Here Come the Girl Scouts

Title: Here Come the Girl Scouts! The Amazing All-True Story of Juliette "Daisy" Gordon Low and Her Great Adventure
Author: Shana Corey
Illustrator: Hadley Hooper
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publication Date: January, 2012
Genre/Format: Biography/Picture Book
Summary: Daisy never would take no for an answer. She believed that woman could do anything and everything that a man could do even though she lived during a time when others did not think so.  So, instead of sitting at home, she went on adventures learning how to do anything she wanted to- from forging a gate for her house to riding on elephants. Then, during one trip to England, Daisy learned about a group called Boy Scouts and she knew that she had to make something like this for the girls of America. This idea was the birth of girl scouts.
What Jen Thinks:  It’s no secret that I love nonfiction more now than I ever have before. I love discovering more and more great nonfiction picture books. Here Comes the Girl Scouts! is another great nonfiction book. Having been a Girl Scout growing up, I have a special spot in my heart for Girl Scouts. This is the first year I haven’t bought Girl Scout cookies. Usually, I buy lots of boxes because I remember what it was like trying to sell Girl Scout cookies. It was awesome any time someone wanted to buy a lot of boxes. (No one approached me this year and I don’t eat them anymore, so I didn’t buy any this year…)

Shana Corey tells the story of Juliette Gordon Low – known as Daisy to her friends and family – a girl who loved being outside and loved adventure. She wasn’t prim and proper as she was expected to be. She wanted to make a difference in the world and because of this determination, she brought us the Girl Scouts. I love the text, but what I love even more about this book are the little quotes mixed in with the text. I want to frame them all and hang them all around me. There is so much motivation and girl power in this book it’s amazing.

In terms of the writing, there are several times throughout the book when Shana use repetition at the beginning of sequential lines. I love that there is a name for this: anaphora. I would challenge kids to look for when Shana uses anaphora in the book and then notice how it impacts how you read and think about the story. Varying our sentences is important in writing, but employing anaphora brings an emphasis to what we are saying and makes the reader slow down and, in this instance, recognize how many things Daisy accomplished with the Girl Scouts. Shana can share the numerous things they accomplished without needing endless pages to discuss each accomplishment.

Hadley Hooper does a great job with the illustrations. It almost seems as though she created many of the pictures using a sponge to color in the drawings. She uses lots of color, but it isn’t overwhelming because of the white space left from what looks like a sponge. The whole book has a feel of being set in the past but at the same time being fresh and captivating.

What Kellee Thinks: This is one of those books where the text and illustrations so perfectly complement each other that the book becomes a piece of art in itself.  I love how Shana Corey and Hadley Hooper played off of each other throwing in colors in the text and quotes in the illustrations.  As Jen stated above, it is a wonderful mentor text to discuss anaphora and sentence variation as well as a great introduction to primary sources.  It can also start a discussion of layouts and colors.

As a Girl Scout, we learned about Juliette "Daisy" Gordon Low every year when we celebrated her birthday. She was the woman that we all strived to be like. She showed us all that girls could do anything we wanted to and also how important it was for girls to be friends with each other. My troop even went to Savannah to see where Daisy and the Girls Scouts began.  Girl Scouts is such an empowering organization and truly teaches you how to become a responsible and well-rounded part of civilization and Shana Corey along with Hadley Hooper do such a superb job embodying the idea of Girl Scouts and the power and brilliance of Daisy Low while also entertaining the reader and teaching about an amazing woman in history.
Read Together: Grades 1 - 6 
Read Alone: Grades 3 - 6 
Read With: Players in Pigtails by Shana Corey, Me...Jane by Patric McDonnell, Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell, Velma Gratch and the Way Cool Butterfly by Alan Madison
Snatch of Text: 

"To get the full benefit of actual contact with Nature it is absolutely necessary to camp out... where every breath of heaven can read you and all wild things are within easy reach.

The Girl Scouts went camping. 

They took an oyster boat to an island near Savannah. 

They sang songs around the campfire. 

They feasted on fish and cornbread and turtle eggs. 

At night, they tiptoed out of their tents and slept under the stars."

Reading Strategies to Practice: Background Knowledge, Making Connections
Writing Strategies to Practice: Anaphora, Biography, Primary Sources
Writing Prompts: Write about a time in your life when you did something different from what others were doing. Or write about a time in your life when you were hesitant to do something against the grain.
Topics Covered: Feminism, Equality, Girl Scouts, Friendship, Taking Risks, Unique

Jen and Kellee both *heart* it

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