A necessary testament to the power of children’s voices.
A girl with cerebral palsy fights for the 1990 passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act.
Whether she’s horseback riding or starting kindergarten, Jennifer Keelan’s “ready to GO!” But all around her, places and people demand that she “STOP!” From her wheelchair, a 4-inch curb is a “cliff,” and she’s not allowed to join her classmates in the cafeteria. Everything changes when Jennifer—knowing that “children with disabilities get ignored too”—joins a diverse group of disability rights activists. When Jennifer is 8, activists propose the ADA to “make room for all people, including those with disabilities.” Dismissed by Congress, disabled activists crawl up the steps of the Capitol to be heard. When grown-ups say she’s too young to participate, Jennifer drags herself “ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP” on behalf of disabled kids everywhere. Ali’s soft-focus illustrations deftly convey Jennifer’s determined scowl and excited grin. Pimentel realistically acknowledges that the ADA hasn’t fixed everything—“Slowest of all, minds have to change”—but in her foreword, the adult Jennifer—now Keelan-Chaffins—notes that she keeps “using [her] voice to speak up” and encourages readers to do likewise. Backmatter further discusses disabilities, the disability rights movement, and the ADA. Front- and backmatter seem geared toward older readers, who may find the main text a tad too simple; those wanting more information should follow this up with Amy Hayes’ Disability Rights Movement (2017). Jennifer and her family present white; classmates’ and activists’ races vary.
A necessary testament to the power of children’s voices. (notes, timeline, bibliography) (Picture book/biography. 4-10)Pub Date: March 10, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4926-8897-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks eXplore
Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2020
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
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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