Dancing Through Fields of Color: The Story of Helen Frankenthaler is a children's picture book written by Elizabeth Brown and illustrated by Aimée SicDancing Through Fields of Color: The Story of Helen Frankenthaler is a children's picture book written by Elizabeth Brown and illustrated by Aimée Sicuro. It centers on abstract expressionist painter Helen Frankenthaler, who carries a deep fascination with color and light from childhood to adulthood.
Helen Frankenthaler was an American abstract expressionist painter. She was a major contributor to the history of postwar American painting. Having exhibited her work for over six decades, she spanned several generations of abstract painters while continuing to produce vital and ever-changing new work.
Brown's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. The narration frames her artistic motivations as primarily emotional, undermining her deliberate aesthetic decisions. Moreover, though the textual descriptions of Frankenthaler's process are gorgeous. Backmatter includes a timeline, activities, author's notes, quotes and sources, primary and secondary bibliography. With sweeping strokes, Sicuro conveys the young artist’s joy in the act of creation, her images of seaside landscapes spilling off the canvasses, and waves trailing from the beach she’s painting into her bedroom.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. As a child, Helen Frankenthaler, an Abstract Expressionist who created the Color Field painting movement, shirked rules in favor of free expression. Frankenthaler attends art school, where she adheres to rigid expectations, but the work of Jackson Pollock reawakens her, liberating her to paint emotively.
All in all, Dancing Through Fields of Color: The Story of Helen Frankenthaler is an enthusiastic starter biography of an American artist....more
The Bravest Woman in America is a children's picture book written by Marissa Moss and illustrated by Andrea U'Ren. It centers on a girl who loves the The Bravest Woman in America is a children's picture book written by Marissa Moss and illustrated by Andrea U'Ren. It centers on a girl who loves the sea becomes keeper and protector of those on the water.
Idawalley Zoradia "Ida" Lewis was an American lighthouse keeper noted for her heroism in rescuing people from the seas.
Moss' text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. Moss' short, stirring biography of 19th-century lighthouse keeper Ida Lewis centers on her first rescue, off the coast of Rhode Island. Backmatter includes an author's note reveals how Lewis went on to rescue others, receiving the Congressional Life Saving Medal and additional awards. U'Ren's bold, mixed-media illustrations capture the power and many moods of the sea, from calm ultramarine to the foam-topped dark slate and deep green of stormy waters.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. Lewis took over keeping duties at Lime Rock from her ailing father when she was a teenager, who has spent her life near the ocean. After Lewis sees a boat with four boys capsize, a descriptive, dramatic narrative relates how she speeds into action, rowing to the scene and hauling each one into her craft.
All in all, The Bravest Woman in America is a good starter biography of what America at that time, called her the Bravest Woman in America....more
She's Wearing a Dead Bird on Her Head! is a children's picture book written by Kathryn Lasky and illustrated by David Catrow. It centers on the lives She's Wearing a Dead Bird on Her Head! is a children's picture book written by Kathryn Lasky and illustrated by David Catrow. It centers on the lives of Harriet Lawrence Hemenway and Minna B. Hall as they co-founded the Massachusetts Audubon Society to stop encouraging women for wearing fathers or birds on their head.
Harriet Lawrence Hemenway was a Boston socialite and environmentalist who co-founded the Massachusetts Audubon Society with Minna B. Hall, her cousin. Other notable achievement includes the ratification of the Weeks-McLean Act by the US Congress. Together they organized ladies' teas at which she urged women to stop wearing hats with feathers, which irrevocably changed the feather trade.
Lasky's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. The narrative is more well-meaning than well-crafted as it lighthearted looks at the origins of the Audubon Society and the women behind it. Catrow contributes flamboyant caricatures of the behatted Bostonians in convincing period costume, and his watercolors of birds mimic Audubon's own naturalistic paintings.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. Proper Boston ladies Harriet Hemenway and her cousin Minna Hall are absolutely incensed by the latest style: ladies' hats topped with not just feathers but whole birds. Harriet and Minna found the Massachusetts Audubon Society and took their crusade to sportsmen, socialites and schoolchildren. They also lobbied for laws to protect wildfowl and even help bust an illegal feather warehouse.
All in all, She's Wearing a Dead Bird on Her Head! is a good starter biography of two important women that formed the Massachusetts Audubon Society....more
Around America to Win the Vote: Two Suffragists, a Kitten, and 10,000 Miles is a children's picture book written by Mara Rockliff and illustrated by HAround America to Win the Vote: Two Suffragists, a Kitten, and 10,000 Miles is a children's picture book written by Mara Rockliff and illustrated by Hadley Hooper. It introduces Nell Richardson and Alice Burke, whose five-month, 10,000-mile crusade for women's voting rights drew crowds and made colorful newspaper copy in 1916.
Rockliff's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. In an account as lively as it is informative, it retells a daring, dangerous, and successful publicity stunt undertaken to promote women's voting rights. Backmatter includes historical note, source note, and bibliography of children's titles. Hooper's airy mixed-media illustrations use brayered swaths of color to back lively vignettes of the activists consulting maps, pushing their stuck car out of the mud, or stopping to stick a daffodil behind a horse's ear.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. With car travel in its infancy, suffragists Nell Richardson and Alice Burke – accompanied them is Saxon, a black kitten, a typewriter, and a sewing machine. They set off on an around-the-country automobile tour to draw attention to the women's suffrage movement. The pair met with schoolchildren, attended parties, before completing a circuit around the perimeter of the United States.
All in all, Around America to Win the Vote: Two Suffragists, a Kitten, and 10,000 Miles is a lively look at the ingenuity of women suffragists near the end of their long road to the vote....more
Ice Breaker: How Mabel Fairbanks Changed Figure Skating is a children's picture book written by Rose Viña and illustrated by Claire Almon. It centers Ice Breaker: How Mabel Fairbanks Changed Figure Skating is a children's picture book written by Rose Viña and illustrated by Claire Almon. It centers on the life of Mabel Fairbanks – the first African American inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame.
Mabel Fairbanks was an American figure skater and coach. As an African American and Native American woman she paved the way for other minorities to compete in the sport of figure skating. She was inducted into the US Figure Skating Hall of Fame, as the first person of African American and Native American descent, and the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame.
Viña's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. The text does an adequate job of portraying both the racism and her determination, but the wide timeline gaps are a tad difficult to place. Almon's bright, cheery illustrations belie the challenges Mabel faced.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. Orphaned and homeless, young Mabel is taken in by a white family, where she would provides child care in exchange for shelter. Looking out the apartment window at skaters in the park, she's inspired to save up for skates to glide on the ice. However, it is quickly revealed that this biography takes place in the 1930s where segregation was prevalent.
Ultimately a sympathetic rink manager lets her in, and her talent is quickly noticed, but she still can't compete. She continues to work and train hard, her dedication paying off when she's able to showcase her skills in a Harlem nightclub and eventually make her way to Hollywood for a television show and then to international performances in a supporting role. Unfortunately, her talent doesn't surpass the racism of the time, but as a coach, Mabel promotes change by encouraging her students of diverse backgrounds and advocating for them.
All in all, Ice Breaker: How Mabel Fairbanks Changed Figure Skating is a good starter biography of an important figure in figure skating history....more
Queen of the Falls is a children's picture book written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg. Manon Rhéaume breaks the ice and the glass ceiling in tQueen of the Falls is a children's picture book written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg. Manon Rhéaume breaks the ice and the glass ceiling in this new biography of one of hockey's trailblazing women.
Annie Edson Taylor was an American schoolteacher who, on her 63rd birthday, October 24, 1901, became the first person to survive a trip over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Her motives were financial but she never made much money from her adventure.
Van Allsburg's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. Van Allsburg chronicles Taylor's determination along with public surprise (and disappointment) at such an unglamorous daredevil. Backmatter includes an author’s note, bibliography, and a list of barrel riders. Van Allsburg's sepia-tinted portraits and grainy, closely observed colored-pencil scenes mimic documentary photos rather well.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. In 1901, 62-year-old widow Annie Edson Taylor needed a way to strike it rich, after closing her Michigan charm school. Spying an article about Niagara Falls as a tourist destination, she decides to become a popular attraction too. She commissions a barrel "big enough to hold herself and a large number of pillows," hires a publicist, calls on reporters, and finds a boatman willing to tow her into the river.
All in all, Queen of the Falls is a wonderful biography of a daredevil, who just happens to be a woman....more
Martina & Chrissie: The Greatest Rivalry in the History of Sports is a children's picture book written by Phil Bildner and illustrated by Brett HelquiMartina & Chrissie: The Greatest Rivalry in the History of Sports is a children's picture book written by Phil Bildner and illustrated by Brett Helquist. It introduces readers to tennis greats Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova.
Martina Navratilova is a Czechoslovakian and American former professional tennis player and coach, widely considered among the greatest tennis players of all time. Christine Marie Evert is an American former world No. 1 tennis player.
Bildner's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. Bildner's conversational narrative creates an instant bond with readers. Backmatter includes an author's note and bibliography. Helquist deploys a series of play-by-play action scenes that capture the speed and intensity of their many tennis matches.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. It depicts the rivalry between Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. However, just as important as their competition was the unexpected bond the two women formed off the court. In total, the played each other eighty times with Navratilova won forty-three times. The narrative describes the rivalry would have been enough to show how great it was, without trying to convince readers when there are no points of comparison to others.
All in all, Martina & Chrissie: The Greatest Rivalry in the History of Sports is a solid introduction to the rivalry between tennis sensations: Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova....more
Touch the Sky: Alice Coachman, Olympic High Jumper is a children's picture book written by Ann Malaspina and illustrated by Eric Velásquez. It tells tTouch the Sky: Alice Coachman, Olympic High Jumper is a children's picture book written by Ann Malaspina and illustrated by Eric Velásquez. It tells the story of how Alice Coachman went from her Georgia hometown to the 1948 London Olympics, becoming the first African-American woman to win an Olympic gold medal.
Alice Coachman Davis was an American athlete. She specialized in high jump and was the first black woman to win an Olympic gold medal.
Malaspina's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. Malaspina, writing in verse, conveys the magnitude of her accomplishments with agility and lyricism. Backmatter includes an author's note, bibliography, and photographs. Velásquez's majestic, thickly painted oils portray Coachman with a quiet serenity and assurance.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. As a girl, Alice Coachman drew attention in her small Georgia town for her high-jumping skills, even though she used an improvised crossbar made of sticks and rags. After impressing the coach for the Tuskegee Golden Tigerettes and playing with the all-female track team, Coachman set an Olympic trials record and went on to compete at the 1948 Olympic Games in London, becoming the first African-American woman to win gold.
All in all, Touch the Sky: Alice Coachman, Olympic High Jumper is a solid introduction to a lesser-known sports heroine....more
Anybody's Game: Kathryn Johnston, the First Girl to Play Little League Baseball is a children's picture book written by Heather Lang and illustrated bAnybody's Game: Kathryn Johnston, the First Girl to Play Little League Baseball is a children's picture book written by Heather Lang and illustrated by Cecelia Puglesi. It centers on Kathryn Johnston – the first girl to play in the Little League, where there was an unwritten rule that only allowed boys to play.
Kathryn "Tubby" Johnston Massar (née Johnston) was the first woman to play in a Little League Baseball game in 1950.
Lang's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. Lang tells the tale in a direct and sympathetic manner, without maudlin sentimentality or anger, instead stressing Kathryn's love of baseball and her strength of character. Backmatter includes an author's note, timeline, photographs, and acknowledgements. Puglesi's cartoons have the appearance of vintage dolls, with exaggerated, marble-like eyes that somewhat limit their range of expression.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. As a child in 1950, Kathryn Johnston plays baseball alongside the boys in her neighborhood. However, when it comes to playing on a Little League team, no girls are allowed – at least that was the unwritten rule. Johnston is pugnacious both on and off the field, as she dives for a grounder, slides into base, and angrily laments having to watch the games from the sidelines.
Finally she decides to try something daring. She asks her mom to cut her hair short and borrows her brother's pants and cap, briefly trying out for a Little League team as a boy, "Tubby" Johnston. She makes the team and plays well, but the pretense is hard to maintain. Eventually she tells the coach, who recognizes her skills and keeps her on the team. Unfortunately, a year later, Little League instigated a rule that banned girls in any circumstance.
All in all, Anybody's Game: Kathryn Johnston, the First Girl to Play Little League Baseball is a wonderful tribute to the First Girl of Little League – Kathryn Johnston....more
Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy is a biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, pastor and anti-Nazi dissident. Eric Metaxas, an American Christian auBonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy is a biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, pastor and anti-Nazi dissident. Eric Metaxas, an American Christian author, speaker, and conservative radio host wrote this biography.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian, anti-Nazi dissident, and key founding member of the Confessing Church. His writings on Christianity's role in the secular world have become widely influential, and his book The Cost of Discipleship is described as a modern classic.
Metaxas offers a comprehensive review of one of history's darkest eras, along with a fascinating exploration of the familial, cultural, and religious influences that formed one of the world's greatest contemporary theologians.
A passionate narrative voice combines with meticulous research to unpack the confluence of circumstances and personalities that led Germany from the defeat of First World War to the atrocities of the Second World War.
It traces Bonhoeffer's call to be a Jeremiah-like prophet in his own time and a growing understanding that the church was called to speak for those who could not speak. Metaxas details Bonhoeffer's role in religious resistance to Nazism, and provides a compelling account of the faith journey that eventually involved the Lutheran pastor in unsuccessful attempts to assassinate Hitler.
Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy is written and researched rather well. Metaxas used abundant source documentations such as sermons, letters, journal entries, lectures, and the Barman Declaration to bring to life the personalities and experiences that shaped Bonhoeffer, such as his highly intellectual, musical family; theologically liberal professors, pastoral colleagues, students, and his extensive study, work, and travel abroad.
All in all, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy is a wonderfully researched biography that is perhaps the definitive Bonhoeffer biography to date....more
Keep On!: The Story of Matthew Henson, Co-Discoverer of the North Pole is a children's picture book written by Deborah Hopkinson and illustrated by StKeep On!: The Story of Matthew Henson, Co-Discoverer of the North Pole is a children's picture book written by Deborah Hopkinson and illustrated by Stephen Alcorn. It centers on Althea Gibson, who became the first African-American to win at Wimbledon and Forest Hills.
Matthew Alexander Henson was an American explorer who accompanied Robert Peary on seven voyages to the Arctic over a period of nearly twenty-three years. They spent a total of eighteen years on expeditions together. He is best known for his participation in the 1908–1909 expedition that claimed to have reached the geographic North Pole on April 6, 1909. Henson said he was the first of their party to reach the pole.
Hopkinson's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. Hopkinson’s text is complemented by excerpts from Henson’s memoir. Backmatter includes an author’s note, timeline, and resources. Alcorn’s hand-tinted prints feature stylized swirls of waves and snow in monumental tableaux.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. Henson was born in 1866, just after the Civil War, at a time when poor black boys had few chances to roam the next county, to say nothing of another country, the seven seas, or the top of the world. Nevertheless, he went on to do all of those things, first serving on a China trader and later joining Robert E. Peary in the Arctic explorations that culminated in their reaching the North Pole.
All in all, Keep On!: The Story of Matthew Henson, Co-Discoverer of the North Pole is a wonderful tribute to the spirit of Matthew Henson....more
Stories for Kids Who Dare to Be Different: True Tales of Amazing People Who Stood Up and Stood Out is a middle grade picture book anthology of mini-biStories for Kids Who Dare to Be Different: True Tales of Amazing People Who Stood Up and Stood Out is a middle grade picture book anthology of mini-biographies written by Ben Brooks and illustrated by Quinton Winter. It is a colorful collection of approximately seventy-five entries, which covers people around the world that dared to be different.
For the most part, this anthology is written and constructed rather well. Arranged in alphabetical order by surname (Deng Adut–Tu Youyou), each tribute receives a two-page biography with a straightforward one-paged, two columned biographies and is accompanied by vivid, full-page illustrations by Winter.
Brooks offers an eclectic, globe-spanning mix of individuals ranging from individual and groups from different walks of life and experiences. Readers learn about seventy-five artists, athletes, inventors, and philanthropists. Winter's dramatic, graphic novel-reminiscent art provides narrative dimension to Brooks' lively biographies, which serve to show readers that there are limitless ways to change the world.
All in all, Stories for Kids Who Dare to Be Different: True Tales of Amazing People Who Stood Up and Stood Out is a well-rounded collection of mini-biographies about individuals and groups that dared to be different. ...more
Rainbow Revolutionaries: Fifty LGBTQ+ People Who Made History is a middle grade picture book anthology of mini-biographies written by Sarah Prager andRainbow Revolutionaries: Fifty LGBTQ+ People Who Made History is a middle grade picture book anthology of mini-biographies written by Sarah Prager and illustrated by Sarah Papworth. It is a colorful compendium, which covers fifty boundary-breaking LGBTQ+ figures from across history and around the globe.
For the most part, this anthology is written and constructed rather well. Arranged in alphabetical order by first name, each tribute receives a two-page biography with a straightforward one-page biography that includes an account of how they changed the world, broke a barrier, or fought for LGBTQ+ rights and is accompanied by vivid, full-page, blocky illustrations. Backmatter includes a timeline, LGBTQ+ flags and symbols, selected bibliography.
Prager had chosen fifty influential people from all walks of life and covering many spheres of influence. The selection showcases a diversity of races, ethnicities, genders, and sexualities, with some minor gaps as there are no intersex examples or those from East-Asian countries. Despite this oversight, it does not diminish the book’s fundamental value as a resource for young people.
All in all, Rainbow Revolutionaries: Fifty LGBTQ+ People Who Made History is an exciting if uneven volume that offers much for inquisitive kids seeking LGBTQ+ information....more
The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War is a historical non-fiction book written by Malcolm Gladwell. IThe Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War is a historical non-fiction book written by Malcolm Gladwell. It examines the Bomber Mafia of World War II.
The Bomber Mafia was a close-knit group of American military men who believed that long-range heavy bomber aircraft in large numbers were able to win a war. The derogatory term "Bomber Mafia" was used before and after World War II by those in the military who did not share their belief, and who were frustrated by the insistence of the men that the heavy bomber should take a primary position in planning and funding.
During the unprecedented slaughter of the First World War, bombers played a trivial role. However, by the 1930s, many military thinkers concluded that they were the weapon of the future.
Gladwell concentrates on the careers of Generals Curtis LeMay and Haywood Hansell, but includes several educative and entertaining detours. Between the wars, all rising American Air Corps officers attended the Air Corps Tactical School in Alabama where a small part of the faculty – the Bomber Mafia, taught that high-altitude, daylight, precision-bombing would win wars.
During the Second World War, Hansell sent fleets of bombers to destroy German and Japanese industrial targets. Unfortunately, due to weather, enemy resistance, and failure of the overhyped Norden bombsight, the bombs mostly missed.
Gladwell delivers a fairly flattering portrait of LeMay, who headed the 21st Bomber Command in the Pacific in the fall of 1944, Hansell was conducting high-altitude precision daylight bombing of Japan, with the usual poor results. Replacing him in January 1945, LeMay did no better until he changed tactics – sending missions at night, at low level, loaded with firebombs.
His first round of bombing created a firestorm that killed an estimated 100,000 Tokyo civilians. LeMay's bombers went on to devastate 67 Japanese cities, and the raids continued until the day of surrender.
The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War is written and researched rather well. Gladwell takes an evenhanded look into this aspect of history – taking no sides into this historical controversy.
All in all, The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War is an excellent book of revisionist history....more
Canadian Women Now and Then: More than 100 Stories of Fearless Trailblazers is a middle grade picture book anthology of mini-biographies written by ElCanadian Women Now and Then: More than 100 Stories of Fearless Trailblazers is a middle grade picture book anthology of mini-biographies written by Elizabeth MacLeod and illustrated by Maïa Faddoul. It is a collection of over a hundred fearless female Canadian trailblazers.
For the most part, this anthology is written and constructed extremely well – it is far from perfect, but comes rather close. Arranged in alphabetical order in profession or vocation (Activist–Writers), each twenty-five sections have at least two tributes: one representing work these women are currently doing (NOW) and one that are considered groundbreakers in their fields (THEN). Sporadically, there would be an additional biography that have individual spans both section (NOW + THEN). Additionally, there may be an additional block of more examples within the profession – mainly in the THEN section.
Each NOW and THEN biographies are one-page biography, divided into two columns with a portrait done by Faddoul on one side and the other side is the biographical text by MacLeod. The sporadic NOW + THEN biographies are two-page biographies with one full page of art and text. Additionally, there are fifty more biographies of women at the end with five women per page – each with a paragraph of text with a handful of them having illustration of their portrait. Backmatter includes a timeline of important dates, selected bibliography, and an index.
MacLeod had chosen over one hundred influential Canadian women from all walks of life and covering many spheres of influence in their respective professions and vocations from the sciences, the arts, sports, politics, activism, entertainment, law, business and many others. These biographies include those of Indigenous women, immigrants, women with disabilities, and women from the LGBTQ+ community. In short, it is a wonderful collection of biographies of both well-known and not so well-known biographies of Canadian women.
All in all, Canadian Women Now and Then: More than 100 Stories of Fearless Trailblazers is a wonderful collection of inspirational mini-biographies of Canadian women....more
Stories for South Asian Supergirls: A Treasure Trove of 50 Illustrated Biographies of Amazing South Asian Women is a children's picture book anthologyStories for South Asian Supergirls: A Treasure Trove of 50 Illustrated Biographies of Amazing South Asian Women is a children's picture book anthology of mini-biographies written by Raj Kaur Khaira and illustrated by Anu Chouhan, Deepikah R. Bhardwaj, Kokila Bhattacharya, Meenal Patel, Nazrina Rodjan, Poonam Saini, Raj Kaur, Sandeep Johal, Suman Kaur, and Vinny Soor. It is a collection of fifty tributes of influential South-Asian Women.
For the most part, this treasury is written and constructed extremely well – it is far from perfect, but comes rather close. In no particular order, these fifty mini-biographies is a two-page spread with a two-columned biographical text on the left page and a full-page portrait on the right done by one of the ten South-Asian women artist listed above. Backmatter includes a timeline with introductions to the ten artists of the anthology.
Khaira had chosen fifty influential women from Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives, and Bhutan. The women tribute ranges from a diverse background from a prominent suffragette, an Indian princess, prime ministers, authors, and everything in-between. In short, it is a wonderful collection of biographies that redresses the imbalance for young girls of color. Furthermore, it is illustrated by ten renowned South Asian women artists.
All in all, Stories for South Asian Supergirls: A Treasure Trove of 50 Illustrated Biographies of Amazing South Asian Women is a wonderful collection of inspirational mini-biographies, who just happens to be women from South Asian descent....more
Unreconciled: Family, Truth, and Indigenous Resistance is an autobiographical memoir written by Jesse Wente. It is a collection of fifteen interconnecUnreconciled: Family, Truth, and Indigenous Resistance is an autobiographical memoir written by Jesse Wente. It is a collection of fifteen interconnecting personal essays, which narrates the life of Jesse Wente.
Jesse Wente is a First Nations Canadian arts journalist and chairperson of the Canada Council for the Arts. He is an Ojibwe member of Serpent River First Nation.
Each chapter is a self-contained essay, yet the book as a whole is a unified narrative of Wente's childhood and professional career and his experience navigating being Indigenous in Canada. Much of what Wente discusses involves the idea of not being "Indian enough" and how colonialism quite literally created official definitions of Indigenous people. At the same time, movements towards self-identification as the standard have created situations where settlers can exploit opportunities created for Indigenous people, such as access to scholarships or specific academic positions.
Unreconciled: Family, Truth, and Indigenous Resistance is written is written rather well. Organized into three sections about the stories we are told, we tell ourselves, and we tell others. Part memoir and part manifesto, Wente's essays tackle so many interconnected ideas, from tokenism to scapegoating to representation. All of these intersect along axis of liberation and power, as he examines the points in his life where he has been free (or the opposite) to choose, points where he has had the power to determine something or when that power has been an illusion.
All in all, Unreconciled: Family, Truth, and Indigenous Resistance is a wonderful exploration of being Indigenous and its relationship with Canada....more
Nothing but Trouble: The Story of Althea Gibson is a children's picture book written by Sue Stauffacher and illustrated by Greg Couch. It centers on ANothing but Trouble: The Story of Althea Gibson is a children's picture book written by Sue Stauffacher and illustrated by Greg Couch. It centers on Althea Gibson, who became the first African-American to win at Wimbledon and Forest Hills.
Althea Neale Gibson was an American tennis player and professional golfer, and one of the first Black athletes to cross the color line of international tennis. In 1956, she became the first African American to win a Grand Slam title. The following year she won both Wimbledon and the US Nationals, then won both again in 1958 and was voted Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press in both years.
Stauffacher's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. In rhythmic, conversational prose Stauffacher brilliantly capture Gibson's trajectory from feisty, undisciplined tomboy to poised champion. Backmatter includes a timeline and end notes. Couch vibrantly impressionistic pictures depicted the text and life of Gibson extremely well.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. It depicted the early and professional life of Athea Gibson. Paying specific homage to some of the people who helped Gibson along the way, the narrative ascribes Gibson’s passage from wild child to international celebrity to the acquisition of social as well as technical skills.
All in all, Nothing but Trouble: The Story of Althea Gibson is a wonderful tribute to Gibson's fiery spirit inspirational....more
Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women is a middle grade picture anthology of mini-biographies written by Catherine ThimmGirls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women is a middle grade picture anthology of mini-biographies written by Catherine Thimmesh and illustrated by Melissa Sweet. It is a compilation of short biographies of seventeen inventors that happens to be women.
For the most part, this biographic anthology is written and constructed rather well. These biographies range from Ruth Wakefield – inventor of the chocolate chip cookies to Alice Brooks and Bettina Chen – creators of Roominate. Thimmesh had selected a group of diverse innovators from around the world and different walks of life.
These seventeen mini-biographies in fifteen sections cover approximately four pages of written work with mini-portraits and associated illustrations done by Sweet. Backmatter includes a timeline with many more women inventors, selected bibliography, glossary, and index.
The women that Thimmesh had chosen are: Virginia Apgar, Ruth Wakefield, Anna Stork and Andrea Sreshta, Mary Anderson, Azza Abdelhamid Faiad, Stephanie Kwolek, Alissa Chavez, Grace Murray Hooper, Trisha Prabhu, Margaret E. Knight, Patricia Bath, Jeanne Lee Crews, Kiara Nirghin, Patsy O. Sherman, Ann More, and Alice Brooks and Bettina Chen.
All in all, Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women is a wonderful collection of mini-biographies of ingenious women whose inventions had made life simpler and better....more
The Traveling Camera: Lewis Hine and the Fight to End Child Labor is a children's picture book written by Alexandra S.D. Hinrichs and illustrated by MThe Traveling Camera: Lewis Hine and the Fight to End Child Labor is a children's picture book written by Alexandra S.D. Hinrichs and illustrated by Michael Garland. It is a tribute to the self-taught photographer who sparked real reform by turning faceless masses of abused workers into children with names and histories.
Lewis Wickes Hine was an American sociologist and muckraker photographer. His photographs were instrumental in bringing about the passage of the first child labor laws in the United States.
Hinrichs' text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. Hinrichs indicates Hine's own words in italics, interweaving them into each spread's lengthy poems. Backmatter includes a chronology, source list, and endnotes. Garland's evocative illustrations feature detailed, textured spreads of humans of varying skin tones, mostly white, with Hine's real photographs set into a few spreads.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. It tell the story of Lewis Wicks Hine, a photographer whose pictures exposed exploitative labor conditions for children, aiming to end child labor by showing the condition they worked in. From canneries to cranberry bogs, shoe factories to cotton mills, Hine travels the country, photographing youth laborers, intending to make observers of his exhibitions consider the children’s plight more deeply.
All in all, The Traveling Camera: Lewis Hine and the Fight to End Child Labor is a wonderful biography of a pioneering social crusader....more
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