Nurse, Solider, Spy

The Story of Sarah Edmonds - A Civil War Hero

This post is part of Nonfiction Monday
hosted today by School Library Journal's
Practically Paradise
Abrams Books for Young Readers

(pub. 3.1.2011)
48 pages
 
A True Tale with A Cherry On Top

A uthor: MARISSA MOSS

              and Illustrator: JOHN HENDRIX

C haracter: Sarah Edmonds, a Civil War hero

O verview from book flap: 
     "When Frank Thompson sees a poster requesting recruits for the new Union army, he is ready and willing to enlist.  Except Frank isn't his real name. In fact, Frank isn't a man - he is really Sarah Emma Edmonds.

     At only nineteen years old, Sarah had already been dressing as a man for three years and living on the run in order to escape an arranged marriage.  She had tasted freedom, and there was no going back.

     Eager to fight for the North during the Civil War, Sarah ... excels as a soldier [and as a nurse].  Because of her heroism, she is asked to become a spy...

     This incredible, true story of a brave young woman who makes an unlikely choice to fight for her country is one that should not be lost to history."

T antalizing taste: 
      "Freedom, she knew, wasn't something to take for granted.  It was something to fight for, to cherish.

     And so long as her heart was beating strong, that's just what she would do."

and something more:   The picture book biography, Nurse, Soldier, Spy, is a perfect book to wrap up this month's celebration of Women's History Month.  As Marissa Moss wrote in the Author's Note, Sarah Emma Edmonds Seelye "became the first and only woman to be recognized as a veteran of the Civil War with an honorable discharge and to receive a pension and back pay for her service.  She was also the only woman invited to join the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), the association for Civil War veterans of the Union army... [She] was the only woman to be buried in a military cemetery, in a plot reserved for Civil War veterans." 

     As John Hendrix' commented in his Artist's Note, he needed to draw Sarah "to look different from the other characters in the book, but still appear strong and confident in her abilities."  Yes!  She certainly was a strong and confident woman who not only performed the roles of nurse, solider and spy during the Civil War, but also, after the war, worked with her husband to improve the lives of others in a number of good causes.

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Fearless

The Story of Racing Legend Louise Smith

This post is part of Nonfiction Monday
hosted today by The Children's War


Dutton Children's Books 
(pub. 10.14.2010)
32 pages 

A True Tale with A Cherry On Top

A uthor: BARB ROSENSTOCK 
              and Illustrator: SCOTT DAWSON

C haracter: Louise Smith, race car driver

O verview from book flap:
     "When Louise Smith started to race cars, most girls weren't even allowed to drive. Her first wild adventure behind the wheel of her daddy's Model T Ford taught her the thrill of driving fast and the freedom that comes from fearlessly following your heart... 
     Scott Dawson's dynamic paintings capture all the energy and excitement of Barb Rosenstock's text. Together they bring life to one of the true legends in car racing history."


T antalizing taste:

     "Louise drove for eleven years.  She won thirty-eight times.  She was the first woman elected to the International Motorsports Hall of Fame - forty-three years after she stopped racing.
     As Louise got old, walking got harder, but driving never did.  Wearing rhinestone bifocals, sparkly earrings, and hair piled high on her head, Louise pushed her sedan to the limit ...
     FAST!  FASTER!  FLYING!
     FREE!
                                        FEARLESS!" 


and something more:  FEARLESS is another picture book biography to celebrate  Women's History Month.   Louise Smith stopped racing cars for the same reason Tillie Anderson stopped racing bikes (as I talked about in my post about the picture book biography, Tillie the Terrible Swede): women were banned from racing. 
      Barb Rosenstock writes in the Author's Note that "Louise was not only the only woman at the track on those wild summer nights, but there were very few... From the mid-1950s until the mid-1970s, women were banned from the track on the grounds that it was too dangerous for them.  Some still raced in ladies races at small tracks around the country, but usually women were allowed to participate only as beauty queens." 
     It's another reason we need to celebrate Women's History Month -- to remember these women who were pioneers in their fields, but were then banned from pursuing their passion.

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Amelia Earhart: This Broad Ocean

This post is part of Nonfiction Monday
hosted today by Chapter Book of the Day


Disney Hyperion (pub. 2.2.2010)
96 pages 


A True Tale with A Cherry On Top
 

A uthor: SARAH STEWART TAYLOR

              and Illustrator/cartoonist:  BEN TOWLE

C haracter: Amelia Earhart, pilot and aviation pioneer


O verview from book flap:
     "Amelia Earhart developed a love of flying at a very young age  What began as a simple joy became something much deeper - a commitment to open doors for all women... In Amelia Earhart: This Broad Ocean, Taylor and Towle focus on Amelia's triumphant crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in 1928, offering us a glimpse of her relentless ambition and her tireless will to promote women's rights..."

T antalizing taste:
    
December 1920  Daugherty Field Long Beach, California
     "Dad, I'd... I'd like to go up.  What do you think?"
     "Are you sure? It's dangerous, Amelia.  These planes are always crashing, you know."
     "Just to try it.  Please, Dad."
     "All right.  I'll see how much it costs.  Ahoy! You there!... My daughter would like to go for a ride.  How much?
     "Your daughter?
     "My daughter.
     "You sure, mister?"
     "Yes."
     "Ten dollars for ten minutes.
     "Be here tomorrow at nine.


The next morning [illustrations of Amelia going up in airplane with pilot.]
     [Man on the ground to Amelia's father] "Girl's got moxie.  Ya don't mind me sayin.'
     [Amelia's father]: "That's my Amelia."


and something more:  I diverged from reviewing picture book biographies to include this graphic novel to fit within the scope of today's Nonfiction Monday host, Chapter Book of the Day.  And, I was intrigued to read it because it's one of several cartoon biographies presented by The Center for Cartoon Studies.  Amelia Earhart: This Broad Ocean celebrates Women's History Month.  The introduction to the graphic novel is written by Eileen Collins, a former NASA astronaut and the first female pilot of a Space Shuttle in 1991 (and later the first woman commander in 1999). Eileen Collins describes the impact Amelia Earhart had on her career, and quotes her: "'The most difficult thing is the decision to act; the rest is merely tenacity ... You can do anything you decide to do.  You can act to change and control your life." 
     Eileen Collins recounts that she was given one of Amelia Earhart's scarves by Carol Osborne, an aviation historian.  NASA arranged to have the scarf "carefully folded and vacuum-packed in clear plastic along with the other special items my crew members had arranged to have on board. I took a great deal of comfort and pride knowing that one of Amelia Earhart's possessions was part of my first space mission.  Shortly after I returned to Earth, I made sure to get the scarf, along with a whole lot of gratitude, back to Carol Osborne.  It is now among Amelia's treasured goods."
     And just as Amelia Earhart was a role model for Eileen Collins, Eileen Collins is now returning the favor by being a role model for today's girls with a dream. 

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Soar, Elinor!

This post is part of Nonfiction Monday
hosted today by Picture Book of the Day

Farrar Straus Giroux (pub. 10.12.2010)
40 pages 

A True Tale with A Cherry On Top
 

A uthor: TAMI LEWIS BROWN

              and Illustrator:  FRANCOIS ROCA

C haracter: Elinor Smith, pilot and aviation pioneer

O verview from book flap:
     "Plucky Elinor Smith was six years old when she first went for a ride in a rickety 'flying machine.' At ten, she was taking flying lessons ...  By the time she was seventeen, she had become the youngest licensed pilot in the United States, male or female, and earned the respect of famous pilots like Charles Lindbergh. 

     Elinor dreamed of making her living as a professional pilot, but not everyone thought that girls should fly.  When male pilots and newspapermen mocked her, Elinor decided to perform an aerial maneuver they thought was impossible.  It would take training and preparation.  But this aviation pioneer was determined to show that with talent, hard work, and plenty of grit, a girl could climb to any height."

T antalizing taste:
     "She'd learned to land only ten days before.  Was she ready to fly alone?  'It's now or never,' she thought as she taxied down the runway.
     She climbed to 1,000 feet and leveled off. 'In that instant,' she said, 'I knew I was home and would never turn back.' She practiced banking turns, then glided in to land with a gentle bump.
     She had done it! She had soloed!
     From that moment, Elinor lived to fly.  The sky was her playing field; the hum of the wind rushing through her plane's wing wires, her favorite song...
     At sixteen, she was the youngest flier in the United Sates - boy or girl.
     Soar, soar, Elinor!"

and something more:  The picture book biography, Soar, Elinor!, is the perfect book to begin this month's celebration of Women's History Month.  Elinor Smith flew through the glass ceiling when she fulfilled her dream to become a professional pilot and, in a male dominated field, was named chief test pilot for the Bellanca Corporation, piloted jets and flew paratrooper training missions with the Air Force Association.  And, in 2000 at age 89, she became the oldest person to 'fly' the NASA Space Shuttle Simulator. 
     A Women's History Month Activity Kit and Teachers Curriculum Guide based on the book are available on the website of the author, Tami Lewis Brown, an attorney and pilot also.  The Women's History Month Activity Kit includes a "Guess the Women in History Quiz", a list of other books to celebrate Women's History Month, a word search, a board game, and a crossword puzzle.  And, my favorite section of the Activity Kit is the interview with the author and a photo of her with Elinor at age 96.  The author had the opportunity to interview Elinor Smith for hours which added such depth and interest to this inspirational book.  As Tami Lewis Brown said, "In 1930, The New Yorker Magazine published an article calling Elinor Smith a 'feminist.' Girls like Elinor broke down barriers that gave modern girls the chance to be whatever they want to be."  As Elinor Smith said, "Children must be allowed to dream and have a horizon to work toward."  
     Elinor truly soared!

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