Here Come the Girl Scouts! The Amazing All-True Story of Juliette “Daisy” Gordon Low and Her Great Adventure

Corey’s (Mermaid Queen) enthusiastic celebration of the life of Low, founder of the Girl Scouts, reveals a gutsy, active girl growing up in Savannah, Ga., at a time when “proper young ladies were supposed to be dainty and delicate.” Low craved “adventure and excitement,” and, as an adult, she traveled extensively and decided that she “wanted to be useful, to make a difference in the world.” Inspired by Boy Scouts and Girl Guides in England, she launched the Girl Scouts and, at an inaugural meeting, told the girls what to expect: “They’d hike and camp and swim! They’d do good deeds. They’d learn to tie knots and survive in the wilderness and even save lives!” Corey’s gung-ho prose conveys Low’s gumption and optimism, and copious quotations from the first Girl Scout handbook impart commonsense tenets for living and scouting (“Whatever you take up, do it with all your might”). Subdued blues, greens, and browns underscore the Scouts’ outdoor focus in newcomer Hooper’s folksy mixed-media art, which, much like Corey’s prose, portrays the Scouts and their history in a fresh, unstuffy manner. Ages 4–8. Agent: Adams Literary. (Jan.)