“In The Bag!” by Monica Kulling, illustrated by David Parkins
Here is a lovely, empowering book you should read with your kid for a couple of reasons.
First, it’s a terrific book, a good story with wonderful illustrations. Second, it’s empowering for girls. It teaches a young generation—that sometimes can’t believe that women were ever discriminated against in North America—about women’s struggle for equality. Third, it’s a biography–a great way to introduce the genre.
In The Bag! tells the real-life story of American Margaret Knight who, in the mid-1800s, became an inventor.
Kids will enjoy reading about how she invented something we all take for granted: a flat-bottomed paper bag. (Before that, we learn, “bags” were simply scrunched-up cones of paper.) While Knight starts out simply trying to solve a problem, kids will be amazed when she comes up against the “how can a woman be an inventor?!” mindset of the day.
It’s a book that can open up a really interesting dialogue with your kid. Or, at the very least, get him thinking about paper bags a little differently.
I love the other two in the series as well. “It’s A Snap! George Eastman’s First Photograph” and “All Aboard! Elijah McCoy’s Steam Engine.”
Thanks for sharing, Joyce!
Thank you for this lovely review, Joyce. In particular, I love how you write at the end, “Or, at the very least, get HIM thinking about paper bags a little differently.” Right on!
Lol – that’s exactly what I was thinking as I wrote that, Monica. That boys need to get this message every bit as much as girls. So important.