I attended a book launch through the Writing Barn last week for this wonderful picture book biography. Sarah McBride is our nation's first openly transgender state senator, but this book is about more than just her rise to political office. It chronicles how, from the time she was a child, she always knew who she … Continue reading Door by Door – Perfect Picture Book Friday
Debbie Friedman was a Jewish girl who felt music stir her soul from the time she was child. Text ©Ellen Leventhal. Illus. ©Natalia Grebtsova When Debbie Friedman was a little girl, music bubbled up inside her. All the time. Notes and melodies. Loud and quiet. Fast and slow. All swirling around inside her just waiting … Continue reading Debbie’s Song – Perfect Picture Book Friday
It's Women's History month, so I thought I'd feature this fabulous biography of someone who didn't let gender stop her from claiming her independence as a "masterless woman." Text ©Beth Anderson Illustration ©Anne Lambelet I love this first sentence: Deborah Sampson's spirit was always a little too large. And then it's followed by three "maybes," … Continue reading Cloaked in Courage – Perfect Picture Book Friday
Turns out that a parallel story structure—tracing the birth of a star along with the life of the woman who discovered the heart of their fire—is a perfect narrative metaphor. Wrapped in a blanket of sparkling space, an unformed star waits for its bright future to begin. Text ©Kirsten Larson Illustration ©Katherine Roy So begins … Continue reading The Fire of Stars – Perfect Picture Book Friday
What can I say about a book that is so lyrical, so beautifully (and classically) illustrated, and holds up to read after read after read that there is nothing left to say? Well, I do have more to say: This is a story about Ruth Krauss, a child who always finds a way to be … Continue reading A Story Is to Share – Perfect Picture Book Friday
Attention musicians! Well, really anyone who wants to be inspired by a woman who created "her own story," who didn't "wait for things to happen" to her, who "made her own opportunities." Text ©Shannon Stocker Illustration ©Devon Holzwarth Here is Evelyn, enjoying life on her family's farm in Aberdeen, Scotland. This image took me back … Continue reading Listen: How Evelyn Glennie, a Deaf Girl, Changed Percussion – Perfect Picture Book Friday
My introduction to Glenn Gould, the amazing pianist, came in 1993 when the film, 32 Short Films About Glenn Gould was released. Who knew that a skilled author (Sarah Ellis) and illustrator (Nancy Vo) could create such an engaging and masterful picture book biography about this man? (It is a master class for PB writers/illustrators.) … Continue reading As Glenn As Can Be – Perfect Picture Book Friday
Sometimes lives that appear beautiful from the outside, are not so beautiful on the inside. At least they didn't start out beautifully. Such is the case for a baby girl named Elsa, a girl instead of the boy her parents had wanted. A girl who is named after a nurse in the hospital, because her … Continue reading Bloom: A Story of Fashion Designer Elsa Schiaparelli – Perfect Picture Book Friday
When I first heard Maggie Tokuda-Hall talk about her book based on her grandparents, I knew I had to have it for my own library. It's a true story about how love can miraculously be found under the most trying of circumstances. Take note of the armed guard in the tower outside the window of … Continue reading Love in the Library – Perfect Picture Book Friday
On the half-title page, we are treated to a quote from Nina Simone: "When I die...I'm gonnna know that I left something for [my people] to build on. That is my reward." This biography elegantly shows the progression of a woman bent on making a living through her music, to a woman bent on fighting … Continue reading Nina: A Story of Nina Simone – Perfect Picture Book Friday
Jilanne Hoffmann 