I have noticed there are a lot of children’s books being written for children and teens about women who have contributed to society both in the past and presently that are due to be published or have recently been published. So, when I came across Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World at the Library in the form of a picture book I had to bring it home for a read and review. I am not a feminist as such, but I do think that both Women and Men should be celebrated.
Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World by Kate Pankhurst
Published by Bloomsbury
Date: 1 October 2016
“The women in this book didn’t set out to be thought of as ‘great’. They achieved extraordinary things simply by following their hearts, talents, and dreams. They didn’t listen when people say they couldn’t do something. They dared to be different.”
This book starts out with that great message to our young children, both boys and girls, to follow their hearts to achieve extraordinary things. It is why I love these types of books for children, they are encouraging, positive and teach children that anything is possible.
This book talks about familiar women that have achieved through history, such as Jane Austen, Marie Curie, Amelia Earhart and Anne Frank. There are also other less known women (well from my knowledge base) such as Agent Fifi, Frida Kahlo, and Gertrude Ederle. All these women have done many great things such as being the first women to swim across the English Channel, writing novels, creating works or art through adversity and inventing X-Rays. Wow, women have achieved so much and continue to do so, how wonderfully inspiring for our children.
The illustrations are quite whimsical and there are pockets of information all over the page. It is a colourful wonderland of illustrations and you never quite know what colour pallet will be on the next page, the neon green and purplish page being the most surprising. It is one of those books where you will spend a long time on each page, making new discoveries in the pictures and the writing. The pages are set out to be interactive with the reader and I believe will be suitable for 3 year olds and older.
This book would make a great resource for the early years of school in a group setting, I can see it creating a lot of conversation between teachers and students, and peer to peer. This would have been the most ideal book for me when I was younger as I liked to spend a long time on one page and it is certainly one I recommend for the avid reader.
In the words of the author…
How will you change the world?
Little Big Reads 