Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors?: The Story of Elizabeth Blackwell

by Tanya Lee Stone, Marjorie Priceman (Illustrator)

Overview

In the 1830s, when a brave and curious girl named Elizabeth Blackwell was growing up, women were supposed to be wives and mothers. Some women could be teachers or seamstresses, but career options were few. Certainly no women were doctors.

But Elizabeth refused to accept the common beliefs that women weren't smart enough to be doctors, or that they were too weak for such hard work. And she would not take no for an answer. Although she faced much opposition, she worked hard and finally—when she graduated from medical school and went on to have a brilliant career—proved her detractors wrong. This inspiring story of the first female doctor shows how one strong-willed woman opened the doors for all the female doctors to come.

Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors? by Tanya Lee Stone is an NPR Best Book of 2013

This title has common core connections.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781466831803
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	02/19/2013
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	27 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Tanya Lee Stone has written several books for young readers, including the young adult novel A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl. She lives with her family in Vermont.

Marjorie Priceman has twice received Caldecott Honors, one for her illustrations in Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin! and one for Hot Air: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Hot-Air Balloon Ride. She is the illustrator of Who Said Women Can't Be Doctors? by Tanya Lee Stone. She lives in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.

Reading Group Guide

Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors? The Story of Elizabeth Blackwell
Written by Tanya Lee Stone
Illustrated by Marjorie Priceman
Christy Ottaviano Books,
Henry Holt and Company, an imprint of
Macmillan Children's Publishing Group
For ages 5 to 8
HC: 9780805090482

Today, more than 50 percent of doctors in America are women. But that was not always the case. In Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors?, author Tanya Lee Stone takes readers back to a time in the 1840s when women were mostly expected to be wives and mothers. Career options were few. There were certainly no female doctors. In this book, Stone tells the story of a brave and curious girl named Elizabeth Blackwell who refused to accept these common beliefs and would not take no for an answer. This inspiring story of the first female doctor in America shows how one strong-willed woman opened the doors for all the female doctors who followed.

Before Reading

1. Look at the art on the front and back cover of the book, as well as the spot art on the title and dedication pages. What do you think the book might be about, based on just the art? What do you think might be happening in the art on the back cover?

2. In what time era does the book take place? Why do you think so? Support your answer with specific examples from the book. 2

3. Think about the doctors you have met. Were any of them women? What qualities make a good doctor? (Create a list.) Do you see anything on the list that has to do with being male or female? (Read the text on the second spread that begins, "Back in the 1840s…") Imagine growing up at this time and wanting to do something that other people say you couldn't do. What might you do then?

General Discussion Questions

1. Was life better for boys when Elizabeth was young? Why or why not? Do you think any of your reasons are still true today?

2. Why might Mary Donaldson have "much preferred being examined by a woman?" Today, people often have the choice of going to a male or a female doctor. Do you think it is better to have that choice; why?

3. Mary Donaldson put the thought of being a doctor in Elizabeth's mind. Has anyone ever suggested that you try something you might not have thought of trying before?

4. How did Elizabeth earn the money to pay for medical school? Have you ever wanted something badly enough to find a way to earn the money to pay for it?

5. The author writes that Elizabeth "was as stubborn as a mule. Quite rightly!" What does the author mean by this? How many letters did Elizabeth receive telling her she did NOT get accepted to medical school? Have you ever tried to do something and did not succeed at it? What did you do? Did you keep trying?

6. The author writes: "Soon the boys wanted to know what Elizabeth thought about this or that." Why do you think the boys changed their opinions about Elizabeth?

7. Why do you think the male doctor said, about Elizabeth's graduating from medical school, "I hope, for the honor of humanity, that [she] will be the last?" Do you think other people felt that way as well, and why? How might Elizabeth's success have paved the way for other women?

Editorial Reviews

…[a] sharp, witty biography of America's first female physician…Priceman…infuses her bright gouaches with energy and dynamism.

The New York Times - Pamela Paul

Here's a refreshing introduction to a regularly but often dryly cited female 'first'.” —The Horn Book

“Stone presents the highly readable and detailed story of a girl who is sure to inspire aspiring young doctors.” —School Library Journal

“Staccato text, short and snappy, easy to read yet full of information about both Blackwell and her times.” —Booklist, starred review

“A bracing, vivacious account of a pioneering woman.” —Kirkus

“[a] smart and lively biography of Elizabeth Blackwell.” —Publishers Weekly

“A short, incisive biography. . . . The cameos of action, matched by full-page pictures, make the history accessible. A must for library shelves.” —Booklist, starred review on Elizabeth Leads the Way

“This biography brims with upbeat energy as the spirited woman sets out to change the system—an energy amplified by Rebecca Gibbon's bright folk art-styled pictures.” —The Washington Post on Elizabeth Leads the Way

“[This book] fires up readers with a portrait of the 19th-century feminist Elizabeth Cady Stanton. . . . The sometimes informational tone is animated and energized by Gibbon's plentiful vignettes and paintings, rendered in a vibrant folk-art style.” —Publishers Weekly on Elizabeth Leads the Way

“Through words and pictures that work together and an emphasis on ideas and personality rather than factoids, this well-conceived introduction is just right for a young audience.” —School Library Journal on Elizabeth Leads the Way

“In lively prose well-matched by Gibbon's irrepressible images, Stone tells the story of suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton. . . . A fine introduction for very young readers to the woman and her key role in American history.” —Kirkus Reviews on Elizabeth Leads the Way

From the Publisher

"Women cannot be doctors. They should not be doctors." Elizabeth Blackwell received 28 rejections from medical schools before one accepted her. Stone takes a lively and conversational approach to the life of the first female doctor in the United States. A tiny but adventurous girl, Elizabeth Blackwell once carried her brother over her head until he stopped fighting with her, and she got the idea to go to medical school from a sick friend who confided that she would much rather be examined by a woman. When Geneva Medical School in New York state accepted her, she didn't know that the (male) student body had voted on her acceptance as a joke, but she graduated with the top grades in her class. Priceman's swirly and vivid gouache-and–India ink artwork is an excellent foil for the text, which directly addresses young readers' own experience while reminding them that in the 1840s, things were different, and that one very determined girl had changed that. The author's note describes the difficulties Dr. Blackwell experienced setting up her practice and her career treating the poor women and children of New York City. It also notes that today, more than half of all students in U.S. medical schools are women. A bracing, vivacious account of a pioneering woman. (Picture book/biography. 5-9)

Kirkus Reviews