A well-written, thoroughly supported, and accessible presentation of immigrants’ essential economic role.
Evidence of the many ways that immigrants are not a threat to, but rather a mainstay of, the U.S. economy.
Backing up the subtitle’s claim from the start, Sheen begins with two easily read pages of infographics on areas including taxes and spending, entrepreneurs, occupations, and the wage distribution of immigrants and native-born workers. Although she provides many relevant examples of documented immigrants’ contributions to U.S. productivity and prosperity, she also cites research showing that undocumented immigrants pay far more into the system than they extract from it: “over $30 billion in federal, state, and local taxes annually” that support public benefits they can’t utilize. Immigrants often perform “messy, physically demanding jobs” that otherwise would go unfilled by native-born workers. A brief history of immigration—and anti-immigrant abuses past and present—precedes an overview of immigrants’ contributions to building, revitalizing, and maintaining strong communities. The third chapter explores immigrants’ cultural contributions, explaining how they’ve both enriched the culture and stimulated the economy, for example, through celebrations like St. Patrick’s Day and Lunar New Year, as well as through ethnic food industries and pop culture. In the chapter entitled “Shaping the Future,” Sheen cites the examples of Jan Koum, the Ukrainian-born founder of WhatsApp, and Eric Yuan, the Chinese-born creator of Zoom, among others. Abundant color photos show diversity in race, gender, and religion.
A well-written, thoroughly supported, and accessible presentation of immigrants’ essential economic role. (picture credits, source notes, for further research, websites, index) (Nonfiction. 12-16)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2024
ISBN: 9781678208042
Page Count: 64
Publisher: ReferencePoint Press
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Congolese-American Sophie makes a harrowing trek through a war-torn jungle to protect a young bonobo.
On her way to spend the summer at the bonobo sanctuary her mother runs, 14-year-old Sophie rescues a sickly baby bonobo from a trafficker. Though her Congolese mother is not pleased Sophie paid for the ape, she is proud that Sophie works to bond with Otto, the baby. A week before Sophie's to return home to her father in Miami, her mother must take advantage
of a charter flight to relocate some apes, and she leaves Sophie with Otto and the sanctuary workers. War breaks out, and after missing a U.N. flight out, Sophie must hide herself and Otto from violent militants and starving villagers. Unable to take Otto out of the country, she decides finding her mother hundreds of miles to the north is her only choice. Schrefer jumps from his usual teen suspense to craft this well-researched tale of jungle survival set during a fictional conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Realistic characters (ape and human) deal with disturbing situations described in graphic, but never gratuitous detail. The lessons Sophie learns about her childhood home, love and what it means to be endangered will resonate with readers.
Even if some hairbreadth escapes test credulity, this is a great next read for fans of our nearest ape cousins or survival adventure. (map, author's note, author Q&A) (Adventure. 12-16)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-16576-1
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Oct. 2, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2012
Best for nostalgic Scarry fans.
Culling from vintage Golden Books, this work repurposes Richard Scarry’s illustrations as life lessons.
Standing in for the humans whose roles they embody, genial animals engage in domestic chores, flounder through cheerfully chaotic adventures, and weather comical disasters. Members of a bunny family make breakfast, get dressed, and brush their teeth (“Greet the morning with joy!”), a warthog tackles bedhead, and an earthworm makes a bed. The art lightens the effect of many vague, imperative instructions (“Be helpful!”, “Save your money”), while the ensemble scenes of merrymaking and mayhem show Scarry at his best. Although the animal antics add interest to the bland, greeting-card platitudes (“Discover your own style,” “Appreciate beauty, and fill your life with art!”), some of the messaging feels contradictory. Two impeccably attired bunnies illustrate “Dress to impress!” Meanwhile, on a tropical beach, monkeys, jaguars, a crocodile, a toucan, a sloth, an ostrich, an anteater, and others “dance like no one is watching, even when they are.” Most of the selected art dates from the 1950s to the 1970s, and some of the messaging reflects the era. “Don’t be too hard on yourself” accompanies a dismayed, rotund pig on bathroom scales, bursting out of its pajamas, while slender animals on the facing page embody healthful exercise. (“Keep fit!”, “Have you tried yoga?”). The adult male-presenting figures often appear in active, public, or professional roles, while most of the adult female-presenting characters are caregivers or passive recipients of male attention.
Best for nostalgic Scarry fans. (Self-help. 12-adult)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2026
ISBN: 9798217125319
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Golden Books/Random
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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