Both an easy-to-read introduction and a powerful reminder that we must always fight for equality.
It took only 37 words to change the United States forever.
When certain words were omitted from the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Gettysburg Address, and the Emancipation Proclamation, 37 had to be written in 1972 to grant girls and women the same opportunities as boys and men. Before that, girls and women could be denied jobs, the chance to play sports, and educational opportunities—things that boys and men took for granted. Writing simply, Becker ably explains to readers that Title IX is about more than just giving girls and women the ability to play sports, which is often the aspect of the law most discussed; Title IX continues to allow girls and women access to every aspect of education, which provides them with the same training as boys and men to become experts in all fields. This account of Title IX, though, shines in the backmatter. Here, Becker names the women credited with crafting the law’s language and discusses how the law looked in the past and looks today, taking care to explain that inequity persists. There are some hiccups: Becker uses “America” when she means the United States, and Phumiruk’s casually diverse illustrations suggest that White and Black women always walked together in the fight for women’s rights. But her endpapers are delightful, and all illustrations are clean and clear. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-22-inch double-page spreads viewed at 25% of actual size.)
Both an easy-to-read introduction and a powerful reminder that we must always fight for equality. (resources, further reading) (Informational picture book. 6-10)Pub Date: Feb. 23, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-24195-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano/Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 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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