Aimed at slightly older children than Kathleen Krull’s Harvesting Hope (2003), this powerful biography in poems relates incidents in the life of César Chávez with insight and a sense of wonder. “Who could tell / that he with a soft pan dulce voice, / hair the color of mesquite, / and downcast, Aztec eyes, / would have the courage to speak up / for the campesinos.” At the time of his death, César did not own a car and had never owned a house. The final words of the last poem are Chávez’s own, and a fitting tribute: “True wealth is not measured in money or status or power. It is measured in the legacy we leave behind for those we love and those we inspire.” The numerous Spanish phrases will make reading aloud a challenge for non-Spanish speakers, but learning to do so is worth the effort. Backmatter includes notes, a chronology, a list of sources, a prose narrative, a selection from Chávez’s own words, and an extensive glossary. Diaz’s softly beautiful and illuminating illustrations add much to this already rich celebration of César’s life and legacy. (Poetry/biography. 9-12)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-7614-5172-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2004
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A strong depiction of both the struggles of refugees and the resilience and love one girl finds within herself.
In this long-awaited sequel to Inside Out & Back Again (2011), Hà’s story of adjusting to life outside of Vietnam continues.
Since coming to the United States from Vietnam as a refugee, she has changed and grown in her new country. After finally settling into school and making a friend, Hà is excited to experience an American birthday party. But then her mother announces her plans to move the family from Alabama to Texas in search of new opportunities. Twelve-year-old Hà dreads the thought of starting over once again, but she is eventually outvoted. In Texas, her mother and brother find jobs, and Hà, determined to help, has her own plans to grow and sell plants. At the same time, she navigates the trials of a new school, casual racism and prejudice, and puberty. Through its verse structure, the narration allows Hà’s humor and determination to shine through. As she continues to strive to be true to herself, she finds that this means walking an entirely new path, something different from what her mother imagined but also different from the paths of her classmates. Addressing the challenges of making a new life after trauma and war while also exploring the powerful bonds that shape a family, this is a frank and beautiful continuation of Hà’s story that is also accessible to readers meeting her for the first time.
A strong depiction of both the struggles of refugees and the resilience and love one girl finds within herself. (Verse fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: May 9, 2023
ISBN: 9780063047006
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 7, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2023
PERSPECTIVES
Anchored by massive resource lists for adults in tiny type at the back, these 12 thumbnails attempt, not very successfully, to introduce to young or inexpert readers the idea of “multiple intelligences.” After suggesting that “smart” can mean more than scholastic excellence, the author proceeds to prove the opposite with a cast of professionals that mixes such non-household names as physicist/geologist Luis Alvarez, astronomer Annie Jump Cannon and botanist Ynés Mexía with the more familiar likes of Thurgood Marshall, Georgia O’Keeffe and I.M. Pei. Opposite stylized, expressionistic but still recognizable portraits from Qualls, he introduces each with roughly hewn, rap-style verses, followed by a single-paragraph career sketch. Though at the beginning he lists eight intelligences, such as “Body Smart,” “Logic Smart” and even “Nature Smart,” Nikola-Lisa never directly links any of them to his subjects; instead, he instructs readers to figure it out for themselves—without providing more than scattered, vague clues. It’s a worthy concept for creative types and other misfits to absorb, but the author doesn’t seem to understand it very well himself. (Collective biography. 9-12)
Pub Date: May 1, 2006
ISBN: 1-58430-254-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Lee & Low Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2006
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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