Women Explorers

Gr 3–6—At a time when "even the idea of women wearing pants was scandalous," Louise Boyd explored the Arctic; Ynes Mexia lived with headhunters while collecting plant specimens in the Amazon; Alexandrine Tinné searched for the source of the Nile River; and the knowledge gained by Freya Stark's travels into remote areas of the Middle East benefited the British War Office during World War II. The 10 women profiled, all of whom were born in the mid- to late-1800s, shared a desire to learn, a taste for adventure, and a bravery that sustained them through dangerous situations. As in Women Daredevils (Dutton, 2008), Cummins masterfully including interesting details without making the portraits too complicated. Hints of marital problems or family issues help explain why these women were willing to venture out on their own, but the author keeps her child audience in mind. Most of the women are white Americans or Europeans but their travels were as far-ranging as Alaska, the South Pacific, the Andes, Russia, and China. Harness's watercolor paintings are outlined in black, giving the women pictured a sense of strength and determination. The illustrations capture the foreign backgrounds well and help delineate the explorers' travels. Informative and entertaining, this book is an excellent addition to most collections.—Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA