She’s on the Money
by Andrea Hall
illustrated by Li Zhang
Albert Whitman & Company, 2021. 32 pages.
Review written December 1, 2021, from a library book
Starred Review
What a fun idea! This picture book gives short biographies of 15 women who appear or have appeared on currency somewhere in the world. Each woman gets a spread, with a page at the back for Britannia and a page for Lady Liberty.
Some of the women are well-known, such as the first one presented, Cleopatra. Others I’d never heard of, such as the last set presented, the Mirabal Sisters of the Dominican Republic. The women are presented in the order of the year they were born.
There are more from America than anywhere else, but that’s just two – Sacagawea and Helen Keller (who was on the Alabama quarter) – well, you may also count “Lady Liberty” at the back. I like the wide range of countries represented.
Also fun is the close look at the currency where the women are portrayed – I’ve long said that other countries have much more interesting money and it shows the colorful bills and the symbolism next to the woman’s portrait.
A fascinating book. You can learn both about distinguished women and what money looks like in other countries. Now, I know they didn’t present every woman who’s ever been on currency, because Queen Elizabeth wasn’t mentioned – but I do wish the book were fatter with more examples, and I fear that’s because there aren’t too many more examples out there. There is a note in the back about plans to put Harriet Tubman on the United States twenty dollar bill. May it be so.
lizhangart.com
albertwhitman.com
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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.
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