TITLE: Who Says Women Can’t Be Doctors?
AUTHOR: Tanya Lee Stone
ILLUSTRATOR: Marjorie Priceman
PUBLICATION INFO: Henry Holt/Christy Ottaviano, 2013
ISBN: 9780805090482
SOURCE: library
INTENDED AUDIENCE: ages 4 and up
GENRE: nonfiction picture book
OPENING and SYNOPSIS:
“I’ll bet you’ve met plenty of doctors in your life. And I’ll bet lots of them were women. Well, you might find this hard to believe, but there once was a time when girls weren’t allowed to be doctors.”
From the publisher:
“In the 1830s, when a brave and curious girl named Elizabeth Blackwell was growing up, women were supposed to be wives and mothers. Some women could be teachers or seamstresses, but career options were few. Certainly no women were doctors.
But Elizabeth refused to accept the common beliefs that women weren’t smart enough to be doctors, or that they were too weak for such hard work. And she would not take no for an answer. Although she faced much opposition, she worked hard and finally—when she graduated from medical school and went on to have a brilliant career—proved her detractors wrong. This inspiring story of the first female doctor shows how one strong-willed woman opened the doors for all the female doctors to come.”
THEMES/TOPICS: science, biography
WHY I LIKE THIS BOOK: Tanya Lee Stone’s voice is pitch perfect in this book. She writes in a zippy, irreverent tone that’s a perfect match for Elizabeth’s personality and Priceman’s illustrations. Stone proves that picture book biographies don’t have to be stuffy, even if the protagonist hails from the 1800s.
RESOURCES/ACTIVITIES:
- What child doesn’t like to pretend to be a doctor? Fisher-Price offers this classic.
- A readers’ guide and alignment to Common Core State Standards guide is available through Stone’s Web site.
- ReadWriteThink offers an Elizabeth Blackwell classroom activity.
You’ll find way more cool books at Susanna Leonard Hill’s “Perfect Picture Books.” Every Friday folks review a host of new books. Join us!
Kirsten W. Larson 
Oh, I love this book. I remember growing up rarely seeing female doctors. This is an important story to share — reminds me of TV show Medicine Women with Jane Seymore. I love historical fiction that introduces “the first woman…” as it allows kids to realize that yes they can be whatever they want!
Oh, Medicine Woman. That was a great show! It’s astounding to me how much has changed for women in the past 200 years.
We can always count on you to recommend a great pb biography. Thanks, Kirsten
Well, I’m hoping to improve my own work by studying “the greats.” Tanya is truly great. Enjoy!
Great, great choice. And great to read that Tanya so captures the right tone and voice for this story!
The book is such a great read, even for preschool. Tanya really did a great job.
Love the cover! My son continually finds it hard to believe how the world has changed in the past 200 years. But just recently, we were talking about the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and I explained that women still were not included in the language, so we really still don’t have equal rights under the law. He was astounded. He said, “Mom, that’s just stupid. Without women, none of us would be here.” Gotta love my son! Thanks for pointing out this book. It looks like a winner!
Give that boy a high five. He’s one smart cookie.
I follow Tanya on FB – just yesterday she posted a poignant, handwritten letter she received from a young fan who was passionate that Elizabeth Blackwell deserved more recognition! The book definitely resonates.
Oh, Cathy, thanks for letting me know I can follow her on FB. I’m off to “like.”
I bought this one on Kindle. Ya, I agree with your description, zippy. 🙂
Zippy for sure. And dare I say, a bit sassy. 🙂
I’ve always been fascinated with Elizabeth Blackwell. I watched a PBS series years ago based (I think) on her life. Thanks for sharing Kristen!
Love Jilanne’s son’s comment! Will be checking this one out for sure.
I can’t wait to read this. Was up at Geneva admiring the statue of Elizabeth Blackwell a couple years ago, thinking… we need a good PB bio of her. Glad Tanya wrote one – she is an amazing writer.
I haven’t read this one but it sounds great, Kirsten! And what an important message for all kids – that you can do anything you want if you set your mind to it and work hard.
You do find some good books! MY doctor is a woman! And a fine doctor she is! I think that most veterinarians these days are women!
This one sounds absolutely intriguing – and I love that the tone fits. Thanks so much for sharing it!
This sounds wonderful! And inspiring.
I Love non-fiction picture books and this one is real Girl Power. 🙂
I like this one. I just returned it to the library. (I wanted to thank you for mentioning The Boy Who Loved Math by Deborah Heiligman and On a Beam of Light by Jennifer Berne in a FB group. They have helped me with a story I am trying to focus.)