At last—an engaging story that brings alive the term “women's suffrage” to young readers. Most titles on the subject take a purely expository stance, with grainy photographs of women in bustles, sashes and outrageous hats. Here, a clear story unfolds as Abby and Julia Smith fight the all-male city leaders of 1869 Glastonbury, Conn., when they levy a special tax on single female landowners. Their battle cry? “No Taxation without Representation!” With spunky determination, these septuagenarian sisters enter a lengthy public legal battle that finds them excluded from speaking in town meetings—so Abby shouts from an ox cart on the city green. The Smith’s poor cows are dragged to and fro over the years as the tax man takes them to auction from which the Smiths buy them back for the price of their tax bill. Abby’s angry and stern face, however well justified, may lead readers to feel more sympathy for the cows than for her. But well-behaved women rarely make history, as this sparkling account attests. (authors’ note, sources) (Informational picture book. 7-10)
