Baby Feminists

by Libby Babbott-Klein, Jessica Walker (Illustrator)

Overview

Before Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Mae Jemison, Frida Kahlo, and others were change-making feminists, they were . . . babies!

What do Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Mae Jemison, Frida Kahlo, Barack and Michelle Obama, Gloria Steinem, Dorothy Pitman Hughes, Billie Jean King, Yoko Ono, and Malala Yousafzai have in'common' They're all feminists— and they were all once babies! This irresistible and timely 7" x 7" board book invites you to lift the flap and discover what your favorite feminist icons might have looked like as babies and toddlers. With an inspiring message that any baby can grow up to make the world a better place for all genders, Baby Feminists makes the perfect gift for baby'showers, baby-naming ceremonies, birthdays, holidays, and more.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780451480101
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	10/02/2018
Pages:	26
Sales rank:	226,019
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 6.80(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	3 Months to 3 Years

About the Author

Libby Babbott-Klein is a producer and creative director with a focus on activist and political content. She ran the video department for Al Gore's Alliance for Climate Protection, launched a feminist jewelry line (Libby B.K.), and for over a decade she has been creating content that is rooted in social change and entertainment. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @libby_bk.

Jessica Walker is a multidisciplinary artist, illustrator, filmmaker, and educator. She is an assistant professor of fine arts at Parsons and has exhibited films, books, and 2D media in solo and group shows in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, and Australia. Her work is housed in the permanent collections at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Research Library, Yale University Haas Family Arts Library, and the University of Washington Art Library.

Read an Excerpt

Before she rose to the Supreme Court, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was . . . a baby.
(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "Baby Feminists"
by .
Copyright © 2018 Libby Babbott-Klein.
Excerpted by permission of Penguin Young Readers Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Editorial Reviews

08/27/2018
Renowned feminists from the past and present were all babies once, Babbott-Klein suggests with this timely board book. On the right-hand pages, Walker presents collagelike, die-cut portraits of each individual (including Frida Kahlo, Billie Jean King, the Obamas, and Yoko Ono), and flaps lift to reveal them as babies. Babbott-Klein drives home the lightly tongue-in-cheek conceit with brief descriptions of each featured feminist. “Before she rose to the Supreme Court, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was... a baby.” Adult Ginsburg appears in her trademark glasses and collar; baby Ginsburg is similarly clothed and clutching a gavel. While adult readers may be the most tickled by the concept, the predictable formula and interactive element provide a playful hook for future feminists. Ages up to 3. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Named one of the 10 Best Children’s Books of 2018 by Smithsonian Magazine

"YOUR KID WILL LOVE THIS BOOK… It’s interactive, beautiful, and meaningful." —Olivia Wilde, Actor and Activist 

"If I were a mother raising children now, Baby Feminists would be right there on my children's shelf next to Goodnight Moon." —The Chicago Tribune

"A powerful message" —Santa Barbara News Press

"Timely . . . the predictable formula and interactive element provide a playful hook for future feminists." —Publishers Weekly

"Baby Feminists brilliantly introduces kids to icons like Mae Jemison & RBG…a brilliant and beautiful way for parents to introduce [little ones] to some of the most inspiring, trailblazing female change-makers of our time." —Parents.com

"Timely and empowering, and the watercolor illustrations are delightful for kids and parents alike." —Feminist Wednesday

"The book all activist babies and parents need." —Ladydeelg

"A balm for your feminist rage." —Romper

From the Publisher

2018-08-27

Yes, Billie Jean King, Dr. Mae Jemison, and Malala Yousafzai were all babies at one time.

On each recto, there is a flap with the picture of a grown-up feminist icon. When the flap is opened, readers see a baby picture of this individual in a scene that includes an item that was visible through a die-cut hole. Grown-up Ruth Bader Ginsburg's lace collar turns into baby Ruth's bib, and both adult Frida Kahlo and baby Frida wear flowers in their hair. The patterned text is a series of simple reverse-order statements, each of which starts on the verso and finishes beneath the flap with a repeated refrain: "Before she imagined peace, Yoko Ono was… / a baby." Walker adeptly creates recognizable images of well-known figures, but the expansive, cream-colored backgrounds dwarf and isolate many of the babes under the flaps. While empowering young girls is a worthy goal, the historical significance of these figures is likely to be lost on youngsters who are still learning the meanings of yesterday and today. The disembodied raised fists of adult Gloria Steinem and Dorothy Pitman Hughes in their famous Esquire magazine photo and the baby-sized counterpart fists are particularly confusing. The four concluding double-page spreads consist of a review of the figures who have come before, some encouragement to follow in their footsteps, and a one- to two-sentence biography of each.

Simultaneously iconic, well-meaning, and developmentally inappropriate. (Board book. 1-3)

Kirkus Reviews