A rousing biography that examines its subject’s motivations to serve others.
An inspirational look at a young girl’s path to activism.
The third book in the You Are a Star series features Malala Yousafzai, the well-known activist for girls’ education. Using a first-person narrative, the book highlights aspects of her life in her hometown of Mingora, in the Swat Valley region of Pakistan. Malala’s fondness for books and learning and the spirit of inquiry encouraged by her parents all grow into a passionate belief for the right to education, equality, and freedom for all. When the Taliban take over her town with their strict diktats about girls not going to school, Malala opposes their ideas through her writings and media interviews. While her budding activism grew, so did the threats from the Taliban, until one day she and her friends were violently attacked. As the world rallied around the brave young girl, Malala strengthened her resolve to fight for girls’ education “everywhere children [need] help.” Using brightly illustrated comic-style panels that depict her home life and relationships with her family and friends, the book is a straightforward account of Malala’s budding activism and commendable achievements. Though none of the information feels new in the crowded landscape of books on Malala, it does showcase her determination and steadfastness in the face of immense odds.
A rousing biography that examines its subject’s motivations to serve others. (author’s note, notes about Malala, timeline, glossary, resources) (Picture-book biography. 5-8)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2024
ISBN: 9781338895094
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Oct. 7, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
An inspiring introduction to the young Nobel Peace Prize winner and a useful conversation starter.
The latest of many picture books about the young heroine from Pakistan, this one is narrated by Malala herself, with a frame that is accessible to young readers.
Malala introduces her story using a television show she used to watch about a boy with a magic pencil that he used to get himself and his friends out of trouble. Readers can easily follow Malala through her own discovery of troubles in her beloved home village, such as other children not attending school and soldiers taking over the village. Watercolor-and-ink illustrations give a strong sense of setting, while gold ink designs overlay Malala’s hopes onto her often dreary reality. The story makes clear Malala’s motivations for taking up the pen to tell the world about the hardships in her village and only alludes to the attempt on her life, with a black page (“the dangerous men tried to silence me. / But they failed”) and a hospital bracelet on her wrist the only hints of the harm that came to her. Crowds with signs join her call before she is shown giving her famous speech before the United Nations. Toward the end of the book, adult readers may need to help children understand Malala’s “work,” but the message of holding fast to courage and working together is powerful and clear.
An inspiring introduction to the young Nobel Peace Prize winner and a useful conversation starter. (Picture book/memoir. 5-8)Pub Date: Oct. 17, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-316-31957-7
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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