Readers who pursue the context will discover that the girl who became an Israeli prime minister had a social conscience.
A group of school friends provides Golda Meir with her first leadership test.
Golda is the child of Russian-Jewish immigrants living in Milwaukee when she becomes active in the American Young Sisters Society. As their president, Golda tasks them to raise money to buy new textbooks for classmates. The neighborhood is very poor, and pennies are precious to the shoppers who patronize her parents’ store, so it’s no easy feat. The young girl is highly motivated and struggles to write a speech for a fundraiser, finally deciding to “speak from my heart.” The event is a success, and Golda immediately decides to found a new group and “be [its] president!” In her first book for children, Krasner presents a pleasantly fictionalized story about a future world leader. Garrity-Riley’s digitally manipulated gouache-and-collage illustrations are a nice accompaniment featuring wallpaper backgrounds and fashionable period clothing. However the overall effect, with so many washed-out browns and blues, is drab. Pale circles of cheek blush on the characters bring to mind pages from a shopping catalog. Stopping short of Meir’s Zionist passion and move to Palestine, the book forces readers to consult the biographical note to understand why Goldie is important beyond the story.
Readers who pursue the context will discover that the girl who became an Israeli prime minister had a social conscience. (photographs, places to visit, bibliography) (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4677-1200-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kar-Ben
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2014
A different take on women’s prowess and accomplishments that equine lovers will find appealing.
A daredevil woman wins fame on the 20th-century rodeo circuit.
The county fair, full of colors, vegetables, and animals, is in Nebraska, and a 14-year-old white girl named Tad rides in on a great white horse ready to race. A different challenge soon presents itself as she joins in the contest for steer riding and wins it. So begins this tale of Barbara “Tad” Barnes, who was born in Nebraska at the beginning of the 20th century. Surrounded by horses, she grew up loving to race and performed in rodeos all across the United States and Mexico, specializing in daredevil moves and trick riding, all to great acclaim and popularity. Trophies followed until an accident at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair that should have sidelined her permanently but did not. She received many honors, and her daughter established an award in her name “to honor women who excel in any field related to Western heritage.” Edge writes in a breezy style that brims with admiration for her subject. Ford’s colorful if stiff illustrations depict cowboys and cowgirls, almost all white, and horses galore. A lariat serves to surround and highlight text.
A different take on women’s prowess and accomplishments that equine lovers will find appealing. (author’s note, photograph) (Picture book/biography. 6-8)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4556-2277-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Pelican
Review Posted Online: Dec. 20, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
More homily than history—and bland to boot.
A pop-up introduction to the great Christian reformer.
In Traini’s seven compositionally similar tableaux, simply drawn cartoon figures—all white until a diverse mix of worshipers from the past and present gathers at the end—pop up to look on wide-eyed, along with lots of small cute forest creatures, at select incidents in Luther’s career. As a disclaimer has it, the uncredited and decidedly sketchy narrative is the “popular” version: after being caught in a storm that prompts him to promise God to become a monk if he survives (according to his own account, he appealed to St. Anne), Martin goes on to discover in the Bible “the very good news that we are saved by faith!” Following his 95 theses (totally unexplained) and refusal to recant before the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, he is temporarily kidnapped for his own safety, later produces a German Bible and other writings, and inspires “a reformation of the church” that is still ongoing so long as “we read the Bible, listen to the Holy Spirit, and follow Jesus in faith.” Readers interested in specific dates, biographical details, or even a general picture of Luther’s times will have to look elsewhere.
More homily than history—and bland to boot. (Informational pop-up picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5064-2192-6
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Sparkhouse
Review Posted Online: March 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
© 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.
