An inspiring and beautifully illustrated tale made all the better by its historical foundation.
It’s 1930, and an 11-year-old girl in Oxford, England, is about to make history.
McGinty first introduces readers to young Venetia Burney attentively listening to a school lesson about the solar system and quickly establishes Venetia’s voracious curiosity across disciplines. The elegant yet accessible text is packed with historical tidbits that contextualize her scientific contribution without overwhelming readers (for example, the fact that her well-connected grandfather had a friend in the Royal Astronomical Society who shared Venetia’s idea with the Lowell Observatory astronomers). Third-person present-tense narration draws readers into the exact moment when, upon hearing that a ninth planet has been discovered, Venetia suggests a name: “she knows that this planet, so far from the sun, must be frozen, dark, and lifeless…like…the underworld ruled in Roman myths by Neptune’s brother, Pluto.” Haidle’s layered, semiopaque washes of blue-gray ink with rusty red accents impart a gravitas that supports the significance of Venetia’s contribution and, echoing sepia-tone photos, emphasizes her place in history. The muted color palette somewhat obfuscates skin tones, but most people, including Venetia, appear white. The constellations on the endpapers immediately introduce the connection between mythology and astronomy that inspired Venetia, while stylized maps and diagrams of the solar system will enthrall readers of all ages.
An inspiring and beautifully illustrated tale made all the better by its historical foundation. (author’s note) (Picture book/biography. 4-8)Pub Date: May 14, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5247-6831-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2019
Tendentious role modeling commingled with an exciting tale of dino discovery.
The story of the discovery of the most complete T. Rex fossil to date and the shy autodidact after whom it is named.
Readers will definitely come away knowing at least two things about Sue Hendrickson (or three, counting the long blonde mane that makes her instantly locatable in Sudyka’s outdoorsy scenes): first, that as a child she was shy—Buzzeo uses the word seven times in her short narrative—and second, that she was born to, as the author repeatedly puts it, “find things.” As tantalizing references in both the main account and the afterword note, that curiosity has turned up a number of lost and hidden treasures, from amber to shipwrecks, but it is for Sue that she is best known. That discovery begins with four summers spent “digging for duckbills” in South Dakota, climaxed by the dramatic moment she spots “three enormous backbones” protruding from a cliff. The narrative continues through the painstaking process of removing the fossils bone by bone, then seeing the dinosaur at last reconstructed (after a long brangle over ownership) at Chicago’s Field Museum. The prehistoric Sue poses regally at the close in both a painted portrait and a tailpiece photograph; though often seen alone, in group scenes, the white, human one works with a racially diverse set of colleagues.
Tendentious role modeling commingled with an exciting tale of dino discovery. (source lists) (Informational picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: May 14, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3163-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: Jan. 14, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Sarah Goode: a name well worth knowing and celebrating.
Readers meet a forward-thinking woman whose name ought to be widely known but isn’t.
Sarah E. Goode was born a slave, the daughter of a skilled free carpenter who “could build anything.” Sarah acquired her father’s woodcraft skills, and, after emancipation, she moved to Chicago, met and married African-American stair builder Archibald Goode, started a family, and realized her dream of owning her own furniture store. Working alongside Archibald, she fashioned a piece of furniture that would make efficient use of space for her customers whose big families were crammed into small living quarters. A desk by day, Sarah’s cabinet bed unfolded into a bed at night. Her first attempt to secure a patent failed because others had already patented components of her design, but with some legal help and revisions to her application, she received the patent for her cabinet bed in 1885, becoming the first African-American woman to be granted a patent. The succinctness with which Kirkfield tells this story emphasizes Goode’s drive to succeed despite obstacles. The illustrations, which have a smooth, digital patina, show her strength and resolve to build something that was both aesthetically pleasing and functional. The presence of her children also suggests that she passed her skills on to them. An author’s note provides further historical context and explains a patent.
Sarah Goode: a name well worth knowing and celebrating. (timeline) (Picture book/biography. 4-8)Pub Date: May 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-939547-31-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Creston
Review Posted Online: Feb. 5, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2019
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
