A joyous celebration of a life built on resilient dreams.
Climber, climate activist, mother, and inspiration.
Growing up in Japan, Junko Tabei (1939-2016) was eager to scale mountains even as a child. From her first climb of Mount Chausu at age 10, Junko knew this life was for her. As an adult, she often heard the message that mountains weren’t for women, that she should stay home with her family. A determined Junko “became a mother who climbed for her daughter” and set an ambitious goal—becoming the first woman to climb Mount Everest. “Ganbarimasu!” she and her fellow female climbers say, a Japanese word translated as “We will give it our best.” With the help of Tibetan Sherpas, an all-female team of climbers, and her own ingenuity using kimonos to create gear, she reached the top, despite a devastating avalanche. But this would not be Junko’s last mountain to climb, nor her last trip to Everest. Concerned about the environmental cost of the litter left on the famous mountain and the future of the Tibetan people, she gave back and inspired through words and deeds—cleaning the slopes and planting trees. Yasuda’s captivating, poetic prose weaves powerful metaphors and cultural touchstones into this powerful biography. Shimizu’s dreamy illustrations layer calligraphy-brushed outlines in India ink with digital color to immerse readers in blue skies, pink blossoms, and white mountain snow—Junko’s home.
A joyous celebration of a life built on resilient dreams. (author’s note, timeline, glossary, bibliography, source notes) (Picture-book biography. 4-9)Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2024
ISBN: 9780063242418
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2024
A supplemental rather than introductory book on the great artist.
Frida Kahlo’s strong affection for and identification with animals form the lens through which readers view her life and work in this picture-book biography.
Each two-page spread introduces one or more of her pets, comparing her characteristics to theirs and adding biographical details. Confusingly for young readers, the beginning pages reference pets she owned as an adult, yet the illustrations and events referred to come from earlier in her life. Bonito the parrot perches in a tree overlooking young Frida and her family in her childhood home and pops up again later, just before the first mention of Diego Rivera. Granizo, the fawn, another pet from her adult years, is pictured beside a young Frida and her father along with a description of “her life as a little girl.” The author’s note adds important details about Kahlo’s life and her significance as an artist, as well as recommending specific paintings that feature her beloved animals. Expressive acrylic paintings expertly evoke Kahlo’s style and color palette. While young animal lovers will identify with her attachment to her pets and may enjoy learning about the Aztec origins of her Xolo dogs and the meaning of turkeys in ancient Mexico, the book may be of most interest to those who already have an interest in Kahlo’s life.
A supplemental rather than introductory book on the great artist. (Picture book/biography. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7358-4269-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: NorthSouth
Review Posted Online: June 18, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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