Rating: 4 Stars
Lumber Jills by Alexandra Davis (illustrated by Katie Hickey) is an early/beginning reader book about the British women that filled the lumberjacks’ place during WWII. The prose is lyrical in nature and simple enough for a very early reader. Each page is beautifully illustrated and my favorite part of this book.
While I wished the story contained more history, I am not the intended audience. This book is meant to show young girls (target age of 5-7) that they can do anything a boy can do. This is a valuable lesson and one young girls do not hear often enough.
I loved that the book also referenced numbers in several of the passages. When my granddaughter and I read it together, we counted along with the story. I also liked that this book invites the child to ask questions. Because the back page gave a little more history about Lumber Jills, I was able to answer questions that came up. Kudos to the author for giving the adult reader that information.
I recommend this book for an early reader because it shows women in a role other than a princess. I think we have plenty of those kinds of books already. I for one want all young girls to realize they can do anything and their gender should not stop them from fulfilling their dreams. By the way, my granddaughter enjoyed this book!
I received a free copy from the author at BEA in exchange for my honest opinion.