Visual and Performing Artists

Brenda Reed is a public services librarian in the Education Library at
Queen’s University.

The six titles under review are the latest entries in Crabtree’s Women
in Profile series (previous titles included Explorers, Musicians, Nobel
Prize Winners, Political Leaders, Scientists, and Writers). The books in
this extremely well-produced series feature attractive layouts and
glossy, colorful covers that will attract young browsers and
researchers. The series is international in scope, with minimal Canadian
representation. The only Canadians to receive major coverage are singer
and songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie, whose image appears on the cover of
Visual and Performing Artists, and actress Mary Pickford, who spent most
of her life in the United States. The high number of American women
featured in the series (ranging from Madonna to Oprah Winfrey to Georgia
O’Keeffe) suggests that the target audience for the series is
elementary-grade children in the United States.

Each volume includes color and black-and-white photographs and pages
that have been brilliantly designed to highlight key information. In
each book, a general two-page introduction is followed by six major
biographies, a “More Women in Profile” section consisting of 10 or
more paragraph-sized biographies, a glossary, a list of suggested
readings, and an index. The biographies are well written and show
evidence of thoughtful research. The emphasis is on notable women of the
20th century, with such familiar names as Martina Navratilova, Princess
Diana, Helen Keller, Mother Teresa, Eleanor Roosevelt, Emmeline
Pankhurst, and Maria Montessori (less familiar names include Gerty Cori,
Jannie Tay, Frida Kahlo, and Wangari Maathai). All six titles are a
welcome addition to the library of biographical resources written for
young readers. Highly recommended for school and public libraries.