Why Little?
The title has proven troubling for some readers. Why are the women described there in the title as “little” when the idea is the big and bold impact these women have made on society? Apparently, some readers skip past the author’s Introduction, as the concept behind the imagery is laid out explicitly right there:
“I originally envisioned them as little girls serving as stand-ins for these famous women---that’s why they’re `little’—but as I’ve started sending them out into the world, they’ve become bigger than I imagined.”
Isabella Baumfree
The imagery presented in the biographic sketch of this bold African American woman is one which fits the name she would become famous under. Denied her legal emancipation by a slaveowner in New York, she ran away. She traveled back home to file a lawsuit against the man who had illegally sold her son to a slaveowner in Alabama. Having amazingly triumphed in that case, she dedicated the rest of her life to making her away across the country delivering speeches on behalf of the abolition of slavery and in favor of women’s rights. This imagery of constant movement befits the name she adopted for herself: Sojourner Truth.
Connective Imagery
The book provides an excellent example of how visual imagery can connect from one person to another and create inspiration that ultimately crosses through time. Nichelle Nichols is profiled with an accompanying illustration of her attired in the costume she wore while playing Lt. Uhura on Star Trek. The entry on Dr. Mae Jemison, the first African American astronaut, is accompanied by an illustration showing her wearing her astronaut uniform. Jemison was actually inspired by seeing a person on TV who looked like her playing a respected member of a crew above a spaceship to try applying to NASA. The visual imagery which connects an actress playing a fictional character to what amounts to a real-life counterpart illuminates the power of the visual image—even when fictional—on actual life choices.
Illustrations
The template for this book is narrative biography on the left and an accompany visual illustration on the right. The centerpiece of the illustration is, of course, the figure of the woman at hand, but the artwork is enhanced with visual clues directing connecting to the accomplishments. For instance, Raven Wilkinson is portrayed on stage wearing a tutu and ballet shoes while standing on one tiptoe. Ruby Bridges, the young girl who had to be escorted by U.S. Marshals into a school forced by court order to desegregate is shown standing against a classroom blackboard. This visual imagery is especially significant in relating the stories of the lesser-known figures included in the book like NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson and aviator Bessie Coleman.
