A worthy introduction to some of the Hispanic-Americans who have left their marks on the country and culture through their...
Short and engaging biographies of 20 inspirational Hispanic-Americans from fields as varied as sports, arts, sciences, politics, and teaching.
In his introduction, Herrera—the current poet laureate of California—says, “In a land of immigrants, it is an irony that Latino lives have been largely ignored.” It is this gap that he has set out to fill with his book. He includes several well-known figures, such as community organizers César Chávez and Dolores Huerta; artists Desi Arnaz, Rita Moreno, and Joan Baez; baseball player Roberto Clemente; and Supreme Court justice Sonia Sotomayor. He also makes plenty of room for the less-renowned but equally inspirational, such as teacher Jaime Alfonso Escalante, whose life story became the basis of the feature film Stand and Deliver; suffragist Adelina Otero-Warren, who fought for women and children; and astronaut Ellen Ochoa. The task the author has set out to accomplish is big, and the space allotted him is not big enough, but the very helpful recommended readings, bibliography, and source notes at the end of the book should help motivated readers seek out more information. Each profile is accompanied by a beautiful full-page portrait done in watercolor, colored pencils, and litho pencils, etched in Colón’s signature style to stunning effect.
A worthy introduction to some of the Hispanic-Americans who have left their marks on the country and culture through their commitment and dedication. (Biography. 8-12)Pub Date: Aug. 7, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3809-6
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 1, 2015
Essential.
A measured corrective to pervasive myths about what is often referred to as the “first Thanksgiving.”
Contextualizing them within a Native perspective, Newell (Passamaquoddy) touches on the all-too-familiar elements of the U.S. holiday of Thanksgiving and its origins and the history of English colonization in the territory now known as New England. In addition to the voyage and landfall of the Mayflower, readers learn about the Doctrine of Discovery that arrogated the lands of non-Christian peoples to European settlers; earlier encounters between the Indigenous peoples of the region and Europeans; and the Great Dying of 1616-1619, which emptied the village of Patuxet by 1620. Short, two- to six-page chapters alternate between the story of the English settlers and exploring the complex political makeup of the region and the culture, agriculture, and technology of the Wampanoag—all before covering the evolution of the holiday. Refreshingly, the lens Newell offers is a Native one, describing how the Wampanoag and other Native peoples received the English rather than the other way around. Key words ranging from estuary to discover are printed in boldface in the narrative and defined in a closing glossary. Nelson (a member of the Leech Lake Band of Minnesota Chippewa) contributes soft line-and-color illustrations of the proceedings. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Essential. (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Nov. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-338-72637-4
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Scholastic Nonfiction
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021
How can such a passionate topic be rendered so blandly?
Discover the history of the world’s most effective protests.
Arranged in a mostly chronological format, this book documents an international history of protest and resistance. The text is quick to note that it “is not a complete history. It includes a selection of famous and less well-known movements, focusing on nonviolent protest. Rather than describe a handful of protests and their contexts in depth, [they] have chosen to present a broad range to give a sense of the many possibilities of what protest can be.” This summation captures both the strengths and the flaws of the text. The Haworth-Booths provide glimpses into myriad cultures and social groups, including movements not frequently seen in U.S. children’s books such as Chile’s early 1970s protests against food shortages and Nigeria’s Abeokuta Women’s Revolt in the 1940s. Unfortunately, though, they cover so many topics that the information has been condensed until key pieces are missing. This could be a permissible sin if there were thorough, user-friendly backmatter enabling readers to investigate more deeply elsewhere, but the cramped bibliographic essay does not comprehensively provide specific citations or documentation. Some sections are missing vital information, such as whether stories are documented or anecdotal, key facts, and cultural context. The crisp tone is more reminiscent of a textbook than enjoyable nonfiction, and the pink, gray, and black color scheme of the illustrations provides little excitement. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
How can such a passionate topic be rendered so blandly? (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-84365-512-1
Page Count: 168
Publisher: Pavilion Children's
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
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