A memorable life dedicated to music and civil rights, presented with commensurate style.
Twentieth-century racism tried hard to deny this great performer her voice—and failed.
Born into a distinguished African-American family, Horne was enrolled as an NAACP member at a young age. Despite her grandmother’s wishes but at her mother’s urging, she began to perform at the Cotton Club with Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway. She also appeared on Broadway with the Noble Sissle Society Orchestra. More performances followed—along with racism. When Hollywood called, Horne hoped to fight some of that racism “by refusing to play / maids and mammies.” The films Cabin in the Sky and Stormy Weather featured her stellar performances, but there was little else. Horne never forgot her roots, though, and sang for black troops during World War II. She also sang at the Lincoln Memorial on Aug. 28, 1963. On TV, Kermit the Frog was one of her partners. Recognition, honors, and awards were showered on Horne, who left a strong legacy. “Because Lena refused / to darken rear doors, / black stars now gleam / on red carpets / and reap box-office gold.” Weatherford’s writing is succinct and inspirational. Zunon’s oil paint and cut-paper–collage illustrations are more than a match for Horne’s dynamic onstage presence. Their dramatic design showcases a woman of great beauty and extraordinary talent.
A memorable life dedicated to music and civil rights, presented with commensurate style. (bibliography, further reading, listening, and viewing) (Picture book/biography. 7-10)Pub Date: Jan. 24, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4814-6824-4
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: Oct. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2016
A picture book worth reading about a historical figure worth remembering.
An honestly told biography of an important politician whose name every American should know.
Published while the United States has its first African-American president, this story of John Roy Lynch, the first African-American speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives, lays bare the long and arduous path black Americans have walked to obtain equality. The title’s first three words—“The Amazing Age”—emphasize how many more freedoms African-Americans had during Reconstruction than for decades afterward. Barton and Tate do not shy away from honest depictions of slavery, floggings, the Ku Klux Klan, Jim Crow laws, or the various means of intimidation that whites employed to prevent blacks from voting and living lives equal to those of whites. Like President Barack Obama, Lynch was of biracial descent; born to an enslaved mother and an Irish father, he did not know hard labor until his slave mistress asked him a question that he answered honestly. Freed by the Emancipation Proclamation, Lynch had a long and varied career that points to his resilience and perseverance. Tate’s bright watercolor illustrations often belie the harshness of what takes place within them; though this sometimes creates a visual conflict, it may also make the book more palatable for young readers unaware of the violence African-Americans have suffered than fully graphic images would. A historical note, timeline, author’s and illustrator’s notes, bibliography and map are appended.
A picture book worth reading about a historical figure worth remembering. (Picture book biography. 7-10)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-8028-5379-0
Page Count: 50
Publisher: Eerdmans
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2015
An emotional entry point to a larger, necessary discussion on this complex and difficult subject.
The paths of four migrant children from different Central American countries cross as they enter Mexico, and together they continue their journey to the United States.
Though their reasons for undertaking the perilous journey are different, their hopes are not: They all hope for asylum in the U.S. Ten-year-old Alessandra, from Guatemala, hopes to reunite with her mother, who left four years ago. Thirteen-year-old Laura and her 7-year-old brother, Nando, from El Salvador, are going to live with relatives in the U.S. And 14-year-old Rodrigo, from Honduras, will try to join his parents in Nebraska rather than join a local gang. Along the way they encounter danger, hunger, kindness from strangers, and, most importantly, the strength of friendship with one another. Through the four children, the book provides but the barest glimpse into the reasons, hopes, and dreams of the thousands of unaccompanied minors that arrive at the U.S.–Mexico border every year. Artist Guevara has added Central American folk art–influenced details to her illustrations, giving depth to the artwork. These embellishments appear as line drawings superimposed on the watercolor scenes. The backmatter explains the reasons for the book, helping to place it within the larger context of ongoing projects at Baylor University related to the migration crisis in Central America.
An emotional entry point to a larger, necessary discussion on this complex and difficult subject. (Picture book. 7-10)Pub Date: July 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-64442-008-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Six Foot Press
Review Posted Online: June 2, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2020
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