Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors?

Gr 2–4—In the 1830s, when women were expected to be wives, mothers, teachers, and seamstresses, Elizabeth Blackwell had other ideas. After a sick friend confided she would have much preferred to be examined by a female doctor, Elizabeth decided to apply to medical school to become one. Although her rejection letters piled up—eventually totaling 28 no's—Elizabeth refused to give up. Her persistence paid off when she was accepted to New York's Geneva Medical School. After years of hard work, she graduated with the highest grades in the class of 1849, becoming the first woman doctor in America. Jorjeana Marie lively narrates Tanya Lee Stone's picture book biography (Holt, 2013). She's complemented by orchestral background music, and Marjorie Priceman's loose gouache and India ink illustrations flow across the screen. A closed captioning option makes it easy for viewers to read along as the story unfolds. This memorable production will be a great addition for Women's History Month, and it will be a fresh update to biography collections.—Anne Bozievich, Friendship Elementary School, Glen Rock, PA