Within its focus on the elephants and the protagonists, this book is lovely, tender, and moving.
A very special bond develops between a group of elephants and the owners of an African wildlife refuge.
Thula Thula is a huge fenced refuge where rangers protect all the animals that live within. No hunting is allowed here. Lawrence and Françoise, the real-life proprietors of this enclave, are alerted to the plight of a herd of elephants, enraged after being hunted and mistreated, that threatens a village. Lawrence readily agrees to keep them at Thula Thula. Upon arrival, the elephants are placed in a boma, a wide fenced corral. But in their agitated state, they break down all the fences and escape, getting dangerously close to areas where they may be hunted. In brief, action-packed sentences, Tomsic informs readers of all the steps taken to bring them back, with the text placed against Hooper’s beautifully realized illustrations of African animals and the vast, gorgeous landscape. It is Lawrence’s concern, patience, and heartfelt communication with the elephants that form the heart of the tale, for long-lasting connection between these special humans and the animals they love is palpable. Lawrence Anthony (now deceased) was a White South African; Françoise Malby-Anthony is a White Frenchwoman. Secondary characters are Black, presumably Zulu. Sadly, the text does not locate Thula Thula in South Africa, nor does it address thorny issues resulting from the legacy of colonialism.
Within its focus on the elephants and the protagonists, this book is lovely, tender, and moving. (author’s note, acknowledgements, works cited) (Picture book. 4-9)Pub Date: May 18, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2783-5
Page Count: 68
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2021
An inspiring and definitely underrecognized role model.
A young Black woman revolutionizes warship design for the U.S. Navy.
Swanson skips most of her subject’s private life to focus on her engineering career, which was inspired by a childhood tour of a WWII submarine in 1943 and culminated in the first naval ship to be entirely designed by computer. Taking to heart her mother’s lesson that she could “learn anything, do anything, and be anything,” Montague defied rules and conventions to take shop in high school, advance from clerk typist for the Navy to ad hoc operator of the early UNIVAC computer, finally earn reluctant admission to the Naval Ship Engineering Center, and head a software-development team so underfunded that she had to recruit her mother and 3-year-old son to ensure that she met her deadline. Montague went on to a long and distinguished career. As she told the author in 2017 (she died in 2018, which goes unmentioned among the closing tally of later honors and awards), she wanted to be remembered for her achievements, not as the first woman, nor the first Black woman, but as the first person to create what she did. As she proceeds from pigtails to gray-haired eminence in Jamison’s illustrations, Montague’s lively, intelligent gaze shines out. Aside from one group portrait of her racially diverse design team, she poses either with other brown-skinned female colleagues or with dismissive, oblivious, and/or astonished white men.
An inspiring and definitely underrecognized role model. (author’s note, source list) (Picture-book biography. 7-9)Pub Date: Nov. 19, 2024
ISBN: 9780316565486
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2024
A book for the Everglades and its human allies.
Learn about the Everglades and a passionate life.
A vivid double-page panorama rooted in friendly greens and blues introduces the birth of the Everglades from a stream in Florida. This saw grass–filled place is presented as one of the most biodiverse places in the world, with nine active ecosystems. Some text loosely follows a “House That Jack Built” structure to show relationships among ecosystem elements. Animal inhabitants fly and swim gently across the pages in bright colors and animation-level detail that catches the eye, with minimal shadow or textures. As the human threat to the area is swiftly introduced, so are Marjory and Ernest, two White friends who share an awe for the cypress, birds, panthers, and other dynamic flora and fauna. Together, they lobby for a bill to create Everglades National Park. As they show lawmakers the area from an airship, hope rises but is quickly crushed. In the end, establishing the park is made possible only by heightened public awareness via Marjory’s 1947 book. The frank presentation of the lengthy struggle to protect the ecosystems in the Everglades shares meaningful ideas about persistence and potential payoff for pursuing passions. Little is shared about Douglas in the main text aside from her tireless efforts on behalf of the Everglades and her mission-driven friendship with Ernest. A biographical note helps to flesh her life out a bit more.
A book for the Everglades and its human allies. (further information, advocacy suggestions, bibliography) (Picture book/biography. 4-9)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-8075-8496-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2021
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