Our Flag Was Still There: The True Story of Mary Pickersgill and the Star-Spangled Banner

The huge American flag that flew over Baltimore’s Fort McHenry and inspired The Star-Spangled Banner—and is now displayed in the Smithsonian—was hand-stitched in just six weeks by an indomitable female entrepreneur. Mary Pickersgill owned the shop “operated entirely by women,” Hartland notes, including an unnamed African-American indentured servant (an author’s note offers additional detail). Charged with creating a flag “so large that the British will have no difficulty seeing it from a distance,” Pickersgill and her crew work day and night. “Each tiny stitch was a small step toward a big flag—and freedom from British rule.” The British bombard but retreat, the flag remains flying, and the rest is literally history. With naif-styled scenes rendered in plenty of patriotic red gouache, it’s a jovial popular history, but one with an unmistakable respect for its subject matter. And Mary herself is an exemplar of unflappable girl power, looking up from her stitching and giving the reader a jaunty wink. “Yes, we can!” she says. Ages 4–8. [em](May) [/em]