A is for Abigail: An Almanac of Amazing American Women - Hardcover

Cheney, Lynne

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0689858191 ISBN 13: 9780689858192

Publisher: A Paula Wiseman Book/Beach Lane Books, 2003

Synopsis

New York Times bestselling team Lynne Cheney and Robin Preiss Glasser tell the remarkable (and often little known) stories of exceptional American women.

Lynne Cheney and Robin Preiss Glasser collaborated on America: A Patriotic Primer, which captured the imagination of American children and became a national bestseller. Now they turn their hands to A Is for Abigail: An Almanac of Amazing American Women and bring the great women of American history to life. Filled to the brim with words and pictures that celebrate the remarkable achievements of American women, this is a book to relish and to read again and again. Mothers, daughters, schoolchildren, and generations of families will take Abigail Adams’s words to heart and “remember the ladies” once they read the stories of these astonishing, astounding, amazing American women.

About this title

About the Author

Lynne Cheney’s most recent book is the New York Times bestseller, We the People: The Story of Our Constitution, illustrated by Greg Harlin. She is also the author of the New York Times bestsellers America: A Patriotic Primer, A Is for Abigail: An Almanac of Amazing American Women, When Washington Crossed the Delaware: A Wintertime Story for Young Patriots, A Time for Freedom: What Happened When in America, and Our 50 States: A Family Adventure Across America, and has written a memoir, Blue Skies, No Fences. Mrs. Cheney is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and former chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities. She lives in Washington, DC, with her husband, Vice President Richard B. Cheney.

Reviews

Grade 2-4-Similar in design and concept to America (S & S, 2002), this alphabet book is attractive and fun to read. Through it, Cheney hopes to educate children about a number of strong individuals who contributed to American society, and, in many cases, helped women to gain their civil rights. With rare exceptions, the profiled women were born before 1950. For each letter, a page features a person or a concept. The "E" page, for example, discusses six educators. The letter "J" is associated with Anna Jarvis, advocate of the Mother's Day holiday. Information about each figure is given in a phrase or one-sentence reference to her major achievement. The colorful, cartoonlike illustrations make this book particularly engaging, and the detail and varied design of the pages are additional enhancements. Some of the pages have borders containing the names of the women who fit the letter category, such as the authors listed in the borders on the "W" page, which cameos Edith Wharton and lauds women as writers. All of the people are shown in active postures. A double gatefold producing the effect of an opening theater curtain reveals an array of performers ranging from Mary Martin as a flying Peter Pan to Mahalia Jackson singing. While the information is limited, the overall effect creates an awareness of the totality of American women's achievements.
Lynda Ritterman, Atco Elementary School, Waterford, NJ
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 2-4. Hundreds of quotes, snippets of biography, and tiny line-and-watercolor portraits celebrate athletes, scientists, writers, suffragettes, inventors, entrepreneurs, and other trailblazing American women through history. The title pages show preschool girls playing dress up in all kinds of roles, and it's clear that the large volume is intended for sharing with children. But the overcrowded design with numerous small vignettes on every page will have limited appeal for the picture-book set. In fact, a few selections seem more for adults--among them, the double-page spread "P for the performers," with flaps that open out to reveal Ginger Rogers, Bette Davis, and many others of that vintage. This isn't a first purchase, but the sheer numbers and mix of subjects make this lively fun for browsing and a good starting point for classroom projects and family read-alouds. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: A Paula Wiseman Book/Beach Lane Books
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0689858191
• ISBN 13: 9780689858192
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Glasser Robin Preiss
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 48