Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: Baby's First Book of Extraordinary Women

 

My Thoughts:

I know this is a board book on a middle school/YA blog, but I also have never had girls in my family until my son and his wife had our first granddaughter 18 months ago. There are 3 sons and 3 grandsons that came before her. Suddenly, the responsibility has shifted so I have been reading more female empowering books, including this one.

But it fits in this blog because of its potential to be used in the middle school classroom. When I taught 8th grade, we would have a partnership with the primary grade teachers (K-2) for our 7th and 8th graders to come and do read alouds. We could work with our students on prosody in reading to engage and the primary students would have a big brother or big sister in the school. By 8th grade, though, it was also about creating these stories, or more accurately, taking their historical research in 8th grade social studies and their research in the genre of children's literature in English and starting to write their own stories.

This is a great model text for that activity. The implications for student learning using this book as an example has to do with doing enough reading nationally and internationally to choose the small amount of women for a picture book. In short:

1. Who should be chosen?
2. Who should get a 2-page spread versus one page? Why?
3. What is the balance between America and the international?
4. What different kind of impact will be chosen?
5. How do you define a "rebel girl"?
6. How do you describe the individual contribution in one sentence that will give enough information to entice readers to do more reading?
7. How do you choose colors or picture style to appeal to non readers?

There's more, but seeing this book as potential for curriculum is the first step.

From the Publisher:

This board book adaptation of the New York Times bestselling Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls introduces your little reader to the lives of extraordinary Rebel women, past and present, from around the world.

Welcoming new Rebels into the fold, Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: Baby's First Book of Extraordinary Women features artists and inventors, athletes and activists in its colorful, inviting pages. Readers will meet dancer Misty Copeland, pilot Amelia Earhart, swimmer Yusra Mardini, and many other inspiring icons.  

Sparkling, easy-to-read text and beautiful portraits capture each trailblazing woman’s Rebel spirit and make this adaptation of a classic a sure bedtime favorite. 

Author: Rebel Girls

Publisher: Rebel Girls

Publication Date: July 12, 2022