Florence Nightingale

August 1, 2003
Gr 1-3-A biography of the 19th-century British woman who helped make nursing an important profession. In her time, this was a job done by untrained, lower-class women. Over time, in spite of the disapproval of her upper-class family, she studied, visited, and researched hospitals and nursing schools, and became famous as a nurse during Britain's Crimean War in 1854. Her training school for nurses set a high standard that vastly improved health conditions. The en-gaging text is written in a lively style without resorting to fictionalized dialogue. The illustrations are of a much higher quality than is often seen in this type of series offering. The only problem with the book lies in its complete lack of background material and documentation. While the information seems accurate based on comparison to other Nightingale biographies, it would have been helpful to know what sources the author consulted.-Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA

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