Gloria Steinem and Leymah Gbowee, activists and close friends, are working on a picture book

By HILLEL ITALIE
AP National Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Two giants of the women’s rights movement, Gloria Steinem and Nobel laureate Leymah Gbowee, have teamed up for a picture book with the mission of inspiring young people to change the world.

“Rise, Girl, Rise: Our Sister-Friend Journey. Together for All” will be published next February, Scholastic Inc. announced Wednesday. Illustrated by Kah Yangni, it draws upon the close bond between Steinem and Gbowee, the Nobel Peace Prize winner from Libya.

“I am so proud to collaborate with my longtime friend and sister activist Leymah Gbowee,” Steinem said in a statement. “’Rise, Girl, Rise’ is for anyone who cares deeply about being part of a promising future.”

Gbowee said in a statement that “Gloria Steinem and I have traveled many roads together, physically, and through our individual actions. This special book is our gift to the trailblazers of tomorrow, who are finding power and joy in their friendships today.”