Step Into History!

Join Books of Wonder in discovering the inspiring histories of the United States' first congresswoman, Jeannette Rankin, uncover the influence of the inspiring cartoonist Jackie Ormes, meet a courageous member of the French resistance, and then meet the god-mother of Rock & Roll, Sister Rosetta Tharpe! 

Tune in for: 

• A Take Charge Girl Blazes a Trail to Congress: The Story of Jeannette Rankin by GRETCHEN WOELFLE. 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. But in the early twentieth century, women like Jeannette couldn’t vote to change the laws that failed to protect children. Jeannette became an activist and led the charge, campaigning for women’s right to vote. And when her home state, Montana, gave women that right, Jeannette ran for Congress and became America’s first congressWOMAN!
  
  
• Rock, Rosetta, Rock! Roll, Rosetta, Roll!: Presenting Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the Godmother of Rock & Roll by Tonya Bolden and illustrated by R. GREGORY CHRISTIE. 

  Before there was Elvis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Johnny Cash, there was Sister Rosetta Tharpe. The godmother of rock 'n' roll started as a little girl from Arkansas with music in her air, in her hair, in her bones, wiggling her toes. With a big guitar in hand and a big voice in her soul, she grew into a rock 'n' roll trailblazer in a time when women were rarely seen rocking out. Her guitar picking was like nobody else’s! Boogie along with this rockin’ tribute to the Rock & Roll Hall-of-Famer Sister Rosetta Tharpe by Coretta Scott King Honor–winning author Tonya Bolden and Caldecott Honor–winning illustrator R. Gregory Christie.

• Holding Her Own: The Exceptional Life of Jackie Ormes by TRACI N. TODD. An evocative picture book biography about the prolific life of Jackie Ormes, whose groundbreaking cartoons became some of the first empowering depictions of Black women in America! Rising stars Traci N. Todd, author of the Coretta Scott King Honor Book Nina: A Story of Nina Simone, and Shannon Wright, co-creator of the bestselling graphic novel Twins, have crafted a gorgeous and heartfelt tribute to the indelible legacy of Jackie Ormes, whose life and work still influences illustrators and cartoonists today.

• Hidden Hope: How a Toy and a Hero Saved Lives During the Holocaust by ELISA BOXER. During World War II, a social worker named Jacqueline bicycled through the streets of Paris, passing Nazi soldiers and carrying a toy duck to share with the children she visited. What the Nazis didn’t know, however, was that Jacqueline was actually a Jewish member of the French Resistance. Families across Europe went into hiding as the Nazis rounded up anyone Jewish. But many brave souls like Jacqueline dared to help them. She risked her life in secret to get life-saving papers to families in hiding, but how? The toy duck held the answer.

Sunday, March 19th at 1PM EST via Crowdcast!

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