Published by Kids Can Press (Released September 1)

Summary:  In 2011, the United Nations declared that October 11 would be an annual day of recognition for girls around the world–the International Day of the Girl.  This book tells the stories of nine (fictional) girls from all over the world who experienced gender inequality, and took action to remedy it.  Each one is introduced by name and a personality trait (“This is Abuya.  She is creative”), then tells a brief version of her story, including a sidebar about the more global issue it connects to.  For instance, in Kenya,  Abuya overheard her older sister asking to stay home from school because there was no girls’ bathroom.  Assisted by her father, Abuya used her carpentry skills to build an outhouse.  The sidebar describes the issue of providing safe bathroom facilities so girls are able to get an education.  An illustration accompanies each story.  Includes a timeline of events leading to the creation of the International Day of the Girl and further information about each of the issues facing girls addressed in the book.  32 pages; grades 2-6.

Pros:  This was the first I had heard of the International Day of the Girl, and this introduction explains many of the issues affecting girls around the world in a way that readers will understand and connect with.  The introduction uses the metaphor of a garden that’s been divided into two halves, with one half receiving all the nurturing and attention.  The colorful illustrations continue that metaphor, and the last page encourages kids to “be the world’s gardener”.  Another excellent entry in the CitizenKid series.

Cons:  A map showing where the different girls live around the world and some additional resources would have been useful additions.

Published by Candlewick (Released August 4)

Summary:  Thomas Jefferson loved numbers and was always measuring, observing, and jotting down all things quantitative.  So when he read a book by a French naturalist named Buffon, claiming that America was a terrible place populated with weak and puny animals, Jefferson was determined to set the record straight.  He wrote a book of his own, filled with measurements of different American animals.  But when he presented this book to Buffon in person, the Frenchman was unimpressed.  Jefferson was living in France at the time, so he put his friend James Madison to work back home measuring moles and weighing weasels.  He even got a friend from New Hampshire to ship him a dead moose (which arrived in France a bit worse for the wear).  Buffon died before printing a retraction, but Jefferson continued his work to prove to Europeans that Americans and their animals were healthy and robust.  Includes an afterword with additional information; some examples of Jefferson’s numbers; and lists of both primary and secondary sources.  48 pages; grades 2-5.

Pros:  As she did in Mesmerized: How Ben Franklin Solved a Mystery That Baffled All of France, Mara Rockliff has written a fun, well-researched, and informative picture book in which a Founding Father takes on a Frenchman and blinds him with science.  The excellent back matter makes this a great starting point for research.

Cons:  While the illustrations were fun and perfectly adequate, I preferred the more distinctive ones in Mesmerized done by Iacopo Bruno, who also illustrated Rockliff’s Anything But Ordinary Addie.

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Published by Schwartz & Wade

Summary:  Mother Jones tells her story, beginning with some of the things that have made her mad: conditions for coal miners in West Virginia, factory workers getting shot at for protesting for fair pay, and young children working ten-hour days in Philadelphia factories.  It was these last that inspired her to set out with 100 children on July 7, 1903, determined to march from Philadelphia to New York City, and then on to Theodore Roosevelt’s “fancy-schmancy” Long Island summer home to speak with the president himself. They traveled 100 miles in the hot summer sun, demonstrating in towns as they went.  By the time they reached New York, many of the kids had given up and gone home, but 37 of them marched in a torchlight parade up Fourth Avenue. After a trip to Coney Island, Mother Jones sent most of the children home, approaching the Roosevelt mansion with just three of the boys and two other men. They were turned away at the gate, but the Children’s Crusade had shone a spotlight on child labor, and laws began to change.  Includes an author’s note, four photos, and a bibliography. 40 pages; grades 2-5.

Pros:  An inspiring story that will show kids the power of some unlikely people:  a 66-year-old woman and 100 poor children taken from factories. The text does a masterful job of using Mother Jones’s voice and incorporating many of her quotes into the story.  The author’s note gives full credit to Mother Jones for being instrumental in changing labor laws for both children and adults.

Cons:  Theodore Roosevelt certainly doesn’t come off too well in this story.

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Published by Schwartz & Wade 

 

Published by Beach Lane Books

Summaries:  Every two years, Stanton Elementary School closes down on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November.  Turns out it’s a polling place on Election Day, and the kids in Vote for Our Future! want to be a part of it.  They visit friends, family, and neighbors to encourage them to vote, meeting each one of their lame excuses with a solution to get them registered and to the polls.  A gatefold page shows long lines on Election Day, and excitement builds as votes are counted and recounted. Kids are back at school the next day, “and the future begins to change”.  Includes a list of Acts of Congress that have made the future better for Americans. 40 pages; ages 4-8.

The rhyming text of Equality’s Call tells the story of how voting rights have changed over the last 200 years.  At first, “white men with property went to the polls, but the rest of the people were left off the rolls”.  Over time, things slowly changed, allowing women, people of color, and the non-wealthy to vote. Every few pages, a double-page spread shows a growing parade of voters with the refrain, “We heard ever louder/Equality’s call/A right isn’t a right/Till it’s granted to all.”  The last few pages remind readers that we owe a debt of gratitude to those who fought for voters’ rights and that “democracy’s dream must be constantly tended”. Includes two pages of voting-related amendments and legislation with a description of each one and two pages with thumbnail profiles of voting rights activists.  48 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A double dose of democracy with two excellent picture books that show the importance of voting and put it in historical context.  

Cons:  Not voting on Election Day!  If you’re in a Super Tuesday state and know someone who isn’t voting today, I encourage you to call or visit that person and read one of these books to them in an aggrieved, disappointed voice.  Say it kids:

If you would like to buy Vote for Our Future on Amazon, click here.

If you would like to buy Equality’s Call on Amazon, click here.