An ambitious look at an important movement that falls short in execution.
The vibrant history of LGBTQ+ activism gets the abecedary treatment.
Each letter in the alphabet corresponds to a person, place, event, or concept that relates to the struggles and achievements of the LGBTQ+ community. Subjects range from the well known (the Stonewall Inn, Pride flags) to those that are more obscure but still important (activist Ernestine Eckstein, the “We Demand” demonstration held in Ottawa in 1987). Each entry is thoroughly researched and in tune with current conversations, such as cross-generational reactions to the word queer. Though the book is informative, it’s an overwhelming read at times, with spreads containing large blocks of wordy text alongside energetic illustrations. Many prominent figures who could have benefited from a more in-depth treatment are relegated to the abundant backmatter, perhaps due to the constraints of the alphabet format. In the introduction, Stevenson states that readers will learn about “queer history in North America,” yet the book includes primarily American and Canadian examples (two Mexican activists are mentioned in the backmatter). In addition to brief profiles of prominent figures in the LGBTQ+ movement, the backmatter includes a timeline, a glossary, and a list of child-friendly resources. People depicted are diverse.
An ambitious look at an important movement that falls short in execution. (select sources, index) (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9781525308352
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: April 20, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2024
Essential.
A measured corrective to pervasive myths about what is often referred to as the “first Thanksgiving.”
Contextualizing them within a Native perspective, Newell (Passamaquoddy) touches on the all-too-familiar elements of the U.S. holiday of Thanksgiving and its origins and the history of English colonization in the territory now known as New England. In addition to the voyage and landfall of the Mayflower, readers learn about the Doctrine of Discovery that arrogated the lands of non-Christian peoples to European settlers; earlier encounters between the Indigenous peoples of the region and Europeans; and the Great Dying of 1616-1619, which emptied the village of Patuxet by 1620. Short, two- to six-page chapters alternate between the story of the English settlers and exploring the complex political makeup of the region and the culture, agriculture, and technology of the Wampanoag—all before covering the evolution of the holiday. Refreshingly, the lens Newell offers is a Native one, describing how the Wampanoag and other Native peoples received the English rather than the other way around. Key words ranging from estuary to discover are printed in boldface in the narrative and defined in a closing glossary. Nelson (a member of the Leech Lake Band of Minnesota Chippewa) contributes soft line-and-color illustrations of the proceedings. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Essential. (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Nov. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-338-72637-4
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Scholastic Nonfiction
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021
Like oil itself, this is a book that needs to be handled with special care.
In 1977, the oil carrier Exxon Valdez spilled 11 million gallons of oil into a formerly pristine Alaskan ocean inlet, killing millions of birds, animals, and fish. Despite a cleanup, crude oil is still there.
The Winters foretold the destructive powers of the atomic bomb allusively in The Secret Project (2017), leaving the actuality to the backmatter. They make no such accommodations to young audiences in this disturbing book. From the dark front cover, on which oily blobs conceal a seabird, to the rescuer’s sad face on the back, the mother-son team emphasizes the disaster. A relatively easy-to-read and poetically heightened text introduces the situation. Oil is pumped from the Earth “all day long, all night long, / day after day, year after year” in “what had been unspoiled land, home to Native people // and thousands of caribou.” The scale of extraction is huge: There’s “a giant pipeline” leading to “enormous ships.” Then, crash. Rivers of oil gush out over three full-bleed wordless pages. Subsequent scenes show rocks, seabirds, and sea otters covered with oil. Finally, 30 years later, animals have returned to a cheerful scene. “But if you lift a rock… // oil / seeps / up.” For an adult reader, this is heartbreaking. How much more difficult might this be for an animal-loving child?
Like oil itself, this is a book that needs to be handled with special care. (author’s note, further reading) (Informational picture book. 9-12)Pub Date: March 31, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5344-3077-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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