Calamity Jane and the stories surrounding her are famous, but this graphic novel for young readers 8 and up is here to tell the story of Martha Jane Canary—the real-life survivor, orphan, and storyteller behind the legend.
In 1901, the Pan-American Exposition World's Fair was held in Buffalo, New York. Amongst spectacles like advancements in electricity and new inventions like the X-ray machine is a woman with a story—but not the one you’ve heard. Calamity Jane’s life is shrouded in exaggerations and lies told to sell a more marketable version of reality, but cartoonist Noah Van Sciver is here to tell the truth: Martha Jane Cannary struggled throughout her life, from her childhood as a destitute orphan to her bitter adulthood as she watched the West she loved disappear before her eyes.
Book Details
Format:
Hardcover
Price:
23.99 CAD / 17.99 USD
Published: 12/23/2025
ISBN: 9781662665400
Imprint:
TOON Books
Page Count: 56
Trim Size: 7-3/4 x 10
Grades:
Grades 3-7
Ages:
8-12 years
"...Skillfully interweaves Calmity Jane's own exaggerated tales of adventure as a Pony Express rider or a scout for General Custer with glimpses into her struggling childhood as a destitute orphan and early life experiences as a bullwhacker. Van Sciver's artwork, drawn in India ink and colored digitally, is well illustrated and brings the narrative to life visually, reflecting the 'comics even teachers can love' approach of TOON Graphics." -School Library Journal