All by Herself

This book tells about these girls and women from history, some highly remembered some very obscure, in short story/ poetry form. It's a wonderful way for children to get used to the idea of biographies, and wonderful for anyone who is interested in these talented and courageous girls.

This is a wonderful, informative collection of both well-known and unfamiliar stories about brave women from all races and the differences they've made in the lives of others. This is a great book to share with a diverse group of students to show how people from all walks of life can make an impact. Also, it shows them that being brave is often accompanied by fear which is overcome. It is great to share these stories and discuss how they can positively affect people's lives through big actions and small gestures.

Summary: This book presents fourteen poems, each of which recount the stories of girls who performed acts of bravery, determination, and heroic courage at a young age. Some girls presented in the poems are now famous, such as Amelia Earhart and Wilma Rudolph. Others, such as Violet Sheehy and Kate Shelley, do not receive as much recognition. These stories prove that every girl, no matter who she is or where she is from, is capable of making a difference in the world.

Genre Critique: This book is a good example of poetry, because each page presents a new poem that relies heavily on literary devices such as imagery and sound patterns to tell the story of each woman. The author combines factual information about women in history with lyric show more poetry to bring each woman to life. The combination of compelling verse and oil painting illustrations allow the reader to clearly imagine what life would be like for each of the women.

Style Critique: The author presents several types of style in her word choice and sentence construction throughout the poems. Multiple elements of style, such as personification, metaphors, consonance, and alliteration, an are scattered throughout the pages to create colorful and vivid descriptions. Through all of the elements of style, the author is consistent in her use of imagery and rhyme. The use of imagery was effective, because I was able to clearly picture myself in the settings that were described, and I could feel the emotions projected by the women. The use of rhyme was effective, because it connected each thought and helped the text read smoothly. show less

This book is a collection of poems about these wonderful women who've made a difference in history in some way whether it be big or small. The one thing that they had in common (besides making history) is their passion and perseverance.

Carolyn Phelan (Booklist, December 1, 1999 (Vol. 96, No. 7))
This handsome, large-format book showcases 14 poems celebrating incidents in the early lives of American women. The subjects include well-known figures: Rachel Carson, Amelia Earhart, Pocahontas, Wilma Rudolph, and Sacajawea, as well as little-known heroines, such as Violet Sheehy, who saved her family from a fire, Harriet Hanson, who led fellow mill workers to join a strike, and Kate Shelley, who brought help to the scene of a train wreck. One side of each double-page spread carries a free-verse poem about the girl's courage, daring, or strength of character. On the facing page, a large painting illustrates the poem. Like the poems with their plain, forthright, and sometimes show more dramatic language, the illustrations by Michael Steirnagle are varied in approach, composition, and emotional content, reflecting the tone of the storytelling. An attractive choice for those seeking role models for girls. Category: Middle Readers. Gr. 3-5. show less

This biographical book was filled with the lives of historical women. The author focused on the childhood of these women and how that affected their future achievements.

Review—

Genre- Poetry. In this book the writing form of poetry is used but the text tells stories from history about amazing women that need to be remembered. Each woman did something that still travels into our history books today regardless if it was a big contribution or a small one.

Age Appropriateness- Upper Primary