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Gives kids a chance to learn and celebrate the strength, bravery, and hard work of the generations of women that have come before us!
How much do you know about your grandmother? A girl learns about the Women Airforce Service Pilots – nicknamed the “WASP” – who flew during World War II. Grandma explains how she was one of the first women to fly for the United States Army. A story that teaches history, leadership, and courage through intergenerational learning. Written and illustrated by granddaughters of one of the true-life pilots who broke barriers for women in the United States armed forces. Erin Miller and Randal Harmon are granddaughters of WASP WWII pilot Elaine Danforth Harmon.
What Grandma Did by Erin Miller is a fantastic treat for young girls and women—and, who are we kidding—young boys and men, too! It tells us about the brave women (our grandmothers and great grandmothers) who served as Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) during World War II.Â
They were a civilian group who learned to fly military planes and trained future pilots, but received harassment, prejudice, and (for a long time) the details for their mission were unknown.
Author Erin Miller and illustrator Randal Harmon do a wonderful job of bringing those accomplishments to light. Young kids and adults alike will enjoy the photo-album style art and rhyming text. Sprinkled with a few real-life photographs, the book is both informative and lyrical as it teaches many of us a well-hidden side to the women’s effort during World War II.
The text is timely, given the ever-present and continued fight for women’s rights and should earn a space on the shelf of any librarian, teacher, or parent looking to educate their kids on women’s history.Â
While, overall, the book is well done, my main concern is that the cover design is overly simplistic, doesn’t convey the book’s theme, and won’t immediately attract readers. My hope is that the back cover blurb will bring in readers looking for a nonfiction kids’ book that teaches an important lesson.
I highly recommend What Grandma Did for teachers and librarians (it would make a wonderful part of a lesson on women’s history), as well as parents and grandparents wanting to share a part of their history with young kids.Â
Reviewed by
I'm a freelance writer, teacher, and an avid reader of picture books, middle grade, YA, sci-fi, and fantasy. When I'm not reading you can find me on my blog, www.bilinguallyyours.com, a place for Spanish teachers and bilingual families.
Synopsis
How much do you know about your grandmother? A girl learns about the Women Airforce Service Pilots – nicknamed the “WASP” – who flew during World War II. Grandma explains how she was one of the first women to fly for the United States Army. A story that teaches history, leadership, and courage through intergenerational learning. Written and illustrated by granddaughters of one of the true-life pilots who broke barriers for women in the United States armed forces. Erin Miller and Randal Harmon are granddaughters of WASP WWII pilot Elaine Danforth Harmon.
About the author
Erin Miller is the granddaughter of WASP WWII pilot Elaine Harmon. Erin has a J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law, a Master's in international studies from the University of Leeds, and a B.A. in history from the University of California. She is a licensed attorney in Maryland. view profile
Published on November 09, 2021
0-1000 words
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Genre: Picture Books
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