Sorghaghtani of Mongolia
The Thinking Girl’s Treasury of Real Princesses
Shirin Yim Bridges
Illustrated by Albert Nguyen

Goosebottom Books
2010 / ISBN 9780984509829
Biography Children’s Fiction (Ages 9 and up)
Amazon

Reviewed by Bob Walch

One of six titles that investigate the lives of little known, real life princesses, this book introduces a truly remarkable woman who lived on the windswept steepes of Mongolia in the 13th century.

Born a princess of the Kereit tribe, Sorghaghtani was married to Tolui, a son of Genghis Khan, when she was only eleven or twelve. Her new husband was only ten years old! The couple didn’t have their first child, understandably, until six year after they were married. When her husband died at age forty, Sorghaghtani went on to rule nearly all of Mongolia.

Ravaged by war, the vast area’s new leader worked hard to bring back the region’s agricultural economy. Sorghaghtani also fought to protect her holdings from a conflict started by other family members. Eventually one of her sons became the Great Khan.

This well-illustrated biography not only looks at Sorghaghtani’s life but also gives a glimpse at what people wore and ate during this time period. Hopefully, after finishing this book, youngsters will want to learn more about this isolated area of the world and its history.