Children's book celebrates 19th Amendment centennial

The "Lesson of the Lark," a book for children and teens about women winning the right to vote, will officially launch Saturday, Nov. 2, at Horizon Books, 243 E. Front St., Traverse City, from 1 to 3 p.m.

Author Laura Knight Cobb is an educator and lifelong poet and lyricist. The book includes instructional resources and materials that are aligned to Common Core State Standards. The book celebrates the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, occurring Aug. 18, 2020.

"The Lesson of the Lark is an important tool in the struggle to educate the public on the lack of legal equality for women in the United States; but it is more than that," said Kamala Lopez, president of Heroica Films and founder and director of Equal Means Equal. "Ms. Cobb's poetic treatment of the history of American women's struggle for dignity, justice and equality reverberates in today's fraught environment and urges us not simply to learn from our past and strive for a better future, but to listen and learn from the wisdom within. The Lesson of the Lark will provide boys, girls, young women and young men with a beautiful and profound allegory as well as spiritual guidance to realize the next phase of human evolution through tolerance, compassion and love."

The book, illustrated by Maya James, is an historical fiction picture book. It teaches the relevance of egalitarianism through the eyes of a Girl, a Lark and a Gardener.

A portion of the proceeds of this book will go to Equal Means Equal Campaign to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution, which will prohibit legal distinctions between gender when pertaining to property, employment, and any other legal bias or prejudices by contrast.

"The Lesson of the Lark is a beautiful book with an important message, and it has excellent resources," said Julie Burton, president of Women's Media Center in Washington, D.C.

Cobb will also be an exhibitor at the Children's Book Festival from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9, at the City Opera House, 106 E. Front St., Traverse City.

The book is available in hardcover ($28.95) and softcover ($22.95) and will be available at the Nov. 2 launch. It is also for sale online.

Published: Wed, Oct 23, 2019