Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Amazing Babes - the book & the giveaway.

Amazing Babes began its life as a precious gift from mother and writer Eliza Sarlos to her then one year old son Arthur.

I just wanted Arthur to know about these incredible things these amazing women were doing. I didn't want him growing up in a lopsided world when it came to knowing who to respect and admire.

As a mother of three girls I think about the world my girls are growing up in often. The bad and scary parts, and the good. We talk a lot about choosing positive role models from the women around them, the women in the media and the women from history. And we talk about working hard, being compassionate, following dreams and passions and making a difference.

Amazing Babes is a book that brings all of these themes together and then some. It is story book, a picture book and a great introduction into the lives of 21 varied and incredibly inspiring women from the past right through til now.

When I first opened the book I was struck by its simplicity. Then after a while I admired the great and important story it told. And now, I am enjoying the discussion it has begun, the thoughts and stories and questions that are unfolding.

Over the past few days I've sat with my three girls and read through the pages of Amazing Babes and admired Grace Lee's wonderful illustrations and I have loved watching each of my girls pull something different from it.

Miss Pepper, six, studied every woman's picture carefully, noticed all the clues in the drawings as to who they were and then chose to be photographed with Tavi Gevinson because she was the most beautiful.

Miss Jazzy, ten, looked at every woman and described her to me in great detail while I read her the paragraph about her at the end. She chose to be photographed with Malala Yousafzai who is a Pakistani schoolgirl living under Taliban rule who fights for the rights of all children to an education.

Miss Indi, 12, sat quietly with the book for a while reading about each inspiring woman, some she had heard of, many she hadn't. It took her a while to decide but she ended up being photographed with Irena Sendler, a Polish nurse who rescued 2,500 Jewish babies and children from the Warsaw ghetto during the Holocaust.

I know it's cheating but for me I'd love a big, wide angled, group shot and to be photographed with them all. How could I chose only one? The women in these pages worked hard, were passionate and made a difference. Although times are very different now, I'd like to think my girls might make a difference in their own ways, in their own worlds someday too.

Sounds like a great book huh!
I have one copy to giveaway.
If you'd like to win your own Amazing Babes, leave a comment below.
And please make sure to include a way I can contact you.

Big thanks to the kind folk at Scribe publishing for sending me a copy of this book.
And lots of love to Hello Kate Berry for fixing my photos while my camera was having a tanty. xx

Be amazing!

xx

79 comments:

  1. It sounds like an inspiring book and something I would love to share with my daughter and son when they are older....and something I'd love to read myself. Thanks for the opportunity marniearmstrong@me.com

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  2. As a teacher, I am determined for both boys and girls to see their worth in the world and respect each other. I am also acutely aware of the 'lopsided world' that caused Eliza Sarlos to write this gorgeous book. I would love the opportunity to share a copy with my students. missmills7@gmail.com

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  3. wow looks amazing.....a must for every child! how beautiful are your girls and their role models and their photos!

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  4. Sounds like a fascinating book, i would love my daughter to see this.She her self is a strong female x

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  5. What a lovely book! Thanks for the info, and yes, I'm in line.

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  6. I love everything about this! And would love a copy.

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  7. I would love a copy of this book, for my daughter who is named after a womens liberationist and for my son who just this week brought home "The top 40 most important women in history" for his grade two home reader. Not sure whether i love him or the school more! mel x

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  8. Wow. Your gorgeous girls are growing up. Look at Indi.

    That is a fabulous book. I have heard of 2 of those women but it looks like there is a lot to learn and be inspired by. I would love to share this with my children as one of our family reading books.

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  9. Oh how amazing I don't think my 14 year old daughter would be too old for this.....thanks for sharing. xxx

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  10. I just know each of my three granddaughters would love that book. I can see them choosing a different role model each, as your daughters did Kate. They are around the same age as your daughters.

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  11. I would love to win a copy for my niece. She's gorgeous and feminine and strong. I'd love for her to be introduced to these amazing women.

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  12. oh that sounds like a marvelous book!! Malala's book is on my Christmas reading list :)
    Now my girl is 5.5, and starting to notice 'things' and being exposed to music etc when not with me... I do hope I can instill the same values and qualities in her to make smart, sensible and healthy choices. I do love your posts when you discuss parenting your girlies :) I'll be keeping a look out for this book for my future classroom too!!
    thanks so much Kate!
    Lauren

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  13. ohh and I forgot: lauren.burke@students.mq.edu.au
    :)

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  14. Looks like a beautiful book. A keepsake. As the mother of 2 girls, and being a fairly strong and independent person myself, I am always keen for my girls to have inspiring role models. Love the idea of this book.

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  15. Love!! What a great great great book idea!!!

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  16. Looks like such an amazing book. I love the pictures of your girls. so beautiful, takes my breathe away. Your are such a great mum xoox

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  17. What a wonderful book! I would love to read this to my 5 year old son, who is very interested in fantasy and fairy tales. We talk about the unrealistic portrayal of women in these stories, however we have never used such a beautiful visual tool. It would also be great book to share with my daughter, when she is older. Thanks for the opportunity, Katie donnellykatie@hotmail.com.

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  18. Oh what a fantastic concept for a book! So important for kids to grow up knowing about strong women like this. Love the way your girls are dressed too to reflect the pictures :)

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  19. Oh pick me. What a gem of a book!!! If I don't win, I'm tracking it down. A must have for the bookshelf I think. norfolkexposure@gmail.com

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  20. I would love to win this though I suspect I will purchase it if I don't win, especially as I looked it up straight away and am mortified to discover that Miles Franklin was in fact a woman, not a man as I had always believed!

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  21. Wow what an amazing book and gift for girls or boys. I love it

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  22. Oh, what an absolutely wonderful book! I would love to win this, but I don't know if the giveaway is open to international readers? If so, please count me in [ keejah (at) gmx (dot) de ], and if not, thanks for introducing me to the book!

    Fine

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  23. Lovely photos and what a lovely discussion starter.
    Will have this in a christmas present for our girls this year. Thanks for sharing.

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  24. Great book to share with my children. Your girls picked amazing role models. I am reading malalas book now.

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  25. Kate, that book sounds inspiring! I have been having many discussions with friends of late about the topic of females and how we can inspire our girls to follow their dreams. This book sounds like it would be a lovely part of the journey of encouraging our girls to show strength and character and be all they can be.

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  26. It definitely sounds like an important book for all women to read - and gorgeous pictures too. Sherylee.

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  27. I love the journey you went on with the girls with this book, from reading it to taking their photos. So gorgeous, and special. What an inspiring book.

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    1. I'm at anestofgentlefolk (at) gmail (dot) com

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  28. What an amazing book. So many fantastic women. I have always been inspired by the story of Gladys Aylward but would pick Irena Sendler as a favourite out of this particular selection. My children (one boy, one girl) have books called "Ten Boys Who Changed The World" and Ten Girls Who Changed the World" by Irene Howat. Very inspirational too.

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  29. What an amazing book. So many fantastic women. I have always been inspired by the story of Gladys Aylward but would pick Irena Sendler as a favourite out of this particular selection. My children (one boy, one girl) have books called "Ten Boys Who Changed The World" and Ten Girls Who Changed the World" by Irene Howat. Very inspirational too.

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  30. Looks beautiful! I always love to read books about strong women to my daughter.

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  31. Wow, what a fab book. I think it should go to the teacher, will probably buy the book.myself if it's available in the UK. Had malala's comment been going round Facebook there in.oz? "The Taliban have shown what scares them the most: a girl with a book" . Love this, it works on so many levels! Xxx

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  32. That is such a beautiful and inspirational book. It's great for everyone but it's so important for our future women to know there are so many fantastic role models. Love it x

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  33. What a brilliant idea for a book! A friend of mine is due this month and I think this book would be a beautiful gift to her little girl. Thank you for the chance to win. tanya@myinvisiblecamera.com

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  34. I would love the chance to win this book for may daughter. I think it is so good for girls to realise that there is more to life than being pretty and popular, and that they can make a difference by how they choose to act.

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  35. I loove this book! It reminds me of that amazing photographer who pushed back against all the 'sexy' costuming she saw by dressing her daughter as incredible women throughout history. Check it out, beautiful photos:http://www.upworthy.com/see-the-5-kick-ass-women-this-mom-dressed-her-daughter-as-instead-of-a-disney-princess. I'd love to read this book to my boy as well as my girls, so he is absorbing those stories too.

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  36. That books looks so amazing. I would love to have a book like that to read to my 2 boys :)

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  37. I too am the mother of three girls...Roisin 10, Romilly 7 and Pia 5 who are already amazing individuals. We are pretty blessed in our world and I would love to share the beautiful simplicity if this powerful book. As a historian I am always looking for the stories that slip through the edges that I can share with my daughters. This book would be treasured in our home. Thanks for your lovely post rachphil8@hotmail.com

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  38. This looks like a beautiful book Kate. Our daughters (and sons for that matter) can always do with strong role models and positive influences. I will be keeping an eye out for this book...thanks for the opportunity. Love your photos with the Kate Berry touch too x

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  39. What a gorgeous incarnation of a wonderful concept - another book to add to the home library!

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  40. Thank you so much for sharing. What a wonderful idea and a most necessary contribution to the lives of people of all ages and stages, both male and female. A must read for my boys as well as my nieces, as well as me! Seems like a book that will passed down through the ages and will no doubt need an annual update as more incredible, inspiring women continue to leave their mark on the world. I don't need to win that copy but am delighted that I heard about it thanks to YOU most inspiring Katie! (off I go to the bookshop...something I love to do anyway) xxxx

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  41. What a wonderful book. Something I'd like to not only read for myself but also to my son and daughter. Thanks Thanks for the chance.

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  42. What an awesome starting point for some discussion and dreaming. I am always in awe of writers who are "bigger than themselves", who can put really important stuff out into the world in a fun and creative way. Is this going to be available on fishpond, amazon and book depository?

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  43. What a wonderful book. Your daughters are so precious!

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  44. What a lovely book. I currently work in an area of health and I recently read the history book of the organisation. What struck me so much at the end of it was that the women, (99% Irish Nuns) that founded the organisation and still pretty much say what goes on, were women that ignored what society told them they could or couldn't do. They just went about caring for other people and spreading compassion and being amazing. There are so many fabulous stories of women from now and before that are never published in any way, books like this will ensure some of them are shared further and wider than before.

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  45. Oh my goodness, how lovely, what an inspiration for children and grown ups. I love a positive and inspiring story. Thank you.

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  46. Reading this post gave me goose bumps, Kate. What a wonderful idea for a book and what an inspired way to celebrate and promote it x

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  47. What a fabulous book! I'd love to win this to share with my baby girl :)

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  48. Fantastic book! I would have devoured this as a child, and will certainly give it to my little niece so that she can learn about all the amazing women in the world.

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  49. Thanks for telling us about this book Kate! My boys are 5 and nearly 3 and their heroes tend towards the cape-wearing variety at the moment! …Which is fine, all positive role models for our kids are fantastic, but you can’t beat the ones who are helping to shape and improve the real world they’re growing up in.
    - Michelle

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  50. Ooooooh this looks like a wonderful book! Alexishilgert@yahoo.com

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  51. Sounds like a fabulous book. I'd love to read it with my boys and their baby sister.

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  52. The concept of this book is inspiring. The beautiful illustrations reinforces the importance of these amazing women. I would love for my daughter to be able to share in this.

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  53. Ahh, a book with soul! Send it my way for some cuddling & love (& a cup of tea!)
    Cheers, Rie,

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  54. What a book! I'd love the chance to win, to give to my daughter. Thankyou :)

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  55. How lovely that your girls all chose different women for different reasons. I would be interested to know if you were surprised by their choices or if their own dreams and personalities are already slightly mirrored in these wonderful ladies. I would also love to see the male equivalent of this book. In a world where many role models for a young boy are often sports related, it would be nice to have a book with a cross section of role models for them to draw from.

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    1. This is actually a response from Michelle

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  56. I feel privileged to be raising three daughters. I want to raise them to be strong and courageous and passionate and to stand up for what they believe in. Sometimes I wonder if I'm up to the challenge. I can not wait to have this book in our home, on our laps, in our hands and in our hearts. I am inspired. Thank you.

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  57. While I would love to win such an important book, I think I will just buy one for my girls, anyway. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. x

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  58. What a gorgeous tome to hand down to our wee ones. Beautiful illustrations.

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  59. This looks like an amazing book!

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  60. What an inspiring book. I have been reading a lot of books lately about woman in the Middle East, and there are a lot of very strong, determined, and brave woman in this world. I just finished the book 'Opium Nation' by Fariba Nawa, which is about Afghanistan and the opium trade, written by an Afghan-American. It educated me about a lot of topics, one of them being "opium brides" - children as young as 8 years old being married to adult men to settle drug debts. An interesting read about a country that many people don't know about other than what the mainstream media portrays.

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  61. What a great looking book. Your photography is stunning!

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  62. What an inspirational book this will be for my daughter and sons in a just a few years. In the meantime, it would hopefully give my 13 year old niece some much needed guidance and wisdom and help her to choose a better path for her future. sharon_m_robertson@hotmail.com

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  63. What an inspiring book. This is definitely a must for my daughter's bookshelf. I don't remember being exposed to such inspirational female role models when I was a little girl.

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  64. Great pictures, and I am especially touched by the picture of your daughter with Irena Sendler, because I am Polish also...
    I think this is my first comment on your blog, which I discovered few weeks ago! madziabarry@aol.com

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  65. Be amazing indeed...amazingly BE...and may all the wishes you have for your three precious ones come true. almadania@gmail.com

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  66. What a wonderful book. Would love it to put aside for my beautiful new granddaughter! Love reading your blog.

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  67. What a wonderful book. Would love it to put aside for my beautiful new granddaughter! Love reading your blog.

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  68. How wonderful for our children to have access/exposure to such champions. I would love to dive into this book with my kids. I love this post Kate, the choices that your girls have made for different reasons. Really inspirational as always! xx hayleyewhitehead@hotmail.com

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  69. I would love to win such an amazing book to share with my two girlies, as well as for my son to have knowledge of. Thanks for the opportunity

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  70. Wow! Thank you for sharing this gorgeous book - how lucky we are to be able to bring such information to our children (and ourselves) - I would love to share with my 6 year old daughter - fingers crossed for your generous giveaway!
    Chrissy

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  71. What a wonderful, beautifully executed, inspiring book.

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  72. Oh that is so fabulous. Love so much here.. the idea of such an inspirational text, the photos of your girls, the giveaway... my my my ... love love love.

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  73. I would love to add this inspiring book to our mobile preschool library.
    kylie hill
    nrav1@idfs.net.au

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  74. Hi Kate!

    I am a reader from Sweden (I found it searching for a recipe for semi dried tomatoes, thank you!!), and I love your blog. It gives me so much inspiration and hope. Thank you for your beautiful pictures and great writing!
    As for the book, I just ordered 6 of them, one for each family within my family, perfect as a Christmas present.

    Sending lot's of love from the other side of the world!
    Amelie

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  75. wow what a beautiful inspiring book, I would love to read it with my two girls, just as you have done. I am always trying to inspire them with brave and strong women but they one we always always come back to is their grandma, my mum, Marilyn

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  76. what a wonderful book! I am trying to lead by example to my children (a boy and a girl); I have volunteered to go to the Philippines to help supply basic needs such as water, food, baby powder etc. to the more remote villages and communities who haven't received anyting from the large aid organisations yet, more than 10 days since the devastating 'super typhoon' passed through and flattened their homes. I have little more to give than my time and my physical help, but I hope that this will be enough to inspire my children to affect change in the future too.
    I love the idea of sharing stories with my children about ordinary women (like me) and extraordinary women who have been able to affect positive change!
    Thanks, Rebecca (rosieashby@gmail.com)

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Thanks so much for stopping by...

I do read every single comment you leave and appreciate it very much, but I should let you know that I can be a wee bit on the useless side when replying to comments, that's just me, everyday life sometimes gets in the way....so I'll apologise now, just in case.

Kate XX

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