Starred review from October 1, 2018
Halligan tells the stories of 55 “herstorical” women across the globe with notable personal and professional accomplishments. They include artists and writers, political and social leaders, health care workers and healers, scientific innovators, and activists and visionaries. The duo devotes each bustling, scrapbook collage–style spread to a different subject, layering biographical details against expressive portraits, photographs, and ephemera. Halligan makes little distinction between figures of the distant past and those more contemporary, underscoring how change makers throughout time share a common bond. Alongside Empress Wu Zetian of China are scientist Dian Fossey and artists Frida Kahlo, Coco Chanel, and Billie Holiday. Activists include Malala Yousafzai, Indian secret agent Noor Inayat Khan, and Mayan human rights activist Rigoberta Menchú. Halligan and Walsh offer approachable educational content about lesser-known subjects in a warm and vibrant visual presentation. Ages 8–up.