Elizabeth started all the Trouble by Doreen Rappaport –ESSENTIAL

Rappaport, Doreen Elizabeth started all the Trouble Disney/Hyperion, 2016 $17.99 PICTURE BOOK/NON-FICTION

This book is a history of women’s right to vote in the United States. Though that’s its main focus, the author doesn’t forget women's rights in general. We start the story with Abigail Adams, then move to Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, and Susan B. Anthony, as well other groundbreaking women. We learn about the start of the movement, the upheaval it caused, and the serious determination of generations of women to achieve their goal.

This is a stellar book, a must have for a school library (and teachers classrooms come to that). The author does a fantastic job of telling the story in a way that is simple enough for a young reader to read on their own, without skimping on the history, gravity, or spirit of the efforts for women’s rights. The illustrations are top notch and interesting to look at, with creative use of the size of men as they try to keep women small. This book could easily be used in a short but powerful lesson, without overwhelming students with information, or requiring a huge catalog of history knowledge. Great book to bring to a history lesson, a voting lesson, or just to read and bring to light how much the world can change when you don’t give up.  

EL (K-3), EL  –ESSENTIAL 

Reviewer: Stephanie Elementary School Librarian & Author.