Mary Fields Gets A Job: A 15-Minute Heroes in History Book

Mary Fields got up early. It was a big day.
Today Mary would enter a race. It was a race to see how fast you could hitch up horses to a wagon. If Mary won the race, she would get a job.
Mary needed a job. She had no money. It was hard for a woman to get a job. It was even harder for a black woman.
Mary didn't mind hard work. She had worked hard all her life.
Mary was born a slave. She was a slave until she was about 33. Then President Lincoln freed the slaves.
When Mary became free, she started working. She worked in a house. When the woman of the house died, Mary took the woman's five children to the woman's sister. The sister was a nun.
The church moved the nun to Montana. When the nun got sick, Mary went to Montana. She nursed the nun back to health.
Then she stayed and worked at the mission school. But the priest got mad when Mary got in a fight. He kicked her out.
Mary tried to open a restaurant. She cooked good food. But she had a big heart. She would feed people even if they couldn't pay. Now she was out of money.
She needed a job.

Find out how Mary becomes the first African American woman to deliver mail in the old west in this fun 15-minute book.

Ages 7 and up.
Reading level 2.9

This book is part of our "Heroes in History" series. These 15-minute books focus on a specific moment in a historic person's life. Aimed at second graders, they provide the perfect introduction to famous Americans in an exciting, fun-to-read way.

LearningIsland.com believes in the value of children practicing reading for 15 minutes every day. Our 15-Minute Books give children lots of fun, exciting choices to read, from classic stories, to mysteries, to books of knowledge. Many books are appropriate for hi-lo readers. Open the world of reading to a child by having them read for 15 minutes a day.