Patriots in petticoats Heroines of the American Revolution

Gr. 3-5. This volume in the Landmark Books series celebrates the contributions of women to the patriot cause during the American Revolution. Redmond spotlights 24 individuals who served through their writing, sewing, nursing, fighting, and spying. Along with familiar names such as Betsy Ross and Deborah Samson, Redmond introduces relatively unknown figures--among them, Mammyate, a slave who entered the British fort where her owner was held prisoner and smuggled him out hidden in her laundry basket. The many illustrations, not seen in final form, include reproductions of period paintings, prints, and drawings as well as photos of sites and artifacts. A colorful author's note, a source bibliography, and a brief time line are appended. Though each entry is only a few pages long, the book provides interesting sidelights on the period. Good supplemental material on the Revolution. --Carolyn Phelan Copyright 2004 Booklist

Gr 3-7-Short biographical sketches present the stories of 24 women who fought in different ways for America's freedom during the Revolutionary War. The biographies of these "Daughters of Liberty" are arranged in eight sections, illustrating contributions ranging from literary support of the cause (e.g., Phillis Wheatley and Mary Katharine Goddard) to those who fought on the battlefield (e.g., Deborah Samson and Margaret Cochran Corbin). Black-and-white reproductions, commemorative statues, and period weapons illustrate the text. Boxed paragraphs providing interesting background information (descriptions of petticoats, liberty spinning bees, samplers, and the use of leeches) are interspersed throughout the book. The writing style is simple and the sentences are short, with vocabulary appropriate for the intended audience as well as for reluctant readers. Libraries looking for curriculum support may want to consider this title to complement Karen Zeinert's Those Remarkable Women of the American Revolution (Millbrook, 1996), Mary Furbee's Women of the American Revolution (Lucent, 1999), and Louise Slavicek's Women of the American Revolution (Lucent, 2002).-Jennifer Ralston, Harford County Public Library, Belcamp, MD (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

This collective biography briefly presents the contributions of twenty-four women who served the revolutionary cause; they include nurses, spies, messengers, needle workers, and even soldiers. The short segments are preceded by a geographic key. Captioned black-and-white period reproductions illustrate the text, and sidebars explain terms such as petticoat and sampler. Timeline. Bib., ind. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

Redmond shares title and topic with Patricia Clyne's 1976 (long o.p.) collective biography, but offers more profiles--24, plus shorter references--at an easier reading level. Along with better known figures, such as Deborah Sampson, Betsy Ross, and Sibyl Ludington, she relates colorful, courageous exploits from such local heroes as Mammy Kate, a slave who carried her master out of captivity in a laundry basket, the Oneida Polly Cooper, Elizabeth Hutchinson Jackson's successful effort to free her son (and later president) Andy, and not one but two "Molly Pitchers." Writing for children who have to be told what a "petticoat" is, the author keeps her language simple, underplaying grisly details, as well as violence done by and to Native Americans in the war. She pauses frequently for side essays: on the education of colonial women, on Ben Franklin's efforts to have the turkey declared the national bird, etc. She closes with a vague tribute to "women patriots" today, meaning, apparently, anyone in uniform or community service. Illustrated with a mix of 19th-century art and modern photos of monuments or artifacts, this entry in the venerable Landmark Books series will serve equally well as middle-grade assignment fodder or a consciousness raiser. (timeline, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 8-10) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.