Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World

This author/illustrator, a descendent of Emmeline Pankhurst, provides young readers with an introduction to thirteen women – including writers, political activists, spies, explorers, athletes, artists and scientists- who achieved remarkable things in their field.  There is a serious point to be made: a person’s gender should not stop them from ‘following their hearts, talents and dreams’. The book shows the courage women often had to muster to receive equal treatment with men.  Mrs Pankhurst found the only way to persuade people to take the suffragette cause seriously was to use deeds and to protest; this sometimes led to imprisonment.  Rosa Park also had to endure arrest when she refused to give up her seat to a white person while taking the bus home in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955. Then there is the achievement and resourcefulness of Sacagawea, a young girl who became an adventurer by joining a party of men aiming to map the uncharted west of the USA. Her bravery is impressive because Native American women were generally regarded as the property of men in their tribes and yet she managed to earn male respect because of her knowledge of different languages and her calmness in challenging situations.  Even Jane Austen struggled at first, relying on her family to support her until her books became appreciated. But while recognizing the injustice and difficulties many of the women endured on the way to success, Kate Pankhurst’s book is lively and life enhancing. Each spread is a multimodal feast with lively pictures, cartoon like speech bubbles as well as blocks of explanatory text. The book is an inviting first port of call for learning about each of the chosen women’s achievements but perhaps could have offered a short booklist for suggesting further reading.