Children love a true story, especially if it is filled with adventure, high color, dramatic tension, and heroism. Joan of Arc's story surely has those ingredients. But can Joan's drama be balanced with truth? It can if the storyteller uses solid research. In the case of Josephine Poole's picture-book biography, the author's husband, Vincent Helyar, provided the research on which Poole bases her work.

Poole uses just enough fact to establish an historical backbone without dragging down the story. However, she also provides dialogue without sources. Critical readers are left to admire the language but wonder how much dialogue Poole invented. Maybe none. The answer is not known.

Many young readers may question the origin of the voices Joan heard that day. One eight-year-old boy reacted by saying, "How did she know it was God? Maybe she was just crazy." Poole doesn't address this question.

Instead, she demonstrates that many of the French believed in Joan, whereas most of the English did not. Of course, church and state were well entwined at that time. Poole wants to tell a simple version of a complex political and religious tale.

All research quibbles aside, Poole and Barrett have produced an impassioned and beautiful book, an unforgettable introduction to an important time in French history and to the life of a brave woman. Children can start here and move on to thicker Joan of Arc biographies when the time is right.

Another picture book on the subject with more historical data is Diane Stanley's Joan of Arc, and another stunning picture book by the Poole-Barrett team is their Snow White collaboration.