The Women’s Hall of Fame series from Second Story Press focuses on the outstanding achievements of women in various fields, such as design, journalism, and exploration. The latest addition highlights the accomplishments of 10 women who, by creating their own prosperous companies, were able to enact positive changes in their communities and on the world stage.

Author Jill Bryant, who also wrote Dazzling Women Designers for this series, features a diverse group of women, including Madam C.J. Walker, a woman whose hair-product company allowed her to financially support and mentor other young African-American women at the turn of the 20th century; Anita Roddick, whose skin-care company, The Body Shop, promotes environmentalism, animal rights, and community trade; Susan Mashibe, who became the first female pilot in Tanzania and started her own aviation company; and Canadian Nicole Robertson, who launched Muskwa Productions, a media-relations company that aims to publicize good news stories about aboriginal people.

Although Phenomenal Female Entrepreneurs endeavours to draw attention to women from different eras and geographic locales, the small number of familiar brands and companies represented may limit young readers’ interest (high-end Fifth Avenue department store Lord & Taylor might register). Conversely, the inclusion of Sheryl Sandberg, a woman from a privileged background who did not start her own company but works as the chief operating officer at ­Facebook, offers some name-recognition but doesn’t fit the book’s mandate.

While there are captivating stories of women whose accomplishments are truly amazing (such as Naina Lal Kidwai, the first Indian woman to graduate with an MBA from Harvard Business School), the book’s organization into 10 biographies, dense in text with few graphics (all of them in black-and-white), may hinder its appeal for young readers. These entrepreneurs are rich in ideas, positive attitudes, and strong work ethics; their stories deserve a more visually appealing format for their telling.