by Leonard Everett Fisher & illustrated by Leonard Everett Fisher ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 1995
The latest in Fisher's series of black-and-white picture-book biographies (Marie Curie, 1994, etc.) follows the established format: It begins with a chronology and a map, followed by a dramatically illustrated and concisely worded account of Gandhi's life, sprinkled with short quotes from his writings; an afterword describes his assassination and his place in history. While there is no shortage of children's biographies of this charismatic and inspiring figure, what makes this one worth having is Fisher's meticulous skill at rendering the information honestly and memorably. The acrylic paintings make vivid India's varied landscapes, people, and philosophies, sketching powerful emotions from a flung arm or a cowering figure. (Picture book/biography. 8- 11)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-689-80337-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1995
Share your opinion of this book
More by Eric A. Kimmel
BOOK REVIEW
by Eric A. Kimmel & illustrated by Leonard Everett Fisher
BOOK REVIEW
by Eric A. Kimmel & illustrated by Leonard Everett Fisher
BOOK REVIEW
by Barbara Rogasky & illustrated by Leonard Everett Fisher
by Ann Whitford Paul ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 1, 1999
Prose poems celebrate the feats of young heroines, some of them famous, and some not as well-known. Paul (Hello Toes! Hello Feet!, 1998, etc.) recounts moments in the lives of women such as Rachel Carson, Amelia Earhart, and Wilma Rudolph; these moments don’t necessarily reflect what made them famous as much as they are pivotal events in their youth that influenced the direction of their lives. For Earhart, it was sliding down the roof of the tool shed in a home-made roller coaster: “It’s like flying!” For Rudolph, it was the struggle to learn to walk without her foot brace. Other women, such as Violet Sheehy, who rescued her family from a fire in Hinckley, Minnesota, or Harriet Hanson, a union supporter in the fabric mills of Massachusetts, are celebrated for their brave decisions made under extreme duress. Steirnagle’s sweeping paintings powerfully exude the strength of character exhibited by these young women. A commemorative book, that honors both quiet and noisy acts of heroism. (Picture book/poetry. 6-9)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-15-201477-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1999
Share your opinion of this book
More by Ann Whitford Paul
BOOK REVIEW
by Ann Whitford Paul ; illustrated by David Walker
BOOK REVIEW
by Ann Whitford Paul ; illustrated by Jay Fleck
BOOK REVIEW
by Ann Whitford Paul ; illustrated by David Walker
by Faith Ringgold ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 1, 1999
Ringgold’s biography of Rosa Parks packs substantial material into a few pages, but with a light touch, and with the ring of authenticity that gives her act of weary resistance all the respect it deserves. Narrating the book is the bus that Parks took that morning 45 years ago; it recounts the signal events in Parks’s life to a young girl who boarded it to go to school. A decent amount of the material will probably be new to children, for Parks is so intimately associated with the Montgomery Bus Boycott that her work with the NAACP before the bus incident is often overlooked, as is her later role as a community activist in Detroit with Congressman John Conyers. Ringgold, through the bus, also informs readers of Parks’s youth in rural Alabama, where Klansmen and nightriders struck fear into the lives of African-Americans. These experiences make her refusal to release her seat all the more courageous, for the consequences of resistance were not gentle. All the events are depicted in emotive naive artwork that underscores their truth; Ringgold delivers Parks’s story without hyperbole, but rather as a life lived with pride, conviction, and consequence. (Picture book/biography. 5-9)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-689-81892-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1999
Share your opinion of this book
More by Faith Ringgold
BOOK REVIEW
by Faith Ringgold ; illustrated by Faith Ringgold
BOOK REVIEW
by Faith Ringgold ; illustrated by Faith Ringgold
BOOK REVIEW
by Gwendolyn Brooks & illustrated by Faith Ringgold
More About This Book
PERSPECTIVES
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.