Tag Archives: trailblazers

activism, Culture & Traditions, feminism, Global Community, Historical Figures, Independent Thought, Muslim Identity, Own Voices, religion, Sports, women in leadership, Women in Science, women in sports, Women in STEM

Muslim Girls Rise

April 1, 2020 lockehardy Leave a comment

Written by: Saira Mir

Illustrated by: Aaliya Jaleel

For ages: 8-13 years

Language: English

Topics Covered: Muslim Women, Trailblazers, Historical Figures, Self-Empowerment, Feminism, Sports, Culture & Identity, Global Community, Own Voices.

Summary:

This book is a lovely book, almost anthology-like, of 18 Muslim girls (and women) that are changing the world and blazing trails. Some are well-known public figures like Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar, and champion fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad. Others, like Malcolm X’s daughter Ilyasah and comedian Negin Farsad might be less known. The beauty of this book is that the short single page profiles of these strong and intelligent women is that they span the globe and professional career market. Sports, fashion, legislation, and STEM. These women are fantastic role models for any job aspirations!

Muslim Girls Rise is a wonderful addition to any bookshelf, and having these women as inspiration to pursue one’s own interests and dreams. Unfortunately also, Islamophobia is so prevalent that this book can also serve as a line of defense. Collecting stories of strength and resilience helps a person develop their own, and have individuals to look up to in times of hardship or perhaps deciding on what career trajectory to take. Either way, these short stories will inspire any reader to change the world in their own way!

About the Author & the Illustrator:

SARIA MIR is a Muslim physician from Washington, DC, who has searched far and wide for books to help her daughter find feminist role models who share her heritage. Saira wrote Muslim Girls Rise for her, and hopes to share it with other children eager to learn more about these extraordinary, path-breaking women.

AALIYA JALEEL is a freelance illustrator, character designer, and visual development artist. She is currently majoring in animation at the University of Texas at Dallas with plans to work as a visual development artist after graduation.

Black Culture and Identity, Family, feminism, Girls Outdoors, Historical Figures, stem, Women in Science, women in sports, Women in STEM

Work it, Girl: Mae Jemison [released March 3]

March 2, 2020 lockehardy Leave a comment

Written by: Caroline Moss

Illustrated by: Sinem Erkas

For ages: 8-12 years

Language: English

Topics Covered: Women in STEM, Historical Figure, Biography, Astronauts, Trailblazer, Black Culture & Identity, Dancers.

Summary:

If you think we’re ever going to stop posting books about Mae Jemison, you would be sorely mistaken. This badass speaks 4 languages, and was the first Black woman in space. How could we not continue to heap love upon her at every opportunity?!

This is another fantastic addition to the Work It, Girl! series, and this one is the perfect next step for the slightly older elementary reader that is fascinated by space and Mae herself. This book is similar to the picture books that introduce Mae and her astronomical achievements, but goes into much greater detail about her childhood and the drive she had to achieve her goals. Mae not only became an astronaut, but a medical doctor and accomplished dancer as well. Seriously Mae, leave some trails for us to blaze!

For real though, this book talks about how getting a splinter was the catalyst for Mae’s fascination for science and the strength her parents instilled in her to ignore naysayers and go after exactly what she wanted. The beautiful paper cutouts illustrate the text in a brightly colored and creative way. We are thrilled that this series is featuring Black women that achieved great things and continued on to help others, as well as inspire readers to do the same. Like the Michell Obama volume, this one has life lessons to learn from Mae and self-reflection questions for the reader to answer. Honor the people you love, stay motivated and passionate, but remember it’s ok to take breaks too!

This awesome book is out tomorrow, March 3rd! It was sent to us by our friends at Quarto, but all opinions are our own.

About the Author & the Illustrator:

Benjamin Pu

Caroline Moss began her writing career as a technology and culture reporter at Business Insider, where she rose the ranks to deputy editor over two and a half years at the company. Caroline covered viral content, YouTube and social media stars, and internet trends before leaving to write “HEY LADIES!” with Michelle Markowitz, a book based on their popular series at The Toast. A few years later she joined BuzzFeed News to help produce their morning show, AM to DM, and it was there that Caroline wrote the first two books in the “Work It, Girl!” series.

In between, she has written for The New York Times, New York Magazine, Cosmopolitan, The Hairpin, Racked, VICE, and more. Caroline’s books have appeared in The New York Times, Refinery29, Bustle, and more.

Sinem Erkas is a graphic illustrator and art director with an appetite for experimentation and a good sense of fun.

Her practice ranges from digital artworks to 3D photo-illustrations and her favourite projects involve creating playful and bold imagery that make you look twice.

Based in London, she graduated from CSM in 2008 and has since acquired numerous design awards and clients that include Profile Books, Elle Decoration, Hachette Publishers, Google, SHOWstudio and Warp Records amongst many others.

Sinem’s first illustrated book The Girl Guide has been published in 16+ languages and she is currently working on a series of illustrated biographies Work It, Girl.

activism, Black Culture and Identity, Community Involvement, Family, feminism, Historical Figures, poc-centric narratives, women in leadership, young adult

Work it, Girl: Michelle Obama [released March 3]

February 26, 2020 lockehardy Leave a comment

Written by: Caroline Moss

Illustrated by: Sinem Erkas

For ages: 8-12 years

Language: English

Topics Covered: Black Culture and Identity, Historical Figure, Feminism, Growing Up, Biography, Trailblazer, Lawyer.

Summary:

This is an amazing upper elementary series that has chapters, but also a ton of beautiful papercut illustrations! The book is jam packed with information about Michelle’s life from childhood to the end of her terms as FLOTUS, giving a comprehensive look at her drive and passion for the education of herself and others!

Michelle was a young student that always wanted to focus on learning and lived with her large family in a Chicago apartment. She was driven and focused, achieving her goals and becoming a successful lawyer before meeting her husband Barack when she was his advisor at work! After Michelle’s father died, she reevaluated what she wanted from life and got into community organizing and worked for Chicago City Hall.

Many of know Michelle as Barack Obama’s husband, but she is so much more than that. The two of them have an incredibly loving relationship of mutual support and tenderness. Michelle is an icon that we can all look up to for believing in our own power and stepping up to do the hard work to achieve our goals. In the back of the book are some self-reflection questions, 10 key lessons for readers to learn from Michelle’s life, and a list of further reading. It is so important for there to be role models for everyone, and having a strong Black woman that is highly educated can normalize the goals for women that may not see themselves in our media very often, especially in law. This book is an awesome addition to any shelf, and Michelle is a fantastic inspiration for the benefits of studying hard and doing community-driven work that benefits others.

This next volume in the Work It Girl! series will be out on March 3rd! This book was sent to us by Quarto, but all opinions are our own.

About the Author & the Illustrator:

Sinem Erkas is a graphic illustrator and art director with an appetite for experimentation and a good sense of fun.

Her practice ranges from digital artworks to 3D photo-illustrations and her favourite projects involve creating playful and bold imagery that make you look twice.

Sinem’s first illustrated book The Girl Guide has been published in 16+ languages and she is currently working on a series of illustrated biographies Work It, Girl.

Black Culture and Identity, Historical Fiction, Historical Figures, music, Musicians, poc-centric narratives, Self Expression

Little People Big Dreams: Ella Fitzgerald

February 11, 2020 lockehardy Leave a comment

Written by: Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara

Illustrated by: Bàrbara Alca

For ages: 4-7 years

Language: English

Topics Covered: POC-Centric Narratives, Historical Figures, Women in Music, Musicians, Trailblazers, Biography, Black Culture & Identity.

Summary: Ella was a young girl fascinated with performing and music. When she was 15, her mother died and radically changed her life. Running away from a reform school, she began performing. Two years later Ella won a contest at a nightclub and was discovered by Chick Webb, a big name in jazz at the time. This jumpstarted her career, turning her into the First Lady of Song, as she is now known!

This is a basic overview of the prolific singer that is Ella Fitzgerald, and a good book for an introduction to the subject. We really love the timeline in the back of the book with the photos of Ella throughout her career. This book, like the other books in the series, is adorable!

This book was sent in consideration of the Best Books of 2019 list by Frances Lincoln Children’s Books (an imprint of Quarto), but all opinions are our own!

About the Author & the Illustrator:

Mª Isabel Sanchez Vegara was born in Barcelona, Spain, and she is a writer and creative director perhaps best known as the author of much of the Little People, Big Dreams series. Six years ago, she decided to self-publish a book that had been in her mind for a long time. One day, one thousand copies of arrived at her home – she had no idea what she was going to do with them! She opened a little online shop, placed them to some pretty stores in her neighborhood and, one by one, she sold them all. Soon, publishing houses started to approach her to write books, but she was working on another idea of her own: a series about little people with BIG dreams. Each book tells the childhood story of one of the world’s female icons in an entertaining, conversational way that works well for the youngest nonfiction readers, allowing them to identify with the characters in each story.

Bàrbara Alca is an “extremely beautiful and enthusiastic Graphic Designer, Comic Artist and Illustrator based in Barcelona.

I make my own zines, work as a freelance illustrator for press such as El País, Ajuntament de Palma, El Jueves, Revista Cactus, and for editorial projects with Planeta, Alba Editorial and Sapristi.

Most of my work is mixed media, hand drawn lines with digital colouring.

I have a dark sense of humour, but I also love lace and bows which results in an eclectic style.”

activism, Community Involvement, feminism, Global Community, Historical Fiction, Historical Figures, Independent Thought, women in leadership

The Only Woman in the Photo [Being Released February 2020]

January 29, 2020 lockehardy Leave a comment

Written by: Kathleen Krull

Illustrated by: Alexandra Bye

For ages: 4-8 years

Language: English

Topics Covered: Trailblazers, Women in Leadership, Historic Figures, Feminism, Women’s Suffrage, Historic Events, Activism, Women in Government.

Summary: Oh buddy do we love Frances Perkins! This book is awesome, it tells the story of one strong badass lady when there were a distinct lack of badass ladies in government at the time. Starting off as a shy child, Frances became inspired and motivated by her grandmother to take every opportunity that came her way, especially because she was a woman.

Her family was very supportive of her education, although it dwindled when she preferred to move to New York City and become a social worker rather than get married. Frances continued to affect labor law changes for the better, affecting a myriad of industries and populations. She was noticed by FDR and hired as one of the top officials in the country, eventually helping him draft the New Deal which revolutionized the benefits available to citizens of the country.

Something we also love about this book are the direct quotes by Frances, and the way the quotes are artistically drawn into the illustrations on the pages. Frances is an incredible example of doing what is right and facing fears in order to help others. Tackling challenges is a scary thing, but with a role model like Frances to inspire the next generation we have good feelings about them being faced head on.

This book was kindly provided by Simon and Schuster Kids, but all opinions are our own. We are thrilled to be able to feature such an incredible book about a driving force of humanity that radically shaped America for the better. This book is being released in early February, and we are thrilled to have been able to read the book early!

About the Author & the Illustrator:

There’s No Such Thing as Reading Too Much

When she was fifteen, Kathleen Krull was fired from her part-time job at the library in Wilmette, Illinois. The reason? Reading too much–while she was supposed to be working. Luckily, she had other jobs. One began when she was twelve: playing organ at her church. At seventeen she taught piano lessons to kids in her town. Her musical background did inspire many of her books. Another job involved selling doughnuts and cupcakes at a bakery, which hasn’t led to any books so far.

Then, the day after she graduated from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, she began a career in publishing. She worked for four companies as a children’s book editor. While on the job, she wrote mysteries in the Trixie Belden series and other books. Finally she started working at home, writing her own books. She loves getting the chance to explore subjects she’s passionate about, like history, music, and extraordinary people.

She is married to children’s book illustrator and sometimes writing partner Paul Brewer and live in San Diego, California.

As a child she thought books were the most important thing in the world, and that perception is actually more intense now. She’s grateful, for so many reasons, to be able to work in this exhilarating field: preserving literacy. One of the benefits of the writing life is that she can’t be fired. Especially for reading too much.

Alexandra Bye is an illustrator specializing in fun, colorful illustrations for a variety of media, such as editorial and children’s publications. She lives in New Hampshire, where she enjoys backpacking, cross-country skiing, and mountain biking with her dog.

activism, Community Involvement, feminism, Historical Figures, Independent Thought

Make Trouble (Young Readers Edition)

January 1, 2020 lockehardy Leave a comment

Written by: Cecile Richards with Lauren Peterson

Cover Art by: Eugenia Mello

For ages: Young Adults

Language: English

Topics Covered: Trailblazer, Politics, Women in Politics, Activism, Feminism, Bodily Autonomy, Memoir/Biography, Political Activism, Family, Planned Parenthood, Inspiration, Growing Up, Community Involvement.

Summary: For our first skill to take into the new year we’ve chosen: Activism! This is what we want to embody most throughout the next decade, and Make Trouble is the perfect place to start. Through the acts of many we can create waves of change. Let’s join together and take this new beginning as a time for hard work, direct action, and step into our power!

This book is awesome! It is part memoir, political history, and call to action for everyone reading the book. Something I really love about this book is that it doesn’t shy away from the really difficult parts of campaigning and activism, but the unfairness of the system that we’re up against doesn’t diminish Cecile’s hope for a better future.

Make Trouble guides the reader through Cecile’s life and career (especially at Planned Parenthood), she comes from a long line of political organizers and continues that tradition with her children today. Throughout the book there are questions for the reader to be able to reflect on their own lives and become inspired to change thing about the injustices experienced in daily life. Being able to find the courage to speak out and begin to organize for change is a difficult and necessary job for young people today. Luckily, they’re already doing a great job!

This book makes the point over and over again that we must persevere through the garbage and keep fighting on the ground to create ripples of change for both our lives and the lives of others. Organizing and activism are long roads filled with late nights, tired feet, and disappointment. But we can join together to affect great change and ensure that all humans enjoy their personal liberties and work to counteract the systems of oppression that keep cycles of marginalization spinning. Our work is not over, but we are together for the fight.

About the Authors & Cover Artist:

Cecile Richards

Cecile Richards is a nationally respected leader in the field of women’s health, reproductive rights, and social change. She began her career helping garment workers, hotel workers, and nursing home aides fight for better wages and working conditions. After years in the labor movement, she moved back home to Texas to help elect the state’s first Democratic woman governor: her mother, Ann Richards. She went on to start her own grassroots organizations, and later served as deputy chief of staff to House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. In 2011 and 2012, she was named one of Timemagazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. For over ten years, Richards served as president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. She is a frequent speaker and commentator on issues related to women’s rights and activism. Richards serves on the board of the Ford Foundation. She and her husband, Kirk Adams, have three children and reside in New York City.

Lauren Peterson is a writer, strategist, and the co-author of New York Times bestseller Make Trouble: Standing Up, Speaking Out, and Finding the Courage to Lead by Cecile Richards.She was a speechwriter and digital strategist on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign, where she wrote about issues ranging from jobs and the economy to reproductive rights and immigration reform. Previously, she worked as a senior advisor and writer at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and a senior writer on President Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign. Lauren is passionate about progressive politics, storytelling, and finding the clearest way to communicate a compelling message to the right audience. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she has been featured in Medium.com’s “Words That Matter”, Cosmopolitan , Teen Vogue , Fusion’s “30 Women Who Will Change the Election”, and Madison Magazine. Lauren lives with her fiancée, Liz, and their rescue dog, Basil, in Brooklyn.

Eugenia Mello is an illustrator and graphic designer from Buenos Aires, Argentina currently living and drawing in NYC.
She studied Graphic Design at the University of Buenos Aires, where she also taught Design and Typography courses for several years.
She holds an MFA in Illustration as Visual Essay from the School of Visual Arts. Her work has been recognized by the Society of Illustrators, Latin American Illustration, Creative Quarterly and 3×3 Magazine, among others.
She is passionate about rhythm, movement and feelings, and uses color and shape to translate into drawing the things that are difficult to put into words. She is always hoping to get music out of her images.
She was recently awarded a Gold medal from the Society of Illustrators for her illustrated moving piece Hope for the Day.

feminism, Global Community, Historical Fiction, Historical Figures, Independent Thought, women in leadership, Women in STEM

Little People Big Dreams: Zaha Hadid

December 19, 2019 lockehardy Leave a comment

Written by: Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara

Illustrated by: Asun Amar

For ages: 4 years and up

Language: English

Topics Covered: Historical Figure, Women in STEM, Biography, Women in Architecture, Trailblazer, Feminist.

Summary: This book talks about the life of prolific architect, Zaha Hadid. She was creative from a young age, and was soon designing her own clothing and furniture. Zaha was lucky to travel around the world, becoming inspired by architecture and art. She went to boarding school in Switzerland and instead of skiing like her classmates she would stay indoors (we can relate to this) and design funky buildings with shapes that no one had ever created before.

Zaha became a professor and continued to trailblazer for women architects everywhere, smashing barriers. We love the timeline and real photos of Zaha in the back of the book!

This book was sent in consideration of the Best Books of 2019 list by Frances Lincoln Children’s Books (an imprint of Quarto), but all opinions are our own!

About the Author & the Illustrator:

Asun Amar is a freelance architect based in Barcelona, Spain! (She’s also difficult to track down online!)