Adler (A Picture Book of Harriet Beecher Stowe, p. 378, etc.) marks the 200th anniversary of the Lewis and Clark expedition with this informative biography for young readers. He traces the two-year journey from beginning to end and brings the narrative to life with excerpts from letters and journal entries. Occasionally, Adler interjects, placing events in context and pointing out their significance. For example, he writes that when the “Corps of Discovery” reached the Pacific Ocean in the winter of 1805, they took a vote to decide where to set up camp. “Among those who voted,” he explains, “were Clark’s slave, York, and Sacagawea, long before blacks and women voted in United States elections.” His explanation surrounding the circumstances of Lewis’s death, three years after journey’s end, allows room for interpretation. Backmatter contains an author’s note, time line, bibliography, and suggested Web sites. The opening map, unfortunately, creates confusion in an otherwise exemplary effort. All land east of the Mississippi is labeled “United States,” individual states are not identified, and North America’s entire eastern border is obscured. The land west of the river to the Rocky Mountains is ringed in purple, but not labeled as the former Louisiana Territory. In addition, 12 states are marked, not the 15 that eventually occupied the land. An explanation is provided later (“When the mission was planned, the land just west of the Mississippi River belonged to France. By the time it began, it belonged to the United States”), but it does little to bring the fuzzy geography into focus. (Picture book/nonfiction. 4-8)
Pub Date: March 15, 2003
ISBN: 0-8234-1735-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2003
Readers will agree that “Melba Doretta Liston was something special.” (Picture book. 4-8)
Bewitched by the rhythms of jazz all around her in Depression-era Kansas City, little Melba Doretta Liston longs to make music in this fictional account of a little-known jazz great.
Picking up the trombone at 7, the little girl teaches herself to play with the support of her Grandpa John and Momma Lucille, performing on the radio at 8 and touring as a pro at just 17. Both text and illustrations make it clear that it’s not all easy for Melba; “The Best Service for WHITES ONLY” reads a sign in a hotel window as the narrative describes a bigotry-plagued tour in the South with Billie Holiday. But joy carries the day, and the story ends on a high note, with Melba “dazzling audiences and making headlines” around the world. Russell-Brown’s debut text has an innate musicality, mixing judicious use of onomatopoeia with often sonorous prose. Morrison’s sinuous, exaggerated lines are the perfect match for Melba’s story; she puts her entire body into her playing, the exaggerated arch of her back and thrust of her shoulders mirroring the curves of her instrument. In one thrilling spread, the evening gown–clad instrumentalist stands over the male musicians, her slide crossing the gutter while the back bow disappears off the page to the left. An impressive discography complements a two-page afterword and a thorough bibliography.
Readers will agree that “Melba Doretta Liston was something special.” (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-60060-898-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Lee & Low Books
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
A humorous tribute to the zany, determined and innovative side of invention.
Young Virena, one of four children, provides inspiration for her aspiring inventor papa’s latest ambitious construction: a submarine.
Fleming bases her tale on the true story of Civil War–era inventor Lodner Phillips, who tried his hand at submarine design on the shores of Lake Michigan. In Fleming’s lively, enthusiastic account, Papa builds three increasingly large and more complicated underwater vehicles, each of which sinks, with Papa emerging cheerfully, if damply, ready for the next round. As Virena muses on the nature of marine life, providing Papa with ideas for improvements, the baby interjects disarmingly funny comments: “No pee pee!” chortles the baby when Virena asks how fish stay dry. The Whitefish IV has room for everyone, and Papa puts his entire family into the contraption—somehow the cheerful presentation keeps readers from worrying about the outcome. Kulikov’s expansive, comical illustrations offer exaggerated perspectives from above and below the deep blue-green water, huge and beautiful fish just under the surface and a loving family for the determined inventor. Blueprints for each version of the mechanical fish are included—a neat glimpse into the invention process—while the peculiarly human expressions on the family bulldog remind readers that this is a fantasy. An author’s note and an extensive list of adult resources give background information about the real Lodner Phillips.
A humorous tribute to the zany, determined and innovative side of invention. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: June 11, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-374-39908-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Margaret Ferguson/Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Review Posted Online: April 9, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2013
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