Opal Lee. Patsy Takemoto Mink. Kate Moore. Lotte Reiniger. Jeanne Villepreux-Power. An activist, politician, lighthouse keeper, filmmaker and seamstress turned marine naturalist. How many of these women have you heard of? They might not be household names … but they should be. March is Women’s History Month. The following five books, all published within the last year, shed light on lesser known female historical figures and invite readers to discover new heroines to look up to. All titles are available to request through the Viking Library System. Recommended for all children, teens and curious adults.
“Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free: The True Story of the Grandmother of Juneteenth” by Alice Faye Duncan and Keturah A. Bobo (2022)
Opal Lee, aka “The Grandmother of Juneteenth,” is alive today at the age of 96. Born in Texas in 1926, Lee has been a lifelong educator and activist. “Juneteenth” (which combines the words “June” and “Nineteenth”) celebrates and commemorates the legal ending of slavery in Texas; issued on June 19th, 1865. When Lee was 12, her home, situated in a mostly white neighborhood, was attacked and burned down by white rioters on June 19th, 1939. Her family had lived there for just 3 days. The fact that this act of violence was committed on Juneteenth was not lost on Lee. For decades she, along with many others, created efforts and pushed to make Juneteenth a national holiday. Her campaign came into fruition when Juneteenth was declared a federal holiday in 2021; signed into office by President Biden. “Opal Lee and What it Means to Be Free” is an illustrated story of perseverance, community, hope, and history.
“Fall Down Seven Times, Stand Up Eight: Patsy Takemoto Mink and the Fight for Title IX” by Jen Bryant and Toshiki Nakamura (2022)
The Japanese proverb “nana korobi ya oki” means “fall down seven times, stand up eight.” Patsy Takemoto Mink embodied this expression of resilience throughout her life and that spirit helped her to become the first Japanese-American woman to practice law in Hawaii as well as the first Asian-American woman elected to congress. Born in Maui in 1927, Mink was a lawyer, politician, and co-author of the “Title IX Amendment of Higher Education Act”, which passed in 1972. It was later renamed the “Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act” upon her death in 2002. This picture book offers even the youngest of readers a look into gender and racial equality and biographical information on this trailblazing American politician.
“Courage Like Kate: The True Story of a Girl Lighthouse Keeper” by Anna Crowley Redding and Emily Sutton (2022)
A small island off the coast of Connecticut is where this story of a young heroine takes place. Kathleen “Kate” Moore (birthdate unknown - 1899) was the daughter of a lighthouse keeper on Fayerweather Island. After injuries prevented her father from ascending the spiral staircase, Kate took on more and more lighthouse keeper duties. She is credited for saving the lives of 23 sailors by guiding their ships to safety and helping them out of the cold New England waters. This powerful picture book reveals the true meaning of girl-power.
"Out of the Shadows: How Lotte Reiniger Made the First Animated Fairytale Movie” by Fiona Robinson (2022)
When asked what the first animated movie was, many people answer with Disney’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves,” which premiered in 1937. And those people would be wrong. Lotte Reiniger (1899-1981) was a German filmmaker, director, animator, and renowned papercut silhouette artist. Reiniger’s claim to cinema fame is that she created the oldest surviving animated film, “The Adventures of Prince Achmed,” which was released in 1926, over a decade before “Snow White.” This beautiful biography has a fairy tale feel with intricate paper-cut illustrations to help tell the tale of this pioneer of early animation.
“The Girl Who Built an Ocean: An Artist, an Argonaut, and the True Story of the World's First Aquarium” by Jess Keating and Michelle Mee Nutter (2022)
Born in France in 1794, Villepreux-Power’s first career was sewing dresses for the Paris elite; including creating the wedding gown for Princess Caroline in 1816. At the age of 24, she moved to the Italian coast with her husband and began to study the geography and marine life around the Mediterranean Sea. A self-taught learner, observer, and naturalist, she created what would be considered the world’s first glass aquarium to help further her studies of ocean life. This picture book biography is filled with colorful detailed drawings and will be of interest to future inventors, scientists, and sea life lovers.
Arielle McCune is the Youth Services Librarian at the Fergus Falls Public Library.
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