Annie Oakley first came to wide attention as a sharpshooter in Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show late in the 19thcentury. Years later, depictions of her life by Hollywood and Broadway would turn this legendary marksmanship pioneer into a myth of sorts, as the storytellers changed her life to suit their plots. Here Sue Macy returns to the facts, and captures the essence of this strong, determined, forward-looking woman. Born in Ohio, the daughter of Quakers, Annie began shooting after her father died, when she was still a girl. Her mother was horrified, but Annie took to it naturally, and she knew she could put food on her family’s table. Her childhood was difficult in the years after her father’s death, and as an adult her philanthropic work included helping widows, orphans, and young women who wanted to continue in school. As a young adult, she met Frank Butler, another sharpshooter, when someone paired them in a shooting match. That pairing continued for the rest of Annie’s life in a marriage that was both a business and personal partnership and that lasted 50 years. This highly visual, winning account of Annie Oakley’s life is illustrated with many archival photographs. (Ages 10–14)