Thanks to Frances Perkins: Fighter to Workers’ Rights
by Deborah Hopkinson, Illustrated by Kristy Caldwell
Peachtree Publishers (August 1, 2020)
Nonfiction * Biography * Social Activism
Audience: Grades 2nd to 5th
Teacher’s Guide
Description from GoodReads: How many years will it be until you turn sixty-two? What year will that be? Once you've read Thanks to Frances Perkins, you'll know why these are important questions--and why you may want to thank Frances Perkins.
After Frances Perkins witnessed the Triangle Waist Factory fire in 1911, she was forever changed. While some activists pressed factory owners for change, Frances decided to work to bring about new laws that would force employers to treat people better and make workplaces safer. When she became Secretary of Labor in Franklin Delano Roosevelt's administration--the first woman cabinet member--Frances had the opportunity to make real her bold vision of a country where no one was left out. As a result of the Social Security program that she created, we have built a society where we help one another.
Deborah Hopkinson's energetic text and Kristy Caldwell's appealing illustrations introduce readers to a fascinating woman who has changed many American lives. Back matter features more information about Frances Perkins, Social Security, and resources for economic education.
Official Book Trailer:
Thoughts about the book:
Seldom do I find a review of a book write itself while I am reading the book; however, as I read THANKS TO FRANCES PERKINS: FIGHTER FOR WORKERS’ RIGHTS by Deborah Hopkinson and illustrated by Kristy Caldwell, I kept finding phrases of my review popping into my head. Along with thoughts about my review. I realized that I was also a bit annoyed that in so many history classes in school Perkins is never mentioned. As I learned about the Great Depression and FDR and the New Deal, never was Perkins acknowledged or credited for her work in making it actually happen.
As I read THANKS TO FRANCES PERKINS, I felt she would be horrified by the current administration’s attempts to undo her work on Social Security and also on the rights of workers. I imagined her spirit rising up and filling women like Congresswoman Katie Porter (D-California). I can easily see these two women from very different times but with the same passion challenging inequities and oppressors being good friends.
I also wondered about what it would be like to be able to cross paths with Perkins and her contemporaries like Jane Addams, Ruth Schneiderman, Clara Lemlich and others. And though I imagine she had many conversations with President Roosevelt, I would have been interested in being a fly on the wall of her conversations with Eleanor Roosevelt.
Though I am envious of all of the amazing things Perkins did, I suspect that she also faced some serious misogyny. I wonder how she handled mansplaining and how many probably didn’t believe a woman should be on the president’s cabinet.
One idea I plan on stealing from Perkins is her habit of scribbling down ideas on small pieces of paper for how to make things better. Yet, I think I will put them in a clear jar so I don’t lose sight of them and make sure I hear their call.
Consider pairing this book with these other titles:
The Only Woman in the Photo: Frances Perkins and Her New Deal for America by Kathleen Krull, Illustrated by Alexandra Bye (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2020)
Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers’ Strike of 1909 by Michelle Markel, Illustrated by Melissa Sweet (Balzer & Bray, 2013)
Dangerous Jane: The Life and Times of Jane Addams, Crusader for Peace by Suzanne Slade, Illustrated by Alice Ratterree (Peachtree Publishers, 2017)
Other Blog Tour stops:
August 10: The Tiny Activist
August 11: Raise Them Righteous
August 12: Kidlit Frenzy (you’re here)
August 13: Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
August 14: Nerdy Book Club
About the author: Deborah Hopkinson grew up in Lowell, Massachusetts, where the Lowell mill girls led some of the nation’s first organized efforts to improve the lives of ordinary working people. She is the award-winning author of nonfiction and historical fiction for young readers, including Carter Reads the Newspaper, Sweet Land of Liberty, and Keep On! The Story of Matthew Henson, Co-discoverer of the North Pole. She lives in Oregon. www.deborahhopkinson.com
About the illustrator: Kristy Caldwell has illustrated several books for kids, including Flowers for Sarajevo and Away with Words: The Daring Story of Isabella Bird. She lives in New York with her partner, theater director Kelly O’Donnell, and often passes by the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory site. Kristy has a lot of years until she receives her first Social Security check but when she does, she will definitely thank Frances. www.kristycaldwell.com
