A Is for Awesome!: 23 Iconic Women Who Changed the World

by Eva Chen, Derek Desierto (Illustrator)

Overview

Why stick with plain old A, B, C when you can have Amelia (Earhart), Malala, Tina (Turner), Ruth (Bader Ginsburg), all the way to eXtraordinary You—and the Zillion of adventures you will go on?

Instagram superstar Eva Chen, author of Juno Valentine and the Magical Shoes, is back with an alphabet board book depicting feminist icons in A Is for Awesome: 23 Iconic Women Who Changed the World, featuring spirited illustrations by Derek Desierto.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250215994
Publisher:	Feiwel & Friends
Publication date:	02/05/2019
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	40,449
Product dimensions:	7.90(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	1 - 3 Years

About the Author

Eva Chen is a first-generation Chinese-American who grew up in New York City. She blames her deviation from pre-med at Johns Hopkins University on a love of fashion and beauty instilled in her by her mother, whose perfect bob and lipstick made a permanent imprint on her impressionable young mind. Previously the editor in chief of Lucky, Eva has also written for ELLE, Vogue, Teen Vogue,Vogue China, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. She is currently the head of fashion partnerships at Instagram, where she is guilty of the occasional duck-face selfie. Eva lives in New York City with her husband and two children. She is the author of Juno Valentine and the Magical Shoes, A Is for Awesome, and Juno Valentine and the Fantastic Fashion Adventure.

Derek Desierto, illustrator of Juno Valentine and the Magical Shoes, is a Vancouver-based illustrator, designer, and overall nice guy from a nice family. His animation work has been recognized by the Ottawa International Animation Festival, the National Cartoonist Society, and 9 Story Media Group. Currently, he is living the dream as a freelance artist for animated TV shows and picture books. His ultimate goal in life is to meet Oprah and become one of her Favorite Things.

Editorial Reviews

01/14/2019

In this alphabet board book, Chen, director of fashion partnerships at Instagram, celebrates 23 women artists, scientists, activists, entertainers, authors, and other influencers. Juno, the protagonist from Chen’s picture book Juno Valentine and the Magical Shoes, makes a brief cameo to kick things off: “There’s a whole world of inspiring sheroes out there.... Here are some of my favorites!” Chen features well-known contemporary figures, including Beyoncé Knowles, Malala Yousafzai, and Oprah Winfrey, as well as those less familiar to young readers (Katharine Graham, the first female publisher of the Washington Post, and businesswoman Pat McGrath). A reflective surface on the final spread enables readers to see themselves—literally—among the broad-ranging influential figures. Ages 1–3. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for A Is for Awesome!:

A Publishers Weekly Bestseller!

"That theme of swinging for the fences and going for it is the undercurrent in this book. Even though it’s about how they’re all awesome, the real undercurrent is, 'Look at all these people who are superheroes who are just like you.' I try to tell that to my daughter." —Hasan Minhaj, in Huffpost

Praise for Juno Valentine and the Magical Shoes:

A New York Times Bestseller!

Featured in Oprah Magazine's Holiday Gift Guide

Recommended by Rachael Ray as the perfect holiday gift

Featured in InStyle's Holiday Gift Guide

“[A] fresh take on a fairy tale.” —Forbes.com

“Those who are 3, 13, or 30 can all enjoy the book.” —Vogue.com

"Not only does this book pay homage to some of history's greatest women, it also gives them snaps for their fashion sense." —Romper

"Kids need more books like this." —HelloGiggles

"[This book is] not going to drop without a bang." —Refinery29

"[A] charming story." —MyDomaine

“Chen proves that the accessory can actually provide an important teachable moment for young kids.” —WhoWhatWear

From the Publisher

03/01/2019

PreS-Gr 1—This large board book provides an alphabetical and brief overview of 23 women. Both contemporary and historic women are covered with an introduction sentence, and most have a personal quote in a blue cloud. "N is for the tempestuous and talented Nina Simone, singer, songwriter, and activist. I'll tell you what freedom is to me: No Fear.' " The illustrations are a mixture of drawings and collage and the women's faces are done in a cartoon style. The book starts with a girl, Juno, talking about "inspiring sheroes," and ends with a mirror for X, Y, and Z with an affirmation for readers to do great things. The end pages show all the women in two rows. Juno is nowhere to be seen after the first page. The information on the women is minimal, and having 23 letters/women, seems to imply there are not at least 26 women worth writing about. The ending with the mirror feels gimmicky. In addition, the story would benefit from being a traditional picture book with additional information on the women in the text or the back, instead of a board book. The reading level is more pre-school to early elementary than toddler. VERDICT Simple and cute, but a bit short on information and women, a good general purchase for larger libraries.—Tamara Saarinen, Pierce County Library, WA

School Library Journal