You have probably heard of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, but have you heard about Lucy Stone? You might not have, but you should as she would influence Anthony and others to join the women’s rights movement and to keep up the good fight. The title One Girl’s Voice : How Lucy Stone Helped Change the Law of the Land by Vivian Kirkfield and illustrated by Rebecca Gibbon inspired me to google Women’s Right Activists to see if Stone’s name came up. Even though it seems like Lucy did a lot to start the women’s movement, the other two women were given top billing.
However, that is fine, as long as we know there were women out there, being the first, blazing the trail, allowing women to be “Lucy Stoners” (women who do not take their husbands names after marriage) and more. It is good to know that they started the fight, but one that we are still fighting today. (As recently as the early and mid 1970s a woman could not have a mortgage or credit card in her name. We still fight for equal pay.) The life of Stone unfolds in busy text, colorful and slightly whimsical illustrations and her own words. The highlights are given, with more information at the end such as how her relationship with her father would change. Along with timelines and what her and Stanton’s daughter went on to do.
The overall feeling of the book is quaint and cute in contrast to the serious subject. It does give off a stereotypical “girly look and feeling” with the colors and details. It is a bit romanticized looking, still well worth the read. For the slightly older listener, it could be good up to the first or second grade, but the subject is important for as old as third and fourth grades. The extras allow for the older audience as well. 