 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Brave Irene
- By William Steig
- Genre: Picture Book
Common Sense Media says
No obstacle can keep brave Irene from her mission.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this is an adventure story of high heroics and simple charms, written in a fluent hand and set to impressionistic, emotive watercolors. The pacing keeps listeners rapt.
What's the story?
Neither deep snow nor menacing wind keeps brave Irene from her mission--the cross-country delivery of a ball gown stitched by her mom for the duchess. Not even when the gown is snatched by the wind will she desist: She'll take no guff from the wind, and if ultimately all she can deliver is an apology, that'll have to do. Bravo!
Is it any good?
This most excellent heroine -- one of only a few in the William Steig canon -- gives as good as she gets from the cruel wind and drifting snow and the deep dark woods. "I'll do no such thing," snaps Irene, when the squall tries to bully her home. She must contend with the workings of fate ("How could anything so terribly wrong be allowed to happen?"). However, she has gotten herself into the mess, all to deliver an empty box and a "Sorry," and that's the beauty of the tale.
The text, typical of Steig's work, is as artful as the illustrations: "By the middle of the pasture, the flakes were falling thicker. Now the wind drove Irene along so rudely she had to hop, skip, and go helter-skeltering over the knobby ground."
What families can talk about
Families can talk about persistence. Why does Irene carry on even after the gown is lost?
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
| Author: | William Steig |
| Illustrator: | William Steig |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Picture Book |
| Publisher: | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Publication date: | January 1, 2000 |
| Number of pages: | 32 |
| Paperback price: | $5.95 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 4 - 7 |
Review It
Register now to save reviews and advice articles to your personal lists!
Great alternatives handpicked by our editors
Already read it? What do you think?
More from Common Sense Media
Top advice and articles
