Title: Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors? The Story of Elizabeth Blackwell
Author and Illustrator: Tanya Lee Stone and Marjorie Priceman
Publication Year: 2013
Prompts: Plot Summary: This is the story of Elizabeth Blackwell. She wanted to become a doctor in a time when women couldn't become doctors. She was a very tough and adventurous girl. She didn't originally want to be a doctor but one day when her friend was ill she said Elizabeth should become a doctor because she would much rather be taken care of by a female doctor. Elizabeth thought it over and decided to apply to medical school. After 28 rejections she was finally accepted. Nobody thought she could do it but in the end she graduated and became the first of many female doctors. Artistic Medium: This book was painted using water colors. The color scheme was very bright and vivid colors. These colors popped against the mostly white backgrounds. The brightness of the color pallet gives a positive vibe that this story needs because of all the struggle Elizabeth went through to come out successful. Style: The style of this book is sketched cartoon. Most of the images don't have a background so they look like sketches but really stand out. This book is also a cartoon because the characters have some unique features, for example orange hair, small heads, and big noses. | Strong Vocabulary: Some vocabulary in this book fits how people would have talked in the 1800's for example; gnawed, sewing circles, raucous, humanity. A teacher or parent would need to explain these to the students/kids. Figurative Langauge: The book starts out with questions to the reader. "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 were not allowed to be doctors." and "Being a doctor was definitely not an option. What do you think changed all that? Or should I say WHO?" These two quotes really draw the audience into the story by having them reflect on their life and question what the book will be about. Relationship of Pictures to Words: The pictures and words have a direct relationship. That means the pictures and words reflect the same exact message. Some pages even have a picture to go a long with each sentence. Themes/Central Concepts: The central concept of this book is about the how Elizabeth Blackwell became the first female doctor. The main theme of this book is to work hard for your dreams regardless of what other people say. Uses for this book: This book would be perfect for use in a history lesson on American history and women in history. |