Pays due homage to its subject.
Nancy Pelosi has broken through ceiling after ceiling to ensure everyone has a seat at the table.
Born Nancy D’Alesandro, Nancy Pelosi grew up watching her father, the first Italian American mayor of Baltimore, host constituents at their home to hear their stories and let them voice their concerns. While he was working, Nancy’s mother gave them her ear, fed them, and helped as she could. Nancy also watched her mother work, unpaid, to help Nancy’s father get reelected; Nancy always knew the hard work that goes into being a public servant, and that it involves the entire family. After moving to San Francisco and years of organizing and doing community work herself, Nancy was asked to run in a special election to fill her ailing friend Rep. Sala Burton’s seat. Boxer writes how Nancy jumped wholeheartedly into her campaign, and in 1987, she was elected to Congress. It’s a frankly admiring account, highlighting Speaker Pelosi’s many achievements and how she travels the country helping to inspire women to run for government office. The book is current enough to record how, in early 2020, rioters mobbed the U.S. Capitol and stormed Pelosi’s office, stealing many items, before it closes on an inspirational note. Freeman creates images that bear an uncanny resemblance to her subjects, filling some backgrounds with images of multiracial groups of constituents and supporters to remind readers that no work is done alone. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Pays due homage to its subject. (author's note, interview, bibliography) (Picture book/biography. 7-12)Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-37251-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2021
An empowering choice.
Shamir and Faulkner take readers on a trip through various moments in U.S. history as they explore the democratic process.
The text begins in 1884, when a young man rides for hours to deliver his local ballot box in the state of Nebraska. The book then jumps in nonlinear fashion from key moment to key moment, explaining its importance: Native Americans were granted citizenship in 1924 (their status as members of sovereign nations goes unmentioned); the emergency number 911 was created in 1968; George Washington was the only presidential candidate ever to run unopposed. The information is divided into general paragraphs that begin with a question and text boxes that supply trivia and provide additional context to the paragraphs. Children’s and teens’ roles are often cited, such as their participation in the civil rights movement and the lowering of the voting age from 21 to 18. The information ranges from national elections to local, expanding on what can be done on a national level and what can occur locally. Along the way, Faulkner includes a diverse mixture of citizens. A range of ethnic groups, minorities, and people of various body sizes and abilities are included, making the book visually welcoming to all readers. An early image depicting a blind woman with both guide dog and cane appears to be the only visual misstep. The backmatter includes a timeline and sources for additional reading.
An empowering choice. (Informational picture book. 7-12)Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5247-3807-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2018
A pivotal moment in a child’s life, at once stirring and authentically personal.
Before growing up to become a major figure in the civil rights movement, a boy finds a role model.
Buffing up a childhood tale told by her renowned father, Young Shelton describes how young Andrew saw scary men marching in his New Orleans neighborhood (“It sounded like they were yelling ‘Hi, Hitler!’ ”). In response to his questions, his father took him to see a newsreel of Jesse Owens (“a runner who looked like me”) triumphing in the 1936 Olympics. “Racism is a sickness,” his father tells him. “We’ve got to help folks like that.” How? “Well, you can start by just being the best person you can be,” his father replies. “It’s what you do that counts.” In James’ hazy chalk pastels, Andrew joins racially diverse playmates (including a White child with an Irish accent proudly displaying the nickel he got from his aunt as a bribe to stop playing with “those Colored boys”) in tag and other games, playing catch with his dad, sitting in the midst of a cheering crowd in the local theater’s segregated balcony, and finally visualizing himself pelting down a track alongside his new hero—“head up, back straight, eyes focused,” as a thematically repeated line has it, on the finish line. An afterword by Young Shelton explains that she retold this story, told to her many times growing up, drawing from conversations with Young and from her own research; family photos are also included. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A pivotal moment in a child’s life, at once stirring and authentically personal. (illustrator’s note) (Autobiographical picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-545-55465-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
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