Women Who Dared: 52 Stories of Fearless Daredevils, Adventurers, and Rebels

by Linda Skeers, Livi Gosling (Illustrator)

Overview

The perfect introduction for learning about women throughout history who dared to do the extraordinary! Inspire our new generation of women to explore, discover, persist, succeed, and fight like a girl! A great gift for girls 9-12!

Women have been doing amazing, daring, and dangerous things for years, but they're rarely mentioned in our history books as adventurers, daredevils, or rebels. This new compilation of brief biographies features women throughout history who have risked their lives for adventure—many of whom you may not know, but all of whom you'll WANT to know, such as:

Annie Edson Taylor, the first person who dared to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel

Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman who dared to fly in space

Helen Gibson, the first woman who dared to be a professional stunt person

And many more! If you and your child enjoyed She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton, Little Dreamers, Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls or Girls Think of Everything, you will love reading Women Who Dared.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781492653271
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	09/05/2017
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	117,223
Product dimensions:	7.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	8 - 14 Years

About the Author

Linda Skeers is the author of several critically acclaimed children’s books. She also teaches picture book writing workshops, including sessions on writing humor for kids. She lives in Iowa. Visit her at www.lindaskeers.com.

Livi Gosling has always been inspired by powerful, creative women. Learning about these amazing women and hearing their stories has been wonderful. She is so glad that their stories are being shared. Livi studied illustration in Cornwall and currently lives in Hertfordshire village in the UK.

Table of Contents

DAREDEVILS
Anna Olga Albertina Brown (1858—1919(?)) Germany—Super Strength
Annie Edson Taylor (1838—1921) United States—Plunging into Peril
Bessie Coleman (1892(?)—1926) United States—Ace Aviator
Elinor Smith (1911—2010) United States—Fearless Flyer
Florence Chadwick (1918—1995) United States—Sensational Swimmer
Georgia "Tiny" Broadwick (1893—1978) United States—Petite Parachutist
Helen Gibson (1892—1977) United States—Stupendous Stuntwoman
Lillian Boyer (1901—1989) United States—Wing-Walking Wonder
Lillian Leitzel (1892—1931) Germany—Awesome Acrobat
Mary Lillian Ellison (1923—2007) United States—"Fabulous Moolah"
May Wirth (1894—1978) Australia—Outrageous Trick Rider
Mildred Burke (1915—1989) United States—"Queen of the Ring"
Shirley Muldowney (1940—) United Sates—Rad Racer
Sophie Blanchard (1778—1819) France—Brave Balloonist
Valentina Tereshkova (1937—) Russia—Cool Cosmonaut

ADVENTURERS
Ada Blackjack (1898—1983) United States—Awesome Arctic Survivor
Barbara Hillary (1931—) United States—North and South Pole Sensation
Beatrice Ayettey (1955—) Ghana—Courageous Captain
Emma "Grandma" Gatewood (1887—1973) United States—Hiker with Heart
Dr. Eugenie Clark (1922—2015) United States—"Shark Lady"
Fanny Bullock Workman (1859—1925) United States—Courageous Climber
Fermina Sarras (1840—1915) Nicaragua—Marvelous Miner
Ida Lewis (1842—1911) United States—Lighthouse Keeper and Life Saver
Jeanne Baret (1740—1807) France—Super Sailor
Joan Bamford Fletcher (1918—1979) Canada—Remarkable Rescuer
Junko Tabei (1939—2016) Japan—Mountaineering Marvel
Libby Riddles (1956—) United States—Masterful Musher
Lillian Riggs (1888—1977) United States—Remarkable Rancher
Margaret Bourke-White (1906—1971) United States—Fearless Photographer
Mary Anning (1799—1847) England—Fossil Finder and Dinosaur Discoverer
Mina Hubbard (1870—1956) Canada—Exciting Explorer
Rosaly Lopes (1957—) Brazil—Daring Discoverer
Sylvia Earle (1935—) United States—Underwater Wanderer
Ynes Mexia (1870—1938) United States—Brave Botanist

REBELS
Alia Muhammad Baker (1953—) Iraq—Lionhearted Librarian
Annette Kellerman (1887—1975) Australia—"Mermaid Queen"
Annie "Londonderry" Cohen Kopchovsky (1870—1947) Latvia—Bodacious Bicyclist
Belle Boyd (1844—1900) United States—Sly Spy
Bessie Stringfield (1911—1993) Jamaica—Amazing Motorcyclist
Ella Hattan (1859—1907(?)) United States—"Queen of the Sword"
Irena Sendler (1910—2008) Poland—Heroine of the Holocaust
Johanna July (1857(?)—1946(?)) Mexico—"Horse Whisperer"
Kate Warne (1833—1868) United States—Daring Detective
Keiko Fukuda (1913—2013) Japan—Amazing Martial Artist
Lyda Conley (1869—1946) United States—Proud Protector
Margaret "Molly" Tobin Brown (1867—1931) United States—Absolutely "Unsinkable"
Mary Edwards Walker (1832—1919) United States—Medal of Honor Winner
Mary Fields (1832—1914) United States—"Stagecoach Mary"
Minnie Spotted Wolf (1923—1988) United States—Marvelous Marine
Rose Fortune (1774—1864) United States—Courageous Cop
Susan La Flesche Picotte (1865—1915) United States—Heroic Healer
Sybil Ludington (1761—1839) United States—Heroic Horsewoman

Editorial Reviews

"A populous gallery of courageous, independent women" — Kirkus Reviews

"Here are the brief biographies of 52 women who have one thing in common—they did not allow fear or social pressure to stop them from achieving their individual accomplishments. Every one-page biography is accompanied by a stellar illustration that captures the spirit and attitude of each woman and provides visual reference to their times and their professions. Whether read as a cohesive body of stories or as individual brief biographies, this book is a worthwhile study in tenacity." — Booklist

"Young readers ages eight and up will find wonderful role models [in Women Who Dared], and the compelling stories in these pages may give them the impetus to try new things and take the steps they need to create their own daring moments in life. The writing is snappy and the illustrations fun. This is a winner." — Manhattan Book Review

From the Publisher

2017-05-15
A populous gallery of courageous, independent women from (fairly) recent times.Skeers' roster of acrobats, aviators, professional wrestlers, mountaineers, rescuers, survivors, medical workers, and intrepid travelers has a mildly antique flavor, being drawn largely from the 19th and 20th centuries (a few of the subjects are still alive, mostly in retirement). On the other hand, nearly all of her choices are likely to be unfamiliar to young readers. Arranged beneath the subtitle's three headers (and alphabetized by first name rather than last), each gets a rubric ("Arctic Survivor," "Bodacious Bicyclist," "Lionhearted Librarian"), a stylized full-length portrait from Gosling with an iconographic border, and a one-page highlight-reel tribute that generally ends on an inspirational note: Sophie Blanchard, "dainty and daring" balloonist, "bested the danger and defied social norms, stereotypes, and even gravity itself to prove that women could successfully achieve their high-flying dreams." The author doesn't cast her net too widely, as all but 12 of these putative role models hail from the United States or Europe, and though nonwhite minorities are decently, if not strongly, represented, she is inconsistent about noting them. Also, the large bibliography is not at all user-friendly, being arranged by author rather than subject and presented in an indigestible mass of miniscule type. Unvarnished but nevertheless valuable for fishing so many admirably nonconformist women from obscurity. (index) (Collective biography. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews