March 2025
Inspiring Women
by Judy Newman
Each March during Women’s History Month, I start thinking about the female characters in children’s books who have shaped my life and my outlook. The fictional (and nonfictional) characters who color way outside the lines made deep impressions on me as a child that I can’t—and don’t want to—shake. Whether their lives and stories sprang from an author’s imagination or from real life, they are the free spirits that still inspire and motivate me to make big bets and big contributions:
Pippi Longstocking—this precocious child of “an angel and the king of a tropical island” is a nonconformist, optimistic, generous, unflappable, and fearless person. Her physical strength (carrying her horse onto her porch and throwing bullies into trees) goes beyond the comedic—she has unshakeable confidence and a wildly infectious enthusiasm for life.
“I have never tried that before, so I think I should definitely be able to do that.”
—Astrid Lindgren
Mrs. Piggle Wiggle—a truly officious and self-satisfied character to me now as an adult, but her anti-slowpoke spray, and interrupting powder felt wondrous to my child self. And what remains with me now is the inspiration to be ever-resourceful, to launch into projects with a solution-based mindset, and to be persistent in finding answers no matter how complex or pernicious the problem is.
Mary Poppins—PL Travers’s beloved story of a British nanny who arrives at the house of her new charges and flies up the banister inspired me in so many ways. As did Julie Andrews’s epic performance in the Disney movie. Mary Poppins’s carpet bag, filled with everything you could ever need, truly informed my insistence on having anything anyone could possibly need right at hand in a large tote.
Millie Fleur’s Poison Garden—In this recent picture book by Christy Mandin, Milie Fleur La Fae demonstrates both the challenge—and the triumph—that comes from being true to yourself. There have been times in my work when I’ve felt isolated or disillusioned, but I’ve learned to be more willing to share vulnerabilities and overcome the fear of rejection in order to build a deeper sense of community like Millie and her quirky taste in plants.
Clara Barton—founder of the American Red Cross, was another of my heroes. A shy child who became a teacher, nurse, the first woman to hold a government job, and then appointed to be in charge of hospitals on the front lines of the Union Army in 1864, Clara Barton joins many women in American history who broke societal barriers to make a lasting contribution to the world.
“It irritates me to be told how things have always been done. I defy the tyranny of precedent.” —Clara Barton
Mary Lennox—The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett stars another female role model: orphan Mary Lennox discovers a secret world in her journey to self-actualization. What resonated with me at age 10 has stayed. Mary Lennox discovers a place without grown-ups, where she overcomes her own flaws and circumstances, lifts up the sad and invalid existence of her cousin Colin, and befriends another child in the plot to restore the garden without adult help—reinforcing the independence, courage, determination, and the ability we all have to shape our world.
And so many more: Mrs. Delphinium Twinkle; Emily Elizabeth, best friend of Clifford the Big Red Dog; Ms. Frizzle, teacher extraordinaire in the Magic School Bus; and Veronica Lodge in the Archie Comic Books.
Is there a particular children’s book character who inspired you? Please share with me at jnewman@scholastic.com.
Judy •
Judy Newman, Chief Impact Officer, Scholastic