[LM_NET] BOOK REVIEW: ELEM: Elizabeth Leads the Way by Tanya Lee Stone

[Toni Buzzeo <tonibuzzeo@TONIBUZZEO.COM>]

Elizabeth Leads the Way: Elizabeth Cady Stanton 
and the Right to Vote by Tanya Lee Stone; 
illustrated by Rebecca Gibbon (Holt, 2008). ISBN: 978-0805079036

Children of the twenty-first century often find 
it difficult to believe in the harsh realities of 
nineteenth century America.  How could there have 
been a time when opportunities weren’t equally 
available to all, no matter whether a child was 
born a boy or a girl?  Yet, Elizabeth Leads the 
Way leaves no doubt in the young reader’s 
mind.  Once upon a time, it made all the 
difference in the world­and young Elizabeth Cady 
was outraged, from the age of thirteen, by that 
fact!  Her clear voice and unwillingness to brook 
inequality from an early age are painted in both 
lively text and charming 
gouache-and-colored-pencil folk art 
illustrations.  Stanton’s lifelong fight for 
women’s right to vote plays out on a stage that 
will encourage young readers to demand that right 
along with the heroine.  Set against the broader 
backdrop of the National Women’s Suffrage 
Association, which Stanton started with Susan B. 
Anthony, and the 1848 Women’s Rights Convention, 
the struggle will inspire children to reflect on 
how far we have come in this one important way 
and question other inequitable “truths” that 
still stand today­waiting for the courage and 
commitment they may give their lives over 
to.  This is a must-have addition to the picture 
book biography shelves.  Read it along with I 
Could Do That! Esther Morris Gets Women the Vote 
by Linda Arms White to embolden the next 
generation to fight for what is just, fair, and right. [Suggested Grades 1-4]

NOTE: For additional back story from the writer, 
refer back to the article, “From Spark to Story: 
One Writer’s Take on the Joys and Challenges of 
Picture-Book Biographies,” published in the 
November issue of SLJ and available online at 
<http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6494166.html>http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6494166.html



Toni Buzzeo, MA, MLIS <mailto:tonibuzzeo@tonibuzzeo.com>
Maine Library Media Specialist of the Year Emerita
Maine Association of School Libraries Board Member
Buxton, ME 04093
http://www.tonibuzzeo.com
R is for Research, illustrated by Nicole Wong (Upstart 2008) BRAND NEW! 

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