Seven Brave Women →
Written by: Betsy Hearne Illustrated by: Bethanne Andersen
Before Reading
Explore Illustrations
"History should be her story, too"
In Seven Brave Women, a young girl tells of the brave women in her family that didn't fight in any wars, but made other important contributions. Begin your discussion by talking about what you see in the illustrations and making observations.
Make Observations.
What do you notice on the front cover?
Talk About Bravery.
What makes someone brave?
What are some things that brave people do?
Make Predictions.
Who do you think these women are?
Activate Prior Knowledge
Help your child think about brave women in their lives. If s/he needs help thinking of people, give a few examples of people you think are brave. Ask:
Can you think of some brave women that you know or have heard about?
What did they do that made them brave?
As You Read
Make Connections
As you are talking about the young girl's ancestors, help your child relate to the characters and imagine what it would be like to be in their shoes.
For example, when she is describing her great-grandmother who went to medical school despite the fact that few women did during that time, ask questions like, "What do you think it would be like being a doctor during that time? Why do you think she wanted to become a doctor, even though it was difficult for women to do so?"
After Reading
Take a moment once you are through with the story to discuss the premise of the story, that the men who fought in these wars were very brave and important as well, but we should also appreciate the women who didn't fight but were brave in different ways.
Summarize and Interpret
Did you like that story? Why or why not?
What made these women brave?
Discuss Similarities Between Girl and Your Child.
How are you like the little girl in the story?
What makes you brave?
Activity: Everyday Brave People
Supplies: pen/pencil, coloring materials, and a piece of paper
Help your child think of people who are brave on a daily basis but may not get a lot of recognition for it. Start off listing professions where people face dangerous situations everyday, like firefighters and policemen. Then talk about the nonconventional ways of being brave, like trying something new or doing things that others wouldn't. In this way, anyone can be brave in any profession, like teachers or authors. Continue writing down these professions and what makes them brave and then have your child illustrate each profession with the caption "Brave".