Stand Up!: 10 Mighty Women Who Made a Change

by Brittney Cooper (Author) Cathy Ann Johnson (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

From the New York Times bestselling author of Eloquent Rage comes a powerful, groundbreaking picture book debut introducing young readers to ten revolutionary Black women -- both historical and contemporary -- who changed the world for the better, inspiring readers today to know their strength, to be brave, and to STAND UP!

"A breakthrough... this force of nature is becoming one of our fiercest voices in the new generation of African-American thinkers." -- Essence

Bestselling author Brittney Cooper is a leading Black feminist voice of our times. From her New York Times bestseller Eloquent Rage, selected by Emma Watson as an Our Shared Shelf Book, to her frequent guest appearances on MSNBC, to her regular features on Cosmopolitan.com and Salon.com, and her TED Talk with over 800K views, there's no question Brittney Cooper is one of the most preeminent Black influencers of today. Now, this author, professor, activist, and cultural critic brings her immense talents to the children's space with a seven-title publishing deal at Scholastic, spanning from picture books to middle grade, and launching with this momentous picture book debut: Stand Up!

Stand Up! tells the story of ten historic female figures who changed the world by standing up for what's right, including legendary Civil Rights activists like Ruby Bridges and Rosa Parks and spanning to contemporary role models like Bree Newsome, who removed the confederate flag from the South Carolina state house grounds, and Mari Copeny, a youth activist who fought for clean water in Flint, Michigan. This inspirational biographical collection will live side by side with bestselling classics like Little Leaders and She Persisted yet offers a wholly original, powerful new voice and approach that make this story so singular, personal, and groundbreaking. Cooper's enlightening text depicts both famous and unsung Black women who took a stand and made the world a better place for future generations. Each heroic figure is interconnected by a united quest for equity, and offers young readers a stirring, inspirational call to action, reminding them that they are mighty too, and can be forces for change when they stand up!

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School Library Journal

Starred Review

K-Gr 3--This empowering picture book explains that "Standing up is a powerful thing." Readers are reminded that when they first learned to stand, their view of the world changed. Standing up for what one believes can also be a shift in perspective and can take many forms. Some, like Claudette Colvin, stood up for their beliefs by sitting down. Phillis Wheatley stood up by picking up her pen. All ten of the Black women and girls in this book chose to speak out, act on their convictions, and resist the pressure to sit down and be quiet in the face of what they saw to be unjust. Mixed-media illustrations capture the spirit of each iconic heroine and include historically accurate clothing and hairstyles. The background colors used when the young girl being addressed is shown are particularly energetic oranges and pinks. One vivid image shows that young girl with all ten figures gathered behind her to emphasize the statement, "When you stand up for what you believe, you don't stand alone." Cooper explains in an author's note that Rosa Parks was her inspiration as a child and that she wants to help young Black girls learn to shine. This book could be a gift book to young girls, or used as a read-aloud to kick off a study of strong Black women throughout history. VERDICT Vibrantly illustrated and featuring a variety of justice-seekers, this book belongs in every library and classroom.--Suzanne Costner

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

Praise for Brittney Cooper

Brittney Cooper is a national treasure. Eloquent Rage is as exhilarating as it is vulnerable, a crucial book that tackles friendship and feminism, Hillary Clinton and Sandra Bland, violence and family, sex and faith and race and gender, all with vibrant grace and honesty. Cooper is a generous writer, affording even those she rages against good humored compassion, but never letting any of us fully off the hook. This book is just so good. — Rebecca Traister, New York Times bestselling author

[Eloquent Rage] is distinct both for its telling as the author's own journey and for its―yes―eloquent personal voice, which, between her erudition and her command of vernacular, is funny, wrenching, pithy, and pointed. — Rebecca Solnit, The New Republic

A dissertation on black women's pain and possibility; an autobiography of a black woman's complicated dance with feminism, overcoming otherness as a big black girl in a skinny-white-girl world, her mother's triumph over violence, and her own journey from disappointment to black joy. — Joy Reid, Cosmopolitan

Brittney Cooper
Brittney Cooper is the New York Times bestselling author of Eloquent Rage: A Black Woman Discovers her Superpowers. A professor of Women's and Gender Studies and Africana Studies at Rutgers University, she cofounded the Crunk Feminist Collective, and her cultural commentary has been featured on MSNBC's All In with Chris Hayes, Melissa Harris-Perry, the New York Times, New York Magazine, Marie Claire, The Cut, the Washington Post, NPR, PBS, Al Jazeera's Third Rail, Ebony.com, Essence.com, TheRoot.com, and TED.com, and has been named four times to The Root 100.
Cathy Ann Johnson received her BFA from Columbus College of Arts and Design. She spent several years at Hallmark Greeting Cards, where she honed her skills crafting emotional content that speaks to children. Cathy Ann loves connecting words to pictures, and her whimsical and lyrical style focuses on layouts that echo a child's perspective. Her work has appeared in children's books, magazines, posters, home décor, gifts and more. She currently works from Downtown Decatur, Georgia, as well as a satellite studio in Rome, Italy. In her spare time, Cathy Ann, her husband, and their cute doggie enjoy roaming Rome and chasing castles in medieval towns.
Classification
Non-fiction
ISBN-13
9781338763850
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Orchard Books
Publication date
August 02, 2022
Series
-
BISAC categories
JNF018010 - Juvenile Nonfiction | People & Places | United States - African-American
JNF053140 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Social Topics | Prejudice & Racism
JNF007110 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography & Autobiography | Social Activists
Library of Congress categories
Social action
Political participation
Assertiveness in children
Black women
African American women political activists

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