Fearless Mary

November 1, 2018
Mary Fields, a woman and former slave, breaks barriers working as a stagecoach driver in 1895.Telegraphs and trains bring supplies and messages to Cascade, Montana, but to get through the mountains to St. Peter's Mission requires a stagecoach. The stagecoach driver also acts as guard against outlaws and wild animals; one needs to be "smart, tough, unshakable....Mary Fields is all of those things." Of course, no one believes that a woman, much less a former slave, can do this job. But Mary is determined to show the hiring manager that she can outperform any of the male candidates. She shows off her skills, and she gets the job, the first black woman in the country to do so. With her map- and star-reading skills, her trained eagle, her long gun, her courage, and her determination, Mary rides for eight years, into her 70s. Her bravery is remembered in Cascade, and now young readers can be inspired by it too. Charles does a fine job of shaping a suspenseful story from few historical details, inventing some dialogue and rearranging the timeline a bit, as she describes in her author's note. From the moment Mary rides into town, readers will be hooked. The illustrations, in hues of brown, green, and blue, successfully evoke the small, Western town and the mountains; the humans and animals have faces that display an animation aesthetic.A wild ride through an impressive bit of history. (Picture book. 4-9)

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December 15, 2018
Grades K-2 In 1895, a call goes out for a stagecoach driver in Cascade, Montana. This job entails navigating nearly impassable trails and fending off outlaws and wild animals to deliver the mail up the mountain to St. Peter's Mission. Although the Wild West is supposed to be a land of new opportunities, segregation still persists. No matter to a woman and former slave in her 60s who announces, I'm Mary Fields, but you can call me Fearless! This picture-book biography reimagines Mary's successful tryout against younger white cowboys to become the first African American female stagecoach driver in the country. Expressive digital artwork in earth tones depicts dramatic scenes as Mary reads the stars to guide her across rugged mountains, uses her trained pet eagle to attack and outsmart thieves, and guards her horses and overturned wagon against hungry wolves through the night. Final images show women delivering the mail on bicycles, on motorcycles, in trucks, and in airplanes, continuing Mary's legacy. A concluding author's note offers more information about this overlooked figure from history.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2019
It's 1895, and Mary Fields wants the stagecoach driver job she sees advertised around Cascade, Montana. Unfortunately, she has two strikes against her: she's black and female. (Driving a stagecoach, which can mean run-ins with thieves, is considered man's work.) Charles tells Fields's triumphant story with aplomb, and illustrator Almon captures the Wild West's earth tones and Fearless Mary's arms-akimbo determination.

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

December 21, 2018

PreS-Gr 2-This adventure-packed account set in 1895 Cascade, MT, centers on Mary Fields, a former slave and the first African American woman to drive a stagecoach. The author's note discusses the lack of available information on Fields-hence, the book reads more like a composite of Fields than a precise biography. Nonetheless, this story offers a much-needed correction to the often whitewashed history of the American West. Almon's full-color illustrations are soft, rounded, and appropriately child-friendly. VERDICT A worthy purchase for libraries serving young children and for classroom lessons on U.S. history, bravery, and overcoming adversity.-Kate Olson, Bangor School District, WI