An incredible tribute to an African American woman who dismantled racial and gender obstacles amid the civil rights movement.
Mamie “Peanut” Johnson broke gender barriers playing in the Negro League in the 1950s.
Through informative prose and muscular illustrations, Mamie emerges as both small in stature and larger than life. Standing 5 feet, 4 inches tall and weighing in at 120 pounds, Mamie was frequently underestimated due to her small size and gender but consistently proved skeptics wrong with her strong right arm. She even joined the all-white, all-boys Long Branch Police Athletic League in New Jersey while still a preteen, overcoming her teammates’ snickers and helping them win two championships. She was unable to prove her worth for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which denied black women the opportunity to play. On the urging of a former Negro League player, Mamie won a spot on the Indianapolis Clowns at 19, eventually pitching her way to a 33-8 record in her three-season career. The artwork deftly works with the text to provide a memorable reading experience, Mamie’s enthusiasm and determination shining from every page. Images of Mamie facing down white and/or male hostility alternate with scenes of prowess and accomplishment. This compelling story of breaking barriers and perseverance is timely and essential; it will pair well with She Loved Baseball, by Audrey Vernick and illustrated by Don Tate (2010).
An incredible tribute to an African American woman who dismantled racial and gender obstacles amid the civil rights movement. (afterword, notes, bibliography) (Picture book/biography. 5-9)Pub Date: Jan. 20, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68446-023-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Capstone Editions
Review Posted Online: Oct. 8, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2019
Aspects of Grandin’s complex life have been simplified and the poetry is sometimes forced, but this is an effective,...
A picture-book biography in verse introduces Dr. Temple Grandin, a major spokesperson for autism spectrum disorder.
The author employs easy, accessible language and simple rhyme to describe Grandin’s life, including her original misdiagnosis, the doctors’ advice to “send her away,” her mother’s advocacy, her learning to speak, the “new” diagnosis of autism, frustration with her classmates, her first visit to her aunt’s farm that led to her career as an animal specialist, her understanding of her talents, and the importance of her visual memory. The narrative goes on to describe her high school teacher’s support of her interest in science, her first invention (the “squeeze machine,” a self-calming device based on close-quartered enclosures for livestock), her work in treating cattle humanely, her efforts within the autism community, and the public recognition of her unique talents. The author speaks directly and inclusively: “Being DIFFERENT might just / be what makes you so NEAT! / Don’t let doubt hold you back, / not for one minute more. / STAND TALL, and like Temple, / MARCH RIGHT THROUGH THAT DOOR!” Naïve-style pictures attractively accompany the text, and the backmatter ramps up the content: a letter from Grandin, information from a “chat” between the author and the scientist (written at a slightly higher reading level than the verse), an excellent illustrated timeline, an essay about Grandin for adults, and a bibliography that includes some video resources in addition to mostly adult-directed print resources.
Aspects of Grandin’s complex life have been simplified and the poetry is sometimes forced, but this is an effective, age-appropriate introduction to a remarkable person. (Picture book/biography. 6-9)Pub Date: Aug. 29, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943147-30-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: The Innovation Press
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
A fascinating historical character is presented in terms easy for young children to appreciate, and requests to experiment...
One of America’s most famous 20th-century immigrants, Joyce Chen, gained notoriety the hard way.
Brought up in pre-revolutionary China, Chen left Shanghai with her husband and two children in 1949 to immigrate to the U.S., where she settled in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Lively cartoonish pastel-and-crayon illustrations and rhyming couplets show how young Jia (later renamed Joyce) learned to cook with a man the text simply calls Cook, possibly a family servant, mastering the traditional art of making dumplings, noodles, and sweet rice balls. At the dragon boat festival, she proudly presents her father with her own creation, zongzi rice packages tightly tied “with five bright strings.” Once in the U.S., Joyce and her children face the challenge of life in America: “New words to learn. Strange food to try.” Chen becomes a mentor to other Chinese immigrants and is soon inspired to open a restaurant. The restaurant is immediately popular, but her dumplings aren’t. She overcomes the perception of Chinese food as “gluey stew” by rebranding her dumplings as “Peking Ravioli.” A cookbook and a TV show soon follow, and she has successfully introduced authentic Chinese cuisine to the East Coast. A timeline, glossary, bibliography, and dumpling recipes are included.
A fascinating historical character is presented in terms easy for young children to appreciate, and requests to experiment with dumpling dough will certainly ensue. (Picture book/biography. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4814-6707-0
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: June 26, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
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