This con­cise and well-told pic­ture biog­ra­phy of painter There­sa Bern­stein, born in 1890, pro­vides inspi­ra­tion for young read­ers who are dis­cov­er­ing what they can accom­plish and who they can become.

From ear­ly child­hood, There­sa spent her life avid­ly paint­ing and draw­ing. At a time when female painters were not often val­ued by the estab­lish­ment, There­sa strove to stand out from the crowd, work­ing tire­less­ly to have her paint­ings noticed and fair­ly eval­u­at­ed. She often resort­ed to sign­ing her work with her first ini­tial and last name so that no one knew a woman had paint­ed the piece. Being Jew­ish also made her career chal­leng­ing as she faced dis­crim­i­na­tion when try­ing to find places to live and work. Nev­er­the­less, using grit, deter­mi­na­tion, focus, and tal­ent, There­sa pre­vailed and became a well-respect­ed artist whose work attract­ed atten­tion and acco­lades. Even at the age of 106, sit­ting in the hos­pi­tal with a bro­ken arm, There­sa con­tin­ued to paint. She is a role mod­el for those who under­stand their own worth and are con­fi­dent that their tal­ents and abil­i­ties can shine.

Appro­pri­ate­ly for a book about an artist, the illus­tra­tions are col­or­ful, beau­ti­ful, and evoca­tive. An after­word tells more about Theresa’s world, life, and stel­lar achievements.