Recently, Lilith Magazine included Gracie Brings Back Bubbe’s Smile in a column about Feminist Books for Young Readers! I hadn’t thought of Gracie or Bubbe as feminists, but the list made me appreciate my own book’s feminist themes and strong female characters. Bubbe is an active older woman, who does yoga, plays guitar, and jogs so fast that Gracie kvetches about not being able to keep up. She makes an impressive kick at Gracie’s soccer game when the ball goes out of bounds. The book doesn’t include a father, so the reader can infer that Gracie’s mom is a single mother. And now that I think of it, Gracie herself is a budding feminist through her perseverance in trying to help her beloved, grieving Bubbe engage with life again after the death of her husband, eventually finding a way to help her find joy as they learn Yiddish together.
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