A is for Abigail: An Almanac of Amazing American Women

by Lynne Cheney, Robin Preiss Glasser (Illustrator)

New York Times bestselling team Lynne Cheney and Robin Preiss Glasser tell the remarkable (and often little known) stories of exceptional American women.

Lynne Cheney and Robin Preiss Glasser collaborated on America: A Patriotic Primer, which captured the imagination of American children and became a national bestseller. Now they turn their hands to A Is for Abigail: An Almanac of Amazing American Women and bring the great women of American history to life. Filled to the brim with words and pictures that celebrate the remarkable achievements of American women, this is a book to relish and to read again and again. Mothers, daughters, schoolchildren, and generations of families will take Abigail Adams’s words to heart and “remember the ladies” once they read the stories of these astonishing, astounding, amazing American women.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Picture Books, Childrens, Biography, Womens, American History

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Lynne Ann Vincent Cheney, is a novelist, conservative scholar, and former talk-show host who is the wife of former Vice President Dick Cheney.

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book, but be prepared to spend quite a bit of time reading it!!! Cheney has assembled a multitude of facts on women from scientists to writers to performers to teachers and the artwork is so intricate and detailed, sometimes a dozen or more facts or women mentioned per page, sometimes a border-quote around the page and then more border-quotes around smaller portraits. But don't think this is bland--far from it! It's so much fun to peruse, lots of treasures to discover. I especially loved the fold-out spread for the performers (open the curtain to see everyone from Shirley Temple to Leena Horne to Lucille Ball!) I was quite impressed with the variety of women and eras presented, and American from a variety of ethnic backgrounds are included (even Native Americans, which is rare!) And while a few times all the details do get a bit overwhelming (the "U" for US section especially, as it tries to cover the history of the US on two pages!) and at times it seems Cheney fudges just a bit ("A" is for Abigail and "I" is for Laura Ingalls while "S" is for the "Second Wave" of the Sixties and Seventies) the overall effect is just wonderful.

I am honestly not sure how much young children would enjoy this book--would they find the busy pages exciting or overwhelmingly cluttered? The collection of facts interesting or boring? However, it is definitely a worthwhile subject that slightly older children can and should be exposed to. The NOTES in the back provide a bit more information on certain topics and it is Cheney's goal that her book will simply spark more discussion and exploration among children and parents/teachers.

[Ronald]

reading to my 5 yr. old granddaughter

[Kaethe · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tokenism, glamor, and trivia, not history

If the children in your life don't know the names of enough women singers or film actresses, this is for them. Or if they need a timeline showing when poodle skirts and miniskirts were in vogue, this is the book. For someone who professes to love history, and to believe "A system of education that fails to nurture memory of the past denies its students a great deal," Ms. Cheney has written an appallingly bad book.

Okay, an alphabet book of women in American history is unlikely to convey any important information, and I don't normally object to books whose focus is women neglected in mainstream history. But this book doesn't help. If anything it makes it all worse. Women of color are so clearly tokens here. Harriet Tubman was a brave and noble woman, but she's mentioned three times, and her's are the only references to slavery in the book. Three Native American women are mentioned: Pocahontas, Sacajawea, and Wilma Mankiller. There are more mentions of Hollywood actresses (all dead except for Lauren Bacall).

This is the sort of book that brings up Amelia Bloomer repeatedly, while ignoring developments that affect millions, such as the criminalization of abortion and birth control in the mid-1800s, or the efforts of Emma Goldman and Margaret Sanger, or even the gradual end of childbed fever as the number one killer of mothers. This is a book that mentions The Industrial Revolution for providing mill work to women and children. I cannot possibly heap enough scorn on this work.

***

I'd forgotten about posting this review on Amazon, until they emailed me today to let me know someone had commented on my review. I still hate the book, although I should at least mention that I like Glasser's illustration work very much.

[Marian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very impressive and inspiring book for girls featuring all types of prominent women in all fields from medicine to sports, science to the arts, historical and modern. Very well done. Lots of positive reinforcement and information, plus I collect alphabet books and this one is going to be purchased ASAP.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a general rule I dislike books that single out a particular group of people. Despite my reservations I was thoroughly impressed with this stellar alphabet book. I love the format and the fact that each and every page is brimming with historical tidbits. A wonderful addition to any classroom library and a great way to get children, both girls and boys, excited about history.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This tribute to american women is a great addition to either the elementary or the middle school library. So Many Women lauded! Loved it

[Lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose this book as my Valentine for my granddaughter (currently~4 months). I know it will be awhile before she can appreciate its contents and it is certainly far from the scope of the view I hope she has of women's roles in the world by the time she reaches seventeen, let alone ten or twelve. But I enjoyed the book myself, found myself arguing over the choices and the formats, and know it is a fun supplement and contrast to other books already on her bookshelf. (Sometime when I visit, I shall compare this book with one by Chelsea Clinton ( She Persisted ?), which I know one of her mother's bridesmaids had already gifted her.)

The artwork was a pleasure to enjoy, even when one was a bit uncomfortable that the double page foldout was a curtain opening to feature women from the worlds of entertainment. (The illustrator, Ms. Glasser, is apparently famous for her "FancyNancy" line of books.)

Dr. Cheney appears, like Jackie Kennedy, to have been able to use both her own education and interests, and perhaps her influence as wife to a powerful politician, to bring together and coordinate the talent of a number of contributors to create this book for Simon and Schuster.

[Heather McC · Rating 5 out of 5]

A genuine five star read for an alphabet book jammed pack with information, insight, and inspiration. You'll want to spend time turning the book forwards/backwards/upside down to catch every little nugget that's included. After my first read, I was slightly disappointed with individuals not being included (Ada Lovelace, Jane Goodall, Katherine Johnson, etc.) but then I reminded myself, there is no way for Cheney to include every monumental female in history (there's so many, you could have a book dedicated to each letter filled with women who have changed the world), and to stop and appreciate those who were included: trailblazers, educations, scientists, librarians, authors, designers, politicians, athletes - all people who advocate and change the world in their own way. This a book worth hunting down to own, and I haven't felt that way about a book in over a year (just my personal thoughts).

[Abigail Trithart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! It is a beautiful illustrated book that tells the stories of the different American women who changed our world! The book starts on page 1 with Abigail Adams representing the letter "A" and ends with Babe Didrikson Zaharias representing the letter "Z". I really loved how the author chose to use several different women for each letter, rather than just choosing one!

This book is a perfect read for a little girl who is interested in learning about the history of women in America! Each page is uniquely designed to captivate a child's attention. When learning about US History, we focus a lot on the men who created America. This picture book can be used to help girls in the classroom choose a female to focus on!

[Cathi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book years ago, and it was so much fun to read it again. It's an alphabet book about all sorts of stuff about famous (and not quite so famous) women--writers, inventors, political leaders, athletes, artists, doctors, scientists, the list goes on--and it makes me want to learn more about so many of them. Is it an exhaustive grouping? No, because that would be impossible. Is it a bit dated? Yes, because it was written twenty years ago. Plus, Lynne Cheney says that nearly all of the women she's included were born before 1950. (An updated book would be marvelous!) Is it a book meant to celebrate women? Yes, and I like it. Robin Preiss Glasser's illustrations are terrific, and that's probably why I've given the book five stars. Absolutely lovely!

[Judine Brey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I had read this sooner! While it is a children's book, it still offers great information, and the pictures are effective in drawing in readers. I was especially impressed with the four-page center pull out under "P is for Performers," which illustrated a variety of women on stage, so the children would literally open the curtains for the performers. My only qualm with this book was its formatting. The words were occasionally written around the edges of the page or were placed in such a way that they were difficult to read. Otherwise, this is a delightful resource for young people. In fact, I'm donating my copy to the school library. That's a better place for it.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the pages packed with pictures, quotes, and bits of information were mostly fun to absorb, many of them were so packed and jumbled that it was difficult to find a good flow or even keep track of where and what we were reading. Also, there isn't much depth to it. We were left wanting more information about many of the women mentioned in the book, since that was essentially what each woman got: a mention. It could be a great jumping off point for someone who wants to choose a person on whom to write a report.

[Kate Urban · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book isn't one of my favorites but I can certainly see times that I could use it in my classroom. I love how it focuses on the important women in American history. It would be a great supplement to regular history books when they talk about important women as well as showing some lesser known American women. It is a very busy book and it is often hard for me to focus on it because of that. I think that if you took the book a page a time or in smaller chunks then it is much easier to digest.

[Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful primer for emergent or within-words readers, or any child with an interest in women's or U.S. history! Cheney goes beyond the standard female figures (think Amelia Earhart) and recognizes women of all races, in nearly every field from science to show business! I read this as a child, and now that I'm older I'm delighted at the diversity of women represented in this book. The illustrations are also beautifully done. I can't wait to show this to my kids!

[Vanessa Kuffner]

I think this is a great book for little girls to get to know other famous women. Especially since it can be hard to find a role model in modern media that is appropriate for little girls. It is important that little girls are empowered at a young age so they can be ready for the world when they grow up.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

i loved the illustrations, however, i feel like there wasn't a whole lot of information on some of the women featured. it felt like certain women's accomplishments were simplified because the target demo is kids, but that doesn't mean that kids deserve less information.

[Maggie]

This book is great to sit down and really look at all the illustrations. It teaches the alphabet by showing influential women in American history. It is a great book to during an American history unit.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very pretty illustrations, romanticized drawings. I'd like to have this illustrator do my portrait.

As for the book, clever choices to depict some of the letters, like "X" for the suffragettes who fought for the rite to put an X on the ballot no matter your sex. Very detailed.

[Dionne · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Just don't give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don't think you can go wrong."~Ella Fitzgerald

A wonderful celebration of the trails that American women have blazed.

[Hannah Shaffer]

We didn’t read this one in its entirety, but it inspired my 6 year old daughter to want to study and learn about other American women. I would consider purchasing this as a reference and starting off point for reading further biographies. (The illustrations are very busy to the eyes though.)

[Mercedes Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book does a good job of educating children about the strong history of Women and how much we have fought, it would be very encouraging for young girls. The pictures are very good at telling a story, I recommend this book for older children because there is a lot of words and strong history.

[RK Byers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came intending to bash Lynne Cheney for daring to include Harriet Tubman, a reprobate criminal, among her profiles of celebrated women, BUT there was a lot included here that, if nothing else, should inspire further reading.

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many wonderful women! A great celebration of accomplishments!

[Sophie Klockow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Connections: I took Women's US history when I was doing running start
Use in classroom: In classroom library or for women's history month

[Y.Poston]

A beautifully illustrated
anthem of American Women;
pages are filled with different
categories and the women
who made great strides in
a chosen area of interest
LOVE!!!

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when it first came out and fell in love with it! The illustrations were so unique and the women that were picked - made me think and I even learned some things!

[Erin Britt · Rating 5 out of 5]

My children and I read this together as a family with our family basket reading time. I highly recommend it. My children both the younger ones and the teens enjoyed it.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely lived reading this book with my son and learning about all the incredible women in history.

[des · Rating 5 out of 5]

honestly how can you not love this book? from the theme, message, illustrations and rhyme schemes it always will have a special place in my heart.

[Breanna Leonard]

I liked this nonfiction picture book; I enjoyed reading about all of the amazing and empowering women throughout history. I liked the illustrations, but personally the layouts were a little too busy for me. Overall, a great educational book. Each letter of the alphabet gives an overview of a different significant woman in history. I would use this book to show my class how women have played a huge role in the making of this country. A is for Abigail would be in my classroom library for anyone who wanted to read it.