Changing Can’t to Can

Ever hear those words, “You can’t do that!”?
Did you think, “Oh, yes I can!”?
And then what happened?

You Can’t Do That, Amelia by Kimberly Wagner Klier, illustrated by Kathleen Kemly, Calkins Creek, 2008.

Amelia Earhart may have imagined pictures in clouds, but she wanted to fly through the clouds.When someone told her that girls or women “couldn’t,” she showed them they can by doing it herself.

There are many stories about Amelia Earhart. This is the one Kimberly Klier chose to tell. Klier and illustrator Kathleen Kembly bring the charming heroine to life as a perky little girl who steps from the pages and leads the reader from the adventures of building a roller coaster in a Kansas yard to flying alone across the Atlantic Ocean and landing in a field of surprised cows in Ireland.

As a record setter, as a women’s studies consultant to Purdue University, as a writer, and as a courageous example of how to smile and move forward no matter the obstacles, Amelia Earhart is always flying above us in books and movies. We just can’t let her rest. The fascination is endless. Along with a brief history and a chronology, author Klier lists books, web sites, DVDs, and museums where we can pursue Amelia as someone we wish we could have known personally and as a legend.

Introduce your daughter to Amelia.