Stories for Kids Who Dare to Be Different: True Tales of Amazing People Who Stood Up and Stood Out

by Ben Brooks, Quinton Winter (Illustrator)

Overview

Boys will be boys and girls will be girls? Not in this book.


The follow-up to Ben Brooks's New York Times bestselling Stories for Boys Who Dare to Be Different, this book offers more extraordinary true stories of amazing people who broke the mold and changed the world for the better. The resulting message? Be yourself, and your dreams might come true.

With the help of Quinton Winter's striking full-color illustrations, Brooks offers an accessible compilation of 76 famous and not-so-famous influencers from the past to the present day, every single one of them a rule-breaker and stereotype-smasher in his or her own way. Entries include Emma Gonzalez, Andy Warhol, Bjork, Hans Christian Andersen, Sally Ride, and so many more — heroes from all walks of life and from all over the world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780762468553
Publisher:	Running Press Book Publishers
Publication date:	05/07/2019
Series:	The Dare to Be Different Series
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	516,185
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Ben Brooks is the author of several books, including Grow Up, Lolito, Hurra, and Stories for Boys Who Dare to Be Different.

Quinton Winter is a British illustrator, artist, and colorist. He has worked for many clients including the Guardian newspaper, Walker Books, Vertigo Comics, and the BBC.

Editorial Reviews

05/27/2019

This follow-up to Stories for Boys Who Dare to Be Different takes a more gender-inclusive approach to telling the stories of groundbreaking figures. Brooks offers an eclectic, globe-spanning mix of individuals (arranged alphabetically by last name) from myriad professions and personal backgrounds. Among them are Riot Grrrl founders and band members of Bikini Kill; skateboarding champion Leticia Bufoni; and innovator and inventor Kelvin Doe, who made electricity from salvaged materials in Sierra Leone. Winter’s dramatic, graphic novel–reminiscent art provides narrative dimension to Brooks’s lively biographies, which serve to show readers that there are limitless ways to change the world. Ages 8–12. (May)

Publishers Weekly

06/01/2019

Gr 3–5—This intriguing collection of nonfiction stories illuminates often-overlooked pioneers. Brooks, who previously introduced readers to historically unsung heroes in Stories for Boys Who Dare to Be Different, returns with new tales that span centuries, countries, ages, and genders. Listed in alphabetical order by name, each figure or group includes a detailed biography and full-page illustration by frequent collaborator Wintor. Although there are a few familiar faces, like astronaut Sally Ride and the Wright Brothers, the pages are packed with people that may be new to many readers such as Jessica Cox, a pilot born without arms, or Biddy Mason, a former enslaved woman who became the first black female landowner in Los Angeles. Brooks's collection invites readers to engage with people of many different ethnicities and cultures. A potential springboard for class research projects, the book's focus on lesser-known figures encourages readers to learn more. Brooks doesn't shy away from challenging topics; instead, age-appropriate information is carefully explained. Wintor's colorful illustrations capture the spirit of each figure, as well as the eyes of readers. VERDICT A strong selection for elementary and juvenile nonfiction collections that brings history to life.—Casey O'Leary, Mooresville Public Library, IN

School Library Journal

2019-03-17
A follow-up to Stories for Boys Who Dare to Be Different (2018) that includes girls and women.

All of the strengths and weaknesses of Brooks' earlier collection can be found here as well. Readers learn about 76 artists, athletes, inventors, and philanthropists, distilled into one-page entries opposite a portrait. Many of the entries are clumsily written, and the only times the subjects get to speak for themselves are in occasional unsourced, sound-bite-y pablum. In addition to individuals, Brooks also profiles the band Bikini Kill, the Syrian White Helmets, and the German anti-Nazi Edelweiss Pirates. Some of the entries, such as the Wright Brothers', stretch the idea of "difference." The collection's general attitude posits that disabilities are tragedies that one can overcome with the right attitude, an idea often pushed back against by disability activists. Other entries seem to laud white savior-ism, such as one about two white women who "had always been drawn to Africa," which tries to explain female genital cutting to young audiences as "a traditional ritual that…involves the girls being painfully and pointlessly mutilated for life." The one trans person, Roberta Cowell, is predominantly referred to by her old name and pronouns, with liberal use of the "wrong body" trope. The overall message of individualism may be inspirational for some, but it will definitely feel limiting to others.

There's plenty of interesting information in this collection, but there's a lot to sift through to get to it. (Collective biography. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews