A is for Awesome!: 23 Iconic Women Who Changed the World

In this alphabet board book, Chen, director of fashion partnerships at Instagram, celebrates 23 women artists, scientists, activists, entertainers, authors, and other influencers. Juno, the protagonist from Chen's picture book Juno Valentine and the Magical Shoes, makes a brief cameo to kick things off: "There's a whole world of inspiring sheroes out there.... Here are some of my favorites!" Chen features well-known contemporary figures, including Beyoncé Knowles, Malala Yousafzai, and Oprah Winfrey, as well as those less familiar to young readers (Katharine Graham, the first female publisher of the Washington Post, and businesswoman Pat McGrath). A reflective surface on the final spread enables readers to see themselves--literally--among the broad-ranging influential figures. Ages 1-3. (Feb.)

PreS-Gr 1--This large board book provides an alphabetical and brief overview of 23 women. Both contemporary and historic women are covered with an introduction sentence, and most have a personal quote in a blue cloud. "N is for the tempestuous and talented Nina Simone, singer, songwriter, and activist. I'll tell you what freedom is to me: No Fear.' " The illustrations are a mixture of drawings and collage and the women's faces are done in a cartoon style. The book starts with a girl, Juno, talking about "inspiring sheroes," and ends with a mirror for X, Y, and Z with an affirmation for readers to do great things. The end pages show all the women in two rows. Juno is nowhere to be seen after the first page. The information on the women is minimal, and having 23 letters/women, seems to imply there are not at least 26 women worth writing about. The ending with the mirror feels gimmicky. In addition, the story would benefit from being a traditional picture book with additional information on the women in the text or the back, instead of a board book. The reading level is more pre-school to early elementary than toddler. VERDICT Simple and cute, but a bit short on information and women, a good general purchase for larger libraries.--Tamara Saarinen, Pierce County Library, WA