Anita McBride
Anita McBride and Giovanna McBride are the mother-daughter authors of the new children's picture book First Ladies Make History. Anita McBride's other books include Remember the First Ladies. She is the director of the First Ladies Initiative at American University. Giovanna McBride has also written the picture book Gigi at the White House!. She is a student at Texas Christian University.
Q: What inspired you to collaborate on First Ladies Make History?
Gigi: The success of my children’s book for early readers, Gigi at the White House, published by the White House Historical Association, encouraged me to propose writing another children’s book.
My mom and I proposed collaborating together on doing the book about first ladies drawing from her recently published books, including a college level textbook, on the legacies of America’s first ladies. We had wonderful material to draw from in those books and adapt it for children.
Gigi McBride
Q: How did you choose the topics to include in the book?
Anita and Gigi: The role of the first lady is so multi-faceted. We wanted to focus on how First Ladies have used their platform to address national and global challenges.
From Eleanor Roosevelt’s work on civil rights to Michelle Obama’s efforts to tackle childhood obesity, the book highlights issues where first ladies have made contributions like education, health, conservation, women’s rights, support for our military, and diplomacy. Our goal was to demonstrate the many ways First Ladies have influenced our society.
We also made sure the topics would resonate with children, showing how leadership takes many forms. We also wanted to show that through our history there are common trends of the work that first ladies have engaged in and how they have built upon each other’s work.
Q: Do you have a favorite First Lady, and how do you think the role of the first lady has changed over time?
Anita: It’s too hard to pick just one favorite! Each First Lady brings her own personality, interests, and strengths to the role.
What’s fascinating is how the role has evolved alongside society’s changing views on women and leadership and also how first ladies have communicated with the public over time.
From Martha Washington avoiding the press to modern first ladies using social media to connect directly with people, their public platform has grown significantly.
There are some aspects of the role that have not changed, especially the important role of White House hostess, but we have also seen how first ladies have expanded the role to be leaders on critical issues like education, health, and human rights.
Gigi: Jacqueline Kennedy is a first lady I admire because of her vision to establish the White House Historical Association to preserve the White House history and make it accessible to the all the American people.
Q: What do you think John Hutton’s illustrations add to the book?
Anita and Gigi: John’s vibrant and engaging illustrations bring the stories of first ladies to life for young readers. His artwork captures key moments in history with a sense of energy and warmth.
Young children and developing readers use illustrations to help inform the words on the page and John does an incredible job of conveying stories in history in an attractive and engaging way.
His illustrations show how multi-faceted the role is, from supporting our military and veterans to advocating for children’s health and education to representing our nation abroad.
Q: What are you working on now?
Gigi: I am going into my final semester of study to earn my Bachelor of Science in Education and will be student-teaching in the 4th grade up until my graduation in May 2025.
Anita: I continue to do events to promote my book Remember the First Ladies but am also excited to be working with the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, known as America250, established by the Congress to plan the celebrations of America’s 250th birthday on July 4, 2026.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Giovanna McBride.
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