A charming, beautifully illustrated portrait of a world-class athlete who deserves to be even more widely known.
Renowned cyclist Marshall “Major” Taylor endured arduous conditions while competing in the Six-Day Race.
Before Lebron James or Serena Williams, Taylor was one of the first Black Americans to win a championship in any sport and the first in cycling. Bouncy verse introduces readers to the young cyclist in Madison Square Garden in 1896. There, Taylor, a then-unknown 18-year-old, took part in a competition that involved six days of nearly continuous bike riding in front of thousands (“One hour of sleep / for every eight on the bike / kept you in the race, / but you fought to stay upright”). Taylor’s talent, discipline, and mentorship from a former cyclist champion set the foundation for his career in cycling. The race was demanding, a “test of physical endurance…and mental strength,” and for Taylor, as the only Black cyclist, dealing with racist attacks presented an additional layer of difficulty. As dramatic, almost cinematic scenes depict Taylor taking sharp corners, flashbacks chronicle previous races that led up to this one as well as the immense pressures he faced. Espinosa’s bold illustrations pair well with the book’s action-packed story and unfussy, lively text. Readers will be engaged and curious to learn more about a sports figure they’ve likely never heard of. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A charming, beautifully illustrated portrait of a world-class athlete who deserves to be even more widely known. (more information on Taylor, timeline, bibliography) (Informational picture book. 5-9)Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2023
ISBN: 9781536214987
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 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
BOOK REVIEW
A picture book more than worthy of sharing the shelf with Alan Schroeder and Jerry Pinkney’s Minty (1996) and Carole Boston...
A memorable, lyrical reverse-chronological walk through the life of an American icon.
In free verse, Cline-Ransome narrates the life of Harriet Tubman, starting and ending with a train ride Tubman takes as an old woman. “But before wrinkles formed / and her eyes failed,” Tubman could walk tirelessly under a starlit sky. Cline-Ransome then describes the array of roles Tubman played throughout her life, including suffragist, abolitionist, Union spy, and conductor on the Underground Railroad. By framing the story around a literal train ride, the Ransomes juxtapose the privilege of traveling by rail against Harriet’s earlier modes of travel, when she repeatedly ran for her life. Racism still abounds, however, for she rides in a segregated train. While the text introduces readers to the details of Tubman’s life, Ransome’s use of watercolor—such a striking departure from his oil illustrations in many of his other picture books—reveals Tubman’s humanity, determination, drive, and hope. Ransome’s lavishly detailed and expansive double-page spreads situate young readers in each time and place as the text takes them further into the past.
A picture book more than worthy of sharing the shelf with Alan Schroeder and Jerry Pinkney’s Minty (1996) and Carole Boston Weatherford and Kadir Nelson’s Moses (2006). (Picture book/biography. 5-8)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-8234-2047-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 6, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2017
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