My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Fearless: The Story of Racing Legend Louise Smith
by Barb Rosenstock
Vrooom! Vrooom! Ladies, start your engines! I confess I didn't know a thing about the first woman race car legend Louise Smith until I read Fearless by Barb Rosenstock. This nonfiction picture book biography is told with gusto. As I was reading the story, my teenage son walked by me and commented on the illustrations. The illustrator, Scott Dawson did a bang-up job infusing color and life into the paintings that made up the book.
I thought the book was a delightful read. Rosenstock managed to sweep over the difficult parts of Louise Smith's life, and portray her as a woman with the courage to follow her dream. This book deserves a place in any teacher or librarian's collection of biographies for elementary children. I thought the language flowed with a rhythm that takes you to the time and place of Smith's life. The author uses onomatopoeia and repetition to give the text a kick. It's a wonderful little story of overcoming obstacles and perseverance.
The text is short enough to read aloud as a pint sized biography for 2nd - 4th graders. One of my fourth graders is crazy about cars. I handed the book to him, and even though the story is about a woman race car driver instead of a man (and not directly about cars) he gave it two thumbs up. The reading level is mid third grade.
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