Away with Words: The Daring Story of Isabella Bird

This dashing picture book biography takes us around the world with a daring Victorian female explorer and author.

Exploring was easier said than done for a young woman in nineteenth-century England. But somehow Isabella persisted, and with each journey, she breathed in new ways to see and describe everything around her. Question by question, word by word, Isabella bloomed.

First, out in the English countryside. Then, off to America and Canada. And eventually, around the world, to Africa, Asia, Australia, and more. Always more—more places, more questions, more words—and all those experiences became books, in which she described the land she traveled, the people she met, and the dangers she experienced.

And finally, Isabella returned home to England, where she became the first female member of the Royal Geographic Society and was presented to the Queen. But to wild-vine Isabella, the world was home.

Back matter features an author's note, bibliography, and timeline.