Thank you, thank you Disney-Hyperion for sending me a copy of their newest release, Feminist Baby by Loryn Brantz!
Meet the irrepressible Feminist Baby! She's strong, she's smart, and she makes as much noise as possible!
"Feminist" is somewhat of a buzz word lately, and sometimes it can evoke strong reactions from people that are both negative and positive. The negative reactions to the word always puzzle me because to me, feminism is simply the idea that a woman can do anything a man can do, and a man can do anything a woman can do. I think Feminist Baby would agree with me! She's one confident baby. She wears what she wants, sings as loud as she wants, plays with just as many trucks as dolls, and most importantly, she knows that when she grows up, she can be whatever she wants.
This book is recommended for ages 0-2, and I think that the simple words and funny, bright illustrations are perfect for that age group. I also think that this book could work for preschool-age kids too and could work as a great conversation starter about gender equality.
When it comes to raising their kids, today's parents definitely have the concept of gender equality on their minds. We want to show our kids that anybody can do anything. Feminism and Feminist Baby isn't just something we should be encouraging in our girls. Don't forget that boys need feminism too! I have two boys, and I want to shape not only their attitudes towards girls but also their attitudes when it comes to the flip side of gender equality. Boys can be boxed in to "boy stuff" just as easily as girls can be limited to "girl stuff". My four year old came to me the other day with a sad face. When I asked him what was wrong, he said that he really wishes that he could be a girl because only girls get to dance ballet. I quickly stopped what I was doing and sat down with him to watch You Tube videos of male ballet legend Mikhail Baryshnikov leaping across the stage. Boys need to know that it is okay to color outside the lines of "boy stuff" just as girls need to be encouraged to do the same.
What do you think?
