The Van Buren Sisters vs. The Pants Police

It’s Women’s History Month and we are celebrating with a fun new read. Arriving on shelves on May 2nd, The Van Buren Sisters vs the Pants Police by J.F. Fox and Anna Kwan is a true story about women, motorcycles and pants.

J.F. Kwan dives into the history of the Van Buren sisters, for those with knowledge of American history, yes they are relatives of former President Van Buren. These strong women, raised by their father in the late 19th century, early 20th century are inspirational historical figures, showing the people of North America that women are capable of far more than sitting at home performing domestic work.

I love J.F. Fox’s snarky tone throughout this historical account of the Van Buren sisters' ride across America. I also loved the clever puns expertly placed throughout the text to really grab onto the reader. From New York to California they showed women across the country to be courageous and adventurous. They never let themselves be held back by the restrictive clothing deemed appropriate for women at the time. It’s interesting to me that many of the biographical picture books I have read about women start out with a father figure who encouraged their ingenuity and their adventurousness.

There is excellent back matter at the end of the book for older readers and their adults who want to learn more about the Van Buren’s and life back in the early to mid 1900s

Illustrator Anna Kwan lends her incredible talent to this biographical picture book with big bold illustrations. I really loved how the “pants police” often looked like Yosemite Sam blustering and blabbering while being shut down by the sisters. Her illustrations exude confidence and adventure. Readers can feel the boldness of the sisters throughout the book.

Designer Andrew Dupuis made an excellent choice creating a comic feel to this story marking it highly engaging to young readers who often find history stuffy and boring.