THE ONLY WOMAN IN THE PHOTO: Frances Perkins and Her New Deal for America written by Kathleen Krull and illustrated by Alexandra Bye is a beautifully- designed picture book biography of the first woman to be a member of a Presidential Cabinet, namely, Francis Perkins. This is a fascinating and under-told story.
Frances Perkins grew up in New England with a wise grandmother who encouraged her to walk through doors of opportunity, a father who taught her to read, a high school that gave her a chance to become a star debater and a college history teacher who sent her into the community to view the working conditions in nearby paper and textile mills. The injustices that she saw there including small children working long hard hours changed her forever.
Frances Perkins moved to New York City and became an activist. She took on unsafe working conditions in bakeries and was horrified by the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire which claim 146 lives. She looked into workplace safety, ran the commission that regulated workplaces across the state and became Governor Franklin Roosevelt’s Industrial Commissioner.
When the Great Depression hit, President Franklin Roosevelt asked her for ways to reduce the suffering. The illustration of her meeting with the President where she put forth her groundbreaking ideas such as Social Security, Child Labor Laws, the 40 Hour Week and Disability Insurance is memorable! The picture of Labor Secretary Perkins around the table with the rest of the President’s Cabinet, all white men who totally ignore her presence, speaks volumes. Perkins had a strategy for this also.
THE ONLY WOMAN IN THE PHOTO: Francis Perkins and Her New Deal for America written by Kathleen Krull and illustrated by Alexandra Bye is an energetic telling in both words and pictures of the story of an empathetic and intelligent woman for young readers 6-9 years of age
(Atheneum, an imprint of Simon and Schuster, 2020).
Activity Questions for The Only Woman in the Photo
Study the double spread illustration of members of the Civilian Conservation Corp in action. You can see trees being planted, rivers being re-stocked with fish and canals being dug. To learn about all of the activities undertaken by this agency go to history.com with the help of a parent. Then, draw your own picture of other activities undertaken by this successful agency.
This book tells the reader that Frances Perkins’ grandmother gave her the following advice: “When someone opens a door to you, go forward.” What do these words mean to you? In this story what did that advice mean to Frances?
Take a look at the illustration of a meeting of President Roosevelt’s cabinet at which Secretary of Labor Perkins and eight other Secretaries were in attendance. Perkins was the first and only women secretary to be a member of a Presidential Cabinet. How did the male members react to Perkins? Find a male member of this group displaying one of the following negative body language actions in reaction to her presence: no eye contact with her, folding his arms across his chest, closing his eyes, unhappy facial expressions and throwing a paper airplane across the table. How does she manage such disrespect throughout the story?
