A resplendently told account of an underdog who triumphs.
Just the fairy-tale facts, ma’am.
Taking cues from Hans Christian Andersen himself, Nickel writes in the style of a fairy tale as she chronicles the life of one of the world’s best-known storytellers. Happily, she sticks to the truth, rendering her subject’s early slights, hurts, and disappointments without fabulation or falsity—and with genuine empathy. We watch a young Andersen, misunderstood in his small town, go to glorious Copenhagen, only to find new rejection there as he auditions for the Royal Theater. Nickel deftly weaves in sly references to Andersen’s most celebrated tales (dancers are compared to swans, a choir to a nightingale). His success, when it arrives, feels deeply earned and deserved. Considering Andersen’s own propensity for cut-paper creations, it’s fitting that this book’s artist works in the same medium. Paper sculptor Nicholls is as adept at evoking the blurry reflections of buildings in the water as he is shadowed faces murmuring, and all out of multicolored pulp. This style brings to mind the best work of such artists as David Wisniewski. For most of the narrative, Andersen’s face is masked, shadowed, and hidden, his yellow scarf far more prominent, up until the ultimate moment of success. This rags-to-riches tale brings the emotional heart of Andersen’s own story to glorious, wonderful life.
A resplendently told account of an underdog who triumphs. (author’s note, bibliography, citations) (Picture-book biography. 5-7)Pub Date: March 3, 2026
ISBN: 9781646145768
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Levine Querido
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: today
A brief but sweet snapshot of an inspiring girl who finds hope in song.
Through the power of music, Lucimarian Tolliver is reminded of what’s important.
Lucy is one of the only children of African descent on her block—called Lucy Street—in 1930s Akron, Ohio, but all her neighbors share one commonality: poverty. Lucy’s carefree spirit is dampened when her family’s furniture is repossessed one day. She visits her grandfather, who comforts her by singing the folk standard “This Little Light of Mine.” Grandpa tells Lucy that she’s destined for greatness and that she should never stop singing, even through life’s toughest moments. Back at home, Lucy’s father scolds her for singing at the dinner table, so she quickly finishes eating and wanders outside and sings into the night. Her voice reaches her family and neighbors, who are all touched by her song. Digital illustrations evoke the time period in muted tones, featuring endearing characters with simple yet expressive features. The visual subject matter is repetitive from page to page, as are the incorporated lyrics of “This Little Light of Mine.” Based on Lucimarian Tolliver’s experiences growing up during the Depression, the text contains an epilogue but lacks backmatter detailing historical context or more information about Lucy’s life. Though the themes of optimism and the importance of family, faith, and music shine through the text, readers may be left with more questions than answers.
A brief but sweet snapshot of an inspiring girl who finds hope in song. (Picture-book biography. 5-7)Pub Date: May 20, 2025
ISBN: 9780063222540
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
It’s a bit sketchy of historical detail, but it’s coherent, inspirational, and engaging without indulging in rapturous...
A first introduction to the iconic civil rights activist.
“She was very little and very brave, and she always tried to do what was right.” Without many names or any dates, Kaiser traces Parks’ life and career from childhood to later fights for “fair schools, jobs, and houses for black people” as well as “voting rights, women’s rights and the rights of people in prison.” Though her refusal to change seats and the ensuing bus boycott are misleadingly presented as spontaneous acts of protest, young readers will come away with a clear picture of her worth as a role model. Though recognizable thanks to the large wire-rimmed glasses Parks sports from the outset as she marches confidently through Antelo’s stylized illustrations, she looks childlike throughout (as characteristic of this series), and her skin is unrealistically darkened to match the most common shade visible on other African-American figures. In her co-published Emmeline Pankhurst (illustrated by Ana Sanfelippo), Kaiser likewise simplistically implies that Great Britain led the way in granting universal women’s suffrage but highlights her subject’s courageous quest for justice, and Isabel Sánchez Vegara caps her profile of Audrey Hepburn (illustrated by Amaia Arrazola) with the moot but laudable claim that “helping people across the globe” (all of whom in the pictures are dark-skinned children) made Hepburn “happier than acting or dancing ever had.” All three titles end with photographs and timelines over more-detailed recaps plus at least one lead to further information.
It’s a bit sketchy of historical detail, but it’s coherent, inspirational, and engaging without indulging in rapturous flights of hyperbole. (Picture book/biography. 5-7)Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-78603-018-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Frances Lincoln
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2017
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