Adler presents 12 heroes of the American Revolution in an attractive, if slight, volume. He selected his subjects “as examples of the many brave and diverse heroes of the Revolution.” Presented with such iconic heroes as Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and Paul Revere are Crispus Attucks, a former slave killed at the Boston Massacre; Deborah Sampson, whose epitaph reads “the female soldier”; Lydia Darragh, a spy; and Mary “Molly Pitcher” Hays, who served at the Battle of Monmouth. With no introduction to provide context, the one-page vignettes offer cardboard heroes at best. The dramatic, full-page watercolor illustrations provide the energy the text lacks. The bibliography is an odd assortment of sources—mostly older books for adults, with nothing pointing younger readers to the wealth of materials—including some of the author’s other works—on the subject for them. Useful only if matched with more informative sources, such as Doreen Rappaport and Joan Verniero’s recent Victory or Death! Stories of the American Revolution (p. 539). (contents, author’s notes, important dates, source notes, bibliography) (Picture book/biography. 6-9)
Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2003
ISBN: 0-8234-1471-X
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2003
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
In first-person voice, Aldrin highlights points from his childhood that led to his dream of being an astronaut and making the historic moon landing. Coincidental details like his mother’s maiden name, “Moon,” and his favorite movie hero, the “Lone Ranger,” suggest clues to his destiny. After West Point, he joined the Air Force because “he wanted to fly more than anything.” Minor’s usual beautiful and realistic illustrations effectively convey spatial perspectives and movement, adding depth to the narrative. However, the cover design and type layout are confusing, indicative of a biography instead of an autobiography—a brief intro could have clarified it. Aldrin’s message in an author’s note avows, “If you set your sights high, you may accomplish more than you ever dreamed.” Pair this with Don Brown’s One Giant Step for a child’s-eye view on space exploration. (Flight/space exploration chronology) (Picture book/biography. 6-9)
Pub Date: June 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-06-055445-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2005
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Strong rhythms and occasional full or partial rhymes give this account of P.T. Barnum’s 1884 elephant parade across the newly opened Brooklyn Bridge an incantatory tone. Catching a whiff of public concern about the new bridge’s sturdiness, Barnum seizes the moment: “’I will stage an event / that will calm every fear, erase every worry, / about that remarkable bridge. / My display will amuse, inform / and astound some. / Or else my name isn’t Barnum!’” Using a rich palette of glowing golds and browns, Roca imbues the pachyderms with a calm solidity, sending them ambling past equally solid-looking buildings and over a truly monumental bridge—which soars over a striped Big Top tent in the final scene. A stately rendition of the episode, less exuberant, but also less fictionalized, than Phil Bildner’s Twenty-One Elephants (2004), illustrated by LeUyen Pham. (author’s note, resource list) (Picture book. 7-9)
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2005
ISBN: 0-618-44887-X
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2005
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