Famous Women

Seven Brave Women

Take a journey through time with seven women who left their indelible imprints on the past. Their history is a story and more. They were farmers and artists and missionaries and storytellers. They fought many battles but never in any wars. They were devout and determined and tireless and beloved. They were brave beyond compare. Betsy Hearne and Bethanne Andersen both make their picture-book debuts in this empowering, beautifully illustrated account of seven unforgettable women.

Sacagawea

If it had not been for President Thomas Jefferson, Sacagawea would have lived out her life in the wilderness as the unknown Shoshone wife of a French-Canadian fur trapper. But in 1803 Jefferson ordered Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to find a route from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean, and to gather information about the Indians they encountered. In a village on the Missouri River, Lewis and Clark met Sacagawea, the young woman who would travel with them on their historic Journey of Discovery.

With her husband and her infant son, Sacagawea accompanied Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery as they braved rapids, blizzards, hunger, illness, grizzly bears and hostile Indians. She found them roots and berries to eat, helped them negotiate for horses, and explained their peaceful intentions to the tribes they met along the way. When they finally reached the Pacific, Sacagawea shared in their triumph.

Using the journals of Lewis, Clark and other members of the expedition, award-winning author Judith St. George brings to life the story of this remarkable woman and her contribution to one of America's great journeys of exploration.

Harriet and the Promised Land

Black Women of the Old West

Eleanor

Award-winning author Cooney presents a well-researched and poignant storybook biography of Eleanor Roosevelt's childhood. The wartime First Lady of the New Deal, who became one of the most beloved Americans for her empathy with the downtrodden, was famously unglamorous and plain in looks, even as a child. Her beautiful and awful mother humiliated the little girl, calling her Granny, "because she is so funny and old-fashioned looking." Orphaned at nine the girl eventually found her way to confidence, helped initially by a boarding-school headmistress. The book mentions only briefly Roosevelt's later achievements, so a parent will have to supply a little context for this tale of an ugly duckling who turns into, not a swan, but a fulfilled and happy duck.

Though she came from a wealthy and privileged family, Eleanor Roosevelt grew up in a cheerless household that left her lonely and shy. Years passed before Eleanor began to discover in herself the qualities of intelligence, compassion, and strength that made her a remarkable woman. In Eleanor, two-time Caldecott Medal winner Barbara Cooney paints a meticulously researched, lushly detailed picture of Eleanor's childhood world--but most importantly, she captures the essence of the little girl whose indomitable spirit would make her one of the greatest and most beloved first ladies of all time.

"There are many biographies of Eleanor Roosevelt, but this one is special...Cooney is at her artistic best." --Booklist

* Ages 5 up
* An ALA Notable Book
* An NCSS-CBC Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies
* A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
* A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
* An IRA-CBC Children's Choice Book

Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman

This beautifully written book, illustrated by four-time Caldecott Honor recipient Jerry Pinkney, makes the story of Harriet Tubman's childhood accessible to very young readers. As a young slave, nicknamed "Minty," Harriet Tubman was a feisty and stubborn girl with a dream of escape, and whose rebellious spirit often got her into trouble. Pinkney's expressive illustrations bring every emotion to brilliant life-from troubled sorrow to spirited hope for freedom.

"Rich with melodrama, suspense, pathos, and a powerful vision of freedom. This exquisitely crafted book resonates well beyond its few pages." -Kirkus Reviews, pointer review

Awards:

( Winner of the 1997 Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration
( An ALA Notable Book
( An American Bookseller "Pick of the Lists"
( A Time Magazine Best Children's Book of the Year
( Winner of the Christopher Award
( An IRA/CBC Children's Choice

Dear Mrs. Parks: A Dialogue With Today's Youth

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give her seat to a white passenger on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus. This simple act of defiance spurred African American residents' 381-day boycott of the Montgomery bus system and arguably fueled the civil rights movement itself.

For the last 40 years, Rosa Parks has received thousands and thousands of letters, most of them from children. This elegantly designed book contains a diverse selection of these letters on topics ranging from hope to O.J. Simpson, and Parks's replies are simple, sometimes poignant, but always reassuring.

The first letter from a child in Oakland, California, begins, "I am sorry that you went to jail because you did not give in to the system. Mrs. Parks, please try and stop the violence and the killing, because where I live lots of people get taken out (killed). "With her thoughtful answers to this ("Life should not be taken for granted") and other letters, Rosa Parks continues her legacy of challenging us to become a force for positive change. Children will be inspired and soothed by the words of this remarkable woman. (Ages 8 and older)

The Ballot Box Battle

Illustrated in full color. Just in time for the presidential election comes Caldecott medalist Emily Arnold McCully's stirring tale of a young girl's act of bravery inspired by the great Elizabeth Cady Stanton. It is the fall of 1880, and Cordelia is more interested in horse riding than in hearing her neighbor, Mrs. Stanton talk about her fight for women's suffrage. But on Election Day, Mrs. Stanton tells the heart-wrenching story of her childhood. Charged with the story's message, Cordelia determines to go with Mrs. Stanton to the polls in an attempt to vote--above the jeers and taunts of the male crowd. With faces, landscapes, and action scenes brought to life by McCully's virtuosic illustrations, Cordelia's turning-point experience is sure to inspire today's young girls (and boys) everywhere.  

You Want Women to Vote, Lizzie Stanton?

Who says women shouldn't speak in public? And why can't they vote? These are questions Elizabeth Cady Stanton grew up asking herself. Her father believed that girls didn't count as much as boys, and her own husband once got so embarrassed when she spoke at a convention that he left town. Luckily Lizzie wasn't one to let society stop her from fighting for equality for everyone. And though she didn't live long enough to see women get to vote, our entire country benefited from her fight for women's rights. "Fritzimparts not just a sense of Stanton's accomplishments but a picture of the greater society Stanton strove to change.Highly entertaining and enlightening." — Publishers Weekly (starred review) "This objective depiction of [Stanton's] life and timesmakes readers feel invested in her struggle." — School Library Journal (starred review) "An accessible, fascinating portrait." — The Horn Book

Marie Curie