Booklist Reviews
This big, breezy compendium introduces readers to more than 75 notable female figures, real and imaginary, representing a diverse group ranging from ancient times to present day. The introduction identifies seven traits that qualify someone as a heroine: a willingness to step up, bravery, confidence, selflessness, a strong sense of justice, risk-taking, and a refusal to quit. Entries range from paragraph-length insets to double-page spreads. Individual pages feature illustrations, photos, and oversize fonts laid out in pleasing arrays against bright backgrounds. The subjects are organized into seven chapters (science, sports, myths and superheroes, etc.), plus an unexplained, puzzling eighth: "Outstanding Animals." This final chapter seems somewhat gratuitous, especially considering the wealth of potential material suitable for the preceding pages; is it really appropriate to hold a surrogate-mother sea otter in the same regard as Eleanor Roosevelt? Boudicca? Malala? That criticism aside, this graphics-rich book will attract browsers, hold their interest, and inspire further research. Harriet Tubman, Emma Watson, Antigone, or Wonder Woman, this is a good place to start. Copyright 2016 Booklist Reviews.
Horn Book Guide Reviews
Photos, drawings, loud graphics, and "Fearless Fact" boxes provide interesting context for a variety of historical and contemporary heroes and heroines, including Harriet Tubman, Tina Fey, Malala Yousafzai, Galileo Galilei, and Mohandas Gandhi. The inclusion of fictional characters dilutes historical significance; brief sections on heroic animals are also included. A colorful and compartmental, if visually busy, design drives these biographical surveys. Ind. [Review covers these titles: The Book of Heroes and The Book of Heroines.] Copyright 2017 Horn Book Guide Reviews.
Kirkus Reviews
Women, girls, animals, and a few "Daring Dudes" from the dawn of history to the present are feted with short biographies and colorful art. A dizzying array of people (and animals) designated female by birth—historical, mythological, and fictional—are classified as heroines, with no discussion of why that term is used rather than "hero." (The concurrent publication of The Book of Heroes may explain that.) The introduction lists seven qualities common to most heroines, including selflessness, bravery, and perseverance, noting that each female in the book began as an ordinary girl until "the choice that changed them from ordinary to extraordinary." From Antigone to Malala Yousafzai to Ruth Wakefield (inventor of the chocolate-chip cookie), glib language conveys information that often speaks more to sensationalism, hype, and commercialism than to the text's own definition of heroism. Space is given, appropriately, both to women who managed to succeed in spite of male dominance and to those whose achievements were co-opted by men. However, it subverts its purpose by including patronizing examples besides Ruth Wakefield—such as Henrietta Lacks, a woman who never knew her cancerous tumor had been used for scientific research. As is typical of a National Geographic book, the layout, art, and photography are generally exceptional even if the accessible text is shallow. Heroes offers a great centerfold: "How to Change the World." Sadly, Heroines has a centerfold of Wonder Woman. This may be a springboard for discussing values if nothing else. (introduction, afterword, index) (Nonfiction. 8-12) Copyright Kirkus 2016 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.