AUTHOR: Cristina Pujol
PUBLISHER: Pastel de Luna
GENRE: Children’s Non-Fiction
READER’S NAME: Natalia De La Rosa
 

Intrépidas: los excepcionales viajes de 25 exploradoras presents with vivid watercolors and accessible prose the adventures of 25 audacious women. Each two-page spread reveals the always daring, sometimes record-breaking, journey of a female explorer from the 4th to the 20th centuries. Every mode of transportation is covered--from camels and human-powered litters, to motorcycles and space shuttles. Every inch of our discoverable universe is explored--from the depths of the oceans to the peaks of Mount Everest and the Rocky Mountains, and even outer space.

One of the most noteworthy aspects of the book is the care the author took to keep the content and the protagonists fresh. Although she appropriately includes Amelia Earhart and Sacagawea, Pujol features lesser known trailblazers such as Holy Land traveler Egeria, the Viking Gudrid, and the colorful “white queen of Kilimanjaro.” All without exception overcome obstacles and defy entrenched expectations of feminine behavior.

There is a growing appetite in America for empowering women to participate in fields historically reserved for men—sports, politics, and of course, science and exploration. Encouragement efforts often target young girls. Recent popular books for the age range include New York Times bestseller Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World and the crowdfunded Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls. Pujol’s Intrépidas would be a welcome addition to the list.

*The only points of apprehension I find are with the descriptions of a few of the heroines in the as taking on lovers. One, on p26, is described as becoming “the lover of her Syrian guide, [who was] married and had children.” It is an illustrated book with a younger target audience. I’m unsure how well the inclusion of that characteristic will be received in the US where social mores may be different from a European audience, and frankly how relevant it is to the story. 

Also, the text needs a closer second editing. I found such glaring mistakes as women described “1.5 cm tall,” when clearly the word “meter” was needed.