A worthy read that bears witness to the brave women of the Six Triple Eight.
An inspiring chronicle of the all-women, African American 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, which saved the U.S. mail system during World War II.
By 1945, mail delivery in Europe had stalled. Weary soldiers were becoming homesick. But “powerful people came up with a powerful plan” to put someone new on the job—the 6888th (referred to here as the Six Triple Eight). With the rallying cry “no mail, low morale,” these women cleared the enormous mail backlog, first in England and then in France. Overcoming challenges including racism and cold conditions, they redirected more than 17 million pieces of mail. While few remembered the women who were “the glue for service members,” with this admirable introduction to their significant contributions, Abari ensures that they will never be forgotten. She establishes a comprehensible timeline that covers huge swaths of information, including “Rosie the Riveter,” segregation, collaboration between civil rights activists and politicians, and more. The narrative occasionally feels a little bulky, and the book’s framing is somewhat bewildering. It opens by naming six members of the Six Triple Eight, but it doesn’t explicitly state why these particular women were chosen or the roles of all six. Thankfully the backmatter fills in those gaps with verve and clarity. Evans’ handsome, desaturated digital art evokes the period aesthetic of old-time war posters. Creamy backgrounds and angular, overlapping portraits create an appropriate tone of solemnity.
A worthy read that bears witness to the brave women of the Six Triple Eight. (timeline, glossary, more to explore, sources) (Informational picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780063265769
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2025
Blandly inspirational fare made to evoke equally shrink-wrapped responses.
An NBA star pays tribute to the influence of his grandfather.
In the same vein as his Long Shot (2009), illustrated by Frank Morrison, this latest from Paul prioritizes values and character: “My granddad Papa Chilly had dreams that came true,” he writes, “so maybe if I listen and watch him, / mine will too.” So it is that the wide-eyed Black child in the simply drawn illustrations rises early to get to the playground hoops before anyone else, watches his elder working hard and respecting others, hears him cheering along with the rest of the family from the stands during games, and recalls in a prose afterword that his grandfather wasn’t one to lecture but taught by example. Paul mentions in both the text and the backmatter that Papa Chilly was the first African American to own a service station in North Carolina (his presumed dream) but not that he was killed in a robbery, which has the effect of keeping the overall tone positive and the instructional content one-dimensional. Figures in the pictures are mostly dark-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Blandly inspirational fare made to evoke equally shrink-wrapped responses. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Jan. 10, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-250-81003-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
A unique angle on a watershed moment in the civil rights era.
The New Orleans school child who famously broke the color line in 1960 while surrounded by federal marshals describes the early days of her experience from a 6-year-old’s perspective.
Bridges told her tale to younger children in 2009’s Ruby Bridges Goes to School, but here the sensibility is more personal, and the sometimes-shocking historical photos have been replaced by uplifting painted scenes. “I didn’t find out what being ‘the first’ really meant until the day I arrived at this new school,” she writes. Unfrightened by the crowd of “screaming white people” that greets her at the school’s door (she thinks it’s like Mardi Gras) but surprised to find herself the only child in her classroom, and even the entire building, she gradually realizes the significance of her act as (in Smith’s illustration) she compares a small personal photo to the all-White class photos posted on a bulletin board and sees the difference. As she reflects on her new understanding, symbolic scenes first depict other dark-skinned children marching into classes in her wake to friendly greetings from lighter-skinned classmates (“School is just school,” she sensibly concludes, “and kids are just kids”) and finally an image of the bright-eyed icon posed next to a soaring bridge of reconciliation. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A unique angle on a watershed moment in the civil rights era. (author and illustrator notes, glossary) (Autobiographical picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-338-75388-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Orchard/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2022
PERSPECTIVES
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