Synopses & Reviews
The founder of the Girl Scouts, Juliette (Daisy) Gordon Low, was a quirky, remarkable woman with ideas that were ahead of her time. A sensitive child, she grew up in Savannah, Georgia, where she developed what was to become a lifetime interest in the arts. As a young woman, Daisy suffered from chronic ear infections and lost most of her hearing in one ear. She lost hearing in her other ear after a grain of rice lodged inside it at her wedding, puncturing her eardrum.
Daisy's life spanned an important era in U.S. history, and her story is chock full of curriculum connections, from the Civil War and reconstruction (her mother was a northerner who believed in abolition, her father was a Confederate soldier), to westward expansion and Native American studies, women's studies and early feminism, and later, World War I. She made her own valuable contribution to history by founding the first national organization that brought girls from all backgrounds into the out-of-doors, giving them the opportunity to develop self-reliance and resourcefulness. She created controversy by encouraging girls to prepare not only for traditional homemaking, but also for possible future roles as professional womenin the arts, sciences, and businessand for active citizenship outside the home. Girl Scouting also welcomed girls with disabilities at a time when they were excluded from many activities and groups.
Review
"Anyone interested in music history or in women's history will find a compelling story here." Kirkus Reviews
Here's the stuff movies are made of: Clara Wieck gave her first piano recital at age nine in Leipzig in 1828. It was the beginning of a lifetime of concert tours across Europe to wild adulation. Her father was autocratic enough to cause her mother to divorce him in an age when women had no rights in a separation, and Clara had to sue him to get permission to marry and to get back some of the fortune she had earned. Clara's husband, composer Robert Schumann, was a pupil of Wieck's: Robert's depression led to his death in an asylum, but he fathered eight children with Clara, and she played and delighted in his music all her life. Goethe praised Clara when she was 12; as an adult she was close to Liszt and Mendelssohn, and a friend and inspiration to the young Brahms. Many illustrations bring life to this account, which is based in part on the life long research and writing on Clara Schumann done by Nancy B. Reich (the author's mother). A full, colorful, biography of a fascinating artist.
August 1999 Booklist, ALA
Although Reich is careful to view the remarkable musician Clara Schumann in her own time, modern-day readers will take her extraordinary story and think about it from a late-twentieth-century perspective. Psychoanalysts will have much to say about her temperamental, demanding father; feminists will speak about a woman who dared to perform in public a week before the birth of her child; family therapists will marvel at a woman whose mentally ill husband left her as the sole provider for her seven surviving children. Reich never lets us forget that Clara Schumann is a talented woman in a world dominated by men, relating how the director of a leading music conservatory in Frankfurt wrote that no woman would ever be employed there, except for Clara: "As for Madame Schumann, I count her as a man." This heavily researched book draws on primary sources, both Clara's own diaries and her voluminous correspondence with her husband (more comfortable writing than speaking to each other, she and her husband maintained a joint diary) and other musicians of the times. Few of us are aware that Clara Schumann's better-known husband, composer Robert Schumann, owes much of his fame to his wife's persistence in including his compositions in her legendary piano performances and to her dogged efforts to make his music part of the public domain. Reich's lucid, quietly passionate biography, liberally illustrated with photographs and reproductions, ensures that Clara Schumann's remarkable life and achievements stand on their own.
Horn Book
Review
"Unvarnished prose, plentiful images and vivid anecdotes set in historical perspective make this chronological account lively and accessible for middle-grade readers."-Kirkus
Review
"Wadsworth captures Lowand#8217;s stubborn but charismatic spirit by blending facts and humorous sketches in this winning biography of a woman whose visions and ideas have helped shape the lives of girls around the world." --Horn Book
"Unvarnished prose, plentiful images and vivid anecdotes set in historical perspective make this chronological account lively and accessible for middle-grade readers." --Kirkus Reviews
"The attractive book design features chapter headings that look like Girl Scout badges, and most spreads include period photos or reproductions of primary-source documents. Exemplary nonfiction." --School Library Journal
"In time for the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) comes this engaging biography about the woman who founded the organization." --Booklist "2012 will mark the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts of the USA, and a fresh, comprehensive biography of founder Juliette Gordon Low is most welcome." --Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Review
and#8220;[A] perceptive, captivating biography of one of the twentieth centuryand#8217;s most influential writers. . . . Teens jaded by too much classroom analysis of
The Old Man and the Sea and Hemingwayand#8217;s short stories will come away from Reefand#8217;s thorough, skillfully constructed biography with fresh interest in and appreciation for this American legend.and#8221;and#8212;
Booklist, STARRED review
and#8220;Reef creates a memorable portrait of the writer and his times, and even readers too young for most of Hemingwayand#8217;s oeuvre will enjoy armchair traveling to the bullfights in Spain. . . . Along the way, they will gain a sense of the writer and his times and will even pick up some writing tips, including Hemingwayand#8217;s insistence on simple, declarative sentences. The volume is attractively designed with well-chosen photographs, captions that add personality to the text, solid documentation and judicious use of quotations.and#8221;and#8212;Kirkus Reviews
and#8220;This engaging and detailed biography will be valued for its accessible style and honest portrayal of one of America's icons. Reef's account of Hemingway's life is riveting and unglamorized.and#8221;and#8212;School Library Journal and#8220;An accessible and entertaining look at an American icon.and#8221;and#8212;The Bulletin of the Center for Childrenand#8217;s Books
and#160;
Review
"exemplary...clear prose and...passion for her subject are evident throughout ...superb...fascinating reading...A model of fine history writing." KIRKUS REVIEWS, STARRED REVIEW Kirkus Reviews, Starred
"A uniquely youthful perspective on this period of American history" THE BULLETIN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN'S BOOKS The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Here's a terrific account of the opening of the American West" NY TIMES BOOK REVIEW The New York Times Book Review
"Clear and concise...new perspective...It is the youthful point of view that makes this book unique and enjoyable." VOYA VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates)
Review
"Wadsworth pays tribute to an icon of the environmental conservation movement. . . Burroughs' work remains a landmark of environmental awareness and much of it is still being reprinted." Kirkus Reviews with Pointers
Synopsis
Thisand#160;lavishly illustrated account of the fascinating life of the woman who started it all.Juliette (Daisy) Gordon Low was a remarkable woman with ideas that were ahead of her time. She witnessed important eras in U.S. history, from the Civil War and Reconstruction to westward expansion to postandndash;World War I. And she made history by founding the first national organization to bring girls from all backgrounds into the out-of-doors. Daisy created controversy by encouraging them to prepare not only for traditional homemaking but also for roles as professional womenandmdash;in the arts, sciences, and businessandmdash;and for active citizenship outside the home. Her group also welcomed girls with disabilities at a time when they were usually excluded. Includes authorandrsquo;s note, source notes, bibliography, timeline, places to visit, the Girl Scout Promise and Law, and musical notation for the favorite scout song andldquo;Make New Friends.andrdquo;
Synopsis
An introduction to the life and work of one of the most significant and notorious American writers of the 20th century.
Ernest Hemingway's literary status alone makes him worthy of a biography. In addition, his life reads like a suspense storyand#151;it's full of action, romance, heartbreak, machismo, mishaps, celebrity, and tragedy. He had first-hand experience of several historic events of the last century, and he rubbed elbows with many other notable writers and intellectual greats of our time. Though his reputation has weathered ups and downs, his status as an American icon remains untouchable. Here, in the only biography available to young people, Catherine Reef introduces readers to Hemingway's work, with a focus on his themes and writing styles and his place in the history of American fiction, and examines writers who influenced him and those he later influenced.
Synopsis
When the American poet and naturalist John Burroughs opened his door to observe the world around him, his written findings became an inspiration to people all across the country. His published work was both widely read and acclaimed, and Slabsides, his home in the Catskills, became a favorite meetinghouse for such illustrious visitors as Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir. The only biography about Burroughs available for young readers, this abundantly illustrated book is replete with historical anecdotes and engaging details, and offers an intimate look at the life and work of an environmental pioneer.
Synopsis
Among the tens of thousands of pioneers who left home in covered wagons in the 1800s, headed for the West in hopes of fertile land, gold, or escape from religious or racial persecution, some forty thousand were children. Though the hardships and dangers of the trail were many, these children also witnessed the great and wild beauty of the untouched West and became an integral part of U.S. history. In this unique approach to the history of the wagon trail and western expansion, here are the moving stories of these young pioneers, told in their own words through letters home, diaries, and memoirs.
Ginger Wadsworths clear and well-organized presentation is comprehensive, accessible, and richly illustrated with detailed maps and more than ninety archival photos and prints of life on the trail. Endnotes, bibliography, index.
Synopsis
A piano prodigy, Clara Schumann made her professional debut at the age of nine and had embarked on her first European concert tour by the time she was twelve. Clara charmed audiences with her soulful playing throughout her life. Music was a constant source of inspiration and support for this strong and resilient woman. After the death of her husband, Robert Schumann, Clara continued her brilliant career and supported their eight children. Clara Schumann's extraordinary story is supplemented with her letters and diary entries, some of which have never before been published in English. Gorgeous portraits and photographs show the members of Clara's famous musical community and Clara herself from age eight to seventy-six. Index, chronology.
About the Author
Catherine Reef is the author of more than 35 nonfiction books for young people. Her books for Clarion include the highly acclaimedandnbsp;John Steinbeckandnbsp;andandnbsp;Sigmundandnbsp;Freudandnbsp;which was the recipient of the 2002 Sydney Taylor Award, presented by the Association of Jewish Libraries. She lives in College Park, Maryland.