An occasionally simplistic but rousing tale that shines a light on a story that should be more widely known.
The Van Buren sisters defy gender roles on a cross-country motorbike ride.
To prove that women are just as capable as men of serving as messengers during World War I, Addie and Gussie Van Buren set off on a journey from Brooklyn to San Francisco, armed with Addie’s mechanic tools and sporting goggles and leather jackets and pants, but not everyone supports them. Though their father raised them with a love of sports and a confident attitude, most people at this time believe that women should be prim, quiet, and domestic while wearing cumbersome dresses, and they make sure to tell Addie and Gussie that over and over again. But the indomitable sisters won’t be dissuaded from their adventure and complete their 5,000-mile trek despite threats of arrest for the crime of wearing men’s clothing. With only a pair of goggles to differentiate them when they’re in their biker gear, it’s difficult to tell the sisters apart throughout the story. Bland backgrounds and the largely interchangeable cast of mostly White-presenting characters flatten the reading experience. At times, the book seems to suggest that wearing dresses and frilly clothes is inherently incompatible with women achieving autonomy. Still, many will welcome this enthusiastic celebration of two relatively lesser known women sticking up for their passions and beliefs despite societal expectations. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
An occasionally simplistic but rousing tale that shines a light on a story that should be more widely known. (more information on the Van Buren sisters, glossary, sources) (Informational picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781525302480
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: March 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Let this one fly away.
Young Maria Merian had a passion for butterflies and moths that led to a lifelong, convention-defining career of natural-history illustration.
When the young artist was growing up in 17th-century Germany, butterflies and moths were thought to arise through spontaneous generation and women interested in insects might be seen as witches. Still, Maria not only painted the insects she saw around her, she brought home silkworms and studied them, watching their metamorphosis and painting what she saw, including their favorite plants and flowers. Continuing to observe and paint from nature in her adult life, she also taught and published books of her illustrations, raised a family, and traveled as far as Suriname to explore the natural world. In contrast to Margarita Engle and Julie Paschkis’ Summer Birds (2010), in which a first-person narrative captures Maria’s childhood voice and joy in the natural world and the illustrations demonstrate the culture’s changing approach to nature, Marsh and Vanzo present a more distant, staid story for young readers. Vanzo’s illustrations, drawn with pencil and digitally colored, are modestly realistic, more so for the insects than humans (all white, including in Suriname). Sadly, the monarch butterflies that intrigue freckle-faced Maria in these images don’t exist in Germany. Even the title is unfortunate: Butterflies and moths are not bugs. An author’s note provides further information about this early naturalist. A few of the artist’s original illustrations are included and sourced, but no sources are given for other information.
Let this one fly away. (Picture book/biography. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-8075-9257-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: Nov. 11, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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