Today marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Girl Scouts in the United States.  A couple of books have just been published to honor the occasion and celebrate the life of founder, Juliette Gordon Low.

One book is the picture book biography geared for K-3 children titled, Here Come the Girl Scouts!  The Amazing All-True Story of Juliette “Daisy” Gordon Low and Her Great Adventure. This book is written by Shana Corey who was inspired by her own mother who was a Girl Scout in Savannah, Georgia, where the movement began.  The author tells about Daisy, a girl with gumption, who wanted to do something meaningful with her life.  Although from a wealthy Savannah family, Daisy was not like other girls who wanted to be prim and proper; she wanted to have adventures, be outside in nature, and see the world.  As a young women she road elephants in India, visited the Great Pyramid in Egypt, and even flew in an early airplane.  Daisy liked to go fishing, boating, and camping.  After meeting Sir Robert Baden-Powell in England, founder of the Boy Scout movement, Daisy returned to Georgia to start the first Girl Scout troop in America and that is the beginning of the organization that now boasts over 3.2 million members.  More than 50 million American women enjoyed Girl Scouting during their childhoods.  Reading this picture book will remind young girls that Daisy believed girls could do anything and she lived a life that proved it.  The delightful illustrations by Hadley Hooper extend the story of the life of an early feminist.  Also included in the back material is further factual information about Daisy, the Girl Scout Promise, and the Girl Scout Law.

Rand Burkert has created a new retelling of the famous Aesop fable, along with his mother, Nancy Ekholm Burkert, who contributed the exquisite artwork for this beautiful picture book set in Africa near the Botswana and Naminia borders.  Here lions, field mice and baobab trees may be found together under the hot African sun.  The author chose to give the tiny mouse the top billing rather than the king of the jungle, as he explains, “Mouse clearly performs the lion’s share of the work.”  As the familiar tale unfolds, the meticulous illustrations in watercolor extend the fable in scene after naturalistic scene with soft colors that capture each eventful moment.  A trip to Africa provided inspiration for the detailed artwork depicting the flora and fauna of the region.  The artist’s use of perspective creates some stunning images and turning the heavy cream-colored pages is a joy to anyone who appreciated fine book design.  This version of the mouse who saves a lion from the hunters’ net is a picture book that is perfect for storytime and lapsit with the 3-6 year-old crowd. The illustrator also created the artwork for her picture book of The Nightingale (1965) and Snow-White and the Seven Dwarfs (1972) along with the original illustrations for Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach (1961).  Welcome back to the world of children’s book illustration, Nancy Ekholm Burkert!