Inspirational people

September 12th 2018

Our team of librarians have come up with a list of their favourite books on Inspirational people, with something for all ages.   Girls can do anything! (Younger picture book) A rhyming picture book aimed at inspiring young female readers by celebrating all things that girls can do. Our librarian’s review – “Positive and gleeful, with a potted history of some famous women. Allows that girls can be anything they want to be. Good to have in collections.”   Amazing women (Junior non-fiction) A simple non-fiction text that profiles inspiring women throughout history and their extraordinary achievements. Our librarian’s review – “Wide-ranging interesting coverage complemented by apt illustrations, although some pages are rather text-heavy. Best to support classroom research.”   Fantastically great women who made history (Junior non-fiction) A celebration of the lives of women of many influential women in history. Our librarian’s review – “A fabulous book celebrating women in a colourful and child friendly way. Wide-ranging selection of female heroes that should inspire and inform.”   Reaching the stars (Poetry) A collection of poems celebrating the achievements of women and girls throughout history.  It includes poems about Malala Yousafzai, Rosa Parks, Margaret Hamilton, Ada Lovelace, Helen Keller, Mary Shelley, Edith Cavell and many more. Our librarian’s review – “This is a lovely collection celebrating the achievements of some remarkable women. Great for schools or leisure.”   Men who changed the world (Junior non-fiction) A non-fiction text that outlines the lives of 11 famous men and their achievements throughout history. Our librarian’s review – “Quite a random assortment of men and the big pictures take up most of the page leaving little room for information. It's fine as a starting point for further investigation in schools though.”   Great British men and women (Junior non-fiction) Gives brief biographies of some of the great men and women who have been influential in Britain throughout history and to the present day. Our librarian’s review – “An interesting layout which, although may be a little confusing, covers a good range of people and gives some brief, yet interesting information.”   Suffragette: The battle for equality (Junior non-fiction) As September 2018 marks the centenary of the first women winning the right to vote in the UK, this celebratory book tells the inspirational stories of the extraordinary women and men who fought so hard to achieve it. Our librarian’s review – “Text does an excellent job of keeping subject approachable & entertaining yet packing the book with info, and illustrations really bring topic to life. Pick it up and you'll struggle to put it down, outstanding!”   HerStory: 50 women and girls who shook the world (Junior non-fiction) An uplifting and inspiring book in which details 50 intrepid women from around the world and throughout history. Our librarian’s review – “Impressively wide-ranging and manages to fit in a lot of information about each person. Font and page-layout may deter some but otherwise an inspirational title for projects or to dip into.”   Women in Science: 50 fearless pioneers who changed the world (Teenage non-fiction) Highlights the contributions of fifty notable women to the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, from both the ancient and modern worlds. Our librarian’s review – “Wide-ranging succinct potted data but infographic illustration style although presentation may not appeal widely. Fascinating facts and timeline will support topic study.”    Fight like a girl: 50 feminists who changed the world (Teenage non-fiction) With feminism being such a hot topic at the moment this book provides potted histories of 50 feminists throughout history from the 18^th century to the present day. Our librarian’s review – “A good mix of modern & historical examples but it may benefit from more explanation in places.  Worth trying as a starting point for study.”