Treat Tuesday - Girls Who Rocked The World

From time to time, I like to jump in and participate in fun little challenges. This week, as I was eating some delicious cookies, I felt the need to share the picture online. Several friends reminded me that I could join in on "Treat Tuesday" (created by my friend Niki at Daydream Reader)








Girls Who Rocked the World
by Michelle Roehm McCann, 

Amelie Welden, Daniel Hahn (Illustrations),

David Hahn (Illustrations)

Hardcover, 256 pages
Published October 30th 2012 by Turtleback Books
ISBN 0606268987 (ISBN13: 9780606268981)

Goodreads Summary: 

"Young women looking for inspiration will surely find it" (Booklist") in these profiles of forty-six movers and shakers who made their mark before they turned twenty.This fun and inspiring collection of influential stories provides forty-six illustrated examples of strong, independent female role models, all of whom first impacted the world as teenagers or younger. Originally published in two volumes over a decade ago, this fully updated and expanded edition of Girls Who Rocked the World "spans a variety of achievements, interests, and backgrounds, from Harriet Tubman and Coco Chanel to S.E. Hinton and Maya Lin--each with her own incredible story of how she created life-changing opportunities for herself and the world. Personal aspirations from today's young women are interspersed throughout the book, which also includes profiles of teenagers who are rocking the world right now--girls like Winter Vinecki, the creator of the nonprofit organization Team Winter, and Jazmin Whitley, the youngest designer to show at L.A. Fashion Week.

It's never too soon to start making a difference, and these exhilarating examples of girl power in action make for ideal motivation.

My Thoughts: 

I loved the mixture of narrative writing style, short biographies, and information about current girls who are rocking the world. Each chapter included a narrative "hook", quotes, special fact blurbs, and information about girls who are currently changing the world in a related field.

It was nice to see women represented from all around the world, throughout time, and in many different fields (science, sports, literature, music, etc). The focus on women who began their paths before age 20 was a great hook, and hopefully will help convince the kids reading the book that it is never too soon to make a difference. My only complaint is that the simple black and white illustrations at the start of each chapter kept me from celebrating the racial identity of each woman. Though, looking at it from another angle, it also kept the woman's race from being the focus of her accomplishments. The text itself did always mention the country, culture, racial or ethnic background, and other important information about each woman.

This is a great introduction to the lives of many women - which may spark students to try to find out more about them. The bibliography at the end is a resource I'll use to find more books about some of my favorite women.

Age range - Upper elementary on up.