Rosa Bonheur dared to be different. Her dream was to gain recognition as an artist, and she fought for her goal with incredible courage and determination. In overcoming the harsh discrimination against women in the 1800s, she proved her talent to her father, her fellow painters, and the entire French art world. The first woman to win the Legion of Honor medal, Rosa gained worldwide fame and great riches.

Through carefully selected incidents, Rosa's special love of nature and animals is developed. From childhood sketches to giant masterworks, Rosa drew the things she loved most—farm animals, forest creatures, and the beasts of the jungle. Surrounded by a menagerie of pets, she lived a free, independent, and spirited life filled with the pursuit of realism in her art.

Young readers will be swept up in the excitement that surrounded Rosa Bonheur—a woman of her time and a woman well ahead of her time.

From the dust jacket