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A children’s book about a groundbreaking Philly illustrator
Janice Hechter’s The Power of Her Paintbrush: The Story of Theresa Bernstein
K.A. McFadden
Author-illustrator Janice Hechter has written a new children’s book, The Power of Her Paintbrush: The Story of Theresa Bernstein, that tells the story of a once-prominent American artist. Born in 1890 in Poland and raised in Philly’s Brewerytown neighborhood, she showed creative promise by age seven, drawing portraits of friends and teachers. With her parents’ support, she trained at the Philadelphia School of Design for Women before moving to Manhattan. There, she became a successful and well-known painter.
Turning the page
Yet, like countless female artists, Bernstein was excluded from history. Hechter points out that even now, not many children’s history books focus on women. She explained, “I want to set the record straight. I want kids to know that women artists were there, yet judged inferior.” As Hechter conducted fact-finding, she highlighted biographical details that showed Bernstein’s resilience in coping with challenges. One favorite account is of Bernstein discovering someone had vandalized her painting before an exhibition competition. Rather than withdraw, she stayed up all night repainting it. The effort earned her first prize. Hechter notes, “A lot of people would have just given up.”
Since Bernstein painted “real-life people,” Hechter ensured the accurate depiction of early 20th-century clothing styles and furnishings, which is uncommon in children’s books today. She aimed to capture Bernstein’s aesthetic energy and resolute spirit. An illustration depicts a suffragette march with Bernstein sketching the scene. According to the author, sales of Bernstein’s paintings helped fund the movement.
Hechter was surprised to learn about the blatant discouragement and injustices Bernstein encountered. These hardships were sexist and anti-Semitic, such as the incident in which she was refused lodging in Gloucester, Massachusetts because she was Jewish. Hechter notes, “Bernstein consistently faced these challenges, lived to be almost 112, and her paintings are in museum collections.” (One of her paintings hangs in the Woodmere Museum.)
The book will be published this month after years of research, writing, revisions, peer critiques, and refining details. Illustrations were created using an iPad Pro with a pencil, blending digital tools with a hand-drawn sensibility that echoes Bernstein’s own commitment to craft.
Hechter’s The Power of Her Paintbrush reestablishes Bernstein not only as a historical figure but as a model of persistence and artistic integrity for young readers; this artist refused to be erased. Hechter hopes that when kids read the book, “The main takeaway is to believe in themselves despite obstacles thrown in their path.”
What, When, Where
The Power of Her Paintbrush: The Story of Theresa Bernstein. By Janice Hechter. Minneapolis: Kar-Ben, March 3, 2026. 32 pages, hardcover; $19.99. Get it here.
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