Warriors Can Wear Skirts

This month as we celebrate women, take time to read some books about everyday women who paved the way for women everywhere.  Help teach our girls that with determination, persistence and grit we can do anything and be anything!

Not All Princesses Dress in Pink by Jane Yolen and Heidi Y. Stemple

Jane Yolen does it yet again.  This book empowers young girls to be who they want to be, dress how they want to and do what makes them happy- all while wearing their princess crown.  It was not too long ago that girls had to fit into a certain mold.  They had to act a certain way, dress a certain way and grow up to have a certain job. It is different for our girls now- we want them to be who they are, celebrate who they are and love who they are.  This book is a great celebration for all girls!

Amelia to Zora: Twenty Six Women Who Changed the World by Cynthia Chin-Lee

If you want to celebrate a lot of women who made a difference this is the book for you. Every letter of the alphabet is represented by a different woman who fought for equal rights and paved the way for women everywhere.  Some of the women you will know and recognize like Amelia Earhart, Eleanor Roosevelt, Mother Theresa and Oprah.  But you have probably never heard of Grace Cooper who was the first woman to earn a doctorate degree in mathematics from Yale or Wilma Mankiller a chief for the Cherokee Nation.  Learn about many different women and their contributions to our world.

Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Maker's Strike of 1909 by Michelle Markel

Clara was just a young girl who immigrated to New York.  She knew it was was wrong when young girls had to work in garment factories all day in poor working conditions and for low wages. She decided things had to change. At first she tried small strikes- but it was not enough.  When she would strike she would get fired and beaten and sometimes arrested.  Clara knew the women needed a giant strike to make a difference, so she made a speech at a union meeting. Her speech started the largest walkout of women workers in US history, some of who are only 12 years old.  All winter the girls picketed.  Rich women and college girls joined them- all women united for their rights.  Clara's strike changed working conditions in New York and encouraged women to do the same in Philadelphia and Chicago. The last line says, "Proving in America wrongs can be righted, warriors can wear skirts and blouses and the bravest hearts may beat in girls only five feet tall."  Women have come a long way, thanks to the many women like Clara who fought for what they knew was right.  Let's continue to be warriors.

Miss Moore Thought Otherwise by Jan Pinborough

Miss Annie Moore is an example of another woman who had ideas and the grit and determination to make those ideas a reality.  Annie loved to read and be read to but children were not allowed to go inside libraries, much less take a book home from the library. When Annie grew older and heard that libraries were hiring women as librarians she quickly packed her bags and headed to Brooklyn so she could go to the Pratt Institute Library school.  When she got her first job as a librarian she began making changes in how libraries served children.  She created fun spaces for the children to read, provided story times and made sure there were great books available.  Her ideas and opinions about children and books caught on.  Slowly libraries around the county and the world began copying Miss Moore and her ideas for children's libraries.  We can thank Miss Moore for the wonderful children's libraries we have today, because with out her there would be none.

Helen's Big World by Doreen Rappaport

Doreen Rappaport beautifully tells the story of Helen Keller starting when she was born to when she lost her sight and hearing at 2 years old.  Then she goes on to tell of Helen's struggles and accomplishments.  You can tell how close Annie Sullivan and Helen were.  Annie took every opportunity to teach Helen about the world and what was in it.  Because of Annie's determination Helen was able to learn and grow and see the world.  Helen was able to fight for rights of women and people who were blind.  She did not let her deaf and blindness stop her from doing anything and Helen Keller accomplished a lot more than other people in her life.  Her story is an inspiration to all.

Happy Reading!
Laura

See also:

Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors?

Schneider Family Book Award

The Schneider Family Book Award is a newer award that has been awarded annually since 2004.  The award goes to authors and illustrators who create an artistic expression of the disability experience.  We all know children and people who struggle with disabilities, whether they are mental, physical or emotional.  Including books in our home and classrooms about people with disabilities creates a more open and accepting culture.  Check out past winners of the Schneider award for other great books that speak about disabilities.

The award is given out to several books, usually they are broken up into age groups.  I am going to share the winner of the 0-10 age range.  I will list the other winners and hopefully at another time I will be able to share more about those with you.

Emmanuel's Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah by Laurie Anne Thompson and illustrated by Sean Qualls is the true story of a boy born with only one leg in Ghana, West Africa. In West Africa, if you are born with a disability (physical or mental) you are shunned and thought to be useless.  Emmanuel's mother refused to believe that.  She always told Emmanuel that he could have anything he wanted, he only had to get it for himself.  So that is what Emmanuel did.  He learned to crawl and then hop.  He shined shoes to earn money.  When he became too heavy for his mother to carry, he hopped to school on one leg- 2 miles there and back. He played soccer and rode a bike- he did not let having only one leg stop him from doing anything!  He constantly met people telling him he could not do it, which only made him work harder.  When he was only 15, as his mother was dying, she told him to never give up.  That is when Emmanuel really began dreaming.  His new dream was to tell everyone that being disabled does not mean unable.  He made a plan to ride his bike across Ghana and back, with a shirt that said The Pozo or the disabled person.  His boldness, determination and grit encouraged others with disabilities to come out of their homes, some for the first time.  He proved to everyone that being disabled definitely does not mean unable.

What an inspirational story that everyone needs to hear.  Emmanuel has received many awards since his ride across Ghana (in 2001).  Oprah created a documentary about his life called Emmanuel's Gift (which he starred in) and most importantly the government of Ghana passed the Persons with Disability Act- which gives equal rights to people with disabilities in Ghana. I added two short clips to this post, one is when he received the EPSY award in 2005 and another that is an update on what Emmanuel is up to now.

Other 2016 Schneider Family Book Awards

Fish in a Tree by Linda Mullaly Hunt

The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B by Tessa Toten

Happy Reading!

Laura

Global Read Aloud- Out of My Mind

The Global Read Aloud begins on Monday.  Have you gotten your book yet?  Don't worry if not you still have a couple of days.  I just finished the recommended book for 4th grade and up Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper.  I think of all the recommended books for the Global Read Aloud this on was my absolute favorite.  It spoke right to my heart.

Out of My Mind is the story of a 5th grade girl with cerebral palsy.  She is very intelligent but cannot talk or control her body.  The book tells the story of her struggles with trying to fit in with the "normal" kids in her inclusion classroom.  The reader soon finds out that Melody is like any other 5th grader.  She worries about her clothes, what other people think about her and she just wants to paint her nails and tell secrets!  This book has so many wonderful life lessons tied to it that would be great for discussions with the Global Read Aloud.

I wanted to share with you some quotes that I pulled out that could lead to some great discussion among students.  I had many more than just this but I wanted to narrow it down.  I included some possible questions to get students thinking.

"After folks got finished making a list of my problems, they might take time to notice that I have a fairly nice smile and deep dimples- I  think my dimples are cool." pg. 4
        - Why do you think we always notice people's problems first?
        - What can we do to start noticing people's strengths?

"Kids, who for the most part, ignore kids like me." pg. 28
        - Have you ever ignored a kid like Melody?  Why?
        - Have you ever included a kid like Melody? Why?

"To people like Claire and Molly, I say, 'We all have disabilities. What's yours?'" pg. 168
          - Do you have a disability?  What is it?

"Mom nods in agreement. 'I know you're right, but- but... it's just so much harder for Melody.' 'No, it's harder for us.  We have to figure out what's in her head.'" pg. 170
           - What has Melody taught you?

 If I had known about this book when I taught in a 4th and 5th grade full inclusion classroom it would have been number one on my read aloud list. Here is a list of a couple of other books and video clips that are on this same topic.

Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick
Rules by Cynthia Lord
Team Hoyt (goes with the video)

Don't forget to start the Global Read Aloud on Monday.  You can use twitter, skype or blogs to participate.  I cannot wait to hear how you decide to connect with other classroom!

Happy Reading!
Laura