Sanctuary: Kip Tiernan and Rosie's Place, the Nation's First Shelter for Women

McDonnell’s straightforward and informative text incorporates well-chosen quotes that further demonstrate her subject’s iron-willed determination, questioning of the status quo (“Who decides who gets the condo and who gets the cardboard box?”), active listening, and deep empathy… Tentler-Krylov’s (Building Zaha, rev. 3⁄21) watercolor and digital illustrations, featuring soft colors and rounded edges, emit warmth and beautifully depict the healing power of human connection.

—The Horn Book (starred review)

Author Christine McDonnell, who has taught English to immigrants at Rosie’s Place, adeptly conveys the narrative arc of Tiernan’s life… . Victoria Tentler-Krylov’s atmospheric illustrations draw readers into Tiernan’s surroundings with immediacy and emotion… . This thoughtful book conveys a powerful, important message: ‘When you listen to others, you show respect; you learn who they are and what they need.’


—BookPage (starred review)

At each stage of Kip’s journey, illustrations capture the mood… . A worthy social justice story about a compassionate woman who dedicated her life to helping others.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Tentler-Krylov contributes fluid, atmospheric illustrations, rendered in watercolor and digital media, that portray figures of varying ability, age, skin tone, and size, underscoring Tiernan’s mission to help all in this compassionate narrative about the ambitious, accomplished social activist.
—Publishers Weekly

Christine McDonnell is the author of many books for young readers, including When the Babies Came to Stay, illustrated by Jeanette Bradley, and Goyangi Means Cat, illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher. She is a longtime teacher and librarian and has taught English to immigrant women at Rosie’s Place. She lives in Boston.

Victoria Tentler-Krylov is a practicing architect and editorial illustrator with art published in the Wall Street Journal and the Boston Globe. Her picture books include The Cyclops of Central Park by Madelyn Rosenberg and Just Read! by Lori Degman, and she is the author-illustrator of Building Zaha: The Story of Architect Zaha Hadid. Originally from Saint Petersburg, Russia, she now lives just outside of Boston.

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