Shaking Things Up

Poems about 14 different women who “shook things up” and changed the world are seen on the pages of Shaking Things Up: 14 Young Women Who Changed the World by Susan Hood. Various female illustrators illustrate each person’s story in their signature style. From Ruby Bridges (not a woman, but a 6-year-old girl) to the first woman NYC fire fighter (and slave to a local firefighter) to a pair of sisters who were spies (and very important to the war effort. And one was even captured by the Germans) to Maya Lyn (a young woman who tried to bring healing to a country) each person’s story unfolds.

The illustrators include such artists as Sophie Blackall, Lisa Brown, LeUyen Pham and Hadley Hooper. Some might be familiar to readers who know the art of picture books and others might be new. The same goes with some of the woman profiled in the poems.  There were people known to me, some I was “oh yes, now that you mention it” and a few “Well that’s a new one on me!”

Girl power in its finest fill the pages of Hood’s book. The poems are not too long and filled with detailed. This book would be great for the budding poet, the person learning about women’s history or for a one page a night read. The younger readers might not want to sit for more than that, but the older readers (I would safely say up to 10 years due to the format of the picture book) will probably devour in one sitting. If I have any complaint about this book it is that it is in the picture book format and older reader might think it “too young” but it is really one of those “all ages” books.