We're celebrating another day of bookish fun with Storybook Sunday! For those not up to speed on the post, I read a lot of great storybooks and thought, why not give them their own day in the sun. Hence, Storybook Sunday appears every now and then!
March is Women's History Month. Here's a little "Did You Know" behind how it all started...
Did You Know? Women’s History Month started as Women’s History Week . . .
Women’s History Month began as a local celebration in Santa Rosa, California. The Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission on the Status of Women planned and executed a “Women’s History Week” celebration in 1978. The organizers selected the week of March 8 to correspond with International Women’s Day. The movement spread across the country as other communities initiated their own Women’s History Week celebrations the following year.
In 1980, a consortium of women’s groups and historians—led by the National Women’s History Project (now the National Women's History Alliance)—successfully lobbied for national recognition. In February 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation declaring the Week of March 8th 1980 as National Women’s History Week.
Subsequent Presidents continued to proclaim a National Women’s History Week in March until 1987 when Congress passed Public Law 100-9, designating March as “Women’s History Month.” Between 1988 and 1994, Congress passed additional resolutions requesting and authorizing the President to proclaim March of each year as Women’s History Month. Since 1995, each president has issued an annual proclamations designating the month of March as “Women’s History Month.”
So, March is our month and there are so many reasons to celebrate, let alone so many fabulous women to discuss, stand behind, cheer for, and just plain recognize! This year, the folks at Abrams Books for Young Readers helped me out with a few selections. The first is a woman I've read a little bit about before, but whose story never fails to amaze me. The second is a woman I'm just learning about, but her story is not only unique in its own right, its captivating and as important as any other in today's day and age. Ladies and gents, let's jump right in...
HOW LUCILLE BALL DID IT ALL
Illustrated by
Brigette Barrager
9781419749926
Abrams Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: March 19, 2024
Lucille Ball...started out as a precocious young girl that knew her calling in life before she was old enough to drive. She loved the sound of laughter, and bringing a smile to someone's face. In a time when women were more seen and not heard, she was a stand out, but it didn't come easy. It took dedication to a dream that naysayers refused to see as a possibility. It took backbone when others shot her down and told her she couldn't do this well, or couldn't do that well. It took gumption to keep on the path she saw so clearly for herself , and one day she not only achieved the dream she dreamt, but she made strides for women in the workforce, and those in power. She became the Queen of Comedy...but did you know she called the shots on her show AND was a producer as well? Hat's off this this feisty woman who the world couldn't keep down!
Her story is told in bite sized bits so younger readers won't be overwhelmed, while older readers will still be entertained. The illustrations throughout burst with personality, and the limited color used until things turn full color in the end really make each image POP.
👧 👩 👵 👰 👸 💁 🙆 🙋
THE REVOLUTIONARY ART OF SISTER CORITA KENT
Illustrated by
Melissa Sweet
9781419752216
Abrams Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: April 16, 2024
Sister Corita Kent took art and made it SING.
It wasn't just about the creation of a marvelous work, but the making of something that told a story, proclaimed a message, conveyed hope, peace, and love. It was about making art accessible to the masses, but also meaningful to them as well...and it wasn't always about creation either, but seeing things differently. Think the infamous Pop Art soup cans...it took the ordinary and brought it into a new focus. The same could be said for Corita's work. She would focus in on smaller areas of life to bring it into a new view. Nothing was out of bounds, and there was no wrong way to create art. Draw upside down? Certainly! Paint image after image of whatever comes to mind? Why not! It wasn't about prestige or wealth, but about the commonwealth, as in the need to express one's self, and bring understanding to the people.
The illustrations throughout really capture the eye and make you want to explore them further. You see not only the Sister's work and learn about her approach, but the style in which her story is told by the illustrator that brings it to life.
👧 👩 👵 👰 👸 💁 🙆 🙋
Special thanks to Abrams Books for the ecopies for review. (THANKS!)... and the chance to celebrate Women's History Month with all of you! For more information on these titles, authors, illustrators, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above. Both titles have future release dates coming up this Spring via Abrams Books for Young Readers, so mark your calendar or preorder your copies today!
Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!
