The Girl Who Climbed Mountains: Bachendri Pal (Dreamers Series)

When my daughter finished this book, she said that the author got her to go into the mind of Bachendri Pal, the first Indian woman to climb Mount Everest This stunning book by Lavanya Karthik recreates an incident in the life of Bachni, as she is called by her family and friends in the Garhwal.  It is spectacular to see a biography that is not a clutter of facts but a story that gets to the heart of what drove a famous person to accomplish something bigger than herself. It is thrilling to see fear, sickness, thirst and darkness personified as demons that , just as the mountains are spoken of as sleeping gods. Lyrical, allegorical and thrilling all at once, this beautifully written and illustrated short biography is a unique way to understand the heart of what made a person achieve something truly remarkable. On top of the mountain, Bachendri Pal realized that she could touch her soul.  Each Dreamers biography is a pinwheel of fact and recreation, illustrated to depict the inner life of the person, a mesmerizing color theme dominating each book. The Dreamers series have truly redefined children's biographies and made them special. Highly recommended!