Franny’s Father is a Feminist

Franny’s father knows that girls can do anything that boys can do. And he supports her in all of her endeavors. The straight forward text and shows the bond between a modern father and his daughter. It has a very modern tone. Franny’s Father is a Feminist by Rhonda Leet and Megan Walker show how a male can be a feminist, too.

Not overly “preachy” it will not be for everyone. Some people embrace the word Feminist, others not as much. This book truly is for someone who really owns the word. I consider myself a person who feels everyone deserves the same opportunities. However, the word “feminist” is loaded for me. I just say I am a person who believes in equality. Sometimes I think if you say, “Girls can do anything boys can” that can set up a “us and them” mentality. While books like this are needed, perhaps making it “less obvious” and just “Franny helps dad with “guy things” without making a big deal of it would make it a smoother transition for me, personally. Perhaps having dad and Franny fix a car, cook and have a tea-party while wearing combat boots and a pink tutu (those are just extreme possible “other ways” of telling the same story). Perhaps have Franny have a brother who does these things with Franny (cooks, cleans, fixes cars, etc.).

The lightheartedness of the illustrations are also not “grabbing” me as much as they could. I do like that they are not too serious and even realistic, but they will also take away from the text for some people. This book is one of those odd books I cannot say, “Everyone will like.” Or even who would like it. This is a book that the reader must come to and decide for her or himself what their feelings are on the subject.