In the introduction to Patent’s cogent, thoughtful biography of Charles Darwin, she explains his importance as an icon of science, for without his discovery of evolution through the mechanism of natural selection, “biology makes no sense.” Patent traces Darwin’s life, chronicling his childhood love of collecting, a passion he later said in his autobiography “leads a man to be a systematic naturalist, a virtuoso, or a miser,” his now famous journey on the Beagle, his life as a naturalist, and his many contributions to science. At the time, it was believed that individual species were created separately by God and were therefore perfect and immutable. When Darwin became convinced that species could and do change over time, he acknowledged in a letter to fellow scientist Joseph Hooker that his ideas were akin to “confessing a murder.” What readers should find inspiring and instructive is the way Darwin persevered. Despite various obstacles, including the fear of societal condemnation and his own ill health, Darwin struggled to figure out the vehicle for species change, integrating his ideas from a variety of sources, never giving up until his theory was whole. Additionally, youngsters should find the details of Darwin’s life, his “houseful of servants,” the highly ritualized way he organized his workday, as well as his related scientific interests and achievements, edifying and entertaining. This is not a piece that exactly pulls the reader along, but it is clear and informative and makes a creative life in science seem worthy and satisfying. (Biography. 10+)
Pub Date: July 15, 2001
ISBN: 0-8234-1494-9
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2001
A beautiful, powerful reflection on a tragic history.
In spare verse, Lowry reflects on moments in her childhood, including the bombings of Pearl Harbor and Hiroshima.
When she was a child, Lowry played at Waikiki Beach with her grandmother while her father filmed. In the old home movie, the USS Arizona appears through the mist on the horizon. Looking back at her childhood in Hawaii and then Japan, Lowry reflects on the bombings that began and ended a war and how they affected and connected everyone involved. In Part 1, she shares the lives and actions of sailors at Pearl Harbor. Part 2 is stories of civilians in Hiroshima affected by the bombing. Part 3 presents her own experience as an American in Japan shortly after the war ended. The poems bring the haunting human scale of war to the forefront, like the Christmas cards a sailor sent days before he died or the 4-year-old who was buried with his red tricycle after Hiroshima. All the personal stories—of sailors, civilians, and Lowry herself—are grounding. There is heartbreak and hope, reminding readers to reflect on the past to create a more peaceful future. Lowry uses a variety of poetry styles, identifying some, such as triolet and haiku. Pak’s graphite illustrations are like still shots of history, adding to the emotion and somber feeling. He includes some sailors of color among the mostly white U.S. forces; Lowry is white.
A beautiful, powerful reflection on a tragic history. (author’s note, bibliography) (Memoir/poetry. 10-14)Pub Date: April 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-358-12940-0
Page Count: 80
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
PROFILES
A breezy, bustling bucketful of courageous acts and eye-popping feats.
Why should grown-ups get all the historical, scientific, athletic, cinematic, and artistic glory?
Choosing exemplars from both past and present, Mitchell includes but goes well beyond Alexander the Great, Anne Frank, and like usual suspects to introduce a host of lesser-known luminaries. These include Shapur II, who was formally crowned king of Persia before he was born, Indian dancer/professional architect Sheila Sri Prakash, transgender spokesperson Jazz Jennings, inventor Param Jaggi, and an international host of other teen or preteen activists and prodigies. The individual portraits range from one paragraph to several pages in length, and they are interspersed with group tributes to, for instance, the Nazi-resisting “Swingkinder,” the striking New York City newsboys, and the marchers of the Birmingham Children’s Crusade. Mitchell even offers would-be villains a role model in Elagabalus, “boy emperor of Rome,” though she notes that he, at least, came to an awful end: “Then, then! They dumped his remains in the Tiber River, to be nommed by fish for all eternity.” The entries are arranged in no evident order, and though the backmatter includes multiple booklists, a personality quiz, a glossary, and even a quick Braille primer (with Braille jokes to decode), there is no index. Still, for readers whose fires need lighting, there’s motivational kindling on nearly every page.
A breezy, bustling bucketful of courageous acts and eye-popping feats. (finished illustrations not seen) (Collective biography. 10-13)Pub Date: May 10, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-14-751813-2
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Puffin
Review Posted Online: Nov. 10, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2015
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