by Jane Kohuth ; illustrated by Elizabeth Sayles ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 24, 2013
A sensitive introduction to a young woman whose words continue to live.
This brief but powerful introduction to Anne Frank’s life uses a format suitable for both newly independent readers and older readers who need simplified text.
The chestnut tree is used as a framing device, providing a narrative hook to introduce Anne and her life in captivity in World War II–era Amsterdam. A quote from Anne’s diary is paired with a powerful image of Anne looking out through an attic window at the tree’s bare branches. The concluding pages detail how the tree finally met its end in a powerful storm; sadness is countered with the hopeful description of hundreds of saplings from the famous tree planted around the world. A rather overwrought final page draws a parallel between these new trees and Anne’s words, which “have been planted in the minds of the millions who read her diary.” (Oddly, the tree depicted here does not appear to be a chestnut.) The context of the Nazi era and the basic facts of Anne’s life are skillfully summarized, ending with her family being sent to concentration camps and a brief acknowledgement that “Anne did not survive the war.” Touching illustrations in muted tones augment the portrayal of Anne’s character and add to the atmospheric depiction of her life in the Secret Annex.
A sensitive introduction to a young woman whose words continue to live. (bibliography, author’s note) (Early reader/biography. 6-12)Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-449-81255-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2013
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by Jacqueline Woodson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 28, 2014
For every dreaming girl (and boy) with a pencil in hand (or keyboard) and a story to share. (Memoir/poetry. 8-12)
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A multiaward–winning author recalls her childhood and the joy of becoming a writer.
Writing in free verse, Woodson starts with her 1963 birth in Ohio during the civil rights movement, when America is “a country caught / / between Black and White.” But while evoking names such as Malcolm, Martin, James, Rosa and Ruby, her story is also one of family: her father’s people in Ohio and her mother’s people in South Carolina. Moving south to live with her maternal grandmother, she is in a world of sweet peas and collards, getting her hair straightened and avoiding segregated stores with her grandmother. As the writer inside slowly grows, she listens to family stories and fills her days and evenings as a Jehovah’s Witness, activities that continue after a move to Brooklyn to reunite with her mother. The gift of a composition notebook, the experience of reading John Steptoe’s Stevie and Langston Hughes’ poetry, and seeing letters turn into words and words into thoughts all reinforce her conviction that “[W]ords are my brilliance.” Woodson cherishes her memories and shares them with a graceful lyricism; her lovingly wrought vignettes of country and city streets will linger long after the page is turned.
For every dreaming girl (and boy) with a pencil in hand (or keyboard) and a story to share. (Memoir/poetry. 8-12)Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-399-25251-8
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2014
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SEEN & HEARD
by Victor Hinojosa & Coert Voorhees ; illustrated by Susan Guevara ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 7, 2020
An emotional entry point to a larger, necessary discussion on this complex and difficult subject.
The paths of four migrant children from different Central American countries cross as they enter Mexico, and together they continue their journey to the United States.
Though their reasons for undertaking the perilous journey are different, their hopes are not: They all hope for asylum in the U.S. Ten-year-old Alessandra, from Guatemala, hopes to reunite with her mother, who left four years ago. Thirteen-year-old Laura and her 7-year-old brother, Nando, from El Salvador, are going to live with relatives in the U.S. And 14-year-old Rodrigo, from Honduras, will try to join his parents in Nebraska rather than join a local gang. Along the way they encounter danger, hunger, kindness from strangers, and, most importantly, the strength of friendship with one another. Through the four children, the book provides but the barest glimpse into the reasons, hopes, and dreams of the thousands of unaccompanied minors that arrive at the U.S.–Mexico border every year. Artist Guevara has added Central American folk art–influenced details to her illustrations, giving depth to the artwork. These embellishments appear as line drawings superimposed on the watercolor scenes. The backmatter explains the reasons for the book, helping to place it within the larger context of ongoing projects at Baylor University related to the migration crisis in Central America.
An emotional entry point to a larger, necessary discussion on this complex and difficult subject. (Picture book. 7-10)Pub Date: July 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-64442-008-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Six Foot Press
Review Posted Online: June 2, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2020
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