Monday, October 10, 2011

Nonfiction Monday

Nonfiction Monday is hosted today by Practically Paradise.



My selection is "I Could Do That!: Esther Morris gets women the vote" written by Linda Arms White with illustrations by Nancy Carpenter.

Esther Morris' "can do" attitude shaped her life.  At the age of six, she insisted she could learn to make tea like her mother -- and she did.  At nineteen she established her own millinery business.  And when she moved to Wyoming with her husband and sons, she saw no reason why she shouldn't vote.  She was instrumental in leading her state to be the first to give women the right to vote.  She went on to become the first women to hold a public office when she was sworn in as a judge to fill the vacancy created when her predecessor resigned in protest of women's suffrage.

White tells readers that there is very little documentation about the life of Esther Morris, but that only makes this story more remarkable.  White has done a splendid piece of work in providing her audience with a  heroine who is both admirable and believable.  If the line between nonfiction and historical fiction seems to blur at times, there is no doubt about the achievements of this remarkable woman's life.

Carpenter's illustrations are colorful and energetic, much like the character she portrays.

1 comment:

GatheringBooks said...

I especially like reading about picture book biographies of people that I don't really know that well. Thanks for this nice recommendation.

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