From acclaimed author Michelle Markel and Caldecott Honor artist Melissa Sweet comes this true story of Clara Lemlich, a young Ukrainian immigrant who led the largest strike of women workers in U.S. history. This picture book biography includes a bibliography and an author's note on the garment industry. It follows the plight of immigrants in America in the early 1900s, tackling topics like activism and the U.S. garment industry, with handstitching and fabric incorporated throughout the art.
When Clara arrived in America, she couldn't speak English. She didn't know that young women had to go to work, that they traded an education for long hours of labor, that she was expected to grow up fast.
But that didn't stop Clara. She went to night school, spent hours studying English, and helped support her family by sewing in a shirtwaist factory.
Clara never quit, and she never accepted that girls should be treated poorly and paid little. Fed up with the mistreatment of her fellow laborers, Clara led the largest walkout of women workers the country had seen.
From her short time in America, Clara learned that everyone deserved a fair chance. That you had to stand together and fight for what you wanted. And, most importantly, that you could do anything you put your mind to.
Supports the Common Core State Standards.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
58 of 59 people found the following review helpful.
Grandma
By joel
Clara Lemlich is my Grandmother. On behalf of my entire family, I would like to thank all of you who offered such kind comments about her. I can assure you that not only was she a force to contend with in the shops but she was also a wonderful Grandmother as well. Did you know she was a vegetarian, had season tickets to the New York Opera, walked 3 miles everyday and made the best rugelach a grandchild could want!
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful.Brave Clara~ Role Model for Young Girls
By E.O. Life Coach
In my Kindergarten class, we are doing a unit on "Change Makers" which got started with Martin Luther King Jr. I wanted to include other change makers that helped inspire change through non-violent action. I am so excited to be including her in my unit. Nicely illustrated, and simple enough for my 5 and 6 year old students.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful.Clara Lemlich, and the Labor Strike of 1909
By Z Hayes
When I saw this book at our public library, I wondered if it would be something my eight-year-old daughter could understand. After all, I had never really explained what strikes were about, much less a little-known historical event (to me at least) of the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike of 1909.I had little to fear as author Michelle Markel brings this event to life with simple yet evocative text, and her collaboration with Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator Melissa Sweet results in a beautifully-illustrated and well-worded picture book that made for an engaging read.Both my daughter and I loved the way the author introduces readers to Clara:"The surprise is dirt poor; just five feet tall, and hardly speaks a word of English.Her name is Clara Lemlich.This girl's got grit, and she's going to prove it.Look out, New York!"Diminutive Clara Lemlich may have been, but this girl certainly had courage and resilience. Forced to abandon schooling to help her immigrant family make ends meet, Clara worked at the garment factory with hundreds of other impoverished young girls, locked into an unsanitary work environment and toiling away for low wages. Yet Clara did not let her circumstances wear her down, instead this fiercely-determined young woman continued her education by checking books out of the local library and taking night classes.Clara was also concerned about her fellow garment workers' rights, and advocated for better working conditions, finally leading them and other women factory workers in the largest walkout of its kind in the history of the United States.The story is compelling and held my daughter's attention. We were both also equally enthralled by the beautiful artwork within the book, depicting stitching and cloth which tied in well with the theme of the story. This is a great picture book biography which lends itself well to discussions in Social Studies and History classrooms, and also for homeschooling parents.
