An inspiring resource for readers as well as a springboard for research.
This anthology honors the accomplishments of contemporary Canadian women as well as their predecessors who paved the way.
The members of this impressive ensemble are diverse in age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and ability, ranging from activist Anjali Katta, who founded GirlsCo. to raise money for girls’ education at the age of 16, to Shanawdithit, the last surviving member of the Indigenous Beothuk people in Newfoundland, whose drawings and writings are the sole records of her people. Actors, athletes, dancers, inventors, explorers, painters, scientists, and the like are each given a dedicated chapter. Typically one contemporary individual is spotlighted on verso opposite a pioneer of that career. Occasionally an additional woman is highlighted or there’s a footnote with additional names and accomplishments. Each account includes Faddoul’s realistic portrait as well as a brief biography. These highlight important dates, early influences, and struggles as well as contributions to the advancement of society. About 50 women are honored in this format while an additional 50-plus more are recognized with a smaller portrait and brief description placed after the discussion guide and before the biography and index. The sheer number of individuals prohibits in-depth details of the life and work of any one, but MacLeod writes efficiently, even addressing controversies some individuals may present.
An inspiring resource for readers as well as a springboard for research. (Collective biography. 9-12)Pub Date: April 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5253-0061-5
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020
Like oil itself, this is a book that needs to be handled with special care.
In 1977, the oil carrier Exxon Valdez spilled 11 million gallons of oil into a formerly pristine Alaskan ocean inlet, killing millions of birds, animals, and fish. Despite a cleanup, crude oil is still there.
The Winters foretold the destructive powers of the atomic bomb allusively in The Secret Project (2017), leaving the actuality to the backmatter. They make no such accommodations to young audiences in this disturbing book. From the dark front cover, on which oily blobs conceal a seabird, to the rescuer’s sad face on the back, the mother-son team emphasizes the disaster. A relatively easy-to-read and poetically heightened text introduces the situation. Oil is pumped from the Earth “all day long, all night long, / day after day, year after year” in “what had been unspoiled land, home to Native people // and thousands of caribou.” The scale of extraction is huge: There’s “a giant pipeline” leading to “enormous ships.” Then, crash. Rivers of oil gush out over three full-bleed wordless pages. Subsequent scenes show rocks, seabirds, and sea otters covered with oil. Finally, 30 years later, animals have returned to a cheerful scene. “But if you lift a rock… // oil / seeps / up.” For an adult reader, this is heartbreaking. How much more difficult might this be for an animal-loving child?
Like oil itself, this is a book that needs to be handled with special care. (author’s note, further reading) (Informational picture book. 9-12)Pub Date: March 31, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5344-3077-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
An introduction to ancient Egypt and the Pharaohs buried in the Valley of the Kings. The authors begin with how archaeologist Howard Carter found the tomb of King Tut, then move back 3,000 years to the time of Thutmosis I, who built the first tomb in the Valley of the Kings. Finally they describe the building of the tomb of a later Pharaoh, Ramses II. The backward-forward narration is not always easy to follow, and the authors attribute emotions to the Pharaohs without citation. For example, “Thutmosis III was furious [with Hatshepsut]. He was especially annoyed that she planned to be buried in KV 20, the tomb of her father.” Since both these people lived 3,500 years ago, speculation on who was furious or annoyed should be used with extreme caution. And the tangled intrigue of Egyptian royalty is not easily sorted out in so brief a work. Throughout, though, there are spectacular photographs of ancient Egyptian artifacts, monuments, tomb paintings, jewels, and death masks that will appeal to young viewers. The photographs of the exposed mummies of Ramses II, King Tut, and Seti I are compelling. More useful for the hauntingly beautiful photos than the text. (brief bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-7922-7223-4
Page Count: 64
Publisher: National Geographic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2001
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