A timely and inspiring biography of a great woman who broke barriers and used her voice to elevate those around her.
Shirley St. Hill was all the things a proper little girl was not: spirited, opinionated, and determined to get her way.
This picture-book biography of Shirley Chisholm opens with her early life in Brooklyn, New York, right before her immigrant parents send her and her younger sisters to live with their grandmother in Barbados. After six years the family is reunited in New York, where, nightly, Shirley listens to her father and his friends discuss politics, especially matters regarding Black people and women in America. Shirley becomes active in her community and frequently speaks up for others. She marries Conrad Chisholm and keeps up her activism. When a seat opens up in the New York State Assembly, Shirley runs for it and wins. She faces backlash for being a woman in politics, but Shirley remains undaunted. Three years later, Shirley makes history as the first Black woman elected to Congress. Williams imbues her account of Shirley Chisholm’s life with the voice of an oral storyteller, punctuating it with emphatic declarative statements that act as a refrain. It makes for an inspiring and rousing read-aloud that will give children an excellent sense of Chisholm’s determined character; such traditional elements of a biography as birth and death dates can be found in the author’s note. Harrison’s folk-art–inspired illustrations are as forthright as both the text and their subject. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A timely and inspiring biography of a great woman who broke barriers and used her voice to elevate those around her. (Picture book/biography. 5-9)Pub Date: June 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12368-3
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Anne Schwartz/Random
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2021
A brief but sweet snapshot of an inspiring girl who finds hope in song.
Through the power of music, Lucimarian Tolliver is reminded of what’s important.
Lucy is one of the only children of African descent on her block—called Lucy Street—in 1930s Akron, Ohio, but all her neighbors share one commonality: poverty. Lucy’s carefree spirit is dampened when her family’s furniture is repossessed one day. She visits her grandfather, who comforts her by singing the folk standard “This Little Light of Mine.” Grandpa tells Lucy that she’s destined for greatness and that she should never stop singing, even through life’s toughest moments. Back at home, Lucy’s father scolds her for singing at the dinner table, so she quickly finishes eating and wanders outside and sings into the night. Her voice reaches her family and neighbors, who are all touched by her song. Digital illustrations evoke the time period in muted tones, featuring endearing characters with simple yet expressive features. The visual subject matter is repetitive from page to page, as are the incorporated lyrics of “This Little Light of Mine.” Based on Lucimarian Tolliver’s experiences growing up during the Depression, the text contains an epilogue but lacks backmatter detailing historical context or more information about Lucy’s life. Though the themes of optimism and the importance of family, faith, and music shine through the text, readers may be left with more questions than answers.
A brief but sweet snapshot of an inspiring girl who finds hope in song. (Picture-book biography. 5-7)Pub Date: May 20, 2025
ISBN: 9780063222540
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
A picture book more than worthy of sharing the shelf with Alan Schroeder and Jerry Pinkney’s Minty (1996) and Carole Boston...
A memorable, lyrical reverse-chronological walk through the life of an American icon.
In free verse, Cline-Ransome narrates the life of Harriet Tubman, starting and ending with a train ride Tubman takes as an old woman. “But before wrinkles formed / and her eyes failed,” Tubman could walk tirelessly under a starlit sky. Cline-Ransome then describes the array of roles Tubman played throughout her life, including suffragist, abolitionist, Union spy, and conductor on the Underground Railroad. By framing the story around a literal train ride, the Ransomes juxtapose the privilege of traveling by rail against Harriet’s earlier modes of travel, when she repeatedly ran for her life. Racism still abounds, however, for she rides in a segregated train. While the text introduces readers to the details of Tubman’s life, Ransome’s use of watercolor—such a striking departure from his oil illustrations in many of his other picture books—reveals Tubman’s humanity, determination, drive, and hope. Ransome’s lavishly detailed and expansive double-page spreads situate young readers in each time and place as the text takes them further into the past.
A picture book more than worthy of sharing the shelf with Alan Schroeder and Jerry Pinkney’s Minty (1996) and Carole Boston Weatherford and Kadir Nelson’s Moses (2006). (Picture book/biography. 5-8)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-8234-2047-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 6, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2017
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