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All the Way to the Top
How one girl’s fight for Americans with disabilities changed everything. This is the official illustrated biography of Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins; the struggle for inclusion and the fight for equality, at school and on the steps of the US Capitol.
Wonderfully Written by Annette Bay Pimentel
Beautifully Illustrated by Nabi H Ali
Foreword By Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins
A 2021 Schneider Family Book Award Honor Book winner
A Rise: A Feminist Book Project Nominee
A Junior Library Guild Selection
A 2020 A Mighty Girl Best Book of the Year
A 2021 Kansas National Education Association Reading Circle Recommended List
A 2021 Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices Title
A 2021 EUREKA Honor Book Award winner
A 2021-2022 Red Clover Book Award Nominee The Red Clover Book Award is a statewide children’s choice picture book award under the auspices of the Vermont Department of Libraries.
This is the true story of a little girl who just wanted to GO, even when others tried to STOP her.
Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins never wanted her wheelchair to slow her down, but the world around her was built in a way that made it hard for people with disabilities to do even simple things like go to school or eat lunch in the cafeteria.
When the Americans with Disabilities Act was proposed to Congress to make public spaces accessible to everyone, Jennifer joined activists in Washington, DC for what become known as the Capital Crawl. At the steps of the United States’ Capital Building, without her wheelchair, she climbed… All the Way to the Top!
Order your copy on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Indie Bound, or Target!
Introducing the activist, the author, and the artist.
As lived and told by
Jennifer Keelan
Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins joined the disability rights movement at the age of six and has been a passionate advocate ever since. In 1990, she received the Americans With Disabilities Act Award. Jennifer received her GED in 2002 before earning a B.S. in Family and Human Development from Arizona State University, which she plans to use to help children with disability rights advocacy. She lives in Colorado with her mother, Cynthia Keelan, and her service dog Mya.
Learn more about Jennifer here.
Follow her on Twitter @JKClegacy and on Instagram @JKClegacy.
Wonderfully written by
Annette Pimentel
Annette Bay Pimentel has published two picture book biographies: Mountain Chef (Charlesbridge, 2016) about a Chinese American who helped inspire the creation of the National Park Service which won the Carter G. Woodson Award, and Girl, Running (Nancy Paulson, 2018) about the first female to run the Boston Marathon, which was a JLG pick and received a starred review. Annette lives in Moscow, Idaho.
Learn more about Annette at her website.
Follow her on Twitter @AnnettePimentel and on Instagram @AnnetteBayPimentel.
Beautifully illustrated by
Nabi H Ali
Nabi H. Ali is an illustrator of Tamil descent based in Orange County, California. He enjoys creating works that foster inclusivity and intersectionality in art and media. His hobbies include painting, researching South Asian culture, and writing poetry.
Support Nabi’s incredible work on Patreon.
Follow him on Twitter @AB_Varaham and on Instagram @AB_Varaham.
Virtual School Visits and Presentations
In March of 2020, Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins began her book tour at schools and bookstores across the nation but because of Covid-19, Jennifer had to revise her tour to virtual school visits and presentations through Zoom and other video conferencing technology. Jennifer’s virtual school visits and presentations are designed to engage and educate children about the importance of the ADA as a civil rights law, the Capitol Crawl and the important role that disability rights activism played in the passage of the ADA.
Jennifer talks about living with a disability and general education about cerebral palsy and how it felt to be one of the youngest activists in the disability rights movement and how to become an activist by “using our voices to create change”.
Jennifer’s virtual presentations are informative and empowering and align with the motto of JKC Legacy to: “Educate, Advocate and Empower”.
To learn more or to bring Jennifer to a school near you click here to contact Jennifer.
For educators & librarians.
All the Way to the Top was written and produced to serve as a tool for understanding and empowerment for children. Jennifer’s story is a vehicle for teaching children about the importance of our civil rights and the impact of political activism. It also serves to put a spotlight on the disability rights movement and its own unique and powerful story.
This Common Core-aligned Educator’s Guide, developed by Sourcebooks, includes reading questions for deeper understanding, group activities for children to explore these concepts together, as well as extra resources and links to accompanying media.
For more activity kits, educator guides, other resources, visit Sourcebooks’ hub for educators and librarians.
If you would like this book in an accessible alternative format or language, please go to the Sourcebooks Contact Us page and click on “Rights and Permissions” to make the request.
Click the image to download a Common Core Aligned Educator guide for grades 1—5
Praise for All The Way To The Top
“A necessary testament to the power of children's voices.”
— Kirkus Reviews
“Pimentel’s compelling, present-tense narrative gives the story great immediacy, helping children connect with Jennifer’s reactions to physical barriers and social injustice... Still an activist, Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins offers a thought-provoking foreword to this inspiring picture book.”
— Booklist
“Clear, accessible prose accompanied by Ali’s creamily textured digital illustrations... a jumping-off point for conversations.”
— Publisher’s Weekly
“Pimentel offers a great look at a young activist creating change and a better understanding of the importance of the ADA.”
— School Library Journal