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WALK THE WALK

Name: WALK THE WALK
Author: R.J. Owens
ISBN: 9781547609628

by R.J. Owens ; illustrated by Reggie Brown ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 14, 2026

Age-appropriate insight into a defining moment in U.S. history.

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Why can’t Dexter ride the bus to piano lessons?

Despite the distance, Dexter and Papa are walking. It’s the 1950s, and they live in Montgomery, Alabama, where the Black community is refusing to ride public buses until they can sit where they want. Dexter is now closer to sights and sounds along the way and notices more about them: “a willow tree dancing in the breeze,” “the beat of a song pouring from a soda fountain window.” Some white people shout at them for refusing to ride the bus, but Papa is adamant they are doing the right thing. Dexter also observes others in their community walking and recognizes the harsh reality of what they are denied. When a ruckus down the street draws their attention, they learn that the boycott is over. After a year of “walking the walk,” they have earned their ride and look forward to continuing their journey. This is an engaging story that imagines the Montgomery Bus Boycott from the perspective of an African American child. The warm, supportive relationship between Dexter and Papa is at the center of the narrative as the youngster learns firsthand what it means to act on principles. A strong sense of solidarity emerges. Brown’s lively digital art pairs well with the child-friendly language, revealing aspects of the story not mentioned in the text. Useful backmatter—including an author’s note, timeline, and further reading—adds context.

Age-appropriate insight into a defining moment in U.S. history. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: April 14, 2026

ISBN: 9781547609628

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Review Posted Online: March 9, 2026

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2026

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HISTORICAL FICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
COWGIRL DREAMING
by R.J. Owens ; illustrated by Charnelle Pinkney Barlow

- BOOK REVIEW
A SONG SO BLACK, SO PROUD!
by R.J. Owens ; illustrated by Keisha Okafor

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THE ADVENTURES OF HENRY WHISKERS

From the Adventures of Henry Whiskers series , Vol. 1

by Gigi Priebe ; illustrated by Daniel Duncan ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 3, 2017

Innocuous adventuring on the smallest of scales.

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The Mouse and the Motorcycle (1965) upgrades to The Mice and the Rolls-Royce.

In Windsor Castle there sits a “dollhouse like no other,” replete with working plumbing, electricity, and even a full library of real, tiny books. Called Queen Mary’s Dollhouse, it also plays host to the Whiskers family, a clan of mice that has maintained the house for generations. Henry Whiskers and his cousin Jeremy get up to the usual high jinks young mice get up to, but when Henry’s little sister Isabel goes missing at the same time that the humans decide to clean the house up, the usually bookish big brother goes on the adventure of his life. Now Henry is driving cars, avoiding cats, escaping rats, and all before the upcoming mouse Masquerade. Like an extended version of Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Two Bad Mice (1904), Priebe keeps this short chapter book constantly moving, with Duncan’s peppy art a cute capper. Oddly, the dollhouse itself plays only the smallest of roles in this story, and no factual information on the real Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House is included at the tale’s end (an opportunity lost).

Innocuous adventuring on the smallest of scales. (Fantasy. 6-8)

Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2017

ISBN: 978-1-4814-6575-5

Page Count: 144

Publisher: Aladdin

Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION | CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S HISTORICAL FICTION

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MUMBET'S DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

by Gretchen Woelfle ; illustrated by Alix Delinois ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 2014

A life devoted to freedom and dignity, worthy of praise and remembrance.

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With the words of Massachusetts colonial rebels ringing in her ears, a slave determines to win her freedom.

In 1780, Mumbet heard the words of the new Massachusetts constitution, including its declaration of freedom and equality. With the help of a young lawyer, she went to court and the following year, won her freedom, becoming Elizabeth Freeman. Slavery was declared illegal and subsequently outlawed in the state. Woelfle writes with fervor as she describes Mumbet’s life in the household of John Ashley, a rich landowner and businessman who hosted protest meetings against British taxation. His wife was abrasive and abusive, striking out with a coal shovel at a young girl, possibly Mumbet’s daughter. Mumbet deflected the blow and regarded the wound as “her badge of bravery.” Ironically, the lawyer who took her case, Theodore Sedgwick, had attended John Ashley’s meetings. Delinois’ full-bleed paintings are heroic in scale, richly textured and vibrant. Typography becomes part of the page design as the font increases when the text mentions freedom. Another slave in the Ashley household was named in the court case, but Woelfle, keeping her young audience in mind, keeps it simple, wisely focusing on Mumbet.

A life devoted to freedom and dignity, worthy of praise and remembrance. (author’s note, selected bibliography, further reading) (Picture book/biography. 5-8)