Grace Banker and her Hello Girls Answer the Call
By Claudia Friddell
Illustrated by Elizabeth Baddeley
BOYDS MILLS & KANE
ISBN: 978-1585364558
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Led by twenty-five-year-old Grace Banker, thirty-two telephone operators — affectionately called “Hello Girls” back in the US — became the first female combatants in World War I.
Follow Grace Banker’s journey from her busy life as a telephone switchboard trainer in New York to her pioneering role as the Chief Operator of the 1st Unit of World War I telephone operators in the battlefields of France. With expert skill, steady nerves, and steadfast loyalty, the Signal Corps operators transferred orders from commanders to battlefields and communicated top-secret messages between American and French headquarters. After faithfully serving her country–undaunted by freezing weather and fires; long hours and little sleep, and nearby shellings and far off explosions–Grace was the first and only woman operator in the Signal Corps to be awarded the Army’s Distinguished Service Medal. Author Claudia Friddell and artist Elizabeth Baddely beautifully capture this true American story that celebrates the lives of this little-known heroic woman and her team of Signal Corps Operators.
Join the virtual zoom meeting for a family-friendly conversation about how Grace Banker’s grit and courage helped win the war and earned Grace the Army’s Distinguished Service Medal – and why it is important to have children’s books about it. March 20th 10:30am learn how to register here
Thank you, Elizabeth, for taking Grace Banker and Her Hello Girls Answer the Call to the National WWl Museum and Memorial in Kansas City on Veteran’s Day!