Brave Irene

Brave Irene is Irene Bobbin, the dressmaker's daughter. Her mother, Mrs. Bobbin, isn't feeling so well and can't possibly deliver the beautiful ball gown she's made for the duchess to wear that very evening. So plucky Irene volunteers to get the gown to the palace on time, in spite of the fierce snowstorm that's brewing-- quite an errand for a little girl.

But where there's a will, there's a way, as Irene proves in the danger-fraught adventure that follows. She must defy the wiles of the wicked wind, her most formidable opponent, and overcome many obstacles before she completes her mission.

After reading Dominic I wanted to include a William Steig book in my collection. This is the story of Irene, who decides to deliver a dress that her mother has made to a duchess. Irene’s mother has taken ill and the duchess needs the dress for a party that evening. Unfortunately for Irene, there is a terrible snowstorm and it is very difficult for her to get to the duchess’ home.

Steig’s writing once again impressed—inspired is a better word—me. His word choice (coaxed, whirled, woe) is of course perfect. But I was also taken with his sentence structure. Steig knows how to tell a story. One example is near the beginning when Mrs. Bobbin, Irene’s mother, is trying to dissuade her from making the trek. “It’s cold out show more there, and windy,” she says. The addition of “add windy” after a comma at the end of the sentence is unusual and more complex syntax than is ordinarily found in many children’s books. Its effect is the give the character and the book voice and it just sounds better! Another example of Steig’s complexity is this sentence: “Then—oh, woe!—the box was wrenched from her mittened grasp and sent bumbling along in the snow.” Here we find words such as woe, grasp, and bumbling along with the insertion of an exclamation (showing Irene’s emotion) within a declarative sentence. Wow! This is the kind of writing I think we should all be privy to reading. Perhaps my favorite line in the book is on the penultimate page when Steig most directly assumes the role of storyteller and asks his reader, “Would you like to hear the rest?”

I want preservice teachers to revel in this book’s writing and then I want them to talk about what examples of great writing it yields they might lift within a writing workshop. How would they distill its brilliance into examples for minilessons? And how would they do so while still maintaining the book as a piece of wonderful literature, first to be enjoyed? I think there are many lessons we can learn from reading William Steig, but his books also deserve to be savored. show less

Brave Irene was one of my favorite children's books when I was growing up. The story is about a young girl who helps her mother in a time of need and endures into a winter blizzard and is determined to deliver her mothers dress to a duchess. Irene proves her bravery and never gives up even through the harsh storm, she will find a way to deliver the dress. She experienced many obstacles on her way but she fights through and in the end she safely delivers the dress to the duchess. This story will give children hope and inspiration to cheer on Irene. The writing is clear, organized and so well developed. It feels like you are there with her fighting through the storm. The author will keep you on your toes wondering what will come next. The show more message in this story is to keeping fighting and moving forward, even when there are obstacles there is a way to get through them. show less

Brave Irene is Irene Bobbin, the dressmaker's daughter. Her mother, Mrs. Bobbin, isn't feeling so well and can't possibly deliver the beautiful ball gown she's made for the duchess to wear that very evening. So plucky Irene volunteers to get the gown to the palace on time, in spite of the fierce snowstorm that's brewing-- quite an errand for a little girl.

But where there's a will, there's a way, as Irene proves in the danger-fraught adventure that follows. She must defy the wiles of the wicked wind, her most formidable opponent, and overcome many obstacles before she completes her mission.

Neither snow, nor snow, nor more snow, nor hella snow shall keep the dressmaker's daughter from delivering a commissioned gown. It's a slow slog for Irene and me both.

I liked this book for many reasons, and would definitely have a copy of this book in my own classroom. One reason I like this book is the language. The author clearly put a lot of thought into his word choice because of the language used to describe many of the actions in the story. Words like explosive, plowed, leaped, and jerked were used which help the reader picture what is happening better. I also really enjoyed the plot of the story and think this is a great example of what we want to pass onto children. Irene was on a journey to deliver a dress because her mother felt too sick to do it. Although the journey was not easy due to a snow storm, Irene did not give up. I think this is a great lesson to show students because it shows show more that if you are determined and responsible, it will pay off in the end. Finally, I really enjoyed how the book kept the readers interested in the story through the suspense of not knowing what will happen next. I think the main message of this story is to never give up, which is a lesson many children need to be taught. I think children need to know that even if something is difficult, you don’t give up, but instead keep trying because hard work eventually pays off. show less

Brave Irene is a great children's book for 3 reasons. First of all, I loved the main character, Irene. The author portrays her as a loyal daughter who would do anything for her sick mother, even trudge through a brutal snow storm to deliver a package for her. I think Irene is a good role model for young readers because she is extremely loving and caring. I also liked this book because of its plot. The story felt very suspenseful when Irene was caught in the snowstorm, it actually felt kind of scary. I feel as though if a young child were reading this, it would be beneficial for an adult to tell them that it was just a story with an eventual happy ending. Irene's future looks a little bleak for a while. However, this makes the ending show more that much sweeter. Lastly, I really liked this book because of it's illustrations. The author also illustrated the book, which I think is really cool. I think the overall message of this story is to be brave and keep going. Even when Irene's situation wasn't looking good, she still kept going. show less