of the time. "We don't know but maybe this..." They could have gotten the opinions of those who are still alive, I think.
But all in all, this book is a treasure to look at, and it includes a wide variety of good role models.
niibooksy's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyed this book. I had a somewhat similar approach to Bedtime Stories to Rebel Girls (which I read and loved, last year), but I did like it slightly better at times because it offered more historical facts about the ladies. However, I do think I would have enjoyed this a lot more when I was younger because of the school and friendship examples on how the women would deal with whatever the situation. They were clearly targeted to a younger, which I do not mind, but have no relation to anymore.
All in all, still an empowering and encouraging read.
All in all, still an empowering and encouraging read.