The pride of any bookshelf, this is a delightful introduction to LGBTQ+ history.
There's pride everywhere!
This stirring work affirms that LGBTQ+ people have existed for centuries. Caldwell notes that ancient cultures—Greece, Rome, Egypt, India, and China—all reflect stories of queer love and offers profiles of queer people throughout history—Oscar Wilde, Lili Elbe, and Audre Lorde, for example—who have embraced their authentic selves. “Have You Heard Of” boxes scattered throughout shed light on lesser-known people who advanced LGBTQ+ rights, such as AIDS activist Cecilia Chung (b. 1935), former drag performer and political hopeful José Sarria (1922-2013), and openly lesbian suffragette Lettice Floyd (1865-1934). Each of the seven chapters includes essays from young people articulating why they're proud members of the LGBTQ+ community. Moments of history are explored in brief vignettes that range in length from a paragraph to approximately two pages. Bright digital illustrations, color and black-and-white photographs, and bold background colors that mirror various pride flags decorate the pages. As a whole, the information provided is far from exhaustive, but it serves to inspire, educate, and bolster—and it does these things exceedingly well. Curious readers will find a springboard for further research—and more potential role models.
The pride of any bookshelf, this is a delightful introduction to LGBTQ+ history. (timeline, glossary, index, further reading) (Nonfiction. 9-13)Pub Date: April 19, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-38294-3
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: April 12, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
Like oil itself, this is a book that needs to be handled with special care.
In 1977, the oil carrier Exxon Valdez spilled 11 million gallons of oil into a formerly pristine Alaskan ocean inlet, killing millions of birds, animals, and fish. Despite a cleanup, crude oil is still there.
The Winters foretold the destructive powers of the atomic bomb allusively in The Secret Project (2017), leaving the actuality to the backmatter. They make no such accommodations to young audiences in this disturbing book. From the dark front cover, on which oily blobs conceal a seabird, to the rescuer’s sad face on the back, the mother-son team emphasizes the disaster. A relatively easy-to-read and poetically heightened text introduces the situation. Oil is pumped from the Earth “all day long, all night long, / day after day, year after year” in “what had been unspoiled land, home to Native people // and thousands of caribou.” The scale of extraction is huge: There’s “a giant pipeline” leading to “enormous ships.” Then, crash. Rivers of oil gush out over three full-bleed wordless pages. Subsequent scenes show rocks, seabirds, and sea otters covered with oil. Finally, 30 years later, animals have returned to a cheerful scene. “But if you lift a rock… // oil / seeps / up.” For an adult reader, this is heartbreaking. How much more difficult might this be for an animal-loving child?
Like oil itself, this is a book that needs to be handled with special care. (author’s note, further reading) (Informational picture book. 9-12)Pub Date: March 31, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5344-3077-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
IN THE NEWS
Playful, provocative, and packed with perspective.
Did Christopher Columbus really “discover” a new world? Did the Pilgrims invite the Wampanoag to a friendly First Thanksgiving? Is July 4 truly the nation’s birthday?
Readers familiar with traditional narratives of America’s founding are invited to interrogate those myths in this interactive exploration of early U.S. history. A strong introductory framework asks whose stories endure and whose have been erased from the history books, emphasizing that Indigenous peoples remain part of the present, not just the past. Each spread presents a common misconception, then asks readers to flip assumptions aside by lifting a partial gatefold that reveals the true story beneath. Well-sourced explanations elevate figures and communities often excluded from history books, including women, Black Americans, and Indigenous peoples. Bold colors, graphic-heavy layouts, and energetic illustrations that make creative use of historical photos and images break complex ideas into bite-size pieces that encourage browsing over linear reading. A timeline, speech bubbles, and lift-the-flap “True or False” quizzes reinforce the book’s core message: History is layered, debatable, and dynamic. Though the book’s busy, nonlinear design may prove challenging for some, on the whole it works very well as an engaging historical overview. The content assumes a foundational knowledge of early U.S. history, making it most suitable for older elementary readers, though some visual choices skew younger. Backmatter includes more historical information and background on the book’s creation.
Playful, provocative, and packed with perspective. (glossary, resources, photo credits) (Nonfiction. 9-11)Pub Date: May 26, 2026
ISBN: 9798888599082
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Barefoot Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2026
PERSPECTIVES
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