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
An absorbing account of a real-life adventure in a series that showcases historical accomplishments of women.
Rose explores the true story of a race between two accomplished 19th-century women in this children’s book featuring illustrations by Bye.
In 1889, famed reporter Nellie Bly believed that she could circle the globe faster than anyone had before—in less than the 80 days of Jules Verne’s fictional hero. She pitched the story to her boss at the New York World, who, after initial protests, approved her journey. As Bly left New York City, heading east, Cosmopolitan writer Elizabeth Bisland was sent off to the west, with little notice, to race Bly back to the city. In this entry in the She Makes History series, Rose reports the travels of both women in tandem, showing the eastward movement of Bly and the westward travel of Bisland as the reporters encountered successes and setbacks. Rose’s text and Bye’s cartoon-style color images, which accurately and vividly depict the era in detail, allow young readers to get a deeper sense of what living in the late 1800s was like and how travel, by various methods, was very different than it is in the modern day. The extensive text never overwhelms the illustrations, though, and Bye depicts the players in action-oriented poses that propel the story forward. One particularly elegant two-page spread shows the two travelers’ ships literally passing in the night. Rose captures both the wonder of the world as the women experience it as well as the dangers and miseries of their journeys. Her straightforward vocabulary and accessible narration will let young readers immerse themselves in the history. Endnotes offer greater context for the role of women reporters of the era, highlighting the main characters’ tremendous achievements.
An absorbing account of a real-life adventure in a series that showcases historical accomplishments of women. (Informational picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-8075-0010-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
PERSPECTIVES
PERSPECTIVES
A simplistic but good-hearted effort.
A paean to Americans that features a heavy emphasis on diversity.
This fact is immediately indicated by the “It’s a Small World” cover illustration—jammed with people of seemingly every possible category, including a lad in a wheelchair, women in hijab, and an interracial female couple holding hands. Readers will soon max out on the overbusy and slightly caricatured illustrations that crowd each page, sometimes with a forced whimsy that defies rhyme and reason (Lady Liberty holds a huge ice cream cone). Depictions of Native Americans, presidents and patriots, Russian Jews, and robust mustachioed immigrant men fulfill customary stereotypes, and the author trots out the “apple pie” trope, informing readers that its roots are international (but fails to explain how apples got to North America from what is now Kazakhstan). The oversimplified text does a disservice to complicated issues: “Even if we make bad laws, we can always fix our mistakes.” Similarly, slavery is glossed over, citing only the fact that “enslaved people suffered and were denied every possible freedom.” With these caveats, the author’s apparent intention of celebrating immigration to the U.S. is a laudable one, and she hints that “rules” are prohibiting open access. A timeline provides an overview of landmark moments including the Iroquois Confederacy, Chinese Exclusion Act, and opening of Ellis Island.
A simplistic but good-hearted effort. (author’s note, bibliography) (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 18, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-524-73803-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
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