Anne Kamma

This is the kind of book that made me angry, but not at the book itself: it absolutely baffles me that it took so long to achieve such basic rights, for women to be treated as full-fledged people. The idea that the beginning of the women's suffrage movement was hampered by fears that "asking for the vote might make the [Seneca Falls women's movement] convention look silly." The newspaper reporters who claimed "a woman is nobody. A wife is everything." That it still took seventy-two years to show more get women full voting rights. It's galling, and doubly so to know that this country is STILL denying basic civil rights to certain groups (I'm looking at YOU, Prop 8). This was a book that made me angry, but even more than that, made me profoundly grateful to have been born into a time when it's taken for granted that women can do whatever we want.

My quasi-official review, rather than my visceral reactions:

In a slim 64 pages, this book traces the development of women's rights from 1620-1920, from the pilgrims to the right vote. The book is arranged around several questions (what rights did the first women who settled America have? What did girls wear? Did any men support women's rights?) that don’t necessarily flow out of each other but are still questions children are likely to have. Brief bios of key players (Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Sojourner Truth, among others) appear just before the questions where they are first introduced, giving readers some context of who these people are. In most cases, the illustrations don’t add a lot to the book, but they are very helpful in the descriptions of clothing to show what petticoats, hoop skirts, and bloomers looked like.

This is a good introduction to women's rights and the fight for gender equality—-a fight that is still, in many ways, going on today. While the historical ideas may seem absurd to today's students (girls shouldn't ride bikes! Women should not work outside their homes!), this is the kind of book that should spark discussion of feminism, gender roles, and empowerment. show less

Someone returned this while I was working at the library.... they returned several children's books about Black History, Juneteenth, and slavery. This looked like a fairly quick read, but it also looked as thought it had a lot of detail and, while not too explicit, was an honest representation of what slavery was like. It was, indeed, a quick read, but it's also leading me on a path of reading more about slavery. This is a great book for children, maybe ages 7-10, to read!

The very first thing I would like to comment about this book is the perspective it is told from. I like how the book states that nearly half of the first Pilgrims were children and that the story to follow is told from a child's view. I didn't like how there were not many pictures, but important facts that readers can use as a resource. I also liked how there were questions incorporated into the book, it made the point of view realistic and clear to the reader. The questions allow the reader show more to reflect, along with given the historically accurate answers. I think it didn't shy away from Christian view or other religious beliefs because it kept to the simple facts. The front cover of the book is another thing I liked. I hadn't commented on covers in the past but I like how this one depicts the indians from the pilgrims appropriately, and especially the little boy in the bottom left of the cover because he just looks like he's hungry and is reaching for all the delicious food before him.
I liked that this book sends the message of coming together and accepting others. As a younger child, I remember always learning about the history of Thanksgiving, but I feel that this book sends more of the message of coming together as one and inferring that readers can apply it to other life situations. All the information is so interesting and will keep the readers interest no matter the age, which I enjoyed and isn't very common. show less

Great information presented in a relatable way. It held the attention of my 8 y.o. & 10 y.o. enough to read in one sitting.