I am a jeans and t-shirt gal and I have Amelia Bloomer to thank for it. I hated wearing dresses & skirts as a kid because my mom never let me wear shorts or pants underneath so that I could still play on the monkey bars. Even thou I have made my peace with dresses and my daughter practically lives in her black and white plaid skirt, I know that it's hard to do certain things in a skirt.
Thus it makes sense that a seven-year-old project to highlight empowering stories for girls is named after Amelia Bloomer:
[T]he 2008 Amelia Bloomer Project honors the authors, illustrators,
editors, and publishers who give life to books that encourage readers
young and old to push the envelope and challenge what it means to be a
woman, regardless of ethnicity or social-economic background.
This
year’s list includes books challenging the young women of today to take
a new look at what it means to be feminist, showcasing who fought for
our rights. These books bring to light the stories of women who break
boundaries, from civil war doctors and journalists covering WWII to
graffiti artists and girls demanding to be accepted for who they are.
The 32 books on the 2008 Amelia Bloomer Project list encourage and
inspire girls to be smart, brave, and proud.
We
are frustrated by the small number of truly powerful, well-written
feminist books for young readers, and by the small number of non-white,
non-Western characters. We are also dismayed by the dearth of authentic
feminist fiction for beginning and middle readers. We challenge
publishers to develop thoughtful feminist books that will open the eyes
of young readers to the possibility of equality for women. Jyoti says
simply, “The battle has just begun.”
Some of the books are about princesses and some are about regular girls who do extraordinary things. Either way, I think the stories would be more fun to read than the millionth reading of "Cinderella." One of the 2004 books, "Players in Pigtails," was an early favorite in our house.
Check out the list out it has some amazing books! I can't wait to get started on collecting them.
Veronica is actively raising a fellow bookworm in her daughter. Veronica also blogs at Viva La Feminista, WIMN's Voices, Chicago Moms Blog and Work it, Mom!
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