Shout out to the girls: a celebration of awesome Australian women by various authors

Penguin Random House Australia, 2018. ISBN 9780143789420
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. Themes: Women, Achievement, Biographies. Fifty amazing Australian women from all walks of life star in this shout-out ("Noun, colloquial a public expression of thanks"). The women range from names that are well known in the media (Rosie Batty, Cate Blanchett and Olivia Newton-John), to historical figures ( Mary Reiby, Mary Mackillop and May Emmeline Wirth), scientists and doctors (Dharmica Mistry, Elizabeth Blackburn and Fiona Wood) to less well known figures who will appeal to young and old alike.
The Contents page is organised with the woman's name and her field of expertise listed beneath. Each entry has a full page description of the woman and her achievements with a colourful portrait accompanying it on the opposite page, each done by different artists, who have their own portraits at the back of the book. Different sections begin with a though provoking phrase that broadly describes the achievements of the women following: the reader is led straight into the book with "a pat on the back to all the excellent entrepreneurs taking chances and thinking outside the box." Aheda Zanetti then leads the field with her invention of the hijood for sportwear and the burkini for swimwear giving Muslim women and girls access to sports.
I was thrilled to see Melina Marchetta featured as a writer, and found many younger women like Molly Taylor, rally car driver and Marita Cheng, a technology entrepreneur to have quite amazing achievements.
Beautiful illustrations of Australian flora feature on the cover and title page, as symbols of the 'strength and heart of the women featured in the book. Australian flowers aren't wilting violets . . . "
There is also a shout-out to the Smith family, which will receive all royalties from the sale of Shout out to the girls.
Reading about the fifty women in this book will provide inspiration to any reader. It is written in an easy to read style and is a must have for all libraries.
Pat Pledger