Jeannette Rankin was a take-charge person. When she saw a need, she worked to fill it and make a difference. She soon discovered that being able to vote and being a lawmaker meant being a changemaker, so she set out to enfranchise women in Montana, her own state. Then she realized she was needed to make changes that impacted women and children since male lawmakers were less inclined to do so. Really Jeannette was only doing the things most women and girls did on a daily basis - getting the job done.

I'm willing to bet most of us have not heard the name Jeannette Rankin. She's not a figure often mentioned in our history classes which is a real shame. Not only is she an important figure in the suffrage movement, she's a great example of making real change in the world. When she saw a problem, an injustice, she didn't bemoan it. She set about changing it. This is a simple, easy to follow narrative with messaging that will be easily understood by younger children but won't talk down to older kids.

A wonderful book telling the story of our nation's first congresswoman. Without leaving out the details of life that led to her time in Congress, this book is a great lesson on the women's suffrage movement that spans outside of the story of Susan B. Anthony. The colorful illustrations work well to aid in the telling of Rankin's story.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me review this story. My opinions are entirely my own.

I'll be honest, haven't heard of Jeannette Rankin before today. That is a shame, because she is a woman that lead one of the efforts that gave me the freedoms I have today. I cannot wait to read this book to children and teach them about a woman who shaped the lives of all Americans, (even if I'm Canadian)

Jeannette Rankin was the first woman elected to Congress. But she started out fighting for social policies to be changed to improve lives of women and children in her community. Speaking out didn’t do much because she couldn’t vote. So she took action fighting for the rights of women to vote.

While this book does a great job telling an impactful story, I was very frustrated and disappointed that it was not mentioned even once that victory for women suffrage in 1914 wasn’t a complete one because the only women who could vote were white women until 1920. There are even people of color in the illustrations throughout this book but no one thought to bring up this important fact. Although, the timeline in the very back of the book briefly mentioned this, that isn’t enough.It’s important for kids to know the full picture.

A Take-Charge Girl Blazes a Trail to Congress: The Story of Jeannette Rankin by Gretchen Woelfle and with illustrations by Rebecca Gibbon I found this story fascinating and unknown to me. I am Spanish, although I am a citizen of the world and I like to know what happens or what happened in other countries and if the story has to do with a woman like Jeannette Rankin I am even more interested.
It is difficult to be true to yourself until the end, but this great person was, and for that I admire her a lot. She reminds me a lot of Clara Campoamor as a politician and as a woman.
Both Clara and Jeannete were defenders of women's rights, although both came from different backgrounds, families and traditions, but they knew how to see the potential we have.

I found the story very well narrated and illustrated, highlighting the most important details of Jeannette and her life. With just the right words to keep me in the pages of the book, as I am aware that in a life as passionate as Jeanette's it is complicated and difficult to go into a thousand things without making the reader bored and tired. This has not been my case, but I am aware that many people are not used to reading biographies, even if they are illustrated books.
Once I finished reading, I found myself with the wonderful and pleasant surprise: the author's note. What a delight! It really is. It has made me more interested in this person once I finish reading Take-Charge Girl Blazes a Trail to Congress: The Story of Jeannette Rankin.

From what I've read about her, I imagine her as tenacious, persistent, hard-nosed, hard-headed...I admire her for a number of reasons and if she were to hold her head up, I can't imagine what she would think of the world we live in. I think she would think that people are crazy and the values that they used to have or that she fought for have been lost along the way.
I can't imagine people listening to her and not entering, America, into the First World War.
In this reading I really liked her humility, which in this day and age is not something you see or think about, especially in politics.

I think she was belittled, but her mind and her ideas were not far-fetched, they were not crazy, they were not utopian. So getting to know Jeannette Rankin through Gretchen Woelfle has been a real delight and I'm glad to have been brought closer to her life, through this book.

This is a great book!! Many people do not know the story of Jeannette Rankin and how important she was to our country! This book is illustrated adorably and written well for children (and adults!) to understand. It covers her life and how she did not fit into society's traditional role of the woman. She fought for justice and rights of women and children and became the first female member of congress. Truly an inspiration for all!!

This book follows Jeanette Rankin who became the first Congresswoman. I loved the logical progression of her reason for doing everything that eventually led to wanting to become a Congresswoman. The illustrations were gorgeous. My students in upper elementary enjoyed this book and requested I get it for the classroom library.

A Take-Charge Girl Blazes a Trail to Congress
The Story of Jeannette Rankin
by Gretchen Woelfle
Pub Date 07 Feb 2023
Astra Publishing House, Calkins Creek




I am reviewing a copy of A Take Charge Girl Blazes a Trail to Congress through Astra Publishing House, Calkins Creek and Netgalley


From the time she was young Jeanette Rankin was a take charge type of girl. It didn't matter if she was taking care of horses or her younger brothers and sisters, Jeanette knew what to do and how to get the job done. So when she went to San Francisco and saw poor children living in horrible conditions she knew she had to take charge and change things.


The problem was in the early years of the twentieth century, women like Jeannette couldn’t vote to change the laws that failed to protect children. Jeannette became an activist and led the charge, campaigning for women’s right to vote. And when her home state, Montana, gave women that right, Jeannette ran for Congress and became America’s first congress woman.


I give A Take-Charge Girl five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

I love this book and would recommend any elementary ed teacher to add it to their library. The illustrations are beautiful and dynamic, and the storytelling is engaging and full of information in an accessible way for little learners. I will definitely be looking to get this book for my nieces!

I have added this book to my TrueStory Bookshop and recommend it in two categories:
Women’s History
Activists
https://bookshop.org/shop/KarlinGray

Yet another fantastic bio! I didn't know much about Jeannette Rankin, but I really enjoyed learning. I think that's it's so important to have this type of book to teach children about important women in history!

This is a look into the life of the first woman elected into Congress and her personal motivation for running for office. This story has beautiful illustrations that drew myself and my children into her story, but the story itself felt disjointed and didn't flow smoothly. One reason being that the perspective went from first to third person in rough transitions. It was a delight to learn about Jeannette Rankin, but I don't have any desire to purchase this book to keep on our shelves.

The story of Jeannette Rankin who became the first Congresswoman ever. She was an advocate for children and education and fought to make a difference. A great story about a great woman! The illustrations weren't my favorite design, but that is also a personal preference!

This is the story of the very energetic, take-charge woman named Jeanette Rankin who became the first Congresswoman ever! It's told with emphasis on how she realized that women needed the vote in order to make social changes to help poor families. When women did get the vote, she ran for Congress and was elected to the House of Representatives. The writing emphasizes her energy and take-charge nature and is supported by bold, colorful illustrations that show her progress. This is an inspiring story, supported with informative back matter and photographs. This is a wonderful choice for biography or history study or just plain enjoyment. It's an inspiring story and it's well told.