"Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls" book

[SirVixofVixHall]

A friend has just bought this for my daughter's 10th birthday....She was happily reading the "stories of 100 heroic women". Then she says "Mama there is a BOY in here". There is a boy in there. A boy who has done nothing heroic in his short life, but "love dresses, the color pink, and shiney shoes".Oh and his parents managed to convince a judge that he should use the "bathroom of his choice" which was the girls.
Then his parents threw a party. Probably involving lots of pink and sparkle. And this is supposed to inspire young girls, as much as Jane Austen, Rosa Parks, Florence Nightingale and Helen Keller, who are some of the other "100 heroic women".
Dd is outraged and I am furious. This is gaslighting girls, and a prime example of the patriarchy in action- to get in this list as a woman you could write a novel that has lasted for 200 years, you could stand up to racists, you could be a suffragette. To get in as a male? Oh just like pink and insist on using the girls loos.

I would stick in Grace Darling then.

On a different note my nine-year-old dd was irritated by the error in the Elizabeth I profile which says that Elizabeth was told she had become queen by a guard coming into her cell in the Tower of London

Yes, I'd have been irritated by that at her age too! She wasn't a prisoner then. Mary knew she would have to succeed her.

I agree with everyone complaining about the inclusion of this story. I also feel like this child has been painted into a corner by his parents' desire to publicise his story - what happens if he changes his mind later on but now everyone knows his fantastic pink party cake story?

Yes, I agree OneFlew. He has baby teeth in the illustration, so is then 6 or under. Can a six year old boy really not like pink without being labelled as the other sex?

Haven't got this book (was tempted but I've ordered a women in science one for DD's birthday instead) but I would be reacting the same way for sure! That's totally backwards surely?! Besides being totally unnecessary in the theme of the book.

Pleased to see mentions of Grace Darling. DD was inspired by her age 6 when she had to do homework about a hero and DH suggested her. She was virtually the only child in the class who wrote about a woman. So I'm glad books like this exist, it's a shame they contradict themselves though! :(

I also wonder (possibly just because I haven't seen the book and am therefore missing something) why this particular boy? There are lots of boys being identified as girls simply for liking pink glitter - what made this one the subject of the story? Did his parents know the author or something? Just wondering really. It's sad when there are so many other women who have actually achieved something.

Having read this thread I won't be buying this book now (may borrow from the library as we have an ongoing 'awesome women' home ed project) - out of interest Mary Anning in there? She's DD's heroine as she wants to be a palaeontologist.

... is* Mary... oops

I bought it for my 4yo DD, got to this page and shoved it in the cupboard!

All these stories of clever, brave, strong women and then a little boy who liked pink and demanded he should be able to use the girls' toilets

I thought about ripping the page out etc, but it felt wrong somehow.

I clicked on this thread as I was about to order this book for DD's upcoming birthday. Am a bit reluctant to do so now. Flipping heck, comparing Helen Keller's achievements with a child wearing a dress?!

Don't want to derail, but can anyone recommend an alternative?

I can't guarantee how good it is as I haven't received it yet, and this one is only science related achievements, but I've got this one for DD's birthday next month.

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/1526360519/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1495202734&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=women+in+science+book&dpPl=1&dpID=511jgsgXsNL&ref=plSrch&tag=mumsnetforum-21

Mary Anning is in there, but the info is so short and trivial. there is a better book to buy if your wants to know more about her, it is a picture book- I'll try and find it on Amazon or go through my daughter's bookshelves.

it looks as though it has the same cover and format, I wonder how many men will be in that one?

Thanks sir we have one called Fossil Girl I think, but any recommendations would be much appreciated! :) We are going to Lyme Regis for our holiday this year so hoping to find some more grown up books about her too.

There better not be any sir I may cry or throw it out the window :o

Re Mary Anning, I've had a look and my dds had "the Fossil Girl" when they were younger (they are 10 and 12 now, this is some years ago, so 4/5 and 6/7 maybe). They enjoyed it.

Oh cross posted, so you have that one already. Lots of others on Amazon, but not any I've looked through, so I can't suggest a good one.

Thank you so much for looking :) yes it's getting a bit young for her now, she has ASD though and finds processing text a bit difficult so we tend to stick to things that are a little younger. Hopefully this science one is ok for her, I know she will be really excited to open it.

Science book is arriving today BTW although not sure I'll get a chance to investigate away from DD's prying eyes!

I goggled Coy Mattis. When he was six (I think he must be about nine now?) his parents campaigned (and won the case) to have him use the girl's loos at school. So young girls are forced into sharing their loos with him ( it is fairly common now to start periods in primary), and yet he is in this book about inspirational women. Grrrrrrr. I am even angrier after googling. Not with him, obviously, he is a child, none of this is his fault. He is a victim of the current looniness where gender non-conforming children must be transed. How this book can claim to inspire girls though? I'm wondering what to say to the (lovely) friend who bought it.

I probably wouldn't say anything unless she was likely to buy it for others!

Bizarrely my mum just sent me a message saying "I found a book I was thinking of for DD's birthday" - guess what book it is! I am pleased she thought of it though (she's really got on board with the whole inspiring DD thing and is forever tagging me in links about brilliant women from the past etc, she's a history nut). But I have said what the issues are with it in a thank you but no thank you sort of way. She would be thoroughly raging at the Queen Elizabeth mistake mentioned upthread anyway!

Once I've done bedtime I'll take a photo of the contents. I would say that in spite of the occasional innacuracy and the page in question, I don't regret buying it. The illustrations are beautiful, my DD is only 2 and she loves looking at the photos. Simone Biles and Joan Jett are her current favourites 😎

Photos? Illustrations

I have just bought this for dd2, and nearly threw the bloody thing across the room when I got to that page. Dh wants to glue the pages together, but it's made me so angry I want to send it back!

Contents! Also an example of Mary Edward Walkers' page - which makes the entire opposite point to Coy Mathis.
"A few times, Mary was arrested for dressing in men's clothes. But to Mary, those were just clothes - she just wore what she wanted."

Contents! Also an example of Mary Edward Walkers' page - which makes the entire opposite point to Coy Mathis.
"A few times, Mary was arrested for dressing in men's clothes. But to Mary, those were just clothes - she just wore what she wanted."