Quite honestly, I don’t really get Woman’s Day. Other than a bunch of discounts and special brunches, fancy ‘award’ ceremonies and being bombarded on social media by inane wishes, does Women’s Day truly achieve what it was meant to?
Meant to celebrate woman’s achievement, bat for gender equality ya da, ya da….does it manage to create any change?
How can we value the little things that woman around us achieve. The kind of things that fly under the radar of the various ‘award committees’.
Woman’s day is everyday. Valuing woman does not need a special day. It needs to be second nature to us, and books as always are the perfect way to help build this appreciation.
I glanced through my small collection of books on my bookshelf at home and I saw some marvellous women hiding between their covers, leaping off the pages, skipping through the paragraphs.
Some you may know, others may be new.
I chose them from a host of many others, for their qualities that spoke to me.
While women should be celebrated everyday, I thought I'd celebrate Woman's day 2022, by highlighting the inspiring women we come across in the books we read to our children/students. So here’s 22 Books with the girls and women who’s qualities I admire.
In no particular order:
1. Nana for showing Grace that she can be anything she wants to be. Grace for thinking beyond the box she was put in. Both from AMAZING GRACE
2. DRUM DREAM GIRL for her tenacity to follow the rhythms of her heart despite the naysayers around her.
3. Nana from JULIAN IS A MERMAID for letting Julian BE.
4. Moyna from THE WHY-WHY GIRL for keeping on questioning.
5. Baba Zarrah from THE STORY BLANKET for teaching us that every question has an answer if only we look for it.
6. Millie from MILLIE’S MARVELLOUS HAT for teaching the grown-ups and us how to imagine the hat we want to wear.
7. The women from THE KEEPING QUILT for rooting us with the importance of tradition and family.
8. Mrs Chew from THE ART OF MRS CHEW for always having Trisha’s back.
9. *Miss Moore from MISS MOORE THOUGHT OTHERWISE for giving us all the gift of children’s libraries.
10. Yasmin from BOOK UNCLE AND ME for standing up for what she believed in.
11. The Unicorn Lady from I BELIEVE IN UNICORNS for spinning tales and weaving magic, encouraging thinking, dreaming and questions.
12. Savie from Savie and the Memory Keeper for making us not just want to run out and hug a tree, but to listen, to feel, to see, to care.
13. *SHE MADE A MONSTER: HOW MARY SHELLY CREATED FRANKENSTEIN…although a real person, her presence in a picture book, makes her eligible for my list…for daring to take on a challenge, imagining, creating and going down in history!
14. The Art teacher from THE DOT for being an inspiration to all teachers and Vashti from THE DOT for not just embracing her art, but for being an inspiration and generously passing it on.
15. Morrigan Crow from NEVERMOOR for being Wundrous and challenging fate.
16. Xiomara for speaking up with integrity and rhythm and soul Caridad for her brand of friendship. Both from THE POET X.
17. Paati from THE MYSTERY OF THE SECRET HAIR OIL FORMULA for her brains and wackiness.
18. The Witch from ROOM ON THE BROOM for always creating the space to include everyone.
19. Luna Lovegood from HARRY POTTER for her dottiness, dreaminess and unique personality.
20. THE TICKETY TALE TELLER for her determination to spread joy with her stories and books.
21. Bena from BENA'S SUMMER for her generosity of spirit and truth pointing moral compass.
22. Pishi from PISHI AND ME for teaching us all to slow down and treasure the smallest...people and stuff.
There are so many more….but I’m going to stop here. 22 for Woman's Day 2022
Do share some of your favourite women from children's books in the comments…so that they continue to inspire us in many ways.