My thoughts: Children's picture book biographies are most always a favorite of mine because I simply love to introduce children to real people doing important things with their lives and contributing to mankind's journey.
Mary Seacole: Bound for the Battlefield was quite an interesting and eye-opening story. I had never heard of this lady-of-color who was so determined to do her part in caring for the sick and wounded.
At a time when women were not normally on the battlegrounds and in hospitals or rather treated respectfully in those arenas, this lady-of-color in her native Jamica began her journey at the feet of her mother who also was a healer. Mary Seacole learned to minister to, give tender care, use the available remedies of the time, bandage and sooth those ill, injured, and hurting.
Into her adult life she began to journey seeking areas where she might nurse or bring care to those needing it. Repeatedly she was rebuffed. Not just because she was a woman but primarily because she was a lady-of-color.
Mary was mixed-race. This biographic picture book lets children see the caring personality of this woman who was so often rebuffed because of her color. It is a story of endurance. A story of perseverance. And a story of a time we should make certain is never repeated - being rebuffed because of the color of one's skin.
About the book: The life of pioneering Jamaican nurse Mary Seacole gets its dramatic due in a sweeping and stunning biography.
Mary Seacole spent much of her life on the front lines of the Crimean War, ministering to the wounded, caring for soldiers, and making her mark on the world of medicine. This fascinating biography honors Mary Seacole's life, from her childhood in Kingston, Jamaica, and her encounters with racist Americans to her treatment of cholera patients in Panama and her bitter run-in with Florence Nightingale, who declined to work with her in Crimea because she wasn't white. But Mary Seacole knew that the sick and wounded needed her compassion and care, and despite all obstacles, she answered the call to help them. Author Susan Goldman Rubin gives voice to this fearless nurse and healer through captivating details drawn from Mary Seacole's own writings, while debut illustrator Richie Pope vividly captures her service at the bedside and on the battlefield. Inspiring and engaging, this biography introduces a compelling heroine who rose above barriers to earn a place in history.
DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given. Prize is provided and sent directly to the winner by the publisher or publicist.
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