From the monthly archives:
Thank you, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving by Laurie Halse Anderson, illustrated by Matt Faulkner (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2002)
It took thirty-eight years of letters to U.S. presidents from Sarah Hale before Thanksgiving became a national holiday. Lincoln made the day official in 1863. “Pick up your pen. Change the world.”
Visit WomenWriters.net to read more about Hale’s contributions as editor and writer.
Far Beyond the Gate: Alexandra David-Neel’s Journey to Lhasa by Don Brown (Houghton Mifflin, 2002)
David-Neel did not represent the norm. This intrepid Victorian traveler and opera singer gloried in journeying to remote parts of the world. She became and the first Western woman to enter Lhasa, Tibet in 1924.
A bio on Alexandra David-Neel’s web site offers additional info.
Louis Sockalexis: Native American Baseball Pioneer by Bill Wise, illustrated by Bill Farnsworth (Lee & Low, 2007)
Sockalexis, the first Native American major league baseball player, won the hearts of fans with his incredible skill, but the prejudice he faced on the field and off was intense. A note in the Afterword mentions that almost fifty years after Sockalexis’ rookie year, African American Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in the major leagues.
Visit the Official Site of the Cleveland Indians, Sockalexis’ team, then known as the Cleveland Spiders.
Woman for President: The Story of Virginia Woodhull by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Jane Dyer (Walker, 2006 reprint)
Woodhull’s run for president in 1872 is a fascinating part of American history. In this race, women’s rights were raised to a new level. Her eclectic background: fortune-teller, newspaper owner and investment business owner, to name only a few of her talents also make Woodhull a woman to be remembered.
“Who is Victoria Woodhull?” offers more information about this political pioneer.
Young Pele: Soccer’s First Star by Lesa Cline-Ransome, illustrated by James E. Ransome (Schwartz & Wade Books, 2007)
Soccer was Pele’s passion from an early age. He played and dreamed and dreamed and played, all the while honing his skills and talent. When he finally had the opportunity to play in a youth soccer tournament, he saw that it would be possible for him, a child from humble means, to achieve his goal.
ESPN posts a biography of the “King of Futbol” on their site.
