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March 5 , 2018 EDCAL 3
K-12 books with feminist themes suggested to share with students for Women ’ s History Month
Some of these books are better for young children , while others are deeper and written for teenagers . Especially for your critically-thinking teens , look for texts that consciously value intersectionality , which is the idea that overlapping definitions , including those of race , class , ethnicity , religion , gender and sexual orientation , vary per person , changing the way each person experiences and reacts to discrimination , inequality , injustice , and life in society . There are hundreds of books with feminist themes , but here are a few popular , inspiring , and inclusive publications :
• “ Grace for President ” by Kelly DiPuccio . Good for first and second graders , “ Grace for President ” is the story of a girl who wants to be America ’ s first female president . Grace meets the challenges of mock politics as her male opponent makes gender a talking point . DiPuccio uses her book to teach children the basics of U . S . elections , and how to become just a little bit more fearless in going after what you want .
• “ She Persisted : 13 American Women Who Changed the World ” by Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger . This charming book presents a relatively diverse group of persistent and fearless American women who overcame major , often societal , obstacles .
• “ Pippi Longstocking ” by Astrid Lindgren . Independent , strong-willed , and adventurous , pirate-daughter Pippi Longstocking lives alone with a monkey , a horse and a stash of gold coins . She is one of the most unique and funny 9-year-olds in fiction and remains one of the best-loved children ’ s literature characters of all time .
• “ Rosie Revere , Engineer ” by Andrea Beaty . Illustrated with detail and watercolor , this is a very sweet book for first- and second-graders . Plus , it rhymes . Rosie dreams of becoming an engineer and is constantly inventing things . Unfortunately , she does not always feel fully accepted for who she is . That is , until her Great-great Aunt Rose comes to visit . Rose tells stories of building airplanes during World War II and , along with Rosie ’ s teacher at school , helps Rosie find her inspiration , even when things do not go as planned .
• “ The Gutsy Girl ” by Caroline Paul and Wendy MacNaughton . A clever , funny , honest , illustrated book for grades 4-7 that encourages young girls to follow female heroines in getting past their fears , planning excellent adventures , and taking exciting risks .
• “ Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls ” by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo . With almost cult-like online popularity , “ Good Night Stories ” was one of the highest-funded children ’ s books on Kickstarter , raising over $ 1 million from 20,000 backers . There are 100 stories of rebellious and extraordinary women , from Beyonce to Frida Kahlo , summarized in fairytale style , and spanning across centuries and cultures .
• “ Girls Think of Everything : Stories of Ingenious Inventions ” by Catherine Thimmesh and Melissa Sweet . The perfect read for creative young women around ages 9-12 who are interested in STEM subjects , this book is a collection about women and girls of all ages who persevered in experimentation to invent incredible things that changed the world . Plus , the collage art cover inspires the imagination .
• “ I Dissent : Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark ” by Debbie Levy ( author ) and Elizabeth Baddeley ( illustrator ). A picture book for grades 3-5 to inspire students that argument and debate help make the world a better place . By disagreeing with the unfairness in the world and in the justice system , Ruth Bader Ginsburg worked hard to become a Supreme Court justice and feminist figure .
• “ Brown Girl Dreaming ” by Jacqueline Woodson . A President Obama “ O ” Book Club pick , this is the memoir of a young black writer who is just beginning to organize her view of the world . Woodson grew up in both South Carolina and New York in the 1960s and 1970s , under the legacy of Jim Crow and influenced by her Jehovah ’ s Witness community . Full of realistic joy and sadness , this book is great for young writers and fans of poetry . Woodson ’ s eloquent poems are inspiring and precise .
• “ The Hate U Give ” by Angie Thomas . “ The Hate U Give ” is the story of Starr Carter , 16 , who observes the disparity between her neighborhood and that of her richer white peers . When she becomes the sole witness to her friend being shot by a police officer , she is thrust into danger as well as the national spotlight . This book is a good way to start conversations about race , Black Lives Matter , and violence in America . The movie comes out in 2018 .
• “ Persepolis 1 & 2 ” by Marjane Satrapi . Often incorporated into high school and even college curriculum , “ Persepolis ” is a graphic memoir . It is the coming of age story of Marjane Satrapi , set over the backdrop of the Iranian revolution . Only 10 years-old when the revolution begins , Marjane and her parents are rebellious . Marjane listens to “ banned ” music like Iron Maiden and Michael Jackson , paints her nails and wears jewelry . To protect her from a potentially harsher and more violent fate in her home country , her parents send her to boarding school in Europe , which turns out to be different from what she expects . Witty , relatable , honest and incredibly creative , Marjane will remain in your heart long after you put down her story .
• “ Anne of Green Gables ” by L . M . Montgomery . This story is set during the start of the Women ’ s Suffrage movement . Each female character , especially Anne , has a strong personality and keeps true to their own heart . To call Montgomery ’ s series merely a coming of age story is too simplistic ; Anne has been a talkative , fiery , sweet and idealistic “ bosom friend ” to young
readers for decades .
• “ Radioactive ! How Irène Curie and Lise Meitner Revolutionized Science and Changed the World ” by Winifred Conkling . It can be hard to find a nonfiction book that doesn ’ t read like a textbook , so we had to include this publication here . “ Radioactive !” will teach students about two lesser-known but amazing scientists who made discoveries in male-dominated fields . The brilliant Irène Curie , daughter of Marie Curie , shared a Nobel Prize with her husband for discovering artificial radioactivity , which essentially led to the creation of the atomic bomb . Despite this , the French Academy of Sciences denied her membership because she was a woman . Following Curie ’ s research , physicist Lise Meitner made enormous progress in the field of nuclear fission and nuclear energy , but was snubbed by the Nobel committee .
• “ Here We Are : Feminism for the Real World ” by Kelly Jensen . An inclusive guide to modern feminism that discusses everything from fiction , culture , and media to finding your own voice as a potential leader on feminist topics . “ Here We Are ” features contributions by 44 writers , dancers , actors , illustrators , poets and artists . This book can introduce teens to writers like Roxane Gay , whose work “ Bad Feminist ” would be a good follow-up read .
• “ We Should All Be Feminists ” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie . Inspired by a TED talk you may know , “ We Should All Be Feminists ” is an essay by the author of “ Americanah and Half of a Yellow Sun .” Adichie explains why “ everyone ” becoming a feminist would make the world a better place and bridge many divides . At the same time , she addresses the differences between how Western society treats boys and girls , how “ feminism ” has come to be a bad word , and the many connotations that the term carries .
• “ This Bridge Called My Back : Writings by Radical Women of Color .” Loved by academics and activists , this book was originally released in 1981 . “ This Bridge Called My Back ” is a collection of essays , critiques , poems , and interviews of and by women of color , examining oppression in ways that remain extremely relevant , especially in highlighting the differences between intersectional feminism and white feminism .
A no vote urged on Marcus for Civil Rights Department
The Leadership Conference on Civil and protect all students in our country from discrimination .” The letter includes examples
Human Rights is urging the U . S . Senate to vote against confirming Kenneth Marcus to of the ways in which Marcus ’ “ own record serve as assistant secretary for Civil Rights of anti-civil rights positions ... during his at the U . S . Department of Education . A letter signed by 61 civil rights groups opposes bling given the anti-civil rights actions of
confirmation hearing are all the more trou-
the controversial nominee . The group says Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and Marcus “ has not demonstrated a willingness President Trump .” and ability to enforce civil rights law and LAD
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tgill @ kvusd . org . Region 5 : Peter Van Court , principal ,
San Francisco USD , vancourtp @ sfusd . edu .
Region 6 : Lynn Mackey , director , Adult Correctional Education , Contra Costa COE , lmackey @ cccoe . k12 . ca . us .
Region 7 : Britta Skavdahl , superintendent , Stanislaus UESD , bskavdahl @ stanunion . k12 . ca . us .
Region 8 : Anisha Munshi , director of human resources , Santa Clara COE , anisha _ munshi @ sccoe . org .
Region 9 : Brian Meisenheimer , director , Pupil Services , Merced City SD , bmeisenheimer @ mcsd . k12 . ca . us .
Region 10 : Shawn Tennenbaum , superintendent , San Benito HSD , stennenbaum @ sbhsd . k12 . ca . us .
Region 11 : Craig Wheaton , deputy superintendent , Tulare COE , craigw @ tcoe . org .
Region 12 : Dana Carter , principal , Yucaipa-Calimesa JUSD , dana _ carter @ ycjusd . us .
Region 13 : Sheldon Smith , assistant superintendent , San Luis Obispo COE , ssmith @ slocoe . org .
Region 14 : Jan Hopp , assistant principal , Bellflower USD , jhopp @ busd . k12 . ca . us .
Region 15 : Robert Allard , principal , Whittier City ESD , rallard @ whittiercity . net .
Region 16 : Jose Rodriguez , administrative coordinator , Los Angeles USD , jmr7481 @ lausd . net .
Region 17 : Julie Hatchel , principal , Irvine USD , juliehatchel @ iusd . org .
Region 18 : Jennifer Carbuccia , general counsel , Sweetwater UHSD , jennifer . carbuccia @ sweetwaterschools . org .
Region 19 : Julie Vitale , superintendent , Romoland SD , jvitale @ romoland . net .