ReaditDaddy's Picture Book of the Week - Week ending 8th March 2019: "The Brontes: The Fantastically Feminist and Totally True Story of the Astonishing Authors" by Anna Doherty (Wren and Rook) #InternationalWomensDay2019

Our Picture Book of the Week this week is a superb little biography for three of the most talented female writers in history...
It seems absolutely right and proper to celebrate International Women's Day with the excellent "The Brontes" by Anna Doherty details the life of Charlotte, Emily and Anne - and their extended family in a fantastically presented picture book format that (thankfully) breaks away from the usual 'dry' inspirational people books we ended up drowning in last year.

Anna Doherty's approach is to 'storify' the amazing real-life tale of how three sisters had to overcome male dominance and sexist attitudes in order to publish their landmark books.

Without their grit and determination, we may never have had "Jane Eyre", "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" or "Wuthering Heights" - each penned by one of the amazing sisters but initially under their pen names of Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell.

The Bronte family - and their pets!

Brought up in a household that encouraged their creativity, in an environment where the moors were on their doorstep, the family used their imaginations to good effect, dreaming up mythical made-up lands and curious characters - which would stand Charlotte, Emily and Anne in good stead when they began to write their own novels.

With family tragedies and the high levels of infant mortality in the 19th Century, these amazingly talented women were taken from us all too soon - but leave behind an inspiring legacy for authors and feminists, and a life story that is utterly compelling and here in picture book format, extremely brilliantly written to engage younger kids.

The publishing industry in the 19th century was rife with sexism. Wouldn't it be amazing to say that nearly 200 years later things are a LOT different?

This was a fascinating read for my daughter, who was actually named after a Bronte sister!

"The Brontes" by Anna Doherty is out now, published by Wren and Rook (kindly supplied for review).