by Aura Lewis ; illustrated by Aura Lewis ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 18, 2023
Slight and sketchy.
A habit of careful observation led to the design of today’s N95 medical masks.
Born in 1917 in Brooklyn to Russian Jewish parents, Sara Little Turnbull (nee Finkelstein) paid close attention to small details, like the skin of an onion or the shape of an egg. Working as an editor for House Beautiful and a product designer, she traveled the world for inspiration. Noticing the unwieldy medical masks in the hospital where her sister was being treated for cancer in the 1940s, she designed an alternative that in 1995 was developed into the N95 mask. Lewis makes this fact the climax for an appealingly illustrated but cursory biography. Readers might be intrigued by examples of Turnbull’s creations, such as an upside-down watch pinned to her shirt, “light-as-air space suits,” “good-for-kids sweets,” and a more functional pot lid inspired by a cheetah’s grip on its prey. But they will have to look elsewhere to learn that the pot was part of the ubiquitous CorningWare. Well-composed visuals make vibrant use of texture, elegantly set against white backdrops. One spread highlights an inspirational poster that the writer explains is “a reminder that mistakes can help you grow,” though a more specific example of mistakes in Turnbull’s life would have helped readers understand her mindset, as quoted in backmatter: “Ninety percent of my career was made up of failure, but failure is not defeat….” (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Slight and sketchy. (sources and further reading) (Picture-book biography. 5-9)Pub Date: July 18, 2023
ISBN: 9781665904452
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: April 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2023
Share your opinion of this book
More by Aura Lewis
BOOK REVIEW
by Aura Lewis with Farai Simoyi ; illustrated by Aura Lewis
BOOK REVIEW
by Kathleen Krull & Virginia Loh-Hagan ; illustrated by Aura Lewis
BOOK REVIEW
by Helaine Becker ; illustrated by Aura Lewis
by Chris Paul ; illustrated by Courtney Lovett ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 10, 2023
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
Share your opinion of this book
More by Chris Paul
BOOK REVIEW
by Chris Paul & illustrated by Frank Morrison
by Kamala Harris ; illustrated by Mechal Renee Roe ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 8, 2019
Self-serving to be sure but also chock-full of worthy values and sentiments.
The junior senator from California introduces family and friends as everyday superheroes.
The endpapers are covered with cascades of, mostly, early childhood snapshots (“This is me contemplating the future”—caregivers of toddlers will recognize that abstracted look). In between, Harris introduces heroes in her life who have shaped her character: her mom and dad, whose superpowers were, respectively, to make her feel special and brave; an older neighbor known for her kindness; grandparents in India and Jamaica who “[stood] up for what’s right” (albeit in unspecified ways); other relatives and a teacher who opened her awareness to a wider world; and finally iconic figures such as Thurgood Marshall and Constance Baker Motley who “protected people by using the power of words and ideas” and whose examples inspired her to become a lawyer. “Heroes are…YOU!” she concludes, closing with a bulleted Hero Code and a timeline of her legal and political career that ends with her 2017 swearing-in as senator. In group scenes, some of the figures in the bright, simplistic digital illustrations have Asian features, some are in wheelchairs, nearly all are people of color. Almost all are smiling or grinning. Roe provides everyone identified as a role model with a cape and poses the author, who is seen at different ages wearing an identifying heart pin or decoration, next to each.
Self-serving to be sure but also chock-full of worthy values and sentiments. (Picture book/memoir. 5-8)Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-984837-49-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: Jan. 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2019
Share your opinion of this book
More About This Book
IN THE NEWS
IN THE NEWS
IN THE NEWS
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.