A Lady Has the Floor

Starred review from November 20, 2017
Hannigan presents an invigorating account of the life of Belva Lockwood, taking readers from her childhood in Niagara County, N.Y., to her career as one of the first women lawyers in the U.S. to her 1884 run for president (“Are women not worth the same as men? Belva spent her whole life asking that question.”). Working in her distinctively crackled folk style, Jay depicts powerful moments of resistance and courage from Lockwood’s life—whether storming into a classroom or protesting before the Supreme Court. Endnotes provide a timeline of Hannigan’s life and beyond, highlighting significant events in the ongoing fight for women’s rights and concluding with Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential run. Ages 9–12. Author’s agent: Jennifer Mattson, Andrea Brown Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Lorraine Owen, the Organisation.

December 1, 2017

Gr 3-5-An early proponent of equal rights for women, Belva Lockwood was one of the first female lawyers in the United States and the first to argue (and win) a case before the Supreme Court. Facing nonstop opposition, she campaigned for equal pay, equal educational opportunities, and equal rights to vote and hold office for white women and people of color. ("Belva helped poor widows, Civil War veterans, and freed slaves for what they deserved.") Hannigan thoroughly details Lockwood's many triumphs, beginning with her childhood and young adult years, and concluding with her unsuccessful, though impressive, run for president. The narrative concentrates mainly on her professional accomplishments; much of her personal life is noted in the time line. Nearly each page offers a quote from Lockwood's speeches and writings and most resonate with today's political climate; however, the script font used for these quotes may challenge readers. A time line provides dates and pertinent facts about the subject and the accomplishments of other women in law and politics (Hattie Wyatt Caraway, Shirley Chisholm, Sandra Day O'Connor, etc.). VERDICT Lockwood's struggles against great odds in the name of freedom are well outlined in this work. A fine addition to nonfiction collections.-Eva Elisabeth VonAncken, formerly at Trinity-Pawling School, NY

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from December 1, 2017
Belva Lockwood was a teacher, a lawyer (first woman to enter the bar of the U.S. Supreme Court), a suffragist, and a presidential candidate.This remarkable woman stands out for many reasons, including her two presidential campaigns in 1884 and 1888. Belva's awareness of women's issues came early. She became a teacher at 14 but found out that she was only paid half of a man's salary. Later, her father did not want her to attend college (even though she was 24, already a widow and a mother), and the college she attended did not want her to study what were traditionally men's subjects: "math, science and politics." Law school proved to be an even bigger challenge. After she was finally allowed to attend, she was denied a diploma upon graduation and had to demand it from President Ulysses S. Grant (also the president of the law school). She is also known for winning a major Supreme Court case on behalf of the Cherokee nation. This is an engaging introduction to a woman unknown to many, young and old, giving some insight into her adventurous personality. In one illustration, the white woman rides a penny-farthing bicycle (in her floor-length skirt), just like the male lawyers in Washington, D.C. Her quotes are integrated into the illustrations, executed in oils with a crackle varnish, with a look reminiscent of 19th-century folk art. Soft blues and browns predominate in the naive paintings, lending to their antique appearance. An excellent, well-researched model of its genre that will inspire children to do whatever they desire in life, no matter what immediate restrictions exist. (author's note, timeline, bibliography, source notes) (Picture book/biography. 8-11)

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Starred review from December 1, 2017
Grades K-2 *Starred Review* Lockwood is often overshadowed by her feminist sisters Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, but as this informative and delightful biography proves, she was in the forefront of the fight for women's rights. Young Belva was fearless as a girl, and by age 14 was a teacher. But she soon learned that, as a woman, she would make less than men. She was discouraged as a college student, disparaged at law school, and had to appeal to President Ulysses S. Grant to be presented with her degree. Women lawyers were prohibited from arguing before the Supreme Court until Lockwood forced the issue. Though she couldn't vote, she ran for president as the National Equal Rights party candidate, and while she didn't live long enough to see women get the national vote, she kept fighting into her eighties. Hannigan's style is pithy but packed with facts. Belva comes alive as a feisty activist, with a strong sense of self and an innate willingness to fight injustice, both for herself and her clients, who included widows, freed slaves, and Civil War vets. The text is peppered with quotes from Lockwood and repeats the refrain, Bold, determined, strong. Jay's signature crackled artwork has a historical look but also a childlike appeal that will bring the audience close. An excellent example of picture-book biography.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)