Review: Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison

Little Leaders, from author-illustrator Vashti Harrison, is a well-researched highly informative compilation of mini biographies that chronicle the lives of 40 trailblazing Black women whose achievements have largely been omitted or downplayed by the history books.  

Spanning over 200 years the book describes, in an uncomplicated way, how each of the women overcame racial and gender barriers to be instrumental in many different areas including anti-slavery campaigning, scientific discovery, creativity/the arts, media, education and politics.

Each mini biography comprises a double-page-spread with text on one side and wonderfully engaging colour illustrations on the other.

The book highlights mainly American women but there are some prominent British figures too such as, Dianne Abbot, Shirley Bassey and Tessa Sanderson.   

The format is easy to read though, generally, the themes and vocabulary are more suited to upper KS2. There are, however, a few bios that are just about accessible for year 2 children if you select and present the information carefully. For example, the artist Alma Woodsey Thomas or the pioneering nurse Mary Seacole seem the most appropriate for younger readers, and would link nicely with KS1 art and design, and history.

This brilliant reference book is a must-have resource. Not only is it empowering and inspirational for all girls, but it redresses the omissions in our world history, putting Black historical female figures back on the map!

Guide for teachers and parents:

Genre	Non-fiction – biographical text
Child-led interests (EYFS)	N/A
Age group (EYFS, KS1, KS2)	KS2 and KS1
Curriculum links/topics (EYFS/NC)	English: KS2 − continue to read and discuss an increasingly wide range of…non-fiction and reference books or textbooks; drawing inferences such as inferring character’s feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justifying inference with evidence; summarizing the main ideas drawn from more than one paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas: English: (Y2) − listening to, discussing and expressing views about a wide range of… non-fiction at a level beyond that at which they can read independently; asking and answering questions. KS1: history − the lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national and international achievements e.g. Mary Seacole or Rosa Parks KS2: science (Y5) − earth and space KS1: art and design − about the work of a range of artists, craft makers and designers, describing the differences and similarities between different practices and disciplines, and making links to their own work KS2: art and design − about great artists, architects and designers in history  KS2: music − develop an understanding of the   history of music PSHE − leadership qualities; personal goals aspirations; rights; respect
Suitability	Whole-class teaching, school library, home-reader
General  features	Biographical text: chronological order, life events,  facts, third person pronouns, past tense

All the Black children's books that I review are checked against my Jericho Benchmark.