Blumenthal, Karen. Revolutionary Mary: The True Story of One Woman, the Declaration of Independence, and America’s Fight for Freedom. Elizabeth Baddeley, Illus. Addl. Creator Jen McCartney. Roaring Brook, 02/2025. [40]pp. Biography. Trade $18.99. 978-1-6267-2311-5. GRADES 3–5. HIGH ADDITIONAL.
“No women were in the room when our Founding Fathers drafted the Declaration of Independence…But one woman did sign,” begins Revolutionary Mary, a picture book biography about Colonial printshop owner Mary Katharine Goddard. This powerful opening is unfortunately a bit misleading – Mary did not actually sign the Declaration, though she proudly stamped her full name in the broadside of the copy she’d printed for Maryland residents. Although very little is known about Goddard’s life, Blumenthal and McCartney manage to convey her historical significance as an independent working woman who used her position to support the Revolution and to promote a free press. Baddeley’s mix of watercolor, gouache, and digital illustrations greatly enhance the text through use of color and action-oriented images; her incorporation of onomatopoeia into her depictions of the printing process is especially effective. Back matter includes further historical details, a selected bibliography, and an author’s note.
Jennifer Taylor—Palo Alto City Library