Battling, Bellowing Bella Abzug
A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
Calkins Creek
(Astra Books for Young Readers)
(pub. 4.16.2024)
40 pages
Ages 7 -10
Author: Sarah Aronson
Illustrator: Andrea D'Aquino
Character: Bella Abzug
Overview:
" Battling Bella Abzug was born bellowing! From her childhood in the Bronx to her years as a lawyer, activist, wife, mother, and congresswoman, Bella battled for justice and fairness for everyone. Inspired by her Jewish upbringing and wholehearted belief in tikkun olam—repairing the world—she spoke her truth everywhere she went. Even when it wasn’t appreciated. Bella just kept on battling!
...This trailblazer helped kickstart the modern women’s movement—with humor and passion—always in one of her trademark wide-brimmed hats. An unstoppable and unforgettable leader who showed the world a vision for the future—that a woman’s place was in the house—the House of Representatives! Abzuglutely!"
Tantalizing taste:
"With her big brazen voice, Battling Bella Abzug did much more than bellow. This pioneer wrote a whole new playbook for women in politics and across the nation. She didn't get everything she fought for, but she got the battle started.
So your voices could be heard.
And you could keep battling.
With a hat. Or without.
ABZUGLUTELY!"
And something more: Sarah Aronson, shared in the Author's Note: "Now we recognize how powerful it is for kids to see themselves in story. I can attest that it was amazing to see a Jewish woman holding power, speaking loudly - raising a ruckus - saying what she believed. Her bravery made me brave. Her passion made me want to march for women's rights (and a whole bunch of other things), too. It's one of the reason this book is so important to me."
Sarah included many Acknowledgements, including "to my family for listening to all my stories discoveries, and process. It can't be easy to raise a loud girl with so much to say. Your love has made me fearless."
And this statement is so true ... "As long as people are reading this book, Bella will be with us still." —Gloria Steinem.
The Strongest Woman in the World!
A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
Calkins Creek
(pub.12.3.2024)
48 pages
Ages 7 - 10
Author: Vicki Conrad
Illustrator: Jeremy Holmes
Character: Sandwina (Katie Brumbach)
Overview:
" 100 pounds . . . 200 pounds . . . 300 pounds! Katie Brumbach became the world’s top strongwoman after she ousted Eugen Sandow by lifting hundreds of pounds over her head (which Sandow could barely lift to his shoulders).
After that, she took the last name Sandwina and thrived in the circus world—which she had been participating in since the age of two when she first performed with her family. She grew over six feet tall as she got older, but Katie never second-guessed herself, and she trained to build her muscles, always eager to test her skills and try new feats.
After starting a family with a fellow performer, they were eventually signed to work with John Ringling of the Ringling Bros. Circus. Sandwina impressed the crowds by balancing a 1,000-pound cannon on her chest, by throwing a one-ton stone, and by having an iron slab broken on her body—she stole the show!"
Tantalizing taste:
"Never a circus freak, always a circus star.
Sandwina proved strength was beauty, and beauty was strength. Katie's bold costumes showed off every muscle. With her hair piled high and in high-heeled boots to make herself look even taller, she glowed with feminine charm."
And something more: The author, Vicki Conrad, shared in A Writer's Inspiration: "Katie... changed society's ideas of beauty, simply by embracing who she was born to be. A titaness - strength and beauty combined. Katie was a powerful changemaker and an inspiration... It is so hard to be different, but Katie loved herself, and the world loved her, too. My dream is that girls will see their bodies a useful, beautiful, and worthy. Just like the like unstoppable Sandwina."
The Art and Heart of Corita Kent
A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
Candlewick Press
(pub.11.5.2024)
40 pages
Ages 4 - 8
Author: Dan Paley
Illustrator: Victoria Tentler-Krylov
Character: Corita Kent
Overview:
" Frances Kent always loved making things. When she joined the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, she took the name Corita—meaning little heart—and devoted her life to what mattered most to her: art and religion.
As an art teacher, Sister Corita emphasized practice and process over the final product and taught her students to experiment and break the rules.
As a religious person, she turned her faith into concrete action and spoke out about the injustices she saw in the world. In the height of post-war consumerist culture, Corita, a contemporary of Andy Warhol, turned advertising on its head and wrote a new kind of scripture."
Tantalizing taste:
"Through her art, Sister Mary Corita engaged with the overlapping artisti``c and social revolutions of the 1950s and '60s to spur change, change that she knew would take love, and hard work. 'To e fully alive,' she once said, 'is to work for the common good.'"
And something more: The author, Dan Paley, shared in the Author's Note: Corita's "work had a profound influence on the visual identity of the 1960s and has greatly influenced the fields of graphic design, advertising, and pop art, yet she remains largely unknown even in those fields. This is what inspired me to learn more about her and, ultimately, to write this book... I discovered a teacher whose method with students of all ages opened their eyes to what was possible, not just on the canvas but in their communities and in society as a whole: an artist who used color, perspective, and the written word to make the common uncommon; and an activist whose message of love and peace empowers us for the work ahead."
