Margaret Chase Smith - Softcover

David McPhail is the acclaimed author of more than 150 books, including the much-adored Pig Pig series, THE SEARCHER AND OLD TREE, and HENRY BEAR'S PARK. David lives in Rye, New Hampshire.

Hillary Clinton is not the first woman to run for president; one of those who came before her is Margaret Chase Smith, best known as the senator from Maine at a time when women in Congress were in scarce supply. But Smith also showed her mettle is many other ways. The book begins with Chase’s modest Maine upbringing and moves swiftly through her school days. Unable to afford college, she tried several jobs and considered her involvement in women’s organizations as her education. When her husband, a U.S. representative died, Smith took his seat and then, for the next 32 years, won her own elections and became a strong advocate for space exploration. One of her strongest moments came in 1950 when she spoke out against McCarthyism. Pleasant, if occasionally stiff watercolor-and-ink illustrations face each page of text, and helpful time lines ribbon the page bottoms. Plourde keeps the text brief and interesting, while an informative afterword fleshes out the biography. Grades 3-5. --Ilene Cooper