Three Brave Women [Hardcover]

C.L.G. Martin (Author), Peter Elwell (Illustrator)

Book Description

Mama and Grammy's humorous childhood anecdotes help Caitlin come to terms with her fear of spiders.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Caitlin is mortified. To avoid touching a spider, she had to take off her pants, and her friend Billy Huxley saw her in her duck underpants. "I know exactly how you feel," sympathizes Grammy, and thus follows a series of family stories about when Caitlin's mother and her grandmother faced spiders of their own. Eventually, Caitlin conquers her fears as all three brave women capture "the biggest, blackest spider in the whole world," and she discovers to her surprise that Billy has fears of his own. Martin's ( The Dragon Nanny ) characters are loving and lively, though the narration of the stories tends toward the sentimental, as when "Mama has a giggle fit with her memories." Nonetheless, her tale is engaging, and Elwell's ( Time Out ) cheerful watercolors--occasionally calling to mind Norman Rockwell--nicely complement the family warmth and camaraderie. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2-- When a spider crawls up Caitlin's leg, she is so frightened that she rips off her pants and Billy Huxley sees her duck underwear. Mama and Grammy are sympathetic--they are just as afraid of spiders as Caitlin. All three face their fear when Caitlin decides to catch a big hairy spider to show Billy she isn't afraid. Elwell's pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations aren't always successful. While Caitlin's body language speaks eloquently of her feelings, Grammy often looks more goofy than fearful. In some flashback pictures, the characters are shown in stiff, awkward poses. Nevertheless, the caring support and interaction among three generations gives a dimension of warmth to the story and the text, anecdotal and conversational, adequately expresses the idea of conquering fear by facing it. --Karen James, Louisville Free Public Library, KY
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum; 1st edition (April 30, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0027624455
• ISBN-13: 978-0027624458
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,779,964 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Many Teaching Points, February 1, 2011

By 

zapp (Conneaut, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Three Brave Women (Hardcover)

I am a first grade teacher and use this book for many teaching points. The main idea or theme is the importance of "facing your fears." I also use it as an example for Writing Workshop. The author starts the story..."OOOO, I hate that Billy Huxley!" The writer captures your interest right away to keep you reading. Everybody has fears and this book begins by showing how embarrassing our fears can be. I do not read this book in one sitting because we stop to "turn and talk" for 1 minute on every page. Make predictions, connections and several vocabulary words. It takes me 3 days - 1/2 the first day, 1/2 the 2nd day and the 3rd day we create the chart. I use a graphic organizer and pair this book with "Thundercake" by Patricia Polacco, another great book about facing your fears. This book deserves the full 5 stars!

4.0 out of 5 stars Heather's Review, December 2, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Three Brave Women (Hardcover)

Three Brave Women is a real powerful and exciting book to read. This book was about maybe your fear of something like snakes could mean that your mom and grandma could have that same fear. It also talks about how to some people have a fear of something like snakes or spiders is scary but to other people that is just wierd how they could be scary. It talks about when you face your fear then you should show it off. when you have a litlle fear of snakes or spiders then someone who makes fun of you could actually have a fear of something big like cats.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A bit too silly even for kids, June 20, 2003

By 

J. Marren "jtm497" (Glen Ridge, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Three Brave Women (Hardcover)

This is a story of a grandmother, mother and daughter who conquer their fears of spiders and crawl under their house to catch one in a jar. The goal is to take the spider to Billy, a little boy who laughed at Caitlin's fears. The text is a little long for the simple plot, which I and my little niece both thought a bit silly. The line drawings are not that interesting. There are a lot of much better books out there for the 5-8 crowd