by Ronald A. Reis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 1, 2014
A well-written, extensive history that doesn’t seem to know its audience.
The latest installment of the For Kids series examines the history and functions of the United States Congress.
Noting low approval ratings Congress receives from many Americans, Reis encourages readers to see what an amazing institution Congress is, pointing out its role in overthrowing slavery, giving women the right to vote, making strides in civil rights and challenging executive branch authority. Chapter 1—“Unfinished Business: Congress and Slavery”—opens with a lively account of Preston Brooks’ attack on Sen. Charles Sumner on the eve of the Civil War, and following chapters continue the focus on volatile issues facing Congress and American society since our government’s founding—creating the judicial system, enacting the Bill of Rights, seeking a policy on immigration, impeaching presidents and investigating potential dangers to American society. Unfortunately, this volume, like others in the series, is trapped by its “For Kids” formula, as the historical content is well-suited for an older, middle school audience while many of the activities are for younger kids: Create your own “Congressional Money,” make a capital for a Capitol column using paper-towel cores and yogurt cups, and create a Capitol dome using toothpicks and gumdrops. Backmatter includes an excellent guide to websites for kids, and the bibliography notes books suitable for young readers.
A well-written, extensive history that doesn’t seem to know its audience. (afterword, source notes, glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 9-14)Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-61374-977-7
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2014
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by Emmanuel Acho ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 4, 2021
Ultimately adds little to conversations about race.
A popular YouTube series on race, “Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man,” turns how-to manual and history lesson for young readers.
Acho is a former NFL player and second-generation Nigerian American who cites his upbringing in predominantly White spaces as well as his tenure on largely Black football teams as qualifications for facilitating the titular conversations about anti-Black racism. The broad range of subjects covered here includes implicit bias, cultural appropriation, and systemic racism. Each chapter features brief overviews of American history, personal anecdotes of Acho’s struggles with his own anti-Black biases, and sections titled “Let’s Get Uncomfortable.” The book’s centering of Whiteness and White readers seems to show up, to the detriment of its subject matter, both in Acho’s accounts of his upbringing and his thought processes regarding race. The overall tone unfortunately conveys a sense of expecting little from a younger generation who may have a greater awareness than he did at the same age and who, therefore, may already be uncomfortable with racial injustice itself. The attempt at an avuncular tone disappointingly reads as condescending, revealing that, despite his online success with adults, the author is ill-equipped to be writing for middle-grade readers. Chapters dedicated to explaining to White readers why they shouldn’t use the N-word and how valuable White allyship is may make readers of color (and many White readers) bristle with indignation and discomfort despite Acho’s positive intentions.
Ultimately adds little to conversations about race. (glossary, FAQ, recommended reading, references) (Nonfiction. 10-14)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-80106-7
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: May 10, 2021
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by Jonah Winter ; illustrated by Jeanette Winter ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 31, 2020
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
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