Elizabeth Leads the Way: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Right to Vote

by Tanya Lee Stone, Rebecca Gibbon (Illustrator)

Elizabeth Cady Stanton stood up and fought for what she believed in. From an early age, she knew that women were not given rights equal to men. But rather than accept her lesser status, Elizabeth went to college and later gathered other like-minded women to challenge the right to vote.Here is the inspiring story of an extraordinary woman who changed America forever because she wouldn't take "no" for an answer.

Elizabeth Leads the Way is a 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

This title has Common Core connections.

Genres: Picture Books, Biography, History, Nonfiction, Childrens, Biography Memoir, Historical

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Tanya Lee Stone is an award-winning author of books for kids and teens. Her work, which includes YA fiction (A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl), picture books (Elizabeth Leads the Way and Sandy's Circus), and nonfiction (Almost Astronauts and The Good, the Bad, and the Barbie) has won national awards such as the ALA's Sibert Medal, SCBWI's Golden Kite Award, YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction, Jane Addams Book Award Honor, Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor, NCTE's Orbus Pictus, and Bank Street's Flora Steiglitz Award. Forthcoming titles include Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors?! and The House that Jane Built (Holt 2013) and Courage Has No Color (Candlewick 2013).

Reviews

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enlightening and accessible for even young children, this book gives us an overview of Elizabeth Cady Stanton's life and her achievements. What would our world look like today without her and those who aided her in the effort to get women the right to vote?

[Nadine in NY Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I still read to my kids at night, even though they are both quite capable of reading to themselves. Usually when I read a biography, they are antsy and bored, although sometimes they find it interesting. But THIS time, they were excited! This book brilliantly takes what could be a somewhat dry story and makes it completely accessible to schoolage kids. (One quibble, I would have liked a few more actual dates - in the followup, it says there is a Stanton Day celebrated in NY State every year on her birthday. News to us New Yorkers! We want to celebrate too! Lily asked, logically, "When is her birthday?" Good question! Not answered in this book! *) It starts when she is 4 years old and her baby sister has just been born - perfect! Kids can identify with other kids. My daughters were shocked and outraged to learn that women could not vote (I've told them this before, but kids ... never listen!), could not own property, could not go to college. They had A LOT to say about that! They did not understand why Stanton was "scolded" for stating that women should have the right to vote. It would have been nice if the book had gone a little more deeply into WHY so many people - even other women - were horrified at the thought of women being able to vote. So, the book's not perfect, but it's engaging, and it really energized my daughters (ages 6 & 9).

* I looked it up: Elizabeth Cady Stanton was born November 12, 1815. Shoot, we just missed celebrating Stanton Day!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabet...
I learned from wiki that the Stantons moved from Boston to Seneca Falls NY because they were concerned about the effect of New England winters on Henry Stanton's health. LOL Moving to Seneca Falls didn't exactly get them out of the wintery zone!!


I Googled "Stanton Day" and got ... nothing. After some digging, I did find this: http://www.answers.com/topic/elizabet... "Governor Herbert Lehman of New York declared November 12 Elizabeth Cady Stanton Day in 1941."

I learned about this book on another great website: www.amightygirl.com

[QNPoohBear · Rating 3 out of 5]

A picture book biography of Elizabeth Cady Stanton. This is mostly a straight up biography. It simply gives facts about Elizabeth Cady Stanton's life in an easy to understand manner. I especially liked when she met her husband and he didn't laugh at her crazy ideas. I also liked how her father wasn't a villain, he just knew that her life would be easier if she had been born a boy. What I didn't like was the lack of a lot of dialogue. There's a little bit of dialogue taken from ECS's writing but not a whole lot, even when her friends find her idea of woman suffrage preposterous! I was also not excited by the folk art style illustrations. Elizabeth should have been shown in her signature bloomer costume she adopted after discovering how difficult it was to carry a baby downstairs in hoop skirts. The book includes an author's note and sources.

This is a good, quick, simple biography to introduce children to one of my personal heroes.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A simple, short description of the life of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, one of the leaders of the women's rights movement. This biography give a few key moments in Stanton's childhood and youth that encouraged her passion to fight for women to gain more freedoms.

A nice introduction to the women's rights movement for children in early elementary school. The first page encourages children to think about girls not being taken seriously: "What would you do if someone told you you can't be what you want to be because you are a girl?"

[Sunday · Rating 3 out of 5]

A "light" read about Elizabeth Cady Stanton - as important as she was in the women's movement - too light; I think young readers could handle more. Author gets the point across - but missing details like dates and places could have been part of the book. I wasn't "moved" by the text. If teachers are going to use this, I would read aloud the Author's Note first.

[Bernadette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tanya Lee Stone’s picture book biography (2008), Elizabeth Leads the Way: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Right to Vote, shares the story of how a young Elizabeth grew up believing girls could do anything boys could. Even as a child Elizabeth was outraged by unjust laws. As she grew older she realized that only men could change those laws so she set out to earn women the right to vote. Her battle cry became: “Have it, we must. Use it, we will!” Lively illustrations by Rebecca Gibbon accompany Lee Stone’s text depicting first a young Elizabeth, later showing Elizabeth the suffragette. A perfect beginning biography for kindergarten to third grade students. This text would be an excellent companion text for classrooms studying equal or women’s rights.

I listened to this book as an audio book but because that format had no illustrations, I also looked for and read the picture book. Young readers’ understanding of the time period in which Elizabeth Cady Stanton grew up is essential and Rebecca Gibbon’s illustrations bring the fashion and lifestyle of people living in the mid-1800s to life.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like the illustrations at all. On one page there was a pregnant woman that looked like she was going to give birth to a cow! The text told the story of Stanton up until just after the first Woman's Rights Convention. A note at the end of the book talked about her life after the Convention. What annoyed me was that, in the end note the author referred to the fact that New York State has declared Elizabeth Cady Stanton Day an official state holiday, yet nowhere in the book does it provide the date of Stanton's birth, upon which the NY state holiday is based. It annoyed me because I live in New York State, and think the holiday should be celebrated more prominently, and I think it's important for interested children to know that there is an official state holiday named for her. I don't know as another state has an official state holiday named after a woman. So... I give 2 stars to this book!

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, but interesting biography of Elizabeth Cady Stanton. The narrative is appropriate for younger children, and the author's note at the end of the book adds some amplifying biographical information about Ms. Stanton's life, along with the sources she used for the book.

The illustrations, created using gouache and color pencils on paper, are engaging, but are a bit rudimentary for my taste. Still, the characters are very expressive and the settings are appropriately 'old fashioned' for that time in history.

Overall, it's a good book about one of our country's leading suffragists. I enjoyed reading it and it is a decent book for a discussion with younger children about women's rights or the suffrage movement.

[Holly Mueller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the way the questions in the beginning got my 4th grade girls riled up and involved in the story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton. This is a lively and interesting biography of a great mover and shaker. I'm excited to follow up the civil rights unit we've been working on with Women's History Month!

[Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember reading an old Elizabeth Cady Stanton biography when I was in high school. I was fascinated with her life. This is a great picture book bio about her.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring, not just for little girls!

[Loanne Cheng · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stone, Tanya Lee. Elizabeth Leads the Way: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Right to Vote (2008). Gibbon, Rebecca - illustrator. Imagine that in the 21st-century women are still not allowed to vote. Set in the 1800s, this historical fiction depicts the life of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and how she changed America and the right to vote. This book is not just about Elizabeth’s biography, so follow along Elizabeth’s journey and read how she made changes in history. As a young girl, Elizabeth has always believed that everyone mattered and be treated equally. When she grew up, she begged her father to send her to an all-girls’ school. One day Elizabeth and other women who have the same mindset, gathered and decided to challenge for the right to vote. An American hero inspirational book to learn about history and women’s rights, this is a must for elementary school classrooms. Illustrator Gibbon presented this story with color pencil illustrations that used folk-art style to portray the characters. The images of the characters are well-drawn with exaggerated expressions that depict the character’s feelings. Illustrations are bold and vibrant, showing historical features, such as clothing, objects, and setting. The text is easy to read and comprehend for young readers. Target audience: Ages 6-9.

[SamZ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and sweet overview of Elizabeth Cady Stanton's life and goals, although not super detailed. I wish there had been a little more info on the ways she tried to get the vote (marches, meetings, etc) as well as more inclusion of her actual speeches. Like most great leaders, Elizabeth Cady Stanton had the ability to use words to inspire, and they should have been included more in this story. Overall: a great place to start, could use a little extra beefing up.

[Emma VanBuskirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This empowering book is a biography of Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Feminism and women's rights are the main themes throughout the book. The rising action of the story was when Elizabeth and a group of women decided they were going to fight for women's right to vote so they can change the laws that don't allow women to do what they want. The author's note in the book's back matter, shares that women were not granted the right to vote until 18 years after the death of Elizabeth Cady Stanton in 1902. This book should be in every classroom library for young children to read!

[Gabrielle Pulito]

Title: Elizabeth Leads the Way
Author: Tanya Lee Stone
Illustrator: Rebecca Gibbon
Genre: Biography
Theme(s): Perserverness, Standing up for what you belive in, Boldness, Leadership, Hard Work, Determination
Opening line/sentence: What would you do if someone told you you can’t be what you want to because you are a girl?
Brief Book Summary: This is a biography that describes the life of Elizabeth Cady Stanton. After she heard her father, who was a judge tell a women that after her husband died she wasn’t allowed to keep anything they owned because she could not have ownership rights. Elizabeth decided that she was going to fight for the right of women. Her campaign started with the right to vote for women. It discusses the negative reactions that she recived and then after years of hard work and determination she changed the nation and got the law passed allowing woment he right to vote.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1: Kirkus Reviews
In lively prose well-matched by Gibbon's irrepressible images, Stone tells the story of suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton. The breezy narrative visits Elizabeth at key moments in her youth: when she wondered why a visitor expressed regret that her baby sister was a girl; when she learned a widow would lose the farm she had worked on her whole life because her husband died and women couldn't own property; when she begged to continue her education. She married the abolitionist Henry Stanton, but kept her name along with his. A meeting with Lucretia Mott and other strong, like-minded women led to a much larger gathering at Seneca Falls, N.Y. There began the long battle-the end of which Elizabeth did not live to see-to win the right to vote. Gibbon uses pattern and line on white backgrounds to set off her figures and exaggerated gestures and expressions to give them energy. A fine introduction for very young readers to the woman and her key role in American history. (author's note, sources) (Picture book/biography. 5-9)
Professional Recommendation/Review #2: Publishers Weekly
Beginning with a direct address-"What would you do if someone told you.../ your voice doesn't matter/ because you are a girl?"-Stone (Amelia Earhart) fires up readers with a portrait of the 19th-century feminist Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Four-year-old Elizabeth takes umbrage when a visitor sees her baby sister and clucks, "What a pity it is she's a girl!" Later Elizabeth reads Greek and jumps horses, like contemporary boys, and continues to bristle at injustice. Readers will follow this strong-minded heroine into her adult years, her work as an abolitionist, and her historic role as an activist and visionary. While not a detailed biography or an overview of the women's suffrage movement, this inviting story nevertheless offers a good jumping-off point. The sometimes informational tone is animated and energized by Gibbon's (Players in Pigtails) plentiful vignettes and paintings, rendered in a vibrant folk-art style. Ages 6-10. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Response to Two Professional Reviews: The first review discussed the use of pattern and line that pop on the white background to separate the figures and give them energyand expression. The second review states that it is not a detailed biography but it offers a good jumping point for children to understand the movment. This review also states that the book is energized and animated by the use of painting anf folk art style.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: This biography is written in a series of short poems. The backgrounds are all done in white causing the painted illustrations to pop out and show characters. There is an illustration that matches with each short poem. The series of poems tell a story. The very last page shows a map of the United States and the background is done in blue to depict the ocean.
Consideration of Instructional Application: Students cause use this book as apart of their history lesson. Since Elizabeth fought for a law that she believed in, student could use this to create their own law in which they think should be created. Or students can take a different perspective and revise a law that already exists and make it is better. This will introduce students into the history lesson of how bills and laws work while also having students work on their writing.

[Rebecca Caufman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elizabeth work to fight for women's right to vote.

[Christine Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: Elizabeth Leads the Way: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Right to Vote
Author: Tanya Lee Stone
Illustrator: Rebecca Gibbon

Goodreads Star Rating: 4

Categories/Genres: Non-Fiction/Picture Book/Biography

Copyright date: 2008

Estimate of age level of interest: K-3

Estimate of reading level: 3.5

Brief description: Biography of Elizabeth Cady Stanton a 19th Century Women’s Rights Activist who fought for women’s equality through the right to vote.

Identify at least 2 characteristics of this genre and sub genre and discuss how they appear in your book.
Tanya Lee Stone’s simple prose and Rebecca Gibbon’s illustrations come together to create an accessible biography of Elizabeth Cady Stanton an early 19th Century Women’s Rights leader. As a non-fiction, it follows many of the characteristics of the genre. For example, the author is highly qualified to write the book. Tanya Lee Stone is a historian and has written many stories for children about strong women including a book about Amelia Earhart and female astronauts. As a women’s historian myself, her facts are spot on and I loved how she blended short sentences with colorful and appropriate imagery to highlight Cady Stanton’s rebellion of her gender in 19th Century life. As a picture book, Rebecca Gibbon’s drawings and illustrations mimic paper dolls or “folk art “ as stated in the Library Media Connection review of the book.


In what ways and how well does the book as a whole serve its intended audience?

Elizabeth Leads the Way is a wonderful picture book that introduces students to the life of a young woman who faces discrimination because of her gender. It also illustrates how she fought against that discrimination by demanding a higher education, keeping her last name when she married, and by organizing the first Women’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, NY in 1848. Tanya Lee Stone’s use of short and to the point prose was very accessible to children and she utilized brief, yet detailed examples to illustrate that discrimination. Knowing the complexities of Cady Stanton’s life, this is no easy task! As a read-aloud, it will make it easy for the teacher or librarian to stop and ask/answer questions that come up about Stanton’s life, especially her early life as a young girl.


Awards if any.

Comstock Read Aloud (2009)
Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year. (2009)
Star Review: Booklist


Citations for published reviews:

Booklist starred (April 15, 2008 (Vol. 104, No. 16))
Horn Book Magazine (May/June 2008)
Kirkus Reviews (April 15, 2008)
Library Media Connection (August/September 2008)
Publishers Weekly (May 12, 2008)
School Library Journal (May 1, 2008)

[Leslie Goddard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Growing up, I almost never heard about women's rights leaders. I remember my high school US history textbook had a few paragraphs about the women's suffrage movement -- and a few pages about the bonus army (remember that? I thought not). In college, I visited the U.S. Capitol and was admiring the status of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony and Lucretia, when I overheard several women wondering who these figures might be (probably Martha Washington and Mary Lincoln, they decided, to my immense sadness). Cady Stanton is much less known today than Susan B. Anthony, and even Anthony isn't entirely a household name.

This lively book fills a much-needed niche in introducing one of the great figures of America's women's rights movement to children. Elizabeth Cady Stanton really is a great heroine for girls today -- she was feisty and rebellious but also a loving mom is the perfect rebuttal to any uninformed anti-feminist notion that feminists hate men (looking at how many kids the Stantons had rather disproves that notion!) She is a lively example of a heroine not afraid to go up against society in a rebellious way when things are unfair.

My favorite part of this book are the charming folk-art-style illustrations by Rebecca Gibbon -- colorful and brimming with action but also surprisingly historically accurate, right down to Henry Stanton's whiskers and the background lamps. Tanya Lee Stone's text is nicely accurate as well and reads out loud well, although it doesn't have entirely the same punch and charm. But that's a minor quibble -- overall, I love this book and I believe Elizabeth Cady Stanton deserves to be a heroine for every girl dreaming of a more just and fair world for women.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elizabeth Leads the Way: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Right to Vote

Written by Tanya Lee Stone

Illustrated by Rebecca Gibbon

Copyright: 2007

Genre: Life Writing, Historical Fiction

Literature Requirement: One of the Life Writing Selections

*Spoiler Alert* I initially really liked this book when I saw it in the public library. I thought it would be great for kids to learn about Elizabeth Cady Stanton. I thought that the story had lots of cute illustrations and was very factual about Elizabeth Cady Stanton. I thought this book was very fun and that kids would like it. However, when I went to read this book to the 2nd grade class during Screen-Free Week, none of the students really like this book. One of the students even yawned when I was reading this book. I think one of the reasons it wasn’t successful was because I think the kids hadn’t been taught about women’s suffrage yet. I also think this book might have been a little to advance for them, and I think it didn’t help that I didn’t explain what women’s suffrage was until halfway through the book. I still think this book is great for students because it talks about Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s life in a simple fashion, but this book would be great in a unit that talk about women’s suffrage. I really like this book, and I thought it was interesting to be able to test this book out in a real life classroom, even though everything didn’t go as planned. I would give this book a five out of five stars because this book gives a great introduction to the women's suffrage. I would however recommend this book to third or even fourth grade students and up.

[Cassidy Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elizabeth Leads the Way is a nonfiction biography picture book published in 2008. It recounts the life of Elizabeth Cady Stanton from her growing up disagreeing with the role women were forced into to her fighting for the right for women to vote. The story is well written making it easy to follow and understand and the pictures add to the story. I think this book could be incorporated into the classroom of many grades. For the younger grades it can used to teach why the right to vote is important as it gives people a voice and how its used in the class like voting on indoor or outdoor recess. In the upper elementary and middle school grades where students learn about American government it can be used to talk about why the right to vote is important and how it relates to how the government is formed and ran.

[Maggie Rappleyea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awards: Booklist Top 10 Biography for Youth; NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People 2009, Biography

This is appropriate for grades 1 and up.

This is the story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Women's Suffrage Movement. It tells of her knowing from a young age that girls are treated differently, unfairly; then, as a woman, it tells of her bravery and willingness to make a change.

I love the way this book approaches a monumental moment in history. It tells it through the story of a single woman who had courage to change the world. She, and countless others.

I would include a "Like a Girl" lesson where students create illustrations on doing things like a girl that are empowering. Too often is "like a girl" used as an insult. However, like Elizabeth, all girls have a power that--when left unbridled--can change the world.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This picture book biography gives young readers a delightful introduction into one of America's foremost female reformers. The book introduces Elizabeth as a young girl, and continues chronologically with Elizabeth's realization of her less than equal status as compared to her male counterparts. We then see the steps she took to try and fix these inequalities. The book concludes with a more in-depth synopsis of Elizabeth Cady Stanton's life, followed by a list of sources. The whimsical illustrations will be enjoyed by both children and adults alike. The book takes a light approach to the topic, and would compliment elementary school library collections.

[MissDziura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tanya Lee Stone has written a biography about Elizabeth Cady Stanton for younger readers. She has written a good story that starts with Elizabeth questioning why boys had it so much easier than girls when she was a young girl herself. The story progresses with her life from becoming an accomplished student, to a wife, and finally one of the first activists for Women's Rights. Most students have heard of Susan B. Anthony but not Elizabeth Stanton, so this book does a great job through story and illustrations of telling her life. This would be an excellent classroom resource to read during Women's History Month to expose students to other women who wanted their voices heard.

[Alma Loredo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great narrative for children to understand the changes that have occurred in the United States. This book explains in a very simple way what Elizabeth had to do to encourage that women, just like men, needed to have rights and how women now have many rights they were not allowed to have before.
It is mportant for students to be able to talk about it but also neat for them to experience it. I think that students can experience this sense of inequality by not being allowed to do what they are usually able to do. For example, not using manipulatives in math, using the bathroom further from the classroom, etc. Students can then reflect on their feelings.

[Alexandria Stephens]

Elizabeth Leads the Way: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Right to Vote is a book about women's suffrage and how Elizabeth Cady Stanton was at the forefront of fighting for women's rights. The book briefly speaks about Stanton's life at an early age but the story's main focus is of the women's suffrage movement. Elizabeth Cady Stanton joined forces with other women who wanted to fight for a woman's right to vote. The book doesn't describe all the sacrifices and obstacles Stanton faced during this time and it is more of a prelude when talking about women's rights. This book can be integrated with writing and students can write about other important women in history.

[Roxanne Hsu Feldman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Note to self: second spread: Staton is supposed to be 4 years old in this picture.... the proportion of head/body is not right...

Isn't her father (parents) instrumental in allowing her to be the woman she wanted to become by giving her an education and treating her with respect?

The time frame is not specified in the book proper until toward the end of the book when the year 1848 is mentioned.

Henry was also supportive.

There is not enough of a build-up and the ending is a bit tepid.

The illustrations are not all that inspiring either.

[Liane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genre: Biographical Picture Book

Reading Level: Late Early

Topics & Themes: An abbreviated history of Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

Curricular Use: Read aloud or shared. Introduction of women in history or women's right to vote.

Social: Women's rights and women's suffrage.

Literary Elements: Questions asked directly to the reader then shows how Elizabeth responded to the questions. Prose. Overview of women's rights in the mid 1800s.

Text & Pictures: Interaction of text and pictures. (Pictures not extremely appealing)

[Veronica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book for my daughter, whom I named after Elizabeth Cady Stanton. She loves having a book about ECS. We even took it into school for Women's History Month and I read it to her class. The illustration is amazing. Rebecca Gibbon who did the illustration also worked on a children's book about the women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League created by Chicago Cubs owner Phillip Wrigley during World War II. And yes, we own that one too.

[Amanda Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book!! It tells the story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and how she fought for women's right to vote. It is such a powerful story and a wonderfully written picture book that would be a great read aloud. It goes through her life from when she is a little girl to when she dies, and looks at many events in her life that are now apart of history. It is interesting to see how the people of her time reacted to her boldness! This story would be great to use when teaching about the 19th Ammendment in fourth grade, or in any other grade to teach about change agents!

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A surprisingly straightforward biography of an amazing woman. With relatively light text, this shares the story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who championed the cause of woman's suffrage, though her dream wasn't realized until 17 years after her death. This tells of the grave injustices that women suffered in our country for much of its history and how Elizabeth went about seeking to change that. Would be excellent for a women's history project. The information contained within is both simple, and valuable. Well done.