Book of the Week #38

To My Countrywomen: The Life of Sarah Josepha Hale by Muriel L. Dubois; illustrated by Lisa Greenleaf. (Bedford, NH: Apprentice Shop Books, 2006)

This Saturday is the National Book Festival on the Mall in Washington, DC. The Center for the Book at the NH State Library was, as in previous years, asked to select a book to be featured on the Pavillion of the State's “Discover Great Places Through Reading” map. We chose to feature this work by and about New Hampshire women.

Muriel Dubois and Lisa Greenleaf are both residents of the Granite State and have created this illustrated biography of America's first woman editor. Sarah Josepha Hale was an early activist for women's education and property rights. She is best known for her role in the establishment of Thanksgiving as a national holiday and as the author of "Mary Had a Little Lamb."

The Sarah Josepha Hale Award, one of New England's oldest and most distinguished literary awards, is named for this famous daughter of Newport, NH.