Raphaële Frier

Author Raphaële Frier and illustrator Aurélia Fronty join forces in this inspiring picture-book biography of education activist Malala Yousafzai, first published in France. The narrative follows Malala's story from birth, and chronicles how, as a result of her unusual upbringing - her father Ziauddin was an educator, and unlike many in his Pashtun culture, believed that schooling should be extended to girls - she became a vocal advocate for the right of young girls in Pakistan to get an show more education. Despite growing threats from the Taliban, Malala continues her advocacy, eventually surviving an assassination attempt. Even this did not stop her, and she continued her education and activism in the UK, going on to found the Malala Fund to advocate for girls' education worldwide, and winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014. The book concludes with an extensive afterword giving more information about Malala, her people and country, and her struggle for education rights...

Originally published in France as Malala pour le droit des filles à l'éducation, this informative and beautifully-illustrated volume is the fourth picture-book I have read about Malala Yousafzai, following upon her own Malala's Magic Pencil, Lina Maslo's Free as a Bird: The Story of Malala, and Jeanette Winter's Malala: A Brave Girl from Pakistan / Iqbal: A Brave Boy from Pakistan. I initially sought it out because I enjoyed illustrator Aurélia Fronty's work on another French picture-book biography, Franck Prévot's Wangari Maathai: The Woman Who Planted Millions of Trees. I'm very glad that I did track it down, as I found it (not unexpectedly) absolutely gorgeous, from an aesthetic perspective, and quite well-told and informative, from a textual standpoint. I appreciated the fact that Frier delved into the factors which caused the rise of the Taliban in the Swat Valley - namely, the exploitation of a terribly destructive earthquake by a fundamentalist Imam, as a means of convincing people that Allah was angry with them - and that she highlighted the role of Malala's father, in encouraging both her education and her activism. These are elements of the story also ably explored in Maslo's book. The artwork is, as mentioned, just beautiful, and make me wish I could track down more of Fronty's work. All in all, a very worthwhile title, one I would recommend to picture-book readers interested in biography, or in inspirational stories of young people standing up for their rights, and making a difference in the world. show less

This is this exquisitely illustrated book about Malala Yousafzai, the girl who stood up the the Taliban and became the youngest person to receive a Nobel Peace Prize. This version of her story however is told at a level any reader can understand. The beginning starts out with describing Malala's parents, highlighting the love the gave her and explaining the challenges of raising a girl in Pakistan. Each page brings the reader (or listener) closer to Malala's culture, expressing the extreme show more misfortunes they faced. Schools were being bombed and set to fire once the Taliban were in charge and eventually in 2009 girls lost their right to an education. Malala's strong sense of leadership and her dedication to education shines through as she fights to receive an education. Because of the support of Malala's parents, she was an experienced speaker and author. The entire book leads to the dreadful experience we are all too familiar with, Oct. 9, 2012 when Malala is shot three times for her stance on education. Miraculously, Malala survives. She continues to speak about against violence and for the education of girls worldwide. July 12 is known as Malala Day to celebrate every child's right to an education.

Following the content of the book there is a timeline of Malala's life, along with a photo of Malala and an easy to read map of Pakistan. There is a brief description of Pakistan. I was surprised to read that Pakistan is the sixth most populous country in the world, and also further motivated to share Malala's story with this book. The end of the book gives compressed descriptions of the Pashrun people, girls education worldwide, religion, Malala's inspirations, and quotes from Malala herself. There are photographs, with descriptions, showing Malala throughough the varying phases of growing into the activist she has become today. The final page gives the reader more information, listing two books and four websites for further reading. Malala's story cannot be told enough. Too many girls worldwide are suffering without education, and together we are suffering because of this. I would suggest this book for any age level. show less

Top 100 pick because:

Malala is one of the greatest and most inspiring people alive today (and of those not alive). She has mutliple books about her already, even though she is not even 25. This picture book biography explains her story with rich detail, color, and texture for illustrations and text. Another solid story about an incredible young woman with an incredible story and message to the world.

"Malala grows up with the smell of notebooks in the air."
Every child should know who and what Malala has done, and continues to do: being a symbol of peace and of the right to learn. I admire her deeply and I highly recommend this book for children to get acquainted with a true role model.