Sure to encourage readers to eat their veggies and join Michelle Obama’s table, even if all they start with is a cup.
A young readers’ introduction to the work and legacy of former first lady Michelle Obama.
Miller opens with young Michelle Robinson and her brother as children riding their bicycles. “Before Michelle Obama was the First Lady, she was a kid just like you,” she writes, making her subject immediately accessible to young readers. The future first lady is seen enjoying a healthy diet full of veggies as a child and providing the same experience for her own family as an adult. The family exercises and eats home-cooked meals together, with Barack Obama and their daughters asking for more, just as Michelle Obama had done as a child. Miller describes how Michelle Obama sought assistance from White House chefs and gardeners and how she invited local students (depicted as a diverse group) to join in building and maintaining the garden. The bright cartoon illustrations detail both the tools needed and the work involved in building the lush garden. An author’s note shares additional information about the first lady’s garden, a 2010 photo of Michelle Obama at work in it, and a graphic guide to starting a garden with seeds planted in paper cups. Also included is a photo of Michelle Obama from 2010, working with a group of students in the White House garden. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-17-inch double-page spreads viewed at 60.2% of actual size.)
Sure to encourage readers to eat their veggies and join Michelle Obama’s table, even if all they start with is a cup. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-316-45857-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2021
It’s clear this book has a lot of love for the flag’s promise that “it’s okay to be your colorful, sparkly, glittery self,”...
A colorful tribute to Gilbert Baker and his rainbow flag.
Gilbert, “a little boy who was full of color and sparkle and glitter,” grew up “where everything was gray and dull and flat.” His grandmother’s clothing boutique supported his love for fashion, soon crushed by paternal disapproval. He could be “his colorful, sparkly, glittery self” only in San Francisco, moving there after his brief, disastrous military service. Surrounded by the city’s famed painted ladies, Gilbert rediscovers his passions, creating the rainbow flag after a conversation with Harvey Milk. The art is beautiful and bright, transitioning powerfully from a subdued Kansan landscape to a flamboyant Bay Area. Some textual shifts are jarring, as when Gilbert "received a letter that knocked every last bit of sparkle out of him” and is suddenly in uniform, with no explanation about the draft. Similarly, before the flag’s invention, “There was just one thing that continued to blemish their beautiful city. It was a symbol that, in Gilbert’s community, was a constant reminder of evil.” This confusing allusion to the pink triangle is explained only in the densely packed author’s note, and the word “gay” never appears in the story; readers must wait to learn about the rainbow’s direct connection to LGBTQ identities in the endnote.
It’s clear this book has a lot of love for the flag’s promise that “it’s okay to be your colorful, sparkly, glittery self,” but it elides a clear description of the communities it’s for. (Picture book/biography. 4-8)Pub Date: May 22, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4338-2902-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Magination/American Psychological Association
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2018
For any fan of Earth.
A compelling look at the history of one of NASA’s most iconic photographs.
In 1968, at a time of worldwide instability, NASA’s Apollo 8 mission accomplished the historic feat of the first manned spacecraft not only to leave Earth’s orbit, but also to enter that of the moon. And from that most distant and alien of perspectives, the three white astronauts snapped a color photo of their planet Earth. Called Earthrise, the photograph stirred the imaginations of people around the globe as they looked at themselves for the first time as inhabitants of one world from over 220,000 miles away. Gladstone’s prose is factual but richly so, as he puts historical record and mission transcripts to effective use to recapture the amazement and unity inspired by this momentous first in space travel. Not to be outdone, Lundy’s illustrations are almost minimalist in their simple lines and shading and swathes of color that nonetheless provide intricate emotional detail, from the tension of mission control to the inky wonder of space to the exhilaration of the racially diverse public, including one young, brown-skinned space enthusiast in afro puffs. An understated but arresting double-page spread presents Earthrise as a visual climax even as a figurative hush falls over the narrative. Despite what feels like a slightly obvious attempt at relevance with not-so-subtle messages of unity in the face of global unrest, the book’s whole far outweighs the sum of its parts.
For any fan of Earth. (Nonfiction picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-77147-316-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Owlkids Books
Review Posted Online: July 31, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
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