Susan B. Anthony

“By her fiftieth birthday she was known as the most loved and hated woman in America.” This biography of tireless suffragist Anthony depicts her experiences as a teacher, organizer, and orator, with particular emphasis on the sober realities of her era. For example, after being laughed at by men and boys for wearing bloomers, “she gave up wearing [them]. She believed that people should listen to what she had to say, not watch what she was wearing.” Wallner’s folk art–style tableaus have a flat, stylized quality that calls to mind the work of Grandma Moses. Unfortunately, the brittle tone (“She used money she had saved from teaching to travel to many towns, often in winter when people were so bored they would come to any meeting and even pay money just for something to do”) can result in a dry reading experience. Ages 6–10. Agent: Libby Ford. (Mar.)