Known as “the messenger of the Revolution,” Revere carried out many rides for the cause: to the seaports near Boston to alert residents that the British might try to unload their tea; to New York and Philadelphia to win support for Boston; to the First Continental Congress; to Lexington and Concord, as memorialized in the Longfellow poem of 1860; and to New England towns urging the raising of an army. Giblin packs a lot of information about the family man, businessman and patriot into a brief, attractive volume, illustrated with photographs and archival art. Clear, informative writing and an abundance of backmatter—information on Longfellow and his poem, a time line and a thorough list of historic sites to visit—are clearly meant to involve readers in further research. Useful, too, would have been a guide to other good books for young readers. Since the story of Paul Revere and the history of the American Revolution are so entwined, a short, concise volume such as this is a great starting place for young readers. (source notes, bibliography, map, index) (Nonfiction. 9-14)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-439-57290-3
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2007
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
A poignant and powerful look at identity, change, and resiliency.
An Indigenous perspective on the impact of European settlement.
Coombs (Aquinnah Wampanoag) uses two distinct voices to share information. The alternating chapters prefaced with “When Life Was Our Own” demonstrate the intergenerational sharing of knowledge about Wampanoag life based on oral traditions and research. Within these narratives, she teaches specific lessons: For example, readers learn how cedar was harvested with respect, “in a way that encouraged the growth of new saplings.” Later, they hear about how a sachem, or tribal leader, would resolve conflicts through a football game in order to avoid fighting. The voice of the remaining chapters “is inclusive of all tribal nations in southern New England,” covering history from the 1400s to the present. These chapters define and explore racism and provide facts about the devastating effects of the Europeans’ presence. Explorers’ 1524 arrival in present-day Rhode Island was followed by the Great Dying that wiped out entire Indigenous villages between 1616 and 1618. Europeans then proceeded to extract profits from natural resources, in contrast to Indigenous beliefs that “only the Creator who made the land could own it.” The epilogue describes the situation for Wampanoag people and other southern New England tribes in their territories today. Text boxes labeled “Let’s Think About This” pose critical thinking questions about the communities’ opposing viewpoints and engage readers. Black-and-white photos and artwork support the text. Together, the two intertwined narratives form a cohesive, engaging whole.
A poignant and powerful look at identity, change, and resiliency. (bibliography, resources, image credits) (Nonfiction. 9-14)Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2023
ISBN: 9780593480434
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023
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