The third book in the History Smashers series offers readers more truths about an important event in history, weeding out tall tales they may inadvertently have absorbed through popular culture. In this installment, Messner challenges the belief that the attack on Pearl Harbor came out of nowhere. The author describes how Japan opened up to the outside world following an 1853 confrontation with Commodore Perry of the U.S. Navy, eventually militarizing and searching for foreign conquests. Next, she shows how, after years of colonialism, the U.S. had become largely isolationist, wary of entanglement in foreign countries and conflicts. Then, the background to the Second World War on both the European and Asian fronts is set, and the story of the attack on Pearl Harbor unfolds, shown to have occurred after a series of miscommunications and mistaken assumptions. The subsequent imprisonment of Japanese Americans is addressed, highlighting injustices perpetrated because of racism and fear. Presenting history through a blend of engaging narrative, graphics, black-and-white illustrations, and photos, Messner explains complex issues in a way that is accessible to young readers. Occasional text boxes provide helpful background information, such as about the history of Hawaii. Wartime contributions by African Americans, Native Americans, and Japanese Americans are described.
An intriguing read that will encourage children to question simplistic historical narratives. (timeline, author’s note, bibliography, image credits, index) (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12037-8
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2020
Categories: CHILDREN'S HISTORY
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A custom-built, bulletproof limo links two historical figures who were pre-eminent in more or less different spheres.
Garland admits that a claim that FDR was driven to Congress to deliver his “Day of Infamy” speech in a car that once belonged to Capone rests on shaky evidence. He nonetheless uses the anecdote as a launchpad for twin portraits of contemporaries who occupy unique niches in this country’s history but had little in common. Both were smart, ambitious New Yorkers and were young when their fathers died, but they definitely “headed in opposite directions.” As he fills his biographical sketches with standard-issue facts and has disappointingly little to say about the car itself (which was commissioned by Capone in 1928 and still survives), this outing seems largely intended to be a vehicle for the dark, heavy illustrations. These are done in muted hues with densely scratched surfaces and angled so that the two men, the period backgrounds against which they are posed, and the car have monumental looks. It’s a reach to bill this, as the author does, a “story about America,” but it does at least offer a study in contrasts featuring two of America’s most renowned citizens. Most of the human figures are white in the art, but some group scenes include a few with darker skin.
The car gets shortchanged, but comparing the divergent career paths of its (putative) two riders may give readers food for thought. (timeline, bibliography) (Picture book/biography. 10-12)Pub Date: March 12, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-88448-620-6
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Tilbury House
Review Posted Online: Jan. 15, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2019
Categories: CHILDREN'S BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR | CHILDREN'S HISTORY
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Before the Inuit came to the Arctic, there were the Tuniit.
The Qitsualik-Tinsleys offer readers an introduction to this prehistoric people, twining scientific findings with Inuit legend and even Inuktitut grammar to provide a window on the early Arctic. Without going into anthropological specifics, the husband-and-wife team, who include Inuit, Cree, and Mohawk in their combined heritage, introduce the notion that the Tuniit may not have been human before going on to say that they lived in settlements, originated the intricate stone cairns known as inuksuit, and were short, strong, and shy. They introduce snippets of traditional lore that claim supernatural powers for the Tuniit and that build a strong case for the eventual assimilation of the Tuniit by the encroaching Inuit. Anthropological discoveries validate the existence of the Tuniit and their disappearance as a distinct culture and genotype. Bigham contributes moody oil paintings and ink drawings; shifts in typeface seem to indicate corresponding shifts in mode that highlight the persistence of the Tuniit in Inuit legend, though this is not consistent. The authors clearly wrestle with the understanding that Inuit ancestors displaced an earlier indigenous people, introducing real poignancy to their exhortation that their readers respect the Tuniit by remembering them: "We remember a fate that no culture should have to endure."
A valuable introduction to a vanished North American people, told with nuance, engagement, and rue. (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: May 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-927095-76-8
Page Count: 60
Publisher: Inhabit Media
Review Posted Online: April 1, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2015
Categories: CHILDREN'S HISTORY
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