Author: Jada Pinkett Smith
Photos by: Donyell Kennedy-McCullough
Publisher: Scholastic, Cartwheel Books, 2005
Length: 30
Genre: Non-fiction
Analysis:
Girls Hold up this World is a beautiful book which uses poetry to convey the message that girls are strong, capable, and important. The book is very moving and uses a combination of photographs and text to empower the reader and prove that women of all types are wonderful and can do anything they set their minds to. The targeted audience is women and girls.
The text is the main mode of conveying the important message of girl power. A great example of some of these powerful words is on page 23: “Every color, age, and size, we’re united by beauty inside”. This book, being non-fiction, is not told by any one character and is not a narrative. Because of this, the author is able to channel all of the words to really get this message across to the reader. She uses end rhymes to make the words flow together and keep the reader hooked.
The photographs are essential to the meaning of the text. While the poetry is beautiful, without the photographs it doesn’t feel like a story. The pictures allow the reader to see real women, doing real things, living the words on the page. Because they used real images, it makes the text much more meaningful and impactful. It allows the reader to feel that these goals and ideals are truly achievable, and women all over the world are living up to their full potential and achieving greatness.
Another important thing to note about the pictures is that they do not represent just one race, class, or family type. Instead, they represent all kinds of different people, cultures, and families. This is very important because this way, any child reading this book will be able to relate to at least some of the pictures, which makes the poem so moving. I believe this book is a door because it is very empowering, and allows the reader to feel like they can do anything they set their minds to.