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Brave Irene
Plucky Irene, a dressmaker's daughter, braves a fierce snowstorm to deliver a new gown to the duchess in time for the ball.
32 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1986
47 people are currently reading
1754 people want to read
About the author
William Steig
138 books428 followersWilliam Steig was born in New York City in 1907. In a family where every member was involved in the arts, it was not surprising that Steig became an artist.
He published his first children's book, Roland the Minstrel Pig, in 1968, embarking on a new and very different career.
Steig's books reflect his conviction that children want the security of a devoted family and friends. When Sylvester, Farmer Palmer, Abel, Pearl, Gorky, Solomon, and Irene eventually get home, their families are all waiting, and beginning with Amos & Boris, friendship is celebrated in story after story.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/willia...
He published his first children's book, Roland the Minstrel Pig, in 1968, embarking on a new and very different career.
Steig's books reflect his conviction that children want the security of a devoted family and friends. When Sylvester, Farmer Palmer, Abel, Pearl, Gorky, Solomon, and Irene eventually get home, their families are all waiting, and beginning with Amos & Boris, friendship is celebrated in story after story.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/willia...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 373 reviews
July 16, 2020
Wow, Irene really is brave. Irene lives up over a mountain with her mother who is a dress maker. She has completed a dress for the duchess who's party is tonight, the night of a vicious snow storm. Irene's mother takes ill and can't take the dress. Irene puts her mother to bed, wraps up in warm clothes and take the dress through a blizzard and the wilderness to the duchess. It's so windy that it blows the box away. Irene keeps going so she can tell the duchess what happened.
William Steig does some amazing artwork for this story. It feels like he really cares about Irene. It takes a third of the pages to show all the trials that Irene goes through. This is one of my favorite books by William. Irene has courage and pure of heart. She struggles and her struggles do pay off. She doesn't give up or in to despair. Irene is like a new little hero to me.
Nephew was into this story. He was gripped by the tension William sets up and he wanted Irene to make it. When he saw the dress on the tree he let out a big yes. He did ask why she didn't drive over there or at least walk on a road. He can't think of a life without all the modern trappings. He gave this 3 stars.
William Steig does some amazing artwork for this story. It feels like he really cares about Irene. It takes a third of the pages to show all the trials that Irene goes through. This is one of my favorite books by William. Irene has courage and pure of heart. She struggles and her struggles do pay off. She doesn't give up or in to despair. Irene is like a new little hero to me.
Nephew was into this story. He was gripped by the tension William sets up and he wanted Irene to make it. When he saw the dress on the tree he let out a big yes. He did ask why she didn't drive over there or at least walk on a road. He can't think of a life without all the modern trappings. He gave this 3 stars.
August 25, 2016
One of my favourite books as a kid was Brave Irene. The story is about a girl who has to deliver a dress to the duchess in the midst of a snowstorm. It's a lovely representation of a daughter's love for her mother. The first few pages always get to me even though the story isn't sad. It's one of the few books that still has me feeling the same way I did when it was first read to me.
December 16, 2018
Me lo leí en un ratito libro que tuve en el trabajo y me pareció supercuqui para los niños.
Es un cuento donde nuestra protagonista, Irene, decide ayudar a su madre a cumplir una ardua tarea. Y es que tiene que entregarle un vestido a una ¿duquesa? (si no recuerdo mal) y su madre ha enfermado y no puede llevárselo. ¿El problema? Está cayendo una ventisca horrible, y aún así Irene hará todo lo posible por hacerle llegar el encargo por todo lo que ha trabajado su madre en él.
Sin duda un libro ideal para los peques, que despierta cariño hacia la protagonista y donde se habla de la importancia de la perseverancia :)
Es un cuento donde nuestra protagonista, Irene, decide ayudar a su madre a cumplir una ardua tarea. Y es que tiene que entregarle un vestido a una ¿duquesa? (si no recuerdo mal) y su madre ha enfermado y no puede llevárselo. ¿El problema? Está cayendo una ventisca horrible, y aún así Irene hará todo lo posible por hacerle llegar el encargo por todo lo que ha trabajado su madre en él.
Sin duda un libro ideal para los peques, que despierta cariño hacia la protagonista y donde se habla de la importancia de la perseverancia :)
February 7, 2021
A winter read that's a cross between a fairy tale and an adventure/survival story. Irene braves the winter cold to deliver a beautiful dress to the duchess when her mother is too sick to do so. Will Irene return home alive?
October 9, 2014
Almost experimental in its adherence to tedium, as a good 2/3rds of the book is dedicated to Irene's monotonous trek through a snowy forest to deliver her sick mom's handmade gown to the duchess in time for the ball; no supernatural intrusions, no animals, no mythic nomadic hunters, nothing, just Irene sruggling against the elements page after page; the sun goes down and the snow goes from white to grey (my daughter points at the greyly depicted nocturnal snow and calls it mud), the gown is blown away by the "wicked" wind (the one slight touch of anti-naturalism, but natural in a child), and Irene finally makes it to the palace (nice glimpse of it on one earlier page glimmering in the corner in the distance), finds the gown plastered to a tree by the wind, and delivers it just in time for the ball which is well represented on a climactic two page spread (as my daughter's eyes dance across the dancing figures she says "I can't hear the music" which is so touching and magical I can hardly bear it as it transports me to a kind of primordial imaginative apprehension of art - kids can take us back to beginnings), then ends on the downswing with a slightly mysterious bearded doctor arriving on a santa's sleigh to tend to Irene's sick mother.
August 25, 2012
This is a new addition to our children's library. It's a great book about perseverance and courage. Strong female roles are represented here, both in the mother and the daughter. Would probably be a particularly good book for a single mother/daughter household. Ideal for ages 4-6.
October 20, 2022
Well, hmm, this book is sort of weird. I saw it on a shelf at the library and I liked the cover illustration and so I gave it a try.
I did like the pictures. My favorite is of Irene by the fire eating and the two dogs looking at her, and most of the outdoor scenes, but all of the illustrations were ones I’d have loved as a kid, including all the details of Irene’s and her mother’s house and the palace interior and people also.
But why the heck doesn’t the duchess send her people to come get the gown and why would (brave but foolhardy?) Irene do this, and why would her mother let her?! I guess it’s because they were poor and absolutely needed the money. At least Irene was well treated at her destination. (Sorry if that’s a spoiler, but this is a picture book for children. Goodreads members, presumably older than the picture book set, might want to know this if they’re planning this one to read to their children.)
And I loved the illustrations of what the wind was doing but the wind being call wicked? That was sort of peculiar too. And there was one very scary & depressing part that might be too much for young kids.
I guess I don’t get it, that I’m nearly alone here, as I checked the ratings breakdown for this book and the Goodreads’ readers say: 43% gave it 5 stars, 31% gave it 4 stars, only another 20% gave it 3 stars, and only 4% gave it 2 stars, and not enough readers gave it 1 star to say it’s above 0%. Maybe it’s my mood. I generally rate high. But I did like parts of it, quite a bit. But I personally wouldn’t make a point of recommending this book to anyone.
I did like the pictures. My favorite is of Irene by the fire eating and the two dogs looking at her, and most of the outdoor scenes, but all of the illustrations were ones I’d have loved as a kid, including all the details of Irene’s and her mother’s house and the palace interior and people also.
But why the heck doesn’t the duchess send her people to come get the gown and why would (brave but foolhardy?) Irene do this, and why would her mother let her?! I guess it’s because they were poor and absolutely needed the money. At least Irene was well treated at her destination. (Sorry if that’s a spoiler, but this is a picture book for children. Goodreads members, presumably older than the picture book set, might want to know this if they’re planning this one to read to their children.)
And I loved the illustrations of what the wind was doing but the wind being call wicked? That was sort of peculiar too. And there was one very scary & depressing part that might be too much for young kids.
I guess I don’t get it, that I’m nearly alone here, as I checked the ratings breakdown for this book and the Goodreads’ readers say: 43% gave it 5 stars, 31% gave it 4 stars, only another 20% gave it 3 stars, and only 4% gave it 2 stars, and not enough readers gave it 1 star to say it’s above 0%. Maybe it’s my mood. I generally rate high. But I did like parts of it, quite a bit. But I personally wouldn’t make a point of recommending this book to anyone.
December 16, 2021
No matter how we try, we can't keep our children wrapped in fluffy cotton for their entire lives. Irene is a good role model, for both boys and girls. I loved that Irene kept her spirits up by personifying the wind, talking back to it. The story is a little long (compared to most other picture-books) and probably best for ages 6-9 or perhaps even older.
January 12, 2020
Bravo for Brave Irene!! Why I loved this book:
1. Mama's endearing nicknames for Irene: dumpling, cupcake, pudding
2. The solidarity between Mama and Irene. When Mama is too sick to get the dress delivered, she trusts her capable daughter to do it.
3. As in Goodnight Moon, the ever darker pictures reflect dusk falling.
4. 16 pages are devoted to the journey. Some readers complain that this is tedious and boring. I think the length perfectly illustrates how daunting this sojourn is. To show Irene's persistence requires more than one or two pages.
5. The personification of the wind. Irene's adversary wrestles and meddles and talks.
6. The high value Irene places on her mother's work.
7. The reason that Irene won't give up. :: my moment to cry ::
8. Brave Irene's willingness to face the duchess with bad news.
9. Girl's got gumption.
10. The last line of the book.
1. Mama's endearing nicknames for Irene: dumpling, cupcake, pudding
2. The solidarity between Mama and Irene. When Mama is too sick to get the dress delivered, she trusts her capable daughter to do it.
3. As in Goodnight Moon, the ever darker pictures reflect dusk falling.
4. 16 pages are devoted to the journey. Some readers complain that this is tedious and boring. I think the length perfectly illustrates how daunting this sojourn is. To show Irene's persistence requires more than one or two pages.
5. The personification of the wind. Irene's adversary wrestles and meddles and talks.
6. The high value Irene places on her mother's work.
7. The reason that Irene won't give up. :: my moment to cry ::
8. Brave Irene's willingness to face the duchess with bad news.
9. Girl's got gumption.
10. The last line of the book.
December 12, 2021
This is only my second William Steig picture book, the first one being
Shrek!
But Irene is no ogre; she's a determined little girl who goes on a bit of an adventure and battles the wind.
There's plenty of peril in this tale when Irene sets off in a snowstorm to deliver a dress to the duchess. Her mother, the dressmaker, is sick and can't do it herself, so the little girl bundles up and takes the boxed dress out into the snow. But the wind fights her the whole way, and at one point it looks like all hope is lost. Will Irene's tenacity win out over the stubborn wind and the dangerous cold?
I don't love the illustrations here, but if you're a fan of Steig's style, you might enjoy them. The story itself is what I really like; the writing is sophisticated without being too difficult to understand, and the characters—especially Irene and her nemesis, the wind—are clearly defined.
I'd recommend this to readers who are looking for a bit of a wintry adventure with a plucky heroine. Also, William Steig fans might want to check this one out.
There's plenty of peril in this tale when Irene sets off in a snowstorm to deliver a dress to the duchess. Her mother, the dressmaker, is sick and can't do it herself, so the little girl bundles up and takes the boxed dress out into the snow. But the wind fights her the whole way, and at one point it looks like all hope is lost. Will Irene's tenacity win out over the stubborn wind and the dangerous cold?
I don't love the illustrations here, but if you're a fan of Steig's style, you might enjoy them. The story itself is what I really like; the writing is sophisticated without being too difficult to understand, and the characters—especially Irene and her nemesis, the wind—are clearly defined.
I'd recommend this to readers who are looking for a bit of a wintry adventure with a plucky heroine. Also, William Steig fans might want to check this one out.
January 30, 2019
Brave Irene By Willam Stieg
Literary essay by Kavya Chauhan
Imagine being covered in frozen snow from head to toe with only your hands sticking out! Well in the book Brave Irene by Willam Stieg, Brave Irene teaches us that always be brave, because when the storm was raging and she could barely see she still was brave enough to keep going! Another time is when she lost the dress she was brave enough to go to the dutches and tell them “I lost your dress! The last way is when she was covered in frozen snow she still was brave and tried to get out.
Brave Irene teaches us that always be brave because on page four it says “the snow was up to my ankles and I could barely see!” This proves that she was brave because she can barely see and the snow is up to her ankles! Imagine being stuck in a snowstorm and you can barely see! Probably no but Brave Irene was brave and persevered through the storm! You guys should also be brave and persevere through hard times.
Literary essay by Kavya Chauhan
Imagine being covered in frozen snow from head to toe with only your hands sticking out! Well in the book Brave Irene by Willam Stieg, Brave Irene teaches us that always be brave, because when the storm was raging and she could barely see she still was brave enough to keep going! Another time is when she lost the dress she was brave enough to go to the dutches and tell them “I lost your dress! The last way is when she was covered in frozen snow she still was brave and tried to get out.
Brave Irene teaches us that always be brave because on page four it says “the snow was up to my ankles and I could barely see!” This proves that she was brave because she can barely see and the snow is up to her ankles! Imagine being stuck in a snowstorm and you can barely see! Probably no but Brave Irene was brave and persevered through the storm! You guys should also be brave and persevere through hard times.
August 16, 2019
This has always been a favorite but we reread this for our discussion about the virtue of courage. Beautiful tale of a little girl doing something extremely difficult out of love for her mother.
May 3, 2019
I'd like to read this book every single week from now until forever.
September 3, 2022
Neither snow, nor snow, nor more snow, nor hella snow shall keep the dressmaker's daughter from delivering a commissioned gown. It's a slow slog for Irene and me both.
February 19, 2023
Preslatka pričica zatrpana snijegom (kad već ne vidim pravi, super dođe i ovako)
December 5, 2020
Featured in grandma reads session.
Irene is, indeed, Brave. Mama has fashioned up a ball gown for the rich duchess who lives in the palace through the woods, but isn't feeling good. Daughter Irene puts Mama to bed, packages up the beautiful gown and in the middle of a blizzard sets out to seal her Mama's task by delivering it to the Duchess. To add urgency to the scene, the gown is for a party that very night.
The wind becomes a rough playmate in this story, buffeting Irene around, and even creating havoc by stealing away the package and dress. Will she make it ? Does she turn around and go home ? Will she save her mother's good name as a reliable seamstress?
My group stayed with the tale and enjoyed the ending. (All characters live.)
NOTE: This is a wintery tale. We had to promise ourselves hot beverages after our zoom meeting to full recover. Wear a sweater or blanket to the reading.
Irene is, indeed, Brave. Mama has fashioned up a ball gown for the rich duchess who lives in the palace through the woods, but isn't feeling good. Daughter Irene puts Mama to bed, packages up the beautiful gown and in the middle of a blizzard sets out to seal her Mama's task by delivering it to the Duchess. To add urgency to the scene, the gown is for a party that very night.
The wind becomes a rough playmate in this story, buffeting Irene around, and even creating havoc by stealing away the package and dress. Will she make it ? Does she turn around and go home ? Will she save her mother's good name as a reliable seamstress?
My group stayed with the tale and enjoyed the ending. (All characters live.)
NOTE: This is a wintery tale. We had to promise ourselves hot beverages after our zoom meeting to full recover. Wear a sweater or blanket to the reading.
October 18, 2017
This was one of the books I used for my author's study for my high comprehension students in small group. Great book and I included Shrek, Dr. Desoto and Amos and Boris for this study. Had.a lot of.fun.with it!
Update October 18, 2017: Per my second graders - I liked it because she was brave and she didn't give up. I liked it because she's cool.
Update October 18, 2017: Per my second graders - I liked it because she was brave and she didn't give up. I liked it because she's cool.
December 12, 2023
One of my favorites
November 14, 2023
I wanted to read this children's book to try to understand why it's a banned book in some areas of our country.
October 29, 2022
This is a well told story. The words were well chosen, the images matched perfectly with the tale - I liked it!
Ages: 4 - 8 #winter
Cleanliness: A girl gets stuck in the snow and thinks "Why not freeze to death... and let all these troubles end. Why not? She was already buried." But she remembers her mother and and how she'd never her see her again then. There is dancing.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
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Ages: 4 - 8 #winter
Cleanliness: A girl gets stuck in the snow and thinks "Why not freeze to death... and let all these troubles end. Why not? She was already buried." But she remembers her mother and and how she'd never her see her again then. There is dancing.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! And be sure to check out my bio page to learn a little about me and the Picture Book/Chapter Book Calendars I sell on Etsy!
January 30, 2019
What would you do if your mom was sick and you had to bring the dress your mom made the duchess even though it was there was a blizzard outside? Because in the story Brave Irene by William Steig that’s exactly what happened. What I think this story teaches is to persevere even if times are hard. Why I think this is when Brave Irene takes her mom’s dress to the duchess even though there was blizzard outside, when she keeps walking forward even when she lost the dress her mom made and most of all is when she gets up from being buried in the snow.
October 16, 2020
I'm currently experiencing a wonderful opportunity of having free access to some of the best picture books ever written.
This one is called 'Brave Irene', a little girl who truly loves her mother. This is pretty much a fairy tale. It has such good vocabulary words as well as such a nice lesson. Putting other people first and doing your best is always the best thing to do. It has a very happy ending, too.
This one is called 'Brave Irene', a little girl who truly loves her mother. This is pretty much a fairy tale. It has such good vocabulary words as well as such a nice lesson. Putting other people first and doing your best is always the best thing to do. It has a very happy ending, too.
May 6, 2013
We love this wintertime tale of a little girl braving the elements to help her Mama. William Steig has a knack for tapping into something strange and adventurous as kids interact with the adult world.
August 3, 2010
I like this story because it features an ordinary girl who rises to the occasion and does what needs to be done. It was one of our Summer Reading titles, though it is not very summery.
January 15, 2015
Irene gets 5 stars! She took care of her sick mother, braved the storm, fought the wind and delivered the package. She was amazing and that's why she was successful!
February 11, 2015
Irene vs nature. Spoiler: Irene wins!
June 30, 2016
While I'm not particularly fond of Steig's illustrations, the story is very special. What a beautiful example of perseverance, determination, and thoughtfulness.
January 12, 2017
This book was fun and engaging as well. My children love stories where the hero overcomes the odds and moves into a happy ending. Sometimes challenges are just there for you to climb over them.
May 6, 2018
Great children’s book about doing my hard things and not giving up.
November 11, 2020
Irene is an independent and determined little girl, and her story has the feel of a more modern fairy-tale.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 373 reviews