Grace Banker and Her Hello Girls Answer the Call - 2021

Front Cover, Grace Banker and Her Hello Girls Answer the Call: The Heroic Story of WWI Telephone Operators by Claudia Friddell, Illustrated by Elizabeth Baddeley. | GGA Image ID # 236b1c1fe4

📖 Review & Summary

Grace Banker and Her Hello Girls Answer the Call (Calkins Creek, 2021) is a richly illustrated picture-book biography that introduces young readers to the U.S. Army Signal Corps women telephone operators—the "Hello Girls"—through the leadership of Chief Operator Grace Banker. Author Claudia Friddell and illustrator Elizabeth Baddeley trace Grace's journey from New York training rooms to wartime switchboards near the front, where clear speech, calm under pressure, and bilingual skill kept the A.E.F. connected.

The narrative highlights the operators' living conditions, the tempo of combat communications, and the stakes of every call—closing with Grace Banker's award of the Distinguished Service Medal, the first and only to a woman operator in the Signal Corps during WWI. Back-matter and jacket notes emphasize archival research and collaboration with Banker's family, making the story accessible while rooted in primary sources.

Best for Ages 7–10 (Grades 2–3) with strong cross-over for upper elementary and middle school units on women's history, communications technology, and World War I. Pair with GG Archives primary documents (cables, orders, rosters) to extend inquiry.

From the Publisher

Here is the story of the United States "Hello Girls" -- the first female combatants in World War I. Grace Banker, a telephone switchboard trainer in New York, became the Chief Operator of the 1st Unit of World War I telephone operators in the battlefields of France. The world was at war. Female telephone operators were being called to join the fight against Germany. Grace knew she had just what the army’s Signal Corps needed. She answered the call and crossed her fingers. After two months of training, Grace led her Signal Corps Girls into the world of war. The minute the Signal Corps Girls started plugging in cords, calls poured in from some homesick doughboys.

Soaking rainstorms, leaky barracks, sore backs, tired eyes...

Conditions were rough for the operators, but Grace never complained and never forgot how rough it was for the brave soldiers in the battlefield trenches. Thanks to the doughboys' push on the front lines and the Signal Corps Girls' pull on the phone lines, Pershing’s troops won the battle that would end the war! After faithfully serving her country -- undaunted by freezing weather and fires; long hours and little sleep, and nearby shellings and far off explosions -- Grace was the FIRST AND ONLY WOMAN OPERATOR in the Signal Corps to be awarded the Army's Distinguished Service Medal.

About the Author and Illustrator

For children’s author Claudia Friddell, the next best thing to time travel is discovering and sharing exciting real life stories from long ago. A former elementary school teacher, Claudia loves talking to students and teachers about the magic of bringing history to life through books. When she’s not visiting schools, digging for treasure in the library, or writing at her home in Baltimore, she’s reading, walking, and kayaking on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Visit claudiafriddell.com.

Elizabeth Baddeley is the New York Times best-selling illustrator of I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark. She has illustrated many other biographies and nonfiction books for children and previously worked for Hallmark. Visit ebaddeley.com.

Back Cover, Grace Banker and Her Hello Girls Answer the Call: The Heroic Story of WWI Telephone Operators by Claudia Friddell, Illustrated by Elizabeth Baddeley. | GGA Image ID # 2370ba8b0a

From the Back Cover

Just over 100 years ago, at a time when women were not yet allowed t vole, my grandmother Grace Banker led the US Army’s first telephone operators unit in France during WWI. This captivating book vividly recounts how one courageous and intelligent young woman, along with her Signal Corp Girls, helped win the war. With this beautifully illustrated glimpse into the past, you’ll feel as if you’re there, cheering them on. —Carolyn Timbie, granddaughter of Grace Banker

Grace Banker and Her Hello Girls Answer the Call – Claudia Friddell and Elizabeth Baddeley. Video: National WWI Museum and Memorial. History is beautifully brought to life by author Claudia Friddell and illustrator Elizabeth Baddeley in their new book “Grace Banker and Her Hello Girls Answer the Call.” Join us this women’s history month, for a family-friendly conversation about their new children’s work and the life of chief operator Grace Banker of the U.S. Signal Corps women telephone operators. Learn how Banker’s grit and courage helped win the war and earned Grace the Army’s Distinguished Service Medal – and why it is important to have children’s books about it. (Time: 57:38)

Behind the Books - Grace Banker and Her Hello Girls Answer the Call. Led by twenty-five-year-old Grace Banker, thirty-two telephone operators — affectionately called “Hello Girls” back in the US — became the first female combatants in World War I. Follow Grace Banker’s journey from her busy life as a telephone switchboard trainer in New York to her pioneering role as the Chief Operator of the 1st Unit of World War I telephone operators in the battlefields of France. With expert skill, steady nerves, and steadfast loyalty, the Signal Corps operators transferred orders from commanders to battlefields and communicated top-secret messages between American and French headquarters. After faithfully serving her country —undaunted by freezing weather and fires; long hours and little sleep, and nearby shellings and far off explosions — Grace was the first and only woman operator in the Signal Corps to be awarded the Army’s Distinguished Service Medal. Astra House Video. (Time: 1:25)

From the GG Archives

Grace Banker and Her Hello Girls Answer the Call: The Heroic Story of WWI Telephone Operators by Claudia Friddell and illustrated by Elizabeth Baddeley presents an easy-to-read distillation of often complex facts concerning the deployment of the "Hello Girls" to France during World War I. While the largest portion was clearly intended for younger readers, the back section contained contextual information that enhanced the storyline and provided details for teachers and educators to facilitate classroom discussions about the book. School librarians should strongly consider this book for addition to their school libraries, appropriate for Elementary, Middle, and High School. This well-researched, written, and illustrated book can be used for social studies, women's history, military history, and general studies. -- Paul K. Gjenvick, MAS, Archivist for the GG Archives.

📘 Mini Dictionary for Civilians

Signal Corps

The U.S. Army branch responsible for communications—telephones, telegraphs, radios, and visual signaling.

AEF (American Expeditionary Forces)

The U.S. Army sent to Europe during World War I under Gen. John J. Pershing.

GHQ (General Headquarters)

Top-level Allied or U.S. headquarters where strategic orders were issued and routed via switchboards.

Switchboard

A console where operators manually connect callers by inserting cords into jacks to complete a circuit.

Magneto phone

A field telephone powered by a hand-cranked generator used widely in WWI.

Chief Operator

The lead supervisor responsible for operator teams, scheduling, discipline, and quality of service.

Distinguished Service Medal (DSM)

A high U.S. Army decoration for exceptionally meritorious service—awarded to Grace Banker in WWI.

Code / Cipher

Methods to keep messages secret; operators handled sensitive calls and protected information by procedure.

🎓 Essay Prompts for Students

1. Grades 2–3: In your own words, explain how Grace and the "Hello Girls" helped win the war. Use three details from the story.
2. Grades 3–5: Compare one scene from the book with a real document from GG Archives (e.g., a Pershing cable or operator roster). How does the primary source add to your understanding?
3. Grades 4–6: The book shows teamwork between American and French forces. Write a short essay on why clear communication mattered in WWI and give two examples from the book.
4. Grades 5–7: Grace Banker received the DSM. Make a case (argument + evidence) for why her leadership met the medal's standard of "exceptionally meritorious service."
5. Grades 6–8: Women operators served "in uniform, under orders, and under oath," yet later fought for recognition. Using the book plus one GG Archives affidavit, explain how classification affected veterans' status.

Teacher tip: Pair this title with our Hello Girls — Documents & Reference Materials index to integrate ELA and social-studies standards using primary sources.

🪶 Citation Block

Cite the Book

• Chicago (Notes & Bibliography) — Claudia Friddell, Grace Banker and Her Hello Girls Answer the Call: The Heroic Story of WWI Telephone Operators, illus. Elizabeth Baddeley (New York: Calkins Creek, an imprint of Boyds Mills & Kane, 2021).
• APA (7th ed.) — Friddell, C. (2021). Grace Banker and her Hello Girls answer the call: The heroic story of WWI telephone operators (E. Baddeley, Illus.). New York, NY: Calkins Creek (Boyds Mills & Kane).
• MLA (9th ed.) — Friddell, Claudia. Grace Banker and Her Hello Girls Answer the Call: The Heroic Story of WWI Telephone Operators. Illustrated by Elizabeth Baddeley, Calkins Creek, an imprint of Boyds Mills & Kane, 2021.

Cite This GG Archives Page

• Chicago — Paul K. Gjenvick, "Grace Banker and Her Hello Girls Answer the Call — Review & Resources," Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives (GG Archives), accessed [Day Month Year], https://www.ggarchives.com/MIL/HelloGirls/Books/GraceBankerHelloGirls-2021.html.
• APA (7th) — Gjenvick, P. K. (n.d.). Grace Banker and Her Hello Girls Answer the Call — Review & resources. GG Archives. Retrieved [Month Day, Year], from https://www.ggarchives.com/MIL/HelloGirls/Books/GraceBankerHelloGirls-2021.html
• MLA (9th) — Gjenvick, Paul K. "Grace Banker and Her Hello Girls Answer the Call — Review & Resources." GG Archives, https://www.ggarchives.com/MIL/HelloGirls/Books/GraceBankerHelloGirls-2021.html. Accessed [Day Month Year].

Replace bracketed dates with your access date when citing the web page.

Library of Congress Catalog Listing

• Title: Grace Banker and her Hello Girls answer the call : the heroic story of WWl telephone operators / written by Claudia Friddell ; illustrated by Elizabeth Baddeley.
• Author: Claudia Friddell
• Contributors: Elizabeth Baddeley, Illustrator
• Published: Calkins Creek, an imprint of Boyds Mills & Kane, New York, [2021]
• Edition: First edition.
• Variant title: Heroic story of WWl telephone operators
• Language: English
• Publisher: Calkins Creek, an imprint of Boyds Mills & Kane, New York
• Genre: Literature, Biographies
• Library of Congress subjects:
  • Banker, Grace, 1892-1960--Juvenile literature
  • United States. Army. Signal Corps--History--20th century--Juvenile literature
  • United States. Army--Women--History--Juvenile literature
  • World War, 1914-1918--Communications--Juvenile literature
  • Telephone operators--United States--Biography--Juvenile literature
  • World War, 1914-1918--Participation, Female--Juvenile literature
  • Women soldiers--United States--History--20th century--Juvenile literature
• Document type: Book
• Physical description: 1 volume (unpaged) : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 29 cm
• Summary: "Twenty-five-year-old Grace Banker leads thirty-two telephone operators to become the first female combatant in World War I"-- Provided by publisher
• Bibliographic notes: Includes bibliographical references
• Target audience: Ages 7-10 Calkins Creek | Grades 2-3 Calkins Creek
• ISBN: 9781684373505
• LCCN: 2020933250
• Classification - LC: D639.T4 B3647 2021
• Classification - Dewey: 940.4173082