She Persisted: Margaret Chase Smith

by Ruby Shamir, Chelsea Clinton, Alexandra Boiger (Illustrator), Gillian Flint (Illustrator)

Overview

Inspired by the #1 New York Times bestseller She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger, a chapter book series about women who stood up, spoke up and rose up against the odds—including Margaret Chase Smith!

In this chapter book biography by award-winning author Ruby Shamir, readers learn about the amazing life of Margaret Chase Smith—and how she persisted. 
 
Margaret Chase Smith liked to help people, and she knew she could do that as a member of Congress. She became the first woman to serve in both the House and the Senate, where she supported the space program and more opportunities for women. Her hard work and success helped pave the way for generations of women after her to run for office!

Complete with an introduction from Chelsea Clinton and a list of ways that readers can follow in Margaret Chase Smith's footsteps and make a difference! A perfect choice for kids who love learning and teachers who want to bring inspiring women into their curriculum.
 
And don’t miss out on the rest of the books in the She Persisted series, featuring so many more women who persisted, including Sonia Sotomayor, Sally Ride, and more!
 
Praise for She Persisted: Margaret Chase Smith:
 
"Gives readers excellent reasons to remember this pioneering woman politician." —Kirkus Reviews

"An important addition to the biography section of any library." —School Library Journal

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593115893
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	10/05/2021
Series:	She Persisted Series
Pages:	80
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Ruby Shamir (rubyshamir.com) is an award-winning children's book author whose titles include the What's the Big Deal About . . . American history and civics series. She previously worked in government and politics—in the White House, in the U.S. Senate, and on a bunch of campaigns—and writes to share with readers what she learned about civic engagement in those roles. She lives in the Bronx, New York, with her husband and three children. Follow her on Twitter @ruby_shamir.

Chelsea Clinton is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed the World; She Persisted Around the World: 13 Women Who Changed History; She Persisted in Sports: American Olympians Who Changed the Game; Don't Let Them Disappear: 12 Endangered Species Across the Globe; It's Your World: Get Informed, Get Inspired & Get Going!; Start Now!: You Can Make a Difference; with Hillary Clinton, Grandma's Gardens and Gutsy Women; and, with Devi Sridhar, Governing Global Health: Who Runs the World and Why? She is also the Vice Chair of the Clinton Foundation, where she works on many initiatives, including those that help empower the next generation of leaders. She lives in New York City with her husband, Marc, their children and their dog, Soren. You can follow Chelsea Clinton on Twitter @ChelseaClinton or on Facebook at facebook.com/chelseaclinton.

Gillian Flint (gillianflint.com) is an illustrator who has a passion for painting in watercolors. She has been drawing and creating characters for as long as she can remember. Her work has been published in the USA, the UK and Australia. In her spare time she enjoys reading and gardening at her home in the UK. You can follow her on Instagram @gillianflint_illustration.

Alexandra Boiger (alexandraboiger.com) has illustrated nearly twenty picture books, including the She Persisted series by by Chelsea Clinton; the popular Tallulah series by Marilyn Singer; and the Max and Marla books, which she also wrote. Originally from Munich, Germany, she now lives outside of San Francisco, California, with her husband, Andrea; daughter, Vanessa; and two cats, Luiso and Winter. You can follow Alexandra on Instagram @alexandra_boiger.

Read an Excerpt

Dear Reader,

As Sally Ride and Marian Wright Edelman both powerfully said, “You can’t be what you can’t see.” When Sally Ride said that, she meant that it was hard to dream of being an astronaut, like she was, or a doctor or an athlete or anything at all if you didn’t see someone like you who already had lived that dream. She especially was talking about seeing women in jobs that historically were held by men. 

I wrote the first She Persisted and the books that came after it because I wanted young girls—and children of all genders—to see women who worked hard to live their dreams. And I wanted all of us to see examples of persistence in the face of different challenges to help inspire us in our own lives. 

I’m so thrilled now to partner with a sisterhood of writers to bring longer, more in-depth versions of these stories of women’s persistence and achievement to readers. I hope you enjoy these chapter books as much as I do and find them inspiring and empowering. 

And remember: If anyone ever tells you no, if anyone ever says your voice isn’t important or your dreams are too big, remember these women. They persisted and so should you.

Warmly,
Chelsea Clinton


TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1: Reaching High on Tippy-Toes
Chapter 2: Leaping into the Future
Chapter 3: Running on Her Own
Chapter 4: Speaking Up Courageously
Chapter 5: Working Extra Hard
Chapter 6: The First, Not the Last
How You Can Persist
References


Chapter 1
Reaching High on Tippy-Toes
 
When Margaret Chase was a little girl, no one would have thought to ask what she wanted to be when she grew up. In those days, it didn’t much matter what a girl wanted to be, because there were very real limits on what she could be. She was supposed to get married to a man and be a mother. And if she had to work outside the home to make money, there were very few jobs for which she would be hired—maybe a maid or a teacher or a waitress or a store clerk. Women weren’t expected to be much else, and more than that, they weren’t supposed to want much else. Women weren’t expected to have ambition—goals or dreams that they could work hard to make happen.

But from the start, Margaret had ambition: she wanted to build her own future in her own way.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Reaching High on Tippy-Toes 1

Chapter 2 Leaping into the Future 9

Chapter 3 Running on Her Own 17

Chapter 4 Speaking Up Courageously 25

Chapter 5 Working Extra Hard 33

Chapter 6 The First, Not the Last 41

How You Can Persist 49

References 53

Editorial Reviews

2021-09-24
One of the least-known members of the original She Persisted pantheon gets her due.

Margaret Chase was born in the mostly White mill town of Skowhegan, Maine, in 1897. From girlhood, she was a hard worker, first in the home (she was the oldest of six) and then in the community. A job as a telephone operator cultivated what would much later be called networking skills, and thanks to her work ethic and confident independence, she became a leader among professional women both local and statewide and won election to the town council twice. In 1930, she married local politician Clyde Smith, masterfully running his successful campaign for Congress. When he died, she ran for—and won—his seat, serving in Congress for several terms before winning election to the Senate. It was there, as a freshman Republican senator, that she faced down Joseph McCarthy and his enablers with her “Declaration of Conscience” speech. Though Shamir neglects to name the speech, she provides a cogent, age-appropriate summary of McCarthyism as well as giving her young readers an excellent overview of U.S. electoral politics and the structure of the federal government. She also makes clear the unique challenges that Smith faced as a woman in mostly male spaces throughout her career, up to her 1964 run for the Republican nomination for president.

Gives readers excellent reasons to remember this pioneering woman politician. (suggested activities, bibliography) (Biography. 6-9)

Kirkus Reviews

Praise for She Persisted: Margaret Chase Smith:

"Gives readers excellent reasons to remember this pioneering woman politician." —Kirkus Reviews

"An important addition to the biography section of any library." —School Library Journal

From the Publisher