Pinkie promises

Elizabeth Warren

Book - 2021

Polly is tired of people telling her "that girls do not do that" whenever she tries something, and when she meets Senator Elizabeth Warren she is inspired to be brave and stretch herself, even running for class president in her new school.

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Subjects
Genres
Picture books for children
Picture books
Published
New York : Godwin Books 2021.
Language
English
Main Author
Elizabeth Warren (author)
Other Authors
Charlene Chua (illustrator)
Edition
First edition
Physical Description
1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 29 cm
Audience
Ages 4-8.
Grades 2-3.
ISBN
9781250801029
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

This rousing story plays off of Senator Warren's practice of introducing herself to little girls after campaign events and saying, "I'm running for president because that's what girls do," with a pinkie promise that the girls would follow their dreams. The initial focus is on the ways girls are discouraged by naysayers, with this girl's uncle rejecting her offer to help fix a leak, and a neighbor dismissing her washing the family car--always with the refrain "That's not what girls do." A turning point comes when the girl's mother takes her to a Warren rally. The pinkie promise changes her worldview, leading her to take on challenges (coming in at a crucial moment in a soccer game), helping others (posting flyers for a boy's lost dog), and stretching her boundaries (running for class president). Chua's cheerful illustrations are filled with clever details, like a Ruth Bader Ginsburg doll perched on a shelf in the girl's room. Especially valuable is the emphasis on day-to-day actions in stepping up and delivering on your promises. Inspiring.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Polly, a bespectacled child with dark brown pigtails and warm brown skin, is "tired of hearing what girls can't do." Her life is full of males telling her that her gender precludes her from certain activities--fixing the sink's plumbing with her light-skinned uncle Ed; building a drawbridge for a school project, under the judgmental eyes of her brother Jack; even washing the family's car, which inexplicably earns admonishment from neighbor Mr. Lee. When her mother takes her to a rally, and the duo meets white presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren, soon Polly realizes that girls can do anything. After the two pinkie promise to remember this sentiment, Polly approaches activities with a new attitude. Employing the refrain "that's what girls do," Warren traces Polly's journey toward self-assertion and confidence; Chua's sunny digital art, depicting a cartoon-style cast of varying abilities, hairstyles, religions, and skin tones, augments this simple encouragement for girls to dream big. Ages 4--8. (Oct.)

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Kirkus Book Review

Lately, everyone seems intent on telling Polly what girls can't do. Whether it's fixing a leak, building a model drawbridge, or washing a car, it seems like the world thinks that girls aren't able to do anything. Polly is discouraged until she goes to a political rally with her mother. There, the two meet a White woman named Elizabeth (recognizably author Warren in Chua's friendly illustrations) who's running for president. She tells Polly that she is running because that's what girls do: They lead. Polly and Elizabeth make a pinky promise to remember this truth. Polly decides that being a girl can't prevent her from doing whatever she wants. Even though she's a bit intimidated at attending a brand-new school, Polly decides to be brave--because that's what girls do, and she makes a pinkie promise with her mom. At soccer, she's under pressure to score the winning goal. She makes a pinkie promise with her coach to do her best, because that's what girls do. And so on. By the end of the book, Polly ignores what she's been told that girls can't do and totally focuses on what they can do: absolutely anything they want. In the illustrations, Polly and her family have dark skin and straight, dark hair. The narrative is inspiring and child friendly, although the constant return to making pinkie promises feels like a distraction from the central message. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Inspiring, if all these pinkie promises don't get in the way. (Picture book. 3-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.