girl scouts of the colonial coast
For her project, Nina worked with The Mariners’ Museum to self-publish a children’s book titled “Life on the USS Monitor: The Little Ship That Saved the Nation, as Told by Frankie the Cat.” The book, which includes hand-drawn illustrations, an elaborate story and images from the archives at The Mariners’ Museum, is a way for younger children to learn about an important event in history, the Battle of Hampton Roads.
“The battle between the ironclads not only affected the pathway of the Civil War, but it transformed shipbuilding for ages to come,” Nina said.
After publishing her book, Nina held book signings and numerous story time and craft workshops at The Mariners’ Museum, the Downtown Hampton Child Development Center, The Watermen’s Museum and the Main Street Library in Newport News. At each event, Nina was able to teach children from the ages of four to 10 about the Battle of Hampton Roads.
“I felt that by appealing to a younger age group through a fictional character like Frankie the cat, children might be more interested in historical fiction,” Nina said.
Nina also created videos in which she explains her project and reads her book that she placed online for anyone to access.
The Gold Award requires girls to identify an issue in the community and carry out a Take Action project to address the matter through leadership work. Nationwide, less than six percent of eligible Girl Scouts earn the Gold Award, which adds Nina to an elite group of female leaders across the country with the honor.
