When they were Girls by Rebecca Deming Moore and illustrated by Mable Betsy Hill and Edited by Helen Mildred Owen

When they were Girls

is a fascinating book written by Rebecca Deming Moore and illustrated by Mable Betsy Hill and Edited by Helen Mildred Owen. I downloaded it on the Project Gutenberg and I consider this one a wonderful reading for adults and children as well.

In this book portrayed the most iconic girls who, growing up made the difference in their existence, but in particular in the one of people who met along their way, helping the Humanity to be a better place where live in.

Clara Barton, a fearless kid, became the founder of the Red Cross, Louisa May Alcott would have become the famous writer we all know. Her Little Women a classic I guess each of us has read and re-read.

A story I loved a lot a the one of Jane Addams. Born rich, when she noticed that poor people lived in a place of the city too crowded because they could not afford a beauty and isolated house, she promised to herself of living there, once adult, in a big house in a neighborhood like that one and to fight for poor people. 

A maintained promise. Once adult Jane did all her best, for bettering the human and social conditions of a lot of people of the working-class. 

She created a center where there was a Nursery; a place where, parents could leave their children,  creating at the same time wagons of courses for giving some new skills, chances and possibilities to people in need of a new work: from sewing to cooking,passing though  printing, photography, so that no one was left alone and they could find a good work.

Another strong girl was Evangeline Booth. She became with the time the Commander-in-Chief of the Salvation Army in the USA.

Amy Marcy Cheney Beach was an excellent pianist, performer and musician.

Frances Hodgson Burnett became an establised, beloved writer, but before, she was a kid tremendously attracted by books. Avid reader, there weren't too many children's books around her and her parents thought that presenting books for Christmas and birthday was sufficient. So, when she went to school, she made friendship with a lot of schoolmates, asking continuously to them new books. Later she discovered at home Shakespeare, Dickens. The rest is history!

Maria Mitchell was born in Nantucket, Massachusetts. Original and so numerous family the one of mr.Mitchell, populated by wagons of books, and the Bible, read everyday. Mr.Mitchell was a Quaker, in fact. The house, was plenty of magical tools and instruments. The one fascinated the most little Maria was a telescope for watching the stars and Planet, property of his dad.

Seeing that the daughter was so interested in the discovery of stars, planets and the Universe, mr.Mitchell taught her a lot. You can't believe it, but the same university of Harvard did not yet have a telescope more good than the one of mr.Mitchell!

One day Maria noticed a new comet and informed Harvard immediately. It was the beginning of his career in the astronomical field.

Helen Keller was a young baby from Alabama. She was born normal but later, still a kid, she became deaf and blind because of a severe illness. Helen found a way for re-starting to enjoy the existence and she passed at the history as an example of a person who promoted all the possible actions for helping people with deaf and blind, writing many articles, publishing several books and acting using her own example: the one of a successful woman.

More than twenty, beautiful profiles of extraordinary little girls, who became wonderful women.

Absolutely adorable, this book was firstly published in the USA in 1923.

Simply enchanting!

Anna Maria Polidori