Adventurers and Athletes

October 1, 2019
Grades 3-6 The Women Who Made History series (4 titles) sets out to correct the erasure of women's contributions to history, with this title offering a collective biography of 23 female explorers, generals, spies, and sports stars. Through a modern, global perspective, Adams presents a wonderfully diverse array of (cisgender) women in often-fascinating roles (pirate, weight lifter, judo master), more than half of whom are women of color, and many of whom are physically disabled. Some are household names (Amelia Earhart, Simone Biles), but most are absent from pop culture. Entries range in length from one half to two pages, accompanied by an illustrated portrait and sometimes a quote. Where Adams' prose may be somewhat monotonous, Wright's art livens things up, filling the margins with colorful doodles. An inspiring launchpad for deeper research.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)