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Book Trailer Tuesday Spotlight: A TAKE-CHARGE GIRL BLAZES A TRAIL TO CONGRESS
This week’s featured book trailer is the video that showcases A Take-Charge Girl Blazes a Trail to Congress: The Story of Jeannette Rankin by Gretchen Woelfle, iIllustrated by Rebecca Gibbon. This book is perfect for an elementary school or homeschool classroom studying U.S. history, politics, women’s history, or any librarian or educator prepping a reading list for Women’s History Month!
A Take-Charge Girl Blazes a Trail to Congress is perfect for elementary school readers: Grades 2-5, and ages 7-10.
About the trailer:
Length: One minute, forty-one seconds (1:31).
This book trailer shows illustration and summarizes the book—it discusses women winning the right to vote in Montana, and Jeanette Rankin’s inspiration and motivation to run for Congress. The trailer poses the question, “Was her biggest idea too big?“
About the book:
For take-charge girls in the making and fans of I Dissent and Kamala Harris: Rooted in Justice, this is the story of Jeannette Rankin, the first US congresswoman. Jeannette Rankin was always a take-charge girl. Whether taking care of horses or her little brothers and sisters—Jeannette knew what to do and got the job done. That’s why, when she saw poor children living in bad conditions in San Francisco, she knew she had to take charge and change things. Read more.
Download the free discussion guide:
Praise for the book:
★ “This lively biography showcases one tireless activist, Jeannette Rankin from Montana, who became the first U.S. congresswoman in 1916 and whose fight for all women to have the right to vote was key in ratifying the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920. Rankin’s story is made relatable to young readers through Woelfle’s focus on how ‘take-charge’ she was, starting as a child…The section on Rankin’s campaign for Congress, in which she crisscrossed 6,000 miles of Montana by train and horse, is riveting. The illustrations, done in colored pencils and acrylic inks, jauntily convey period detail.” —Booklist, starred review
“Woelfle wisely begins the narrative in Rankin’s youth, then leads into her suffragist activism and her political career…The text as a whole grounds Rankin’s ambitions in her determination to advocate for children, and such framing will likely make the book more accessible to young readers, as will the energetic illustrations. Gibbon’s acrylic ink and colored pencil pictures have a homespun, folk-art quality to them, offering readers depictions of Rankin’s early life…A yes vote for this title’s inclusion on children’s bookshelves.” —Kirkus Reviews
“‘Take-charge girl’ Jeanette Rankin…inspires in this lively, quote-filled picture book about her journey to become the first U.S. congresswoman. Woefle narrates with a conversational tone that makes Rankin feel accessible… [and] Rankin exudes confidence in quaint acrylic ink and colored pencil artwork.” —Publishers Weekly
About the author:
Gretchen Woelfle has published fiction and nonfiction for young readers. Jeannette Rankin: Political Pioneer won the 2008 Once Upon A World Award from the Simon Wiesenthal Center/Museum of Tolerance and was named a Notable Social Studies Trade Book by NCSS and a Booklist Top Ten Youth Biography. She lives in Los Angeles, California.
About the illustrator:
Raised in Wales, Rebecca Gibbon moved to Herefordshire after being based in London for many years. Rebecca took her foundation course at the Cardiff School of Art & Design, followed by a BA in graphic design at Liverpool School of Art. After graduating, she took an MA in illustration at the Royal College of Art. Illustrator site: instagram.com/rebecca.gibbon
The making of the book trailer:
This book trailer was made by the author, using the book’s beautiful illustrations created by Rebecca Gibbon’s, and summarizing the plot.
Read an excerpt:
