Thanks to Netgalley and Astra Publishing for the ARC of this!

An interesting look at a historical figure I hadn’t ever heard of, though her story mirrors other familiar ones. The text was on the long end for us to read aloud and keep focused on, definitely better for my 9 year old than for my 6 year old. I liked the art style.

Cloaked in Courage by Beth Anderson tells the story of a lesser known part of American History. Cloaked in Courage tells the story of Deborah Sampson, a orphan and servant, who fought in the Revolutionary War. Deborah dressed up as a man and called herself Robert Shurtiff. Deborah was very good at fighting in the Revolutionary War and things were going well until she got injured and her superiors found out the truth. Fortunately they let it slide because of what she contributed to the War. I appreciated learning about a piece of history that I did not know about. I think this would be a great book to read in a school setting to aid in teaching about the beginnings of America. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this book. My review is also on Goodreads.

Cloaked in Courage by Beth Anderson, illustrated by Anne Lamelet (Calkins Creek, 2022) tells the unique story of Deborah Sampson, a woman who pretended to be a man and joined the army during the Revolutionary War to help fight for freedom. Subtitled Uncovering Deborah Sampson, Patriot Soldier, Anderson’s book is a high-quality nonfiction picture book for young children.

With gentle pencil drawings, it shows the spirited way Deborah rose about her challenging circumstances and did what women were not expected to do. The best part is, with the author’s extensive bibliography, I know that anything mentioned in this book is also true. I love how there are now so many picture books about independent women of the past. I don’t remember learning about women during the Revolutionary War when I was in school, and now Deborah’s story can be told along with the stories of others who fought in the war.

Cloaked in Courage is Deborah's story, but it also provides a nice silent refrain about her growth — growing spirit, growing persistence, growing boldness, and growing determination. In fact, with every reread I found more positive character traits to assign to Deborah: integrity, excellence, boundless spirit, and honor.

Deborah Sampson was not privileged in life, but once she decided to move forward she did. Although she was rather quickly discovered to be a woman upon her first enlistment, she tried again. She trained well, improved, fought hard, and volunteered for extra work. She came with her height (an advantage to looking like a young man), her strong work ethic (from her many years of working for others as a servant), and her determination not to give up her own freedom.

Although only a few speech bubbles provide dialog, the story still reads like a story, not a report: “Deborah dug into her flesh, probing for the musket ball.” There is action in the text, and her true story is full of action too. The author did a great job of making this true story fit the right tone needed for children. It’s not always the case that a nonfiction picture book would work well for a read-aloud, but this one would. I’m so excited to recommend it along with my American history lessons (at Line upon Line Learning).

Note: I received a digital copy of the book for review consideration.

This nonfiction picture book shares the true story of an American woman who disguised herself as a man to fight in the Revolutionary War. As the author explains in her research note at the end, she had to fictionalize some elements of the story because there are so few historical records about Deborah Sampson, and also had to choose between contradictory details in different records. Nonetheless, despite the imaginative and uncertain elements, this book shares a compelling true story about a woman who shouldn't be forgotten.

This book is great for libraries, classroom contexts, and personal use, and I would especially recommend it to homeschoolers who are interested in exploring lesser-known stories from American history.

Beautiful illustrations make this nonfiction picture book even more enticing. The book is the story of Deborah Sampson, a 'masterless woman' of the Revolutionary Era who makes her own way and does not live her life the way a woman of the time was expected. The author's note at the end of the book provides a bibliography, as well as further information to create discussion in the classroom about Deborah.

A well illustrated book about the official heroine of Massachusetts, Deborah Sampson. Being from MA, I knew about her from an early age (and have been able to see her wedding dress!) but for people and especially younger readers not familiar with her story, this is a good introduction. I really liked the drawings and the author's note at the end of the book.

Cloaked in Courage is an excellent book about a little known hero. The text on each page is concise and easy to read. The illustrations are fantastic. Included in the back, is an informative author's note that lends more facts to the story along with a bibliography for the reader who wants to know more.

An astounding biography of a piece of lesser-known American history, CLOAKED IN COURAGE tells a story well for an elementary audience and gives light to a shadowed historical figure with care. This tale is fascinating and enlightening, and told wonderfully. The illustrations — the differing jacket and case illustrations, the expert use of the gutter, the beauty of the work in general — all add to the power of Anderson’s narrative. Highly recommend for any lower elementary unit on historical female figures or the American revolution. Or just for fun!

Deborah Sampson is one of the most famous of the women from the early days of the American War for Independence who dressed as men to serve in the military. Beth Anderson has already written about Revolutionary Prudence Wright: Leading the Minute Women in the Fight for Independence, now she returns to those times to share what is known about the military career of Sampson. Her explanation in the back matter explains how difficult it is to be a "history detective." She describes the primary sources and their drawbacks, as well as the secondary sources she consulted. Research into the times themselves helped to provide details about life as a young girl, a woman, and a soldier during the Revolutionary Era. A bibliography lists all the sources used by the author and provides a place for curious readers to begin their own research. The illustrations use a combination of pencil and hand-painted and hand-drawn textures to give the images a vintage feeling that matches the setting of the story.

This is the perfect addition to library or classroom collections on the Revolutionary War or women in the military.

This biographical picture book does a good job introducing readers to Deborah Sampson, a little-known figure in American history who disguises herself as a man in order to fight in the American Revolution. My favorite aspect of this book is the art style, which is realistic but colorful enough to be engaging and draw readers into the story. I did feel the story ended abruptly-- the author's note at the end mentions Sampson goes on to do more after leaving the army, but I wish some of that was added to the story itself.

Thanks to Netgalley and Astra Publishing House, Calkins Creek for a free digital copy.

A great historical picture book about a woman serving as a man in the Revolutionary War. The illustrations are so lovely, but the story is a powerful one about determination and going for what you think is right.

This is a beautiful childrens novel about a woman who disguised herself as a soldier in the Revolutionary War. She works hard to not only fight for what she believes but also finds her true identity. This is a cute novel that all children should read. I loved this book and will buy a copy for my children.

Delightful and educational. I love hearing stories of women who fought in wars, and I finally think they are getting the recognition they deserve. I would happily add this book to my shelves.

If you’re a history lover and patriot like me, then you’ll love this girl power, girl box true patriotic story of Deborah Sampson, a woman who disguised herself as a man and fought in the American Revolution. For lovers of Mulan and the like, this one will teach the kids a history lesson and inspire them to fight for the causes and things they believe in.

An American Mulan of sorts during the American Revolutionary War. This was quick and informative. The art style was fantastic. Will for sure be looking more into her life post war

I think kids will love reading about the bravery of Deborah Sampson who wanted so desperately to serve her country that she disguised herself as a man to do so.

I had no idea there had been a woman soldier amongst George Washington's troops! The only woman involved with the American militiamen was young Sybil Ludington, and Sampson was completely unknown to me, a status she doesn't deserve.

Of course, she didn't fight as a woman in the open, no. This lady from Massachusetts disguised herself as a man to join the army of Americans seeking their independence from Britain, calling herself Robert Shurtleff, and went to fight with them for almost two years, leading men on dangerous missions as a scout, and being wounded in combat. Her gender wasn't discovered until she fell ill and had to be taken to hospital, but far from being punished for cross-dressing as a man to fight for her country, she was discharged honourably. She essentially had the happy ending Joan of Arc never had.

This picture book tells her remarkable story in a very summed up manner, in a language and tone aimed for young audiences, which the art style also reinforces. This type of illustration isn't my favourite, but I enjoyed the story for all its uniqueness and for the attractive character Deborah was.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author and publisher for a chance to read and review this young adult historical book about a very brave young lady that wanted to fight for our country in a time when only men were allowed. It is always nice to read about lesser known people that helped shape America.