Tillie the Terrible Swede http://www.fishpond.com.au/Books/Tillie-Terrible-Swede-Sue-Stauffacher-Sarah-McMenemy/9780375844423?cf=3

How One Woman, a Sewing Needle, and a Bicycle Changed History

By Sue Stauffacher, Sarah McMenemy

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Gr 1-5-A picture-book biography of the tailor turned bicycling champion. After seeing her first bicycle, Tillie Anderson began saving her money to buy one. However, she wasn't interested in the kind of synchronized riding that was deemed respectable; she wanted to race. She trained by working out with weights and riding for half-hour stints. After realizing that her long skirts were a hindrance, she used her sewing skills to make a pants outfit more suited to riding. Anderson started entering races, both outdoors and in the velodrome, where she dominated the field. She soon became the spokesperson for bicycle advertisements. There was an inevitable backlash from other riders and traditionalists, but she persevered despite being deemed unwomanly and referred to as the "Terrible Swede." While this biography offers broad-stroke information on Anderson and the state of women's issues at the time, the endpapers provide annual statistics from 1896 to 1901 regarding her "Record Breakers" as well as her "Cycling Victories." The whimsical gouache and hand-painted paper collage illustrations add to the turn-of-the-century flavor of the book, while the uniform color palette of each spread adds cohesion to the layout. A great addition to the growing number of biographies of daring women.-Stacy Dillon, LREI, New York City (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.