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Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Bayport Public Library | J 920 CHI | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Twenty-six amazing women; twenty-six amazing stories. From Amelia Earhart, pilot and adventurer, to Zora Neal Hurston, writer and anthropologist, learn about the hardships and triumphs that inspired each woman to change the world around her. Detailed collages and illustrations draw from various events in the women's lives.
Author Notes
Cynthia Chin-Lee was born and raised in Washington, D.C., in a family with four older siblings. Her father is a medical doctor and her mother an artist. Cynthia picked up a pen and began writing for fun when she was in the sixth grade. "I liked writing poetry and scribbling in my journal because I found it comforting and therapeutic. I still write for that reason and because I like playing with words." Cynthia has written several books for children and lives in California.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-7-An introduction to 26 diverse, 20th-century women who have made a difference in such varied fields as the arts, sports, journalism, science, and entertainment. The entries include Dolores Huerta, Frida Kahlo, Lena Horne, Maya Lin, and Patricia Schroeder. Determination, imagination, perseverance, and strength are what bind them together. Entries are arranged alphabetically by first name; each woman is featured on a full page that includes a two-paragraph introduction, a quote, and striking mixed-media art that illustrates the essence of the person. There is sophistication in both the quotes and in the art, encouraging repeated readings. The nuggets of information should inspire readers and leave them with a thirst to know more about these women. Kathleen Krull's Lives of Extraordinary Women (Harcourt, 2000) takes a more detailed, humorous look at 20 women (both books include Wilma Mankiller); Lynne Cheney's A Is for Abigail: An Almanac of Amazing American Women (S & S, 2003) is more limited in scope.-Peg Glisson, Mendon Center Elementary School, Pittsford, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
From Amelia Earhart to Zora Neal Hurston, each letter of the alphabet represents a twentieth-century woman of achievement. Short biographies spotlight the subjects' girlhoods; playful mixed-media collages further humanize these impressive women. Each entry concludes with a quote by the subject. Bib. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
With spirited language and marvelous collages, an abecedarium of contemporary women takes flight. Chin-Lee doesn't attempt, in her single page of text, to do anything but evoke the lives of her subjects, but she does that powerfully. For each woman, she tells an anecdote or illuminates a single action rather than summarize an entire life. Each page also includes a quotation from her subject. By using their given names instead of their family names, she not only personalizes her approach, but also creates an intimacy between these women and their readers. D is for Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers; G is for Grace Hopper, who helped create COBOL and popularized the term "bug" for computer errors; O is for Oprah; U is for Ursula Le Guin, writer and activist. The collages use everything from cloth, photographs, pen-and-ink drawings, found objects and dried flowers to make images that invite repeated examination. Many of these women are still alive and working; the earliest birth date is Helen Keller's in 1880. An inspiration and a delight. (bibliography, author's note) (Picture book/biography. 5-10) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Gr. 4-7. There are many books on women and the strides that they've made, but this one is very smart--in design, art, and choice of subject. Some choices are expected, but others, such as Pueblo painter Quah Ah and Egyptian doctor and activist Nawal El Sadaawi, are unusual. Chin-Lee uses her subjects' given names, as family names mostly relate to fathers or husbands. The illustrations are done in a remarkable mix of media. Against textured backgrounds, an image of each woman in signature moment takes center stage: Babe Didrikson Zaharias, looking like a paper doll in a cutout photo, takes a swing. Inventor Grace Hopper is shown with calculations and sun-shaped pieces of metal bursting out of the top of her head. The text portions are short--only several paragraphs about each women--but they are enticing. By choosing her subjects from every culture, the author introduces children to the scope of the struggles and achievements of women from many times and many places. --Ilene Cooper Copyright 2005 Booklist
