Here Come the Girl Scouts! (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Here Come the Girl Scouts! Elizabeth Bush Corey, Shana. Here Come the Girl Scouts!; illus. by Hadley Hooper. Scholastic, 2012. [40p]. ISBN 978-0-545-34278-0 $17.99 Reviewed from galleys R 5–8 yrs. With the hundredth anniversary of Girl Scouting in the U.S. just around the corner, expect an uptick in demand for material on its foundress, Juliette Gordon Low. Ginger Wadsworth’s First Girl Scout: The Life of Juliette Gordon Low, reviewed below, is so far this anniversary year’s biography of choice for Juniors and Cadettes, but Corey offers a complementary picture-book account well suited for sharing with Daisies and Brownies. Relatively little is made of Low’s childhood years, apart from repeatedly acknowledging her adventurousness and love of the outdoors. The main focus is on her encounter with Boy Scouts and Girl Guides in England and the way she enthusiastically imported the idea to America and enlisted friends and relatives to help her launch a home-grown program. Particularly delightful are references to skills that were suggested for early Girl Scouts, from “How to cure hams” to “How to secure a burglar with eight inches of cord,” and to badges such as “Pioneer” and “Dairy Maid.” Hooper’s mixed-media, digitally assembled pictures feature thick, relaxed lines and textured swaths of outdoorsy greens and blues. Quotations from Low snake through the spreads or pop up in design elements. Four dense columns of historical notes are appended, as well as a list of sources and citations for all quotations. Copyright © 2012 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois