The life and times of Anthony get a brisk treatment in this book in the Ready-to-Read: Stories of America series, but new readers will still gain familiarity with one of the mothers of the feminist movement. Hopkinson gets right into it: Anthony wanted to reform or change America. The book then moves on to one of the pivotal moments in young Anthony's life: her father's refusal to promote a young woman in his mill--even though she was the most qualified worker. The text rolls quickly through her work as an abolitionist and her segue, along with her friend Elizabeth Cady Stanton, into her tireless efforts for woman's suffrage. The disappointment that came when African American men received the vote before women comes through even in this short account, as does the seemingly endless wait until the Nineteenth Amendment passed in 1920. Browns, tans, and blues predominate in the watercolors and tend to flatten the action, but the pictures carry nicely across the spreads, and Anthony is portrayed as a formidable figure, even when young.

This simplified account of Pocahontas's life and of fifteenth-century European and Native American relations strives for cultural sensitivity in the text and in the brightly colored illustrations, but many details are presented without any interpretation. Small text boxes and a final page add facts to a book that's a good reader but simplistic history. Ind.

Gr 2-5 This biography presents Anthony as a lifelong advocate for womens equality, from childhood awareness through adult activism. Hopkinson recounts her subjects birth into a Quaker family, her education, her teaching career at a boarding school, and her return home to Rochester, NY, in order to work for change. Anthonys friendships with abolitionists and her familys participation in the Underground Railroad are briefly mentioned. Soft-edged illustrations complement the simple yet accurate text that informs emergent and reluctant readers of both the historical context and lasting importance of Anthonys contributions to the suffrage movement. With a clear vocabulary and an appealing presentation, this title makes an accessible introduction. Julie R. Ranelli, Kent Island Branch Library, Stevensville, MD