Visit Alyson Beecher on Wednesdays for Non-Fiction Picture Books at Kidlit Frenzy. Thanks to her hosting and sharing and those who add their posts, discover and celebrate terrific nonfiction picture books! I always learn from these books, am happy that they continue to be available for kids. I'm celebrating my 1800th post!
"All things are vital to the universe...
all are equal...and at once...different.'
Gwen Frostic, Beyond Time
Each of the following books (the first two out this month!) are worth reading in order to celebrate the lives shared. These women's stories exemplify the above quote from one of those women. Each one is unique, follows passions without giving up. They are full of inspiration either together or apart, know their strengths and pursued all possibilities to succeed. The illustrators show the passage of years, the ups and downs with interesting and beautiful choices of setting that include the characters' supporters, naysayers and experiences.
Janet Collins loved to dance, was rejected more than once because of the color of her skin, but she always pursued a path and succeeded every time. Told in verse, with an author's note, source notes, and an additional websites list.
Considered part non-fiction and part historical fiction in order to create a story, Mary was a real person, a former slave who went west to make a new life. She tried out for the job of stagecoach driver when everyone thought it was only a man's job and certainly not a job for a former slave. She succeeded, and she began in her sixties! There is an author's note explaining the research and the story's creation.