Girls’ Best Book of Knitting, Sewing, and Embroidery, by Virginie Desmoulins, aims to give girls an overview of three classic crafts that are still popular among women of all ages. The projects are small, ranging from embroidery sample cards to a knit bag to four sewn outfits (one for each season) for a cardboard doll that is punched out of the cover, perfect for an afternoon (or many afternoons) of crafty fun. Given the doll, readers might assume that Desmoulins is aiming at the relatively young, but the vocabulary sometimes seems a little advanced for grade-schoolers, and some of the instructions will likely send girls running to their favorite crafty adult for advice. Girls with some crafting experience, however, will find the instructions and illustrations enough to guide them through the easy projects. And a mother, grandmother or aunt who wants to teach a young girl how to knit, sew or embroider, will find Girls’ Best Book a helpful resource.
Valiant Women is a vital and engrossing attempt to correct the record and rightfully celebrate the achievements of female veterans of World War II.
