by Reem Faruqi ; illustrated by Hoda Hadadi ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 17, 2023
A stirring tale of grit and perseverance.
The true story of Maryam Faruqi, an Indian woman who fought for girls’ education rights.
When Maryam—called Milloo—reads, her “thoughts dance…, her mind breathe[s], and her heart hum[s].” Shy Milloo doesn’t speak up in class, though—until the day her teacher doesn’t show up and she takes control of the class, awakening a desire to teach. Though in 1930s India, girls weren’t expected to pursue an education, she finishes not only school, but also college. Her teaching plans are dashed when her husband says she can’t work. But that doesn’t stop her—as she often says, “Enough is enough!” Milloo eventually moves to Karachi, Pakistan, and founds Happy Home Schools, helping thousands of girls to follow her example and obtain educations. This biographical picture book is elegantly told and splendidly illustrated. Powerful prose underscores Milloo’s determination and the importance of gender equity in education. Rose-ringed parakeets fly across the endpapers as a graduation robe flaps in the wind, and floral and faunal motifs can be found throughout. The detailed art invites readers to linger over each page, poring over collaged outfits and patterns, all of which evoke a strong sense of place. In an appended note, the author—Maryam Faruqi’s granddaughter—offers more information about Milloo’s life and work. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A stirring tale of grit and perseverance. (glossary) (Picture-book biography. 5-8)Pub Date: Jan. 17, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-06-305661-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2022
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by Ruby Bridges ; illustrated by Nikkolas Smith ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 6, 2022
A unique angle on a watershed moment in the civil rights era.
The New Orleans school child who famously broke the color line in 1960 while surrounded by federal marshals describes the early days of her experience from a 6-year-old’s perspective.
Bridges told her tale to younger children in 2009’s Ruby Bridges Goes to School, but here the sensibility is more personal, and the sometimes-shocking historical photos have been replaced by uplifting painted scenes. “I didn’t find out what being ‘the first’ really meant until the day I arrived at this new school,” she writes. Unfrightened by the crowd of “screaming white people” that greets her at the school’s door (she thinks it’s like Mardi Gras) but surprised to find herself the only child in her classroom, and even the entire building, she gradually realizes the significance of her act as (in Smith’s illustration) she compares a small personal photo to the all-White class photos posted on a bulletin board and sees the difference. As she reflects on her new understanding, symbolic scenes first depict other dark-skinned children marching into classes in her wake to friendly greetings from lighter-skinned classmates (“School is just school,” she sensibly concludes, “and kids are just kids”) and finally an image of the bright-eyed icon posed next to a soaring bridge of reconciliation. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A unique angle on a watershed moment in the civil rights era. (author and illustrator notes, glossary) (Autobiographical picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-338-75388-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Orchard/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2022
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by Chris Paul ; illustrated by Courtney Lovett ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 10, 2023
Blandly inspirational fare made to evoke equally shrink-wrapped responses.
An NBA star pays tribute to the influence of his grandfather.
In the same vein as his Long Shot (2009), illustrated by Frank Morrison, this latest from Paul prioritizes values and character: “My granddad Papa Chilly had dreams that came true,” he writes, “so maybe if I listen and watch him, / mine will too.” So it is that the wide-eyed Black child in the simply drawn illustrations rises early to get to the playground hoops before anyone else, watches his elder working hard and respecting others, hears him cheering along with the rest of the family from the stands during games, and recalls in a prose afterword that his grandfather wasn’t one to lecture but taught by example. Paul mentions in both the text and the backmatter that Papa Chilly was the first African American to own a service station in North Carolina (his presumed dream) but not that he was killed in a robbery, which has the effect of keeping the overall tone positive and the instructional content one-dimensional. Figures in the pictures are mostly dark-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Blandly inspirational fare made to evoke equally shrink-wrapped responses. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Jan. 10, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-250-81003-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2022
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