A useful title for Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day.
A boy visits a special place while on vacation.
Jack and his parents fly to a city where cherry blossoms bloom. Views from the plane and a glimpse of the Washington Monument from the airport offer clues to their destination. The city and sights are unnamed in the simple, easy-to-read text but recognizable from the pleasant, serviceable illustrations. On their trip to the nation’s capital, the family visits the Air and Space Museum, the Spy Museum, the Lincoln Memorial, the zoo, and Capitol Hill (where Jack shakes hands with “somebody important from back home”). On the last day of the trip, they visit Arlington National Cemetery, which Jack at first finds “boring,” but his attention is captured by the 21-step march of the soldier guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Brallier nicely captures the solemn poignancy of this monument to soldiers who fell in battle, far from home, unidentified. The family then visits the World War II Memorial and the Vietnam War Memorial. Beginning the trip home, Jack spots an Army Ranger in uniform in the waiting area. He runs to offer his thanks, and “the unknown soldier”—a jarring phrase, given that this soldier is alive and has a name—stands to respond. Jack and his father present as Asian, his mother is light-skinned, and the Army Ranger presents as Black. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A useful title for Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day. (more information on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier) (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-62354-159-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2022
With Souza’s book, this could have bookended the Obama years. But it’s more of a bookend and a paperweight.
Lucidon’s adaptation of her adult book Chasing Light (2017) for the kindergarten-to–second-grade set aims for the photographic splendor of Pete Souza’s Dream Big Dreams (2017), which celebrates what made the Obama administration both historic and extraordinary.
The author gives context for the first lady’s roles as well as the role of a White House photographer and the White House itself, including descriptions of the storied hued rooms. Within that framework, Lucidon shows Michelle Obama performing her duties inside and outside what she called “the People’s House.” However, it’s arguable that enough books exist detailing the duties and the building. What readers likely want from this book is to understand what exactly made Obama’s tenure as incredible as her husband’s. For example, the author calls Obama “Visitor-in-Chief,” but she most famously called herself “Mom-in-Chief” and validated many black mothers in a national discourse that constantly denigrates them. Considering this, it’s regrettable that the book includes relatively few photos of Obama with her family. Other missed opportunities abound, as when Lucidon fails to explain why black girls dancing under Lincoln’s portrait is significant in light of Obama’s first ladyship even as she acknowledges it is “a special moment in history.”
With Souza’s book, this could have bookended the Obama years. But it’s more of a bookend and a paperweight. (Nonfiction. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 23, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-525-64400-2
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 16, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2018
Best read in addition to watching the video, this piece represents an important moment in U.S. history.
Mulford’s song about the tragic church shooting in Charleston in 2015 is transformed into a picture book.
The rhyming lyrics are simple, describing how a stranger came to a house of worship and was “let…in,” though “he was not friend, he was not kin.” The stranger “seemed to pray” but then he “drew a gun / and killed nine people, old and young.” On this spread, white text contrasts with an all-black painted background. President Barack Obama’s appearance with the community of mourners is then pictured with the chorus: “no words could say what must be said / for all the living and the dead // So on that day and in that place / the president sang Amazing Grace.” The painted pictures, with tones of blue, black, and purple, move from the church to a montage of clasped hands, a crowd of mourners, various pictures of Obama, and a spread showing each of the nine victims. The song can be found online, and its performance is deeply moving; in the video, the lyrics and paintings are a stunning combination, making this book seem like a great idea. Without the music though, the book lacks the soulfulness of the video, and the unfinished look of the static paintings is not nearly so effective. Endnotes describe each contributor’s relationship to the work (including performer Joan Baez and filmmaker Rick Litvin) and contain a QR code to access the video; endpapers provide sheet music.
Best read in addition to watching the video, this piece represents an important moment in U.S. history. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-944903-84-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Cameron + Company
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
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