Rad Women Worldwide: Artists and Athletes, Pirates and Punks, and Other Revolutionaries Who Shaped History
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Rad Women Worldwide is the follow-up to Rad American Women A–Z, by the same team of author Kate Schatz and illustrator Miriam Klein Stahl. This one features short profiles of 40 women in 31 countries in all sorts of time periods, from a priestess-poet in Mesopotamia who lived 4,300 years ago to current American tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams. The book is not structured chronologically, so readers can hop in and out at will. Topics that may require further parental discussion include Kasha Jacqueline Nagabasera, a gay rights activist in Uganda fighting for "the freedom to love" and Emma Goldman smuggling contraceptives into the United States for poor women in 1890s New York. An index at the back lists 250 "More Rad Women Worldwide" for readers to research on their own.
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What's the Story?
RAD WOMEN WORLDWIDE gives short profiles of 40 women and girls in 31 countries who overcame obstacles and gender bias to excel in their chosen fields -- science, medicine, the arts, sports, civil rights, politics, mountain climbing, and more. As the introduction says, the stories in this book "tell about the lives and accomplishments of bold, brave women who lived awesome, exciting, revolutionary historic, and world-changing lives -- in other words, they're rad." Some of the women may be familiar to kids and parents, such as tennis players Venus and Serena Williams, artist Frida Kahlo, activist Malala Yousafzai, and scientist Marie Curie. But most are little-known or entirely unknown outside their native countries.
Is It Any Good?
This collection of short biographies spotlighting the lives and accomplishments of barrier-breaking women and girls around the world is not only inspirational but also a lively, engaging read. Rad Women Worldwide collects the most telling anecdotes that really give a feel for each woman by sketching her childhood, her hopes, dreams, passions, and amazing deeds in just a few paragraphs, with enough everyday detail to make the women relatable.
Miriam Klein Stahl's black-and-white paper-cut illustrations are graphically bold and distinctive, providing in some cases stark portraits highlighting facial features, in others exciting action shots, such as Brazilian soccer star Marta's forceful ball kick, entertainer Josephine Baker's jazzy dance, or Venus and Serena Williams' smashing tennis strokes. Both art and text will hook young readers and keep the pages turning.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the obstacles the women and girls in Rad Women Worldwide had to overcome. How do their lives compare with yours? What challenges have you faced?
Which story in Rad Women Worldwide do you find most fascinating? Which of the women do you find most inspirational?
Has anyone ever told you you can't do something because you're a girl? What would you tell someone who said that?
Book Details
- Author: Kate Schatz
- Illustrator: Miriam Klein Stahl
- Genre: Biography
- Topics: Arts and Dance, Great Girl Role Models, History, Science and Nature
- Book type: Non-Fiction
- Publisher: Ten Speed Press
- Publication date: October 13, 2016
- Number of pages: 104
- Available on: Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: October 18, 2016
Our Editors Recommend
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Rad American Women A-Z: Rebels, Trailblazers, and Visionaries Who Shaped Our History ... and Our Future!
Artful profiles of groundbreakers are fresh, inspiring.
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Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream
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Heroines: Great Women Through the Ages
Twelve women battle prejudice in anthology.
For kids who love history and strong girls
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