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:
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.
