Author: Lindsay Ward
Illustrator: Lindsay Ward
Age: 4-8 years

Rosie: Stronger than Steel is set during WWII about recycled metals being turned into a field plow.

Rosie Stronger Than Steel by Lindsay Ward inner page
Rosie Stronger Than Steel by Lindsay Ward inner page

I really wanted to like this book. I think books about our history that are made for a young audience are extremely important for our youth. However…as much as I like the concept and the graphics, I just could not get into the story itself.

The text is set up like poetry and I want it to rhyme because of the layout. The confusing part is it does sometimes rhyme, but mostly it does not. The cadence really throws me off while trying to read this out loud. The last six pages is the author giving her ideas about the book, some personal history, and information about the land effort back home. This is not something a four-year-old would find particularly interesting.

Kids will like this book because of the graphics, if nothing else. Adults will most likely feel frustration over the pacing of the text.