I liked the idea of pairing fiction and nonfiction literature together to bring alive a particular culture as we learned in our readings this week. Shirin Yim Bridges provides an excellent example of fiction works about real princesses around the world who overcome the boundaries of their culture. In contrast, Patricia McCormick produced great nonfiction works for young people. Her title; “Sold” is a depiction of a tragic experience a young girl endures when she is sold into slavery by her own family, and how she overcomes and lives to tell her story. These texts are designed for grades 6 and up. Each text is full of photos and paintings of that time period and brings the native cultures to life. Teachers and students can use this text together to foster an awareness of women’s rights and how women around the world of all different cultures have fought to be free.
Nur Jahan of India (The Thinking Girl's Treasury of Real Princesses),
by Shirin Yim Bridges
Combining the romance and enchantment of princesses joined with the drive of female empowerment, Nur Jahan a young girl living in the palace of Mogul India, hidden by veils, came to rule all of Mogul India at a young age. This book titled, “Nur Jahan of India (The Thinking Girl's Treasury of Real Princesses) tells a story of how she introduced efficiencies, stimulated trade, and made possible a great pinnacle of the arts. She rode elephants to war, hunted tigers, commanded a nation from behind a curtain, and succeeded at many other achievements that women were not encouraged to participate in. The book includes a section with pictures of the types of clothes Nur Jahan wore, the foods she ate, and why she is remembered today.
Publication Date: 10/1/2010 Reading Level: Age 9 and Up
by Shirin Yim Bridges
Combining the romance and enchantment of princesses joined with the drive of female empowerment, Nur Jahan a young girl living in the palace of Mogul India, hidden by veils, came to rule all of Mogul India at a young age. This book titled, “Nur Jahan of India (The Thinking Girl's Treasury of Real Princesses) tells a story of how she introduced efficiencies, stimulated trade, and made possible a great pinnacle of the arts. She rode elephants to war, hunted tigers, commanded a nation from behind a curtain, and succeeded at many other achievements that women were not encouraged to participate in. The book includes a section with pictures of the types of clothes Nur Jahan wore, the foods she ate, and why she is remembered today.
Publication Date: 10/1/2010 Reading Level: Age 9 and Up
"Feminism is about the empowerment of girls and women." (Shirin Yim Bridges)
This series, "The Thinking Girl's Treasury of Real Princesses," published in 2010 and aimed at girls ages 9 to 13, includes the histories of six princesses and their individual struggles to free themselves from the boundaries of their cultures and restrictions placed on women: Hatshepsut of Egypt, Artemisia of Caria, Sorghaghtani of Mongolia, Qutlugh Terkan Khatun of Kirman, Isabella of Castile and Nur Jahan of India.These illustrated books include sidebars on geography and facts about the dress, customs and food of the time.
This series, "The Thinking Girl's Treasury of Real Princesses," published in 2010 and aimed at girls ages 9 to 13, includes the histories of six princesses and their individual struggles to free themselves from the boundaries of their cultures and restrictions placed on women: Hatshepsut of Egypt, Artemisia of Caria, Sorghaghtani of Mongolia, Qutlugh Terkan Khatun of Kirman, Isabella of Castile and Nur Jahan of India.These illustrated books include sidebars on geography and facts about the dress, customs and food of the time.
About the Author: Shirin Yim Bridges is a successful author of many titles and won one of Publishers Weekly's Best Children's Books of 2002 and was the winner of the 2003 Ezra Jack Keats award; Her book titled, "The Umbrella Queen", was named one of the Best Children's Books of 2008 by TIME magazine; the forthcoming Mary Wrightly So Politely; and The Thinking Girl's Treasury of Real Princesses. All her books are about young girls who manage to employ themselves and step outside of their expected guidelines set up by their cultures and succeeded at unpredictable task. Shirin currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has lived in many countries around the world, and reflects this in her writing. Some of the places she has lived includes; Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, and England. She was educated in the United States and now nests in California.
Bridges created real stories of princesses around the world because of her young nieces love for Disney fictional princess stories like Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast. She wanted her niece and other young girls to know that there are real princesses in the world that go through real life trials and some of them break the mold they were born in and make a difference by changing the way their cultures view princesses and women in general.
Learn more about Ms. Bridges at the website below;
http://www.goosebottombooks.com
Bridges created real stories of princesses around the world because of her young nieces love for Disney fictional princess stories like Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast. She wanted her niece and other young girls to know that there are real princesses in the world that go through real life trials and some of them break the mold they were born in and make a difference by changing the way their cultures view princesses and women in general.
Learn more about Ms. Bridges at the website below;
http://www.goosebottombooks.com
Other books written by this author include:
Sold, by Patricia McCormick
Lakshmi is a thirteen-year-old girl who lives with her family in a small hut in the mountains of Nepal. Though her family is very poor, her life is full of simple pleasures until the harsh Himalayan monsoons wash away all that remains of the family’s crops and she must leave home and take a job to support her family. Her step-father introduces her to a glamorous stranger who tells her she will find her a job as a maid in the city. Glad to be able to help, Lakshmi journeys to India and arrives at “Happiness House” full of hope. But she soon learns the unthinkable truth: she has been sold into prostitution. This book is not the story of the struggles of princesses but it focuses on the topic of feminism and the struggles women go through to get free from constrains of their culture.
Publication date: April 2008 Publisher: Hyperion Book CH ISBN 0786851724
Lakshmi is a thirteen-year-old girl who lives with her family in a small hut in the mountains of Nepal. Though her family is very poor, her life is full of simple pleasures until the harsh Himalayan monsoons wash away all that remains of the family’s crops and she must leave home and take a job to support her family. Her step-father introduces her to a glamorous stranger who tells her she will find her a job as a maid in the city. Glad to be able to help, Lakshmi journeys to India and arrives at “Happiness House” full of hope. But she soon learns the unthinkable truth: she has been sold into prostitution. This book is not the story of the struggles of princesses but it focuses on the topic of feminism and the struggles women go through to get free from constrains of their culture.
Publication date: April 2008 Publisher: Hyperion Book CH ISBN 0786851724
About the author:
Patricia McCormick is a journalist and author of fiction for young adults. She was born in 1956.
Other Books by Patricia McCormick
Patricia McCormick is a journalist and author of fiction for young adults. She was born in 1956.
- Education: Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
- Awards: Quill Award for Young adult/teen
- Nominations: National Book Award for Young People's Literature
Other Books by Patricia McCormick
RSS Feed