In the realm of modern children's literature, biographies of women showcase lives of exceptional talent, perseverance, civic engagement, and more: lives meant to inspire young readers. Since its inception in 2001, the Robert Sibert Informational Book Medal and Honor award has included a biography (or two) every year, with the exception of 2004 and…

Historical narratives of Black women often focus solely on racial discrimination without acknowledging the structural and systemic gender-based discrimination they faced. Crenshaw's concept of intersectionality draws upon decades of Black feminist scholarship delineating how Black women experience systemic oppression on account of both their race…

From statues to picture books, the depictions of suffragists do not always do justice to the complexity of the issues and activists who fought for the 19th Amendment, which provided that "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex." This…

A troubling observation is that--outside of Black History Month in February and Women's History Month in March, during which students are acquiring some knowledge about noteworthy women and minorities--teachers in every grade level often teach about the same figures rather than expanding their lessons to include less-conventional or…

This study discusses the results of a content analysis of 75 Latina biographies for primary and pre-adolescent students that were published over a 16-year period, spanning from 1995 to 2010. Significant to this study was how Latinas were represented in the biographies and what changes can be seen over time. Using a rubric based on research by…

Educators, students, and parents are among those who have stereotypical preconceived ideas about science and scientists. The study reports on a content analysis of graphic images in 303 of the "Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12" from the years 1973 through 2005. Using quantitative and qualitative content analysis, all of the images…

Female sports stars featured in this annotated bibliography have excelled in a variety of sports, often overcoming prejudice and discrimination because of their gender or race. Nine general works and 41 works focusing on 28 individual athletes are cited. (SLD)

Examines biographies of Marie Curie written for children and discusses two types of distortions: simple misrepresentations of fact and selective retelling of the past. It is concluded that biographies of minority or female success should deal specifically with strategies used by the hero or heroine to combat prejudice. (EM)

The great American ballerina, Maria Tallchief, was born in 1925 in Fairfax, Oklahoma. Her mother was White and her father was a full-blood Osage. Her younger sister, Marjorie, also became a famous dancer. The Osage originally lived in western Missouri. They lived in lodges or tepees and were farmers and hunters. The U.S. Government moved them to…

Discusses the difficult and painstaking process of researching the lives of the writers of girls' school stories for "The Encyclopaedia of School Stories," published in the summer 2000. Notes that frequently, very little was known about the authors, and often existing information was inaccurate. Offers details of the encyclopaedia and…

Too often books have been published with contrived and unnatural nonsexist messages. Teachers searching for good nonsexist literature need to consider the potential contributions of biographies, especially women's biographies, written for young children's listening and reading enjoyment. Women in well-selected biographies are assertive,…

This book, aimed at the young reader, explores the life and career of the Chinese-American author, Amy Tan. It follows her childhood in Oakland, California, through her struggle to accept her Chinese heritage, through her education and marriage to a non-Chinese man, to her early work as a business writer, and finally to her great success as a…

This professional biography of Zena Sutherland contains her recollections of men and women in children's book publishing and assesses her impact on the field. Her work as professor, editor, reviewer, writer, and in professional associations is discussed, and establishment of the Zena Sutherland Lectures is described. (Author/LRW)

Identifies some of the best general biographical sites on the Web and offers examples of some categorized biographical sites. Highlights include Web encyclopedias; presidents; women; scientists; children's literature authors and illustrators; popular culture; and classroom applications. (LRW)

Sarah Winnemucca was a full-blood Paiute Indian born in 1844 in Nevada. The Paiute hunted and gathered and lived in wigwams constructed of branches, brush, and hides. Sarah's grandfather, Captain Truckee, befriended the explorer John C. Fremont and went with him to California. Captain Truckee admired White people's clothing and houses and,…