Blazing a Trail

Irish Women Who Changed the World

Sarah Webb author Lauren O'Neill illustrator

Format:Hardback

Publisher:O'Brien Press Ltd

Published:1st Oct '18

Should be back in stock very soon

Blazing a Trail cover

A book for everyone who dreams of changing the world.

From fearless aviator, Lady Mary Heath, the first woman in the world to parachute from an aeroplane, to Margaret Bulkley, the 18th-century surgeon who lived as a man, meet 28 remarkable Irish women who have taken the world by storm.

You may have already heard some of their names, like Countess Markievicz and Mary Robinson, but others, like Anne Sullivan, Lilian Bland or Anna Haslam, may be new to you.

Packed with fun, fascinating facts and stunning, full-page illustrations, this book celebrates the trail blazers who have shaped the world we live in.

Ready to walk in their footsteps? A world of bravery and discovery awaits you.

Made by two remarkable women, author Sarah Webb and illustrator Lauren O'Neill.

packed with fascinating facts and stunning illustrations

* Irish Country Magazine *

a grand gathering of exploits and role models

-- Kirkus Reviews (US)

this is the book for every little girl who dreams of changing the world .. beautifully illustrated

-- Irish Independent

beautiful, accessible … Webb’s skill as a storyteller ensures that each entry is clear, engaging and sure to spark further research and discovery for young readers. O’Neill’s conceptual illustrations are perfectly paired with the succinct prose … the sense of celebration and joy that emanates from O’Neill’s work is positively infectious … Blazing A Trail helps illuminate some of the gaps in our collective understanding of the past, and it does so with style

-- Inis Magazine, January 2019 issue

A beautiful accessible book … O’Neill’s accompanying portraits are stunning 

-- herfamily.ie

fascinating

-- Tuam Herald

fantastic reads for girls and boys

-- Shane Hegarty, Meath Chronicle

stunning tribute to the Irish women who changed the course of history with their incredible achievements

-- RTE.ie

a wonderful, celebratory book about extraordinary Irish women who took the world by storm. Packed with fun, fascinating facts, this book celebrates women from every walk of life down through the ages and picked up a prize at the recent An Post Irish Book Awards

-- Sunday Independent

a perfect resource for SESE and SPHE … this book will inspire, motivate and enthral your eight-12 year olds … written by the renowned author Sarah Webb and beautifully illustrated by Lauren O’Neill

-- InTouch Magazine

beautifully illustrated … a true celebration

-- Belfast Telegraph

a salute to the remarkable women who changed history … beautifully illustrated … a true celebration of Irish Women

-- Sunday World

beautifully illustrated

-- Mallow Star, Vale Star and Weekly Observer

perfect present ... empowering

-- Irish Examiner

telling a different story each time you turn the page in clear concise language to make it perfect story time fare. Younger bookworms will especially appreciate the access to the fascinating real-life tales of these icons who changed, not just Ireland, but the entire world … This is a book that will not spend much time on the shelf, as you will spend hours glued to the page

-- Fallen Star Stories

an amazing, inspirational book

-- SeomraRanga

a must-read for any kid

-- Dave Rudden

it’s so beautiful … an awful lot of women we would not have heard of, but should have heard of, especially for young women

-- RTE1’s Today Show

I was sent a copy of a book recently, the just published Blazing a Trail: Irish Women Who Changed the World, written by Sarah Webb, and beautifully illustrated by Lauren O’Neill. On first appearance you might actually think this is a children’s book, and in some ways it is, bringing to life for all ages stories of Irish women down through the ages – women who left their mark on the world, blazing their own trail, cutting a groove for others to follow in their footsteps … these examples show what is possible when a girl has that dream, and pursues that dream of a life in sport through hard work and determination

-- Sonia O'Sullivan * Irish Times *

a fabulous book

-- Nicky Byrne and Jenny Greene * RTE 2fm *

Children’s Book of the Week - beautifully illustrated … a perfect gift

-- Woman’s Way

the illustrations in the book are really wonderful … you tell a great story … fantastic … should be on the curriculum

-- The Ryan Tubridy Show * RTE Radio 1 *

the perfect book for young girls who are looking for inspiration, looking for role models ... beautifully illustrated by Lauren O’Neill

-- Virgin Media’s Ireland AM

a book of extraordinary Irish women created by two great ones

-- Elaina Ryan, Children’s Books Ireland

If you want to feel inspired, read this book about trailblazing Irish women

-- evoke.ie

the list is wonderfully varied – here are suffragists, scientists, artists, aviators, entrepreneurs and sportswomen, and their lives and achievements are energetically though thoughtfully summed up in Sarah Webb’s text, one page per subject. A successful author of fiction, Webb gets the tone spot on, lively and engaging with a real sense of excitement and awe at the way her subjects negotiated the obstacles in their way to pioneer a trail for women. Lauren O’Neill’s accompanying full page illustrations have equal amounts of vigour bringing these women to colourful life … a book to inspire all readers

-- Books for Keeps

love the full page illustrations by Lauren O'Neill, which combine aspects of the achievements along with a portrait - cleverly done and a good way to stimulate discussion. Packed with fun, fascinating facts this book celebrates some of the trail blazers who have shaped the world we live in

-- Parents in Touch

an essential for every young girl on the Emerald Isle. It is so important to educate young women about our history and the women who paved the way for them in the past

-- Mummy Pages

the moving stories, stunning illustrations and empowering icons make this book a perfect guide for the future Mná na hÉireann. Blazing A Trail is written by the phenomenal Sarah Webb and features flawless illustrations by Lauren O’Neill

-- Magic Mum

whether changing the world in a blaze of publicity or doing so quietly and largely unnoticed, the women featured in Blazing a Trail certainly provide inspiration for those who of making their own mark on the world in the future

-- Evening Echo

this interesting volume sets the record straight on a segment of Irishness that has sometimes been ignored

-- RTE G

  • Winner of Children's Book of the Year (senior) 2018 (Ireland)
  • Winner of Quiz Writers’ Choice Award: Secondary Non-Fiction 2020 (UK)
  • Short-listed for Best Irish-Published Book of the Year 2018 (Ireland)

ISBN: 9781788490047

Dimensions: 242mm x 180mm x 13mm

Weight: 426g

64 pages