“Benjamin Franklin was a singular man with a keen mind that ‘soared above the clouds.’ ” Franklin was the only person to sign the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Treaty of Alliance with France, and the Treaty of Paris to end the revolutionary war. He was a scientist, an inventor, a statesman, and a writer. Proud of his working-class roots, Franklin humbly referred to himself as a printer, hence the title Adler (Andy Russell, Not Wanted by the Police, p. 1352, etc.) has chosen. This attractive work is packed with good information and reproductions of maps, drawings, engravings, paintings, letters, and excerpts from The Pennsylvania Gazette, all diligently attributed to their sources. Adler emphasizes Franklin’s life prior to the revolution, and then does an excellent job of tracing his philosophical shift from believer in the unity of the empire to key player in the movement for independence. It was Franklin who suggested the line “We hold these truths to be self-evident” for the Declaration of Independence. Unfortunately, the author’s writing does not equal the quality of the format and design. While Franklin’s mind soars, the prose drags, reading more like a school report than the lively narrative it might have been. Still, it will be valuable to young report writers and, as a study of a popular subject, should find a wide audience. Extensive source notes are included, though curiously no references for young readers are provided. (chronologies, bibliography, Web sites, illustration credits, index) (Biography. 9+)
Pub Date: Dec. 15, 2001
ISBN: 0-8234-1675-5
Page Count: 126
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2001
A breezy, bustling bucketful of courageous acts and eye-popping feats.
Why should grown-ups get all the historical, scientific, athletic, cinematic, and artistic glory?
Choosing exemplars from both past and present, Mitchell includes but goes well beyond Alexander the Great, Anne Frank, and like usual suspects to introduce a host of lesser-known luminaries. These include Shapur II, who was formally crowned king of Persia before he was born, Indian dancer/professional architect Sheila Sri Prakash, transgender spokesperson Jazz Jennings, inventor Param Jaggi, and an international host of other teen or preteen activists and prodigies. The individual portraits range from one paragraph to several pages in length, and they are interspersed with group tributes to, for instance, the Nazi-resisting “Swingkinder,” the striking New York City newsboys, and the marchers of the Birmingham Children’s Crusade. Mitchell even offers would-be villains a role model in Elagabalus, “boy emperor of Rome,” though she notes that he, at least, came to an awful end: “Then, then! They dumped his remains in the Tiber River, to be nommed by fish for all eternity.” The entries are arranged in no evident order, and though the backmatter includes multiple booklists, a personality quiz, a glossary, and even a quick Braille primer (with Braille jokes to decode), there is no index. Still, for readers whose fires need lighting, there’s motivational kindling on nearly every page.
A breezy, bustling bucketful of courageous acts and eye-popping feats. (finished illustrations not seen) (Collective biography. 10-13)Pub Date: May 10, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-14-751813-2
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Puffin
Review Posted Online: Nov. 10, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2015
From a long-lived American legend, this rich volume is a national treasure.
Much has been written about the black women mathematicians who worked behind the scenes at NASA; now young readers can hear Katherine Johnson’s story in her own words.
Johnson begins her autobiography with her decision, at the age of 4, to start attending school with her brother so she could help him with his math. Impressed, the teacher opened a kindergarten class, but soon Katherine was skipping entire grades. Her family relocated so that she and her siblings could attend high school and college (beyond seventh grade, there was no school for “colored” youth in their hometown). Johnson graduated college at 18 with degrees in French and mathematics before going on to teach and pursue her now-famous career at NASA, yet she comes across as humble and warm, passing on to her children the refrain her father taught her as inoculation against racism: “You are no better than anyone else, but nobody else is better than you.” Johnson describes the culture and way of life in each of the places where she lived and worked, with an honest portrayal of the common racial injustices and indignities alongside the shared humanity that also existed. She artfully weaves in the heart of how African American communities have survived and advanced—through “self-help and sacrificing” for the next generation. Her writing style is comfortable and conversational, making the book feel like a visit over tea that you wish would never end.
From a long-lived American legend, this rich volume is a national treasure. (Memoir. 9-adult)Pub Date: July 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5344-4083-8
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: April 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2019
SEEN & HEARD
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