Shana Corey, a children’s book author who grew up in Charlotte, has a knack for transforming stories of strong women into fascinating picture books.
So when she learned that the Girl Scouts’ 100th anniversary was approaching, she saw the perfect opportunity for a book about the group’s founder, Juliette Gordon Low.
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The result, “Here Come the Girl Scouts! The Amazing All-true Story of Juliette “Daisy” Gordon Low and Her Great Adventure,” offers a rich portrait of Low and the Girl Scouts organization, which turns 100 this month.
Want to win a copy? Leave a comment here and tell me why you deserve to win. I’ll announce the winner Wednesday, March 7.
Corey, 38, lives in New York but grew up in Charlotte, where she attended Irwin Avenue Elementary, Piedmont IB Middle School and West Charlotte High. She credits her teachers with igniting her love of reading and writing.
Corey was never a Girl Scout herself, but she grew up hearing about the organization from her mom, an enthusiastic former Scout who still had her badge sash. She began this project expecting that Girl Scouts in 1912 spent lots of time sitting around in parlors. She found instead that they played basketball, camped and hiked right from the start.
“I was blown away,” she says.
She also discovered that Low was an amazing character. Known as “Daisy,” Low grew up in Savannah. She lost most of her hearing by the time she was an adult, but that didn’t stop her from traveling the world and founding the Girl Scouts at age 51.
Low opened the Girls Scouts to all classes and races. She organized troops in orphanages and factories, in churches and synagogues. The organization also embraced the environmental conservation movement, just as it was beginning to take hold in America.
Corey, who confesses she’s “kind of a nut for research,” found lots of wonderful tidbits in a copy of the first Girl Scout handbook, published in 1913.
Thanks to that handbook, we learn that early Girl Scouts were versed in handy skills such as curing hams, stopping a runaway horse and securing a burglar with eight inches of cord.
“Here Come the Girl Scouts!” (Scholastic; $17.99), is illustrated by Hadley Hooper, who weaves advice and wisdom from that first Girl Scout handbook into her pictures.
My favorite bit of wisdom: “Many of the greatest movements for the good of people, and those which have influenced the world most, have been the work of one person.”
Interesting Girl Scout Facts:
- Juliette Gordon Low once snuck out of a fancy dinner party to go fishing with her friend Rudyard Kipling.
- The cookie sale started in the 1930s.
- Today, there are more than 3.2 million Girl Scouts in more than 90 countries.
- Former Girl Scouts include activist Gloria Steinem, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, poet Rita Dove and journalist Lisa Ling.
- The Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace in Savannah is open for tours: juliettegordonlowbirthplace.org.
- Find out about Charlotte-area Girl Scout opportunities at hngirlscouts.org.
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14 comments:
My daughter just successfully presented her Gold Award to the Hornet's Nest Council. She showed addressed a local, regional, and global concern that was rooted in the values of Scouting - Duty to God and Country, Duty to others, Duty to Self. Learn more about her project at www.hthc.me
My daughter deserves the book as she has shown all the loving kindness to children with disabilities, working with them over 4 hours a week for over 3 years! She also has sold over 9,000 boxes of cookies in 6 years selling and is learning how to help those less fortunate as she. She has earned her Bronze Award, working on her Silver Award and hopefully will achieve her Gold Award in High School. She would love to share this book with her special needs fellow Girl Scout!!!
I was a girl scout for 14 amazing years, and now I am a adult lifetime member. I earned both my Silver and Gold award for the Washington Rock counsil of New Jersey(now apart of The Heart of New Jersey counsil). Volunteering with the girlscouts back then and now has always been fun and I just loved seeing the joy that the girl scouts have brought to the lives of all the girls I've met, and all around the world. I would love to read this book, I'm one of the girlscouts biggest fans!! Love from New Jersey.
I am a third generation Girl Scout, and now an adult leader of my daughter's Brownie troop. We just drove into NYC today (from NJ) to Scholastic headquarters and Shana Corey signed our public library's copy of the book as well as our own. We also bought 3 of her other books which we have just read tonight and really enjoyed. She is a great writer!
With three, young impressionable daughters, I love the values, lessons and friendships the Girl Scouts provide. I have a Junior, a Brownie, and a Daisy. They look forward to their weekly troop meetings and get excited at cookie-selling time. I am the Cookie Mom for all three troops and this cookie season their three troops have sold over 3,500 boxes of cookies. The money they made will be used to help pet shelters and clean up city parks. I would love to have “Here Come the Girl Scouts!” so my daughters can learn more about the strong, brave, and smart female role model that is Juliette Gordon Low. By founding the Girl Scouts, Juliette Gordon Low has given my daughters, and all young girls, an invaluable opportunity.
As a troop leader for a troop of Juniors and Cadettes as well as a mom of 2 "women to be" I was immediately drawn to the values and mission of Girl Scouts when we attended our first interest meeting at my daughter's elementary school. I lead my oldest daughter's troop and have my youngest in another troop. Back in October our troop went to GWL for an overnight with some of our cookie money profits. Since we were there close to Halloween, which is Juliette's birthday, we made these fun foam wreaths with symbols of things to help the girls remember facts about Juliette Gordon Low like the fact that she taught girls how to camp (we made minature sleeping bags for the wreaths). We also held a hand stand contest because another interesting fact about Juliette is that she liked to celebrate birthdays (her own and that of family members) by standing on her head! Our troop is in the process of earning enough money to take a trip to Juliette's home place in Savannah. Last year we put aside some of our cookie sales profits and will do so again this year. Being able to win this book would be another great way for my co-leader and I to educate our girls about the history of Girl Scouts and how they too can grow up to become influential women! I am keeping my fingers crossed! :)
Hello! I'm a Junior in high school and have been a girl scout for 12 years. I would like to give the book to my wonderful girl scout leader-- a strong, selfless woman who has generously gave my troop and me her time, money, and love. She even has a whole room in her house dedicated solely to us, appropriately named "the scout room!" She's been a great encouragement to all us girls. I don't think any of us would be the same without her. Throughout our years in girl scouting, she has always educated us on the life of Juliette Gordon Low and I know that she would absolutely adore this book.
I don't think that I deserve this book at all but I do know of someone who does; my mom. As a young girl my mother joined Girl Scouts and to this day she still talks about her fond memories of her scouting experiences such as traveling to Washington D.C. I myself have been in Girl Scouts for 12 years and when we moved to the Charlotte area there weren't enough troops for me to be able to join. Being the wonderful mother that my mom is, she volunteered to become a leader and has been an amazing one ever since. I graduate from high school this June and I am heading to college in the fall but I plan to stay very much involved in the Girl Scout communtiy. My mom, even though I will no longer be apart of the troop, has decided to continue to lead the younger girls that will remain. It would be such an honor to reveive this book and award it to my mom. A women so deserving of wonderful things. I want to be able to thank my mom for all she has done for me and for my fellow Girl Scouts and I know that this book would be the way to do that.
This is my 10th year being cookie mom. Thousands upon thousands of cookies have entered and left my house over the years. Our troop averages 500 boxes per girl so we see a lot of cookies each year. We are in the middle of the cookie sales this year and we have already had 17 booth sales . We will have more next weekend. I would love to take a break after this sale and put my feet up and read this book. Then I can share it with the girls. The troop is excited about the 100th year anniversary of girl scouts so they would be excited to see any book about the history of Juliette Lowe.
Hello,
My daughter is in Girl Scouts and working on her Silver Award. She is exemplifying the virutes of being a Girl Scout. She likes to hike, camp "like a girl", and help others.
I never had the opportunity to be part of this wonderful organization growing up. Thus, we would both enjoy this book.
The opportunities are greater for our girls now then when we were growing up.
Sincerely Rosemarie Simpson
I am proud to have been a Girl Scout Troop Leader for the past nine years. My high school freshmen Senior Girl Scouts have each earned their Bronze Award, their Silver Award, and are poised to begin working on the highest honor a Girl Scout can achieve, the Gold Award. It is not always easy to be an "older" Girl Scout; peer pressure is present at any stage. But my Girl Scouts have always prided themselves on being "atypical," definitely the type of girls to "secure a burglar with eight inches of cord." I would like to receive this book for my girls so that as they work toward their post-high school goals, they will know that they are in good company with strong, pioneering, outspoken women like Juliette Gordon Low. They have much to offer the world and I am thankful for an organization like Girl Scouts to help them prepare. I would also like to add "Good Job!" to all of the people who have posted here; they are all deserving of recognition.
Bringing my daughter and the other girls in my troop through 12 years of Girl Scouting was a great experience for me. So great, in fact, that I decided to "sign up" again and lead a troop for my granddaughter. My daughter and I enjoyed a closeness through scouting that I am counting on again with my granddaughter.
I am a ten year old junior girl scout in the hornets nest council, troop 714. My Mom is my troop leader. I think i should win the book because i have been a girl scout for 4 years. I am working towards my bronze award. We have done the united way day of caring and other charity events for the senior home. We also have done charity events like locks of love, and i ended up loving my new hairstyle afterwards! This year we are going to Savannah to celebrate the 100th anniversary. We are going to the the Juliette Low home, the Tybee island lighthouse, and many other places. We are also going camping in the same month as the Savannah trip, April. My troop consists of 19 girls who I am sure would like to hear your book, and i would be absolutely delighted to share it with them. I would be honored to win your book.
Junior girl scout, Maddie Martin.
My husband and I have recently been awarded adoption of two of our grandchildren. The 6 year old has been in daisies this year and I can see the confidence in her from this endeavor. She is excited about all the opportunities that will come her way by being a girl scout. Her sister can't wait to be in K so that she may join, too.
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