Baby Feminists

When perusing through a “mom and pop” style bookstore in my hometown of Buffalo, New York this past weekend, I stumbled across something that caught my attention. In the Children’s Books section sat a cardboard-clad picture book, titled Baby Feminists. Obviously differing from the typical children’s selections where, “the cow goes moo” and “the duck goes quack”, I had to pick up this book to see what it was all about. The first page went something like this: “Before she rose to the Supreme Court, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg was…”. To the right of this text was a caricature of the Notorious R.B.G. herself, on a slightly raised piece of cardboard, bound to be flipped up. That’s funny, I thought, what child would know who Ruth Bader Ginsberg is? I proceeded to flip over Ginsberg’s portrait to reveal an adorable cartoon baby Ruth depicted with cat-eye glasses and a gavel in hand. Incredibly delighted by this image of one of the most notable women in not only feminist, but American-judicial history, I continued on. Flipping through pages of other remarkable feminists, such as Dr. Mae Jemison, Frida Kahlo, Billie Jean King, Yoko Ono, and Barack and Michelle Obama, as well as many other trailblazers, I realized the true importance of this divine piece of literature. Definitely geared towards an audience of children about three years old and up (not actual babies), this book was intended to educate our youth about the significance of feminism before they are old enough to be corrupted by opposing views. This book was written with the intention that parents would read it to their children and explain what these icons did for the world of feminism. These educated children would grow with this important knowledge and would hopefully influence the way society in their future generation behaves in respect to the equality of men and women. I believe this book, as well as similar works, are incredibly vital to the prosperity of mankind. If children are taught important morals while they learn basics like how to read and write, even use the toilet and walk, these values would take just as much precedent as basic human functions. The book Baby Feminists written by Libby Babbot-Klein and illustrated by Jessica Walker is an incredible method of education for our little ones and I highly recommend checking it out the next time you stumble into the children’s book section!