You may salute this, but, except for the illustrations, this banner doesn’t fly high.
An introduction to the Stars and Stripes for younger readers.
This brief, rhyming history of our flag purports to explain its history and significance as a symbol of the United States. Its worthy goals seem to be stirring and engendering respect for the flag. However, the book’s rambling, unfocused narrative and inconsistent, clunky, stumbling rhythms likely won’t capture children’s attention or interest and may even confuse them. The book also perpetuates the myth of Betsy Ross (whose surname isn’t mentioned) as our flag’s progenitor. Positives include a mention of immigrants; an explanation of the symbolism of each of the flag’s colors; and excerpts from Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech and the Pledge of Allegiance. Additionally, the backmatter features examples of U.S. flags from 1775 to 1960; rules of basic flag etiquette; and highly useful instructional guides to folding the flag and cutting stars. The very colorful illustrations far outshine the text and, indeed, are stirring, respectful, and thoughtful. Fort Sumter is juxtaposed with the Lincoln Memorial; a grizzled, brown-skinned veteran kneels at the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial. Americans appear with diverse skin tones (one woman wears a hijab); some are depicted as if in old photos. One interesting page shows several states and the Indigenous words their names are derived from (though the original languages are not consistently identified).
You may salute this, but, except for the illustrations, this banner doesn’t fly high. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: March 28, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-7643-5921-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Schiffer
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A picture book more than worthy of sharing the shelf with Alan Schroeder and Jerry Pinkney’s Minty (1996) and Carole Boston...
A memorable, lyrical reverse-chronological walk through the life of an American icon.
In free verse, Cline-Ransome narrates the life of Harriet Tubman, starting and ending with a train ride Tubman takes as an old woman. “But before wrinkles formed / and her eyes failed,” Tubman could walk tirelessly under a starlit sky. Cline-Ransome then describes the array of roles Tubman played throughout her life, including suffragist, abolitionist, Union spy, and conductor on the Underground Railroad. By framing the story around a literal train ride, the Ransomes juxtapose the privilege of traveling by rail against Harriet’s earlier modes of travel, when she repeatedly ran for her life. Racism still abounds, however, for she rides in a segregated train. While the text introduces readers to the details of Tubman’s life, Ransome’s use of watercolor—such a striking departure from his oil illustrations in many of his other picture books—reveals Tubman’s humanity, determination, drive, and hope. Ransome’s lavishly detailed and expansive double-page spreads situate young readers in each time and place as the text takes them further into the past.
A picture book more than worthy of sharing the shelf with Alan Schroeder and Jerry Pinkney’s Minty (1996) and Carole Boston Weatherford and Kadir Nelson’s Moses (2006). (Picture book/biography. 5-8)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-8234-2047-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 6, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2017
It’s a bit sketchy of historical detail, but it’s coherent, inspirational, and engaging without indulging in rapturous...
A first introduction to the iconic civil rights activist.
“She was very little and very brave, and she always tried to do what was right.” Without many names or any dates, Kaiser traces Parks’ life and career from childhood to later fights for “fair schools, jobs, and houses for black people” as well as “voting rights, women’s rights and the rights of people in prison.” Though her refusal to change seats and the ensuing bus boycott are misleadingly presented as spontaneous acts of protest, young readers will come away with a clear picture of her worth as a role model. Though recognizable thanks to the large wire-rimmed glasses Parks sports from the outset as she marches confidently through Antelo’s stylized illustrations, she looks childlike throughout (as characteristic of this series), and her skin is unrealistically darkened to match the most common shade visible on other African-American figures. In her co-published Emmeline Pankhurst (illustrated by Ana Sanfelippo), Kaiser likewise simplistically implies that Great Britain led the way in granting universal women’s suffrage but highlights her subject’s courageous quest for justice, and Isabel Sánchez Vegara caps her profile of Audrey Hepburn (illustrated by Amaia Arrazola) with the moot but laudable claim that “helping people across the globe” (all of whom in the pictures are dark-skinned children) made Hepburn “happier than acting or dancing ever had.” All three titles end with photographs and timelines over more-detailed recaps plus at least one lead to further information.
It’s a bit sketchy of historical detail, but it’s coherent, inspirational, and engaging without indulging in rapturous flights of hyperbole. (Picture book/biography. 5-7)Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-78603-018-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Frances Lincoln
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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