I don't really have any complaints about the aesthetic of this book.
They highlight what makes each of these women special. Harrison's lovely illustrations are just the icing on the cake. Women made important contributions to history as well, even if those contributions weren't always recognized at the time. The focus on women is also nice, as I've read similar books that focus on a certain group of people (such as scientists) that are heavily skewed toward men. The short biographies are easily digestible, and would be great for use in classrooms. I hope there are further titles in this series yet to come. We meet amazing women like Fatima Al-Fihri (who oversaw the construction of a mosque and university in the 9th century, an institution that exists to this day), Hedy Lamarr (without whose ideas I might not be able to post this review), Toni Morrison (the first black woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature), Violeta Parra (who catalogued traditional Chilean folk songs so they wouldn't be forgotten), Vera Rubin (who helped prove the existence of dark matter), and Amalia Hernández (founder of the Ballet Folklórico de México see picture below). For others, their inclusion highlights important contributions their work has made in preserving and celebrating disappearing culture. For some of these women, we may be familiar with their work and not even realize it. Still, we're treated to a number of inspiring biographical sketches about artists, dancers, architects, and various types of scientists. Even within the selected bios, there were a few disappointing oversights I was glad to see that Hypatia of Alexandria was included as a mini bio at the end, for example, but I was curious as to why she didn't get the full treatment. I wasn't expecting that, and so was a little disappointed not to see names like Emmeline Pankhurst or Malala Yousafzai. Little Dreamers, however, concentrates on women who are creators, either in the arts or the sciences (and, in some cases, both). Little Leaders profiles African-American women in all fields. While it is more of a global look at inspiring women, it's limited in a different way. So when I saw that Harrison had also written Little Dreamers: Visionary Women Around the World, I was excited to take a look.
While I thought it was great (and a perfect read for Black History Month), the limited scope of African-American women left me wanting a bit more. I recently read Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by the same author/illustrator.
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