English actor Burnell highlights the accomplishments of disabled people past and present.
“Everyone deserves to see someone like them in a story or achieving something great,” notes the author, who was born with one hand. To that end, she introduces a multiracial group of 34 noteworthy disabled people—with disabilities ranging from Down syndrome and spina bifida to depression and Crohn’s disease—from around the world, using identity-first language and a straightforward, upbeat tone. Subjects include such historical figures as Deaf and blind American author Helen Keller and such contemporary trailblazers as fashion model Aaron Philip, a Caribbean trans woman with cerebral palsy, and Indian mountaineer Arunima Sinha, the first female amputee to scale Mount Everest. Their faces radiate joy and determination in Baldo’s energetic, warmly hued illustrations. However, the layout is somewhat busy and uneven. Each name is announced in a different typeface, ranging from stylized block letters to ornate script. Though most subjects receive an individual page of text and a full-page facing illustration, those grouped under the separate headings of “Mental Health,” “Hidden Disabilities,” and “Paralympic Stars” share two pages per category, sporting shorter profiles and smaller illustrations. Though the book’s wide geographical range provides much-needed intersectional representation, keeping track of such a large group may tax some readers’ attention spans. Nonetheless, readers with and without disabilities will enjoy meeting talented disabled people who’ve thrived in eclectic occupations.
Though brief, these optimistic profiles will encourage readers to “shine [their] own light.” (glossary, index, resources) (Collective biography. 7-10)Pub Date: July 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-7112-4745-1
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Wide Eyed Editions
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2020
Categories: CHILDREN'S BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
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An extraordinary athlete was also an extraordinary hero.
Gino Bartali grew up in Florence, Italy, loving everything about riding bicycles. After years of studying them and years of endurance training, he won the 1938 Tour de France. His triumph was muted by the outbreak of World War II, during which Mussolini followed Hitler in the establishment of anti-Jewish laws. In the middle years of the conflict, Bartali was enlisted by a cardinal of the Italian church to help Jews by becoming a document courier. His skill as a cyclist and his fame helped him elude capture until 1944. When the war ended, he kept his clandestine efforts private and went on to win another Tour de France in 1948. The author’s afterword explains why his work was unknown. Yad Vashem, the Israeli Holocaust museum, honored him as a Righteous Among the Nations in 2013. Bartali’s is a life well worth knowing and well worthy of esteem. Fedele’s illustrations in mostly dark hues will appeal to sports fans with their action-oriented scenes. Young readers of World War II stories will gain an understanding from the somber wartime pages.
What makes one person step into danger to help others? A question worthy of discussion, with this title as an admirable springboard. (photograph, select bibliography, source notes) (Picture book/biography. 7-10)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-68446-063-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Capstone Editions
Review Posted Online: April 28, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2019
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The backstory of a renowned address is revealed.
Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream Speech” is one of the most famous ever given, yet with this book, Wittenstein and Pinkney give young readers new insights into both the speech and the man behind it. When Dr. King arrived in Washington, D.C., for the 1963 March on Washington, the speech was not yet finished. He turned to his fellow civil rights leaders for advice, and after hours of listening, he returned to his room to compose, fine-tuning even the day of the march. He went on to deliver a powerful speech, but as he closed, he moved away from the prepared text and into a stirring sermon. “Martin was done circling. / The lecture was over. / He was going to church, / his place to land, / and taking a congregation / of two hundred and fifty thousand / along for the ride.” Although much hard work still lay ahead, the impact of Dr. King’s dramatic words and delivery elevated that important moment in the struggle for equal rights. Wittenstein’s free-verse narrative perfectly captures the tension leading up to the speech as each adviser urged his own ideas while remaining a supportive community. Pinkney’s trademark illustrations dramatize this and the speech, adding power and further illuminating the sense of historical importance.
Gives readers a fresh and thrilling sense of what it took to make history. (author’s note, lists of advisers and speakers, bibliography, source notes) (Informational picture book. 7-10)Pub Date: Aug. 27, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4331-4
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Neal Porter/Holiday House
Review Posted Online: June 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
Categories: CHILDREN'S BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR | CHILDREN'S HISTORY
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