The Right to Play: How Jane Addams Fought for America's Playgrounds

Jane Addams ensured that all children in the United States had the right to play.

When Jane Addams was a little girl, she had a limp that prevented her from running and playing with the other children in her neighborhood. Eventually her condition improved, and she was able to join in the fun and make new friends. But she never forgot what it felt like to be left out. Jane grew up and moved to Chicago to cofound Hull House, a settlement home for immigrant families. There, kids from different countries spent time together while their parents worked. Jane wanted to give the boys and girls in her care a place outside where they could run and play, just as she used to. So she commissioned the first model playground in the US, sparking a nationwide movement to build safe, dedicated spaces for children of all abilities to play.

Elizabeth Brown holds an MFA in creative writing from Goddard College and teaches writing and the humanities at Saint Augustine College. She is the author of Dancing through Fields of Color, Like a Diamond in the Sky, and several forthcoming picture books. She lives in Evanston, Illinois with her family.

Olga Lee is an illustrator of Korean ethnicity currently based in Moscow, Russia. After studying animation at Max the Mutt Art and Animation College in Toronto, Canada, she returned to Russia to work as an animator on a feature film while freelancing as an illustrator whenever she could to practice drawing. Eventually she realized she wanted to focus on illustrating full time. Olga takes her inspiration from everyday life and stories. When not illustrating, she loves spending time with her dog and skating.