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ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: COURAGE IN HER CLEATS
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: www.kimchaffee.com
CITY:
STATE:
COUNTRY: United States
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LAST VOLUME: SATA 351
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Married; children: one daughter, one son.
EDUCATION:Holds B.A. (history), M.Ed.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer and educator. Taught second grade for six years. Organizes an annual 5K charity race.
MEMBER:Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
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Kim Chaffee is an elementary school teacher and writer of biographies and nonfiction for children and young adults. Her debut picture book, Her Fearless Run: Kathrine Switzer’s Historic Boston Marathon, illustrated by Ellen Rooney, is a narrative biography of Kathrine Switzer, a journalism student at Syracuse University, who in 1967 became the first woman to run the Boston Marathon with official race numbers and who changed the world of running for women. At the time, society thought women were too weak and fragile to compete. During Switzer’s 26-mile race, a marathon official, Jock Semple, tried to prevent her from running, blocked her path, and tried to rip her race number off her shirt, but she evaded him. She inspired a whole generation of women runners and encouraged girls to play sports competitively. “Chaffee’s text balances thorough research with strong prose,” according to a Kirkus Reviews critic.
In an interview online at KidLit 411, Chaffee explained that her inspiration for writing the book happened when she was watching the 2016 Boston Marathon where Switzer was providing commentary and heard her story of running the race in 1967 and not believing how women at the time were prevented from running. “But hearing Kathrine recall her experience made it feel personal. I did a quick Google search to see if there was a picture book biography about her and when I discovered that there wasn’t I knew I had to write it.” Chaffee “repeats the sound of running feet (“Pat, Pat, Pat”) throughout the text—cleverly setting the pace and building momentum,” according to Tanya D. Auger in The Horn Book.
Championing girl power, Chaffee published Nothing Wee about Me! with illustrator Laura Bobbiesi. Little Liesel loves to spend Sunday’s with her Grandma Rose. One day Liesel takes a ladle and uses it on her imaginary adventures to a submarine that travels to a mysterious island. Her ladle is the submarine’s periscope, then she uses it to battle an anthropomorphic lion pirate captain and a dragon, who both dismiss her as a wee girl, but she declares, “There’s nothing wee about me!” She also uses the ladle to stop an erupting volcano. Writing in Kirkus Reviews, a critic thought the ladle was too stereotypically feminine and the word wee too archaic for a book about female empowerment, and that “the text often tells rather than shows.” Nevertheless, a Publishers Weekly reviewer noted that the lively tale and watercolor illustrations “offer a welcome reminder that courage can come in surprising packages.”
Returning to biography, Chaffee and illustrator Alexandra Badiu published the picture book Courage in Her Cleats: The Story of Soccer Star Abby Wambach, who overcame obstacles to play professional soccer. The youngest of seven children and competitive from an early age, Wambach joined the U.S. Women’s National Team and became the top goal scorer and a team leader. She missed the 2008 Olympics in Beijing due to a leg fracture, but she managed a comeback to eventually score her 100th career goal. Badiu often uses whimsical sparkles from Wambach’s cleats to represent her powerful triumphs, boldness, and determination.
Writing in Booklist, Miriam Aronin noted that Chaffee only concentrates on Wambach’s youth and career, without mentioning her family, adult life, books, and activism, nevertheless, the book is “A fun and inspiring picture book for children who admire athletes or love soccer.” A Kirkus Reviews writer also noted the lack of information on Chaffee’s adult life, but “it’s nevertheless a strong work, featuring lively onomatopoeia and threaded with a joyful spirit of perseverance.”
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BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, January 1, 2023, Miriam Aronin, review of Courage in Her Cleats: The Story of Soccer Star Abby Wambach, p. 53.
Horn Book Magazine, November-December 2019, Tanya D. Auger, review of Her Fearless Run, p. 106.
Kirkus Reviews, February 15, 2019, review of Her Fearless Run; August 1, 2019, review of Nothing Wee about Me; December 1, 2022, review of Courage in Her Cleats.
ONLINE
KidLit 411, http://www.kidlit411.com/ (April 5, 2019), “Author Spotlight: Kim Chaffee.”
Kim Chaffee website, http://www.kimchaffee.com (June 1, 2023).
Publishers Weekly, https://www.publishersweekly.com/ (November 2019), review of Nothing Wee about Me!
Writers Rumpus, https://writersrumpus.com/ (November 12, 2019), Marianne Knowles, “Kim Chaffee on Surviving and Thriving in Your Debut Year.”
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Author Spotlight
Kim Chaffee
AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: KIM CHAFFEE
April 5, 2019
We are excited to feature picture book author Kim Chafee and her debut book, HER FEARLESS RUN: Kathrine Switzer's Historic Boston Marathon, illustrated by Ellen Rooney. (Page Street Kids, 2019).
Enter to win a copy!
Tell us about yourself and how you came to write for kids.
I like to think my path to writing for kids started with my obsession with the Baby-Sitters Club series when I was in fourth grade. That was the introduction to my love of books. Fast forward about thirteen years and my love of books and kids brought me to teach second grade.
I loved my time in the classroom but when I started to have kids of my own I made the decision to stay home with them while they were little. That was when I first admitted, out loud, that I wanted to write books of own…books that teachers would share with their students and that kids would want to read.
Congrats on your debut picture book, HER FEARLESS RUN: Kathrine Switzer's Historic Boston Marathon (Page Street Kids, 2019). Tell us about it and what inspired you.
In 2016 I was working on revisions while watching/listening to the coverage of that year’s Boston Marathon. Kathrine was on the broadcast, talking about her first Boston run in 1967. I wasn’t familiar with her story and, as a female runner, was stunned. Having grown up after the passage of Title IX, being told I couldn’t do something just because I was a woman seemed so unreal to me. But hearing Kathrine recall her experience made it feel personal. I did a quick Google search to see if there was a picture book biography about her and when I discovered that there wasn’t I knew I had to write it.
Was your road to publication long and windy, short and sweet, or something in between?
I would have to say that the road to publication was something in between. It definitely wasn’t short and sweet but I also know a lot of authors that have waited a lot longer than I have for publication. I started my writing journey in 2014. I learned very quickly that I needed to take classes and work on my craft so that’s exactly what I did. I wrote a lot of stories that will only see the inside of a drawer but they all taught me something.
What projects are you working on now?
I currently have some fiction stories out on submission with my agent and have just started working on a new picture book biography that I am very excited about!
What are the one or two things that you did that best prepared you to write your PB What advice would you give to other aspiring writers who want to write a picture book?
First, I would say READ! Read all you can in the genre of picture book that you want to write!
Second, I would say GET A CRITIQUE GROUP! Having other writers read your story and give you feedback is essential to making your story as strong as possible before you submit.
I’m going to give you a third…BELIEVE IN YOURSELF! The road to publication can be tough. You have to be tougher! Keep putting in the work, keep submitting, and it will pay off!
What is one thing most people don't know about you?
Most people don’t know that I am a master at those claw machines that you find at arcades! And I’m super competitive about it!
Where can people find you online?
www.KimChaffee.com
Twitter: Kim_Chaffee.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/KimChaffeeAuthor
Instagram: kchaffeebooks
Kim Chaffee once held the Guinness World Record for the largest game of pick-up sticks ever played. (It’s true! Check out pg. 111 of the 2005 edition) She is a former second-grade teacher who loves coffee, chocolate, and writing picture books that kids will want to read again and again. Her debut picture book, Her Fearless Run: Kathrine Switzer’s Historic Boston Marathon, was inspired by her own journey with running. Kim is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire and now lives not too far from there with her husband, two kids, and two cats.
Me in Fourth Grade
I grew up with a talent for arguing (just ask my parents), so naturally I wanted to be a lawyer and entered college as an economics major. Sounds like a real interesting person to be writing picture books for kids, eh? Well, shortly after my ECON 401 class began, I realized that this was not the path for me and quickly found my way to the education building on campus. I spent the next five years earning a BA in history and a Masters degree in education and went on to become, what my students would describe as, the best second grade teacher ever.
Fact: Mrs. Chaffee had the best couch for independent reading and could always be bribed with chocolate for a spot.
Fact: Mrs. Chaffee's classroom library rivaled that of the school she taught in (ok, maybe this is a little bit of a stretch, but it was big).
Fact: Writing was Mrs. Chaffee's least favorite subject to teach. That blank page scared her as much as it scared the kids.
That's because I never thought myself a creative person until I had one of those Oprah-like light-bulb moments and realized that creativity is a skill. Like any other skill, you need to practice it to improve it. So that is how I spend my days - observing my own two creative kids for inspiration, brainstorming possible book ideas, writing multiple drafts until the humor is just right (usually it's finding a way to incorporate the word "underwear "in to the story), and hoping that someone else (like a publisher) thinks that all the hard work is worth printing for others to enjoy!
KIM CHAFFEE ON SURVIVING AND THRIVING IN YOUR DEBUT YEAR
November 12, 2019 Marianne Knowles Interviews - Authors & Illustrators, Publishing - Marketing & Publicity 12 comments
Kim Chaffee has been an invigorating presence in our Writers’ Rumpus group since she joined in 2016. Her debut year has included two picture books: the nonfiction PB biography HER FEARLESS RUN: Kathrine Switzer’s Historic Boston Marathon illustrated by Ellen Rooney that came out in April, and a fiction PB out today, NOTHING WEE ABOUT ME! illustrated by Laura Bobbiesi. Carol covered Kim’s “author origin story” in the April interview. Let’s catch up with Kim’s year.
Marianne P Knowles: What three words would you use to describe your debut year?
Kim Chaffee: I absolutely love this question. It’s hard to pick three! Let’s go with momentous, exhausting, and exhilarating.
MPK: I look forward to your monthly “New in 19” updates on the blog. Tell us about your experience with New in 19. How did you find the New in 19 group?
Quick background: groups such as “New in 19” come together for mutual support and promotion during the year that those authors and illustrators have debut books. “Notable 19s” is another group with the same mission.
KC: Being in a debut group was everything for me! In February 2018, Lindsay Leslie, fellow Page Street Kids author, asked me if I wanted to help pull together some authors and illustrators who were debuting in 2019. It didn’t take long to reach the 40-member mark and we decided to cap the group at that point. Part of being in the debut group is reading and writing reviews for the each other’s books and we felt like it would get a little overwhelming if the group got too large. For me, the best part of being in the debut group was the community we formed in a private group on Facebook. It’s been an amazing place to ask questions, share book launch ideas and good news, and get opinions on anything writing related. I feel like we are a little writing family! A bunch of us are even presenting together at the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) conference in Baltimore later this month. I’m excited to be on a nonfiction panel with fellow New in 19 members Lisa Rogers, Debbie Gonzales, and Adrienne Wright!
MPK: Tell us about your experience on the Nonfiction Picture Book Panel at our local SLJ Day of Dialog for librarians.
KC: I was so honored to be on the Nonfiction Picture Book Panel at the SLJ Day of Dialog with Melissa Stewart, Carole Boston Weatherford, and Marge Pellegrino. I felt a little out of my league with those powerhouse names, but it was so interesting to hear how different the process is for each of us and the book journey that each title has taken. I always love listening to authors and illustrators talk about their books from story idea to publication and it was exciting to actually be one of those authors.
Kim on a Boston Marathon panel
MPK: You’ve been keeping a busy schedule of talks, appearances, and presentations. How much time should a debut author plan to spend on promotion and professional appearances?
Kim’s launch of HER FEARLESS RUN was running a marathon–literally!
KC: Promoting any book can be overwhelming and a debut book even more so. I think authors feel like they have to say yes to every opportunity that comes their way but I would caution against this. It is easy to burn yourself out if you don’t schedule in some self-care or downtime. I learned this the hard way. While I don’t think many authors will be choosing to run their first marathon to help promote their debut like I did, it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of it all and want to schedule lots of appearances around the release date. There certainly isn’t anything wrong with this, but I would suggest spreading those appearances out even just a little bit to give yourself a breather. I consider myself an extroverted introvert—so while I love being with people, especially people who want to share the love for my book, I also need my alone time to recharge and be at my best for the next appearance.
MPK: As a former elementary school teacher, you must enjoy school visits. Do you have any tips?
KC: I absolutely love visiting schools and talking with kids about writing! And it really is the best of both worlds for me, since I don’t have my own classroom anymore. For authors who are looking to start school visits I would suggest having a dedicated tab on your website where educators/librarians/PTA folks can find it easily. Also, I know there is some debate about this, but I suggest listing your honorarium right on your website. This makes it easy for a school to see if they can afford you. Also, it’s nice when someone says they would love to have you visit their school and you can direct them right to your site for any and all info. You won’t have to have any conversation about how much it will cost because it will already be listed. Most of my school visits have been in-person but I have done some Skype sessions for World Read Aloud Day.
Kim_Chaffee_SchoolVisitPosterrKim_Chaffee_Books_Feet
Kim_Chaffee_SilverUnicorn_ReadingMPK: What do you do to relax and recharge?
KC: These days I’m working as a fifth-grade teacher in a long-term substitute position so I’m not getting much relaxing time, but normally a three-mile run with friends is a great way for me to recharge and clear my head. I also love TV so laying on the couch and catching up on a show is the perfect way to end the day for me. Taking time to rest your mind is so important to your emotional health and it will make you more productive in the long run. Stepping away from a work-in-progress allows you to see it with fresh eyes, making revision easier.
MPK: What advice would you give yourself if you could pop back to November of last year?
KC: Buckle-up. The debut year, like the creative process, is a rollercoaster. The ups are amazing and the downs will leave you wondering if you are cut out for this business. Spoiler alert: You are. We all are.
MPK: One book out this spring, a second launching today. What’s next?
KC: I’ve recently finished a new picture book biography that I am very passionate about and am hoping to go out on sub with it soon. Also, I’ve been dabbling in the world of chapter books and I’m excited to see where that may lead.
Chaffee, Kim HER FEARLESS RUN Page Street (Children's Informational) $17.99 4, 2 ISBN: 978-1-62414-654-1
Kathrine Switzer, the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as an officially registered runner, is highlighted in this debut for both author and illustrator.
Each time she races past the tree in her backyard, 12-year-old Kathrine marks its trunk with chalk to record her laps. "One lap to go...just a few more feet...a few steps...1 MILE!" Though she's proud of her accomplishment, other people stare or wonder if something is wrong, because girls aren't supposed to sport. But for Kathrine, "running [is] magic." As she grows up, she continues to challenge her physical limits. Yet despite her running prowess, society still believes women are "too weak, too fragile," to compete. However, no rules bar women from running the Boston Marathon, so Switzer signs up for the race. As if training weren't difficult enough, what Switzer encounters during the 26.2 miles will take more than passion and endurance for her to finish. Readers eager to chase down biographies that feel like stories will appreciate how this book achieves that expectation. Chaffee's text balances thorough research with strong prose that breaks through the wall that stops some nonfiction in its tracks. Additionally, Rooney's collagelike paint, paper, and pencil illustrations are rich in texture and vibrant in color, capturing both the motion of running and emotion of persevering. They include some people of color to background the mostly white primary cast.
Fearless indeed. A biography that goes the distance! (author's note, women and the Boston Marathon, bibliography) (Picture book/biography. 6-12)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
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MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Chaffee, Kim: HER FEARLESS RUN." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Feb. 2019. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A573768610/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=dd96c9b8. Accessed 17 May 2023.
Her Fearless Run: Kathrine Switzer's Historic Boston Marathon
by Kim Chaffee; illus. by Ellen Rooney
Primary Page Street 40 pp.
4/19 978-1-62414-654-1 $17.99
This stirring picture-book biography introduces Kathrine Switzer, the first woman to run the Boston Marathon with an official race number. "Running was magic" to twelve-year-old Kathrine, but her backyard laps, tallied with chalk marks on a tree, drew attention: "The mailman stared. The milkman asked if she was okay. Because in 1959, it was strange to see a girl running." As a student, first at Lynchburg College and then at Syracuse University, Switzer ran with the men's team because there wasn't one for women. In 1967, as she competed in the Boston Marathon (having registered as "K. V. Switzer"), officials tried to block her path and rip her race number from her shirt. But she evaded the men and dashed away, determined to show that "women deserve to run too." Chaffee deftly provides historical context for her audience. She also repeats the sound of running feet ("Pat, Pat, Pat") throughout the text-- cleverly setting the pace and building momentum. Rooney's mixed-media collage illustrations add emotional depth and use perspective to good effect, focusing closely, for example, on Switzer's hand as she cuts open her sneakers to make room for her swollen toes. An author's note with further biographical details, a brief "Women and the Boston Marathon" section, and a bibliography are appended. Pair this story of determination and persistence with Pimentel's Girl Running: Bobbi Gibb and the Boston Marathon (rev. 3/18).
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Sources, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.hbook.com/magazine/default.asp
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Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Auger, Tanya D. "Her Fearless Run: Kathrine Switzer's Historic Boston Marathon." The Horn Book Magazine, vol. 95, no. 6, Nov.-Dec. 2019, pp. 106+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A610418935/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=01b05072. Accessed 17 May 2023.
Chaffee, Kim NOTHING WEE ABOUT ME! Page Street (Children's Fiction) $17.99 11, 12 ISBN: 978-1-62414-692-3
A tale about the transformative power of imagination and self-confidence.
Liesel loves visiting Grandma Rose because adventure is never more than the clutch of her grandmother's old ladle away. Today, the ladle and Liesel's imagination take her to an island that's simultaneously inhabited by pirates, terrorized by a dragon, and threatened by an active volcano. She's determined to save the day, and indeed she does, at least temporarily: She plugs the active volcano with a gigantic coconut, preventing it from erupting. However, the obstacles in her path are disappointingly one-dimensional, as the pirate captain and dragon who question what a "wee girl" like Liesel is capable of both back down quickly once she asserts that "THERE'S NOTHING WEE ABOUT ME!" The text's repetition of the word "wee" feels out of place within the contemporary setting and in the face of Liesel's confidence. Similarly, Liesel's choice of a ladle, of all things, could imply either a reinforcement or a reclaiming of spaces and tools stereotypically associated with women. Grandma Rose's somewhat dismissive attitude of Liesel's confidence suggests that her choice of a ladle is less than radical. While the text often tells rather than shows, the soft, sketchy illustrations actively support the text by providing additional visual information. The three human characters all have pale skin and light-colored hair while the island residents appear as anthropomorphic lions, pigs, rabbits, chickens, and turtles.
An overall unremarkable entry in the growing number of picture books championing girl power. (Picture book. 4-8)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Chaffee, Kim: NOTHING WEE ABOUT ME!" Kirkus Reviews, 1 Aug. 2019. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A594857327/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=0e4d4b06. Accessed 17 May 2023.
Courage in Her Cleats: The Story of Soccer Star Abby Wambach. By Kim Chaffee. Illus. by Alexandra Badiu. Jan. 2023. pp. Page Street, $18.99 (9781645676294). K-Gr. 3.796.334.
Chaffee and Badiu vibrantly relay soccer star Abby Wambach's career, emphasizing her persistence and devotion to the game. The biography begins with the Wambach family's discovery of soccer and continues through Abby's college career and time as a professional player representing the U.S. The author highlights several challenges Wambach had to overcome, from learning to run more lightly to breaking a leg in an important game. Badiu's action-packed, full-page illustrations bring Wambach's power on the field to life, often with a literal sprinkle of sparkles--a trail of wavy pink and purple designs with scattered stars and sparkles represent Wambach's powerful triumphs. Though Chaffee opts to focus exclusively on Wambach's youth and career, with no mention of her personal or family life as an adult, additional facts about Wambach's childhood and impact on U.S. women's soccer are appended, along with a glossary of soccer vocabulary and a bibliography. A fun and inspiring picture book for children who admire athletes or love soccer. --Miriam Aronin
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
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MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Aronin, Miriam. "Courage in Her Cleats: The Story of Soccer Star Abby Wambach." Booklist, vol. 119, no. 9-10, 1 Jan. 2023, pp. 53+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A735624326/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=e75c0be7. Accessed 17 May 2023.
Chaffee, Kim COURAGE IN HER CLEATS Page Street (Children's None) $18.99 1, 10 ISBN: 978-1-64567-629-4
Soccer legend Abby Wambach is celebrated in this vivacious picture-book biography.
Abby was always on a team, whether as the youngest of seven spirited children or a member of her soccer team as a child, so she learned early that to be recognized in a group, you have to be "loud and clear." After graduating from high school, she joined the University of Florida women's soccer team. Soon she was chosen for the U.S. Women's National Team. It didn't take long for Abby to become a top goal scorer and a leader on the team. Then an exhibition game ahead of the 2008 Olympics led to a serious leg injury, preventing Abby from playing with the team as they sought gold in Beijing. Still, she was determined to encourage her team and recover so she could get back on the pitch. Chaffee uses Abby's cleats to embody her boldness, grounding the narrative and carrying it forward with purpose. This clever choice is complemented by Badiu's occasional use of whimsical plumes of sparkling color in shades of purple and coral that bloom from the cleats. Confetti bursts from these vibrant clouds as Abby scores her 100th career goal. Though the book focuses solely on Abby's soccer career--rather than her activism, published books, or other interests--it's nevertheless a strong work, featuring lively onomatopoeia and threaded with a joyful spirit of perseverance. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Sure to win over young sports fans. (information on Wambach, glossary of soccer terms, bibliography) (Picture-book biography. 5-8)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Chaffee, Kim: COURAGE IN HER CLEATS." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Dec. 2022, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A729072501/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=681cef99. Accessed 17 May 2023.
Nothing Wee About Me! A Magical Adventure
Kim Chaffee, illus. by Laura Bobbiesi. Page Street Kids, $17.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-62414-692-3
It’s almost time for Sunday soup at Grandma Rose’s house, and Liesel, sporting a shirt in the same colors as her grandmother’s, is determined to fit in an adventure before supper. Balancing the magic ladle upward, she closes her eyes, makes a wish, and is transported to the depths of ocean in a submarine. Peering through her “ladle-scope,” she sees a volcanic island in imminent danger, and, speeding to the rescue, encounters two villainous obstacles: a lion pirate captain in suspenders and a many-scaled dragon, each of whom mistakes her for a “wee girl.” The fearless child challenges them (“There’s nothing wee about me!”)—wielding her “ladle-hook” at the pirate and a pointy “ladle-sword” at the beast—and both cower at her fierceness of spirit. Together, Chaffee’s lively tale and Bobbiesi’s scratchy watercolor-and-ink illustrations offer a welcome reminder that courage can come in surprising packages. Ages 4–8. (Nov.[em]) [/em]