Keep Climbing, Girls

• Age Range: 7 - 10 years

• Grade Level: 2 - 4

• ALA Amelia Bloomer Project

• Parents' Choice Silver Honor Winner

  For classroom and reading resources, click here.

SUMMARY

The only way to make a bid
for a girl's equality is to climb right up to the
toppermost bough
of the very tallest tree.

Keep Climbing, Girls is a dynamic ode to girl power was written by noted Afro-American actor, poet, and playwright Beach E. Richards. First published in 1951, her poem is given new life in this edition that includes an introduction by LisaGay Hamilton and stunning illustrations by R. Gregory Christie. With its inspirational message, this book will empower children with the realization that "the path of life goes up and up/not down!"

REVIEWS

“Keep Climbing, Girls gets renewed energy from the strong gouache images of Christie and the introduction from Hamilton. The story, with its percussive rhyme, is simple… black, brown, gold and green make the bold palette of matte colors and powerful shapes Christie uses to such good effect. Both a period piece and a shout-out of encouragement, this is sure to find a new, responsive audience.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Christie creates a series of strong gouache paintings that define the characters through posture and gesture. Bold brush strokes create a landscape simplified to its essence, providing a backdrop in which the characters' body language speaks volumes. Though the book is classified as poetry, the brevity of the text and the clarity of the art make this a vivid picture book as well, and one that might be read aloud to older groups for discussion.” —Booklist