An informative portrait of an activist and advocate whose accomplishments are still evident today.
Why do we all owe Frances Perkins a thank you?
Framed with the questions “How many years will it be until you turn sixty-two?” and “What year will that be?” this straightforward selection covers the accomplishments of workers rights advocate Frances Perkins, from her fight for safe and fair treatment of working men, women, and children to her Great Depression–era achievements as FDR’s Secretary of Labor. The detailed artwork effectively portrays the world in which she lived and the situations she sought to improve. It’s noted that her education was unusual for a woman of her time and that she was the first American woman to serve in a presidential Cabinet, though the text stops short of providing an explicit description of the position of other women of the time. The childhood influence of various family members is addressed while her husband and child are briefly referenced (the mental illness that affected both is not), and her same-sex relationship goes unmentioned. What ultimately emerges is an engaging portrayal of a dedicated and influential woman who strove to improve the lives of others through various reforms, all succinctly explained, and the text returns to the initial questions, showing how Social Security is relevant to all. Perkins and those around her are depicted as white with few exceptions, but a closing scene set in the present day includes a multiracial and multiethnic gathering of people celebrating her legacy.
An informative portrait of an activist and advocate whose accomplishments are still evident today. (author's note, online resources, bibliography, source notes) (Picture book/biography. 6-10)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68263-136-2
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: June 2, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2020
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 inspirational look at one girl’s quest to make sure that all skin tones are visible and available in the classroom.
A Black girl’s simple observation propels her into activism.
Woodard, who launched the More Than Peach Project—which arranges for classrooms and children in need to receive kits that include art supplies and boxes of multicultural crayons (crayons in a variety of skin tones)—relates the incident that sparked her journey. As the book begins, she is dropped off at school and notices that her family’s skin tone differs from that of her classmates. While it is clear that she is one of a few children of color at school, that difference isn’t really felt until her friends start asking for the “skin-color” crayon when they mean peach. She’s bothered that no one else seems to notice that skin comes in many colors, so she devises a unique way of bringing everyone’s attention to that fact. With support from her family and her school, she encourages her fellow classmates to rethink their language and starts an initiative to ensure that everyone’s skin tone is represented in each crayon box. Appealing, realistic artwork depicts Woodard’s experiences, while endpapers feature More Than Peach crayon boxes and childlike illustrations of kids of different ethnicities doing various activities. The story is stirring and will motivate budding activists. (This book was reviewed digitally; the review has been updated for factual accuracy.)
An inspirational look at one girl’s quest to make sure that all skin tones are visible and available in the classroom. (note from Woodard, information on Woodard’s journey into activism, instructions on starting a drive) (Picture-book biography. 6-10)Pub Date: July 26, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-338-80927-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: April 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2022
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