"When I was small, I was already big news," Anna Swan tells readers in
this picture book biography. When she was born in Nova Scotia in 1846,
people for miles around chattered about her. They whispered over tea and
gossiped across fences. Because even when she was small, Anna was
TREMENDOUS. At four years old, she was higher than a rain barrel. At
six, she was taller than her mother, and by ten she towered over her
father. Anna grew up feeling like she poked and bulged and jutted out
from all sorts of spaces, never quite fitting into her small country
life. Then, at age seventeen, Anna moved to New York City to be part of
P. T. Barnum's Gallery of Wonders --- and her life changed forever.
Anna Swan lived an inspiring life as big as she was, filled with fame,
wealth, world travel and true love. In this thoroughly researched
picture book biography, Anne Renaud uses playful and rhythmic language
and first-person storytelling to perfectly capture the essence of this
unique woman's uplifting life. The detailed, folk art-inspired
illustrations beautifully convey the story's time and place and
sensitively portray Anna's growth. A great lead-in for classroom
discussions about differences and inclusion, this book also offers an
excellent character education lesson on perseverance. An author's note
with photographs and more information about Anna's life make this a
terrific choice for lessons on personal development or for social
studies lessons on this period in history.
