Leave It to Abigail!

April 22, 2019
This biographical picture book bills Abigail Adams as a woman who rose to every challenge. The book’s title acts as a refrain as readers see Abigail fly in the face of her era’s niceties (“Everyone knew that good girls kept quiet”), manage a complex household and farm on her own during wartime, suggest to her husband rights for America’s women, and serve as his closest presidential advisor. The artwork combines elements of cross-stitch needlework with illustrations that have a high-spirited, comic-strip sensibility, and the story moves along briskly as Abigail’s life and her loving, often epistolary relationship with John unfolds in tandem with the birth of the new republic. While an author’s note acknowledges that Abigail did not believe women should be equal “in the modern sense,” both Rosenstock and Baddeley tell her story with plenty of verve and forthrightly feminist swagger. Ages 4–8.

November 15, 2019
A picture-book portrait of an American heroine. A secret scholar, quiet rebel, proto-feminist, staunch advocate for racial equality, unrecognized political powerhouse, and creative problem-solver as well as a farmer, accountant, wife, and mother, Abigail Adams, by her thoughts, actions, and writing, established a strong legacy and solid foundation for numerous American heroines to come. Covering her life from birth to old age, this deceptively simple portrayal presents episodes from her childhood, descriptions of her behind-the-scenes work as the wife of and adviser to the second president of the United States, examples of how she was able to achieve goals unusual for a woman of her time period, and information from her letters to build a clear and evocative picture of her personality, experiences, strengths, and various accomplishments. The energetic illustrations capture the time period nicely, in part by using cross-stitched samplers as backdrops for both text boxes and vignettes. The informative author's note provides accurate and interesting historical context while the illustrator's note calls attention to the artistic decisions that went into some of the book's pictures and design. Overall, a worthy addition to any collection, this shows the link between powerful women of the past and present. An engaging and illuminating depiction of a woman whose story deserves to be known widely. (Picture book/biography. 5-8)

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Starred review from January 1, 2020

Gr 3-5-Abigail Adams is depicted as a colonial powerhouse in this admiring, fact-filled picture book biography. She defied expectations right away-by surviving birth. Typical of girls of her era, she learned how to execute domestic chores but received no formal schooling; she devoured her father's library and eavesdropped on adults' conversations. She defied societal expectations that she marry for money rather than love and became the wife of country lawyer John Adams. The like-minded pair eventually moved to Boston, where they raised four children. When her husband traveled to Philadelphia to debate independence, Adams managed the household and engaged in their now-legendary correspondence that supplied him with valuable information and wise counsel, including her famous "Remember the Ladies" admonition. When the American Revolution ended, Adams sailed to Europe to be reunited with her husband, who had been appointed as America's new ambassador. Years later, when he was elected the second president of the United States, she became his most trusted adviser. Back matter features informative author's and illustrator's notes and a bibliography. Thumbnail portraits of 12 renowned women who fought for equality and women's rights, including Susan B. Anthony and Coretta Scott King, exemplify how Adams "left the hope of freedom to America's women." Appealing visual elements include expressive illustrations enhanced by cross-stitch-sampler designs in patriotic colors throughout and on endpapers. VERDICT Highly recommended for public and school collections. Use in American history, women's studies, and biography units.-Carol Goldman, formerly at Queens Library, NY

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