Characters with character: COURAGE

Seven Brave Women

by Betsy Hearne

Illustrated by Bethanne Andersen

Before reading this book I thought it was about a selection of seven women well known in history. It actually is about women from the author's family who had shown to be brave in some way or another, and have had an imprint in the author and her family. These grandmothers, great-grandmothers, and even great-great-great-grandmothers emigrated, were midwives, artists, doctors, missioner, harpists, architects, etc. They were brave in the decisions they made and the way they lived their lives. As the author says in the introduction, they "made history by not fighting in wars". Elizabeth had the courage to cross mountains and the ocean to give her children a better life. Betty was the only woman in a "men's school". Helen took care of sick poor women in India.

Although this is a picture book, the text is not intended for little ones, but I'd say the age range is from 6 to 10 years old.
The colorful illustrations are done in oil paints on gesso, and mainly focused in each woman. I liked the detail of a bird gathering them with a pink ribbon along the book.


*This review is part of my project Characters with character.