Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History (Little Leaders #1)

Visual artist Harrison introduces 40 trailblazing black women from United States history in this inspiring volume for young readers.

The book just begs to be picked up, with its handy trim size and its attractively simple cover design featuring smiling brown girls in various historical outfits. Each leader is described in a one-page minibiography that faces a full-page illustration of the woman in clothes and a simplified setting that represent her role and her era. Each concise biography includes the leader’s background as a child or youth, touches on her major accomplishments, and ends with her legacy. Some of the women featured are household names, such as Harriet Tubman and Oprah Winfrey. Others are less well-known, including Mamie show more Phipps Clark and Alice Ball. Whether wearing flying gear or a long ruffled dress, each “little leader” appears utterly approachable. Their surroundings in the pictures capture the diverse accomplishments and personalities of these bold black women, while their small figures and sweet, round faces invite child readers to imagine themselves in such roles. The effect is purely magical.

Perfect for exploring together at bedtime or for children to browse independently, a gorgeous invitation for children of all backgrounds, and especially for black girls, to learn about black women who were pioneers. (Collective biography. 6-12)

-Kirkus Review show less

This was a beautifully illustrated collection of biographies of black women who hold significant positions in American history. The biographies were short, highlighting the major events of each woman's life and her contributions to history. The illustrations accentuated this major events by displaying the thing that the woman was most often associated with. I loved the fact that each woman's face was somewhat generic, with the same expression on each face, allowing young black girls to imagine themselves in each woman's shoes.

My only real complaint with the book is the lack of of queer women. Audre Lorde is featured, but her queer identity isn't mentioned. I had hoped that a trans activist such as Marsha Johnson or Miss Major would be show more featured, or at least mentioned in the short section at the end, "More Little Leaders," but they were absent. I don't believe queer identities should be hidden from children under any circumstances, so I found this oversight incredibly disappointing. Black women have contributed as much to queer rights as they have to every other rights movement this country has ever undergone and that contribution should be recognized in collections such as this.

Despite this lack, this is still a collection that should be in the hands of every child, regardless of race or gender. show less

Visual artist Harrison introduces 40 trailblazing black women from United States history in this inspiring volume for young readers.

The book just begs to be picked up, with its handy trim size and its attractively simple cover design featuring smiling brown girls in various historical outfits. Each leader is described in a one-page minibiography that faces a full-page illustration of the woman in clothes and a simplified setting that represent her role and her era. Each concise biography includes the leader’s background as a child or youth, touches on her major accomplishments, and ends with her legacy. Some of the women featured are household names, such as Harriet Tubman and Oprah Winfrey. Others are less well-known, including Mamie show more Phipps Clark and Alice Ball. Whether wearing flying gear or a long ruffled dress, each “little leader” appears utterly approachable. Their surroundings in the pictures capture the diverse accomplishments and personalities of these bold black women, while their small figures and sweet, round faces invite child readers to imagine themselves in such roles. The effect is purely magical.

Perfect for exploring together at bedtime or for children to browse independently, a gorgeous invitation for children of all backgrounds, and especially for black girls, to learn about black women who were pioneers. (Collective biography. 6-12)
(Kirkus Review) show less

I have this book in hardcover and keep it away from my grandkids unless I can supervise.
My granddaughter thinks every single picture in the book is here.
That's my favorite part.
I don't read it all at once but a biography at a time.
It's a bit over the head of a 3 & 4 yr old but they'll love it when they're older.
The illustrations are gorgeous
I love the history focusing on Black Woman.
I plan to get the one on Black Men as well.
I love this author

An ARC - I clicked on Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History because I like this (increasingly popular, it seems) idea of introducing kids to positive role models from history. I had a digital copy which didn't cope too well on my phone, but looking at the previewed images online it is clearly beautifully produced. There are a wide range of women included, from astronauts to modern artists.

I do have mixed feelings about this one though - the language seemed a bit uneven (at one point discussing the work of one of the Hidden Figures, she mentions 'trajectory' and I revised the age I thought it must be aimed at upwards. I found the idea of 'little leaders' a bit too saccharine for me, and would have liked a wider geographic show more representation beyond the US and UK.

But I'm not the intended audience, and if it gets kids thinking about history, as well as wider choices, then of course that's fantastic. show less

3 reasons you should read this book:

1) it's the perfect amount of info for younger kids.
2) it's a fantastic springboard for adults. Just enough to get you interested and full of people you want to know about. Even the list of people who couldn't be fitted in at the end made me curious.
3) the illustrations are just delightful. Such a spunky style.

While the one-page biographies of black women are interesting, I found the illustrations to be off putting. Other than skin tone and costume, the women are interchangeable and made to look like infants. The title of the book, while perhaps trying to appeal to children, further diminishes the status of these women by identifying them as "Little."