Yes She Can! Women's Sports Pioneers by Glenn Stout

Many women have faced a difficult time in the world of sports. This was true for Trudy Erdele in the 1920s when she was trying to swim across the English Channel. It was true for Louise Stokes and Tidye Pickett, the first African-American women to make the US Olympic team in 1932. It was true for Julie Krone, a jockey who faced down male opponents in the 1980s and 1990s. And it is still true for Danica Patrick, competing with men in Indy races in the 2000s. These five women lived in different times and have different stories, but in Yes She Can!, their stories are brought together to inspire children of today to not give up on their dreams.

Danica Patrick was the only sports figure here that I had heard of before picking up this book. At 120-some pages, none of the stories goes really in-depth, but there are a number of further resources listed at the back of the book for kids who are interested in learning more. The book was engaging and well-paced and shared messages about gender, race, politics, and sports without being preachy. The sections for each story aren't that long, which make this a great book for reluctant readers as well as sports fans and feminists.

Find it at IndieBound.

Yes She Can! will be released in April, 2011. The copy that I read is available for review through NetGalley.

Read it with:
Baseball Heroes by Glenn Stout
Riding for My Life by Julie Krone
Their Day in the Sun: Women of the 1932 Olympics by Doris H. Pieroth
Danica: Crossing the Line by Danica Patrick
America's Champion Swimmer by David A. Adler