An occasionally simplistic but rousing tale that shines a light on a story that should be more widely known.
The Van Buren sisters defy gender roles on a cross-country motorbike ride.
To prove that women are just as capable as men of serving as messengers during World War I, Addie and Gussie Van Buren set off on a journey from Brooklyn to San Francisco, armed with Addie’s mechanic tools and sporting goggles and leather jackets and pants, but not everyone supports them. Though their father raised them with a love of sports and a confident attitude, most people at this time believe that women should be prim, quiet, and domestic while wearing cumbersome dresses, and they make sure to tell Addie and Gussie that over and over again. But the indomitable sisters won’t be dissuaded from their adventure and complete their 5,000-mile trek despite threats of arrest for the crime of wearing men’s clothing. With only a pair of goggles to differentiate them when they’re in their biker gear, it’s difficult to tell the sisters apart throughout the story. Bland backgrounds and the largely interchangeable cast of mostly White-presenting characters flatten the reading experience. At times, the book seems to suggest that wearing dresses and frilly clothes is inherently incompatible with women achieving autonomy. Still, many will welcome this enthusiastic celebration of two relatively lesser known women sticking up for their passions and beliefs despite societal expectations. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
An occasionally simplistic but rousing tale that shines a light on a story that should be more widely known. (more information on the Van Buren sisters, glossary, sources) (Informational picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781525302480
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: March 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A brief but sweet snapshot of an inspiring girl who finds hope in song.
Through the power of music, Lucimarian Tolliver is reminded of what’s important.
Lucy is one of the only children of African descent on her block—called Lucy Street—in 1930s Akron, Ohio, but all her neighbors share one commonality: poverty. Lucy’s carefree spirit is dampened when her family’s furniture is repossessed one day. She visits her grandfather, who comforts her by singing the folk standard “This Little Light of Mine.” Grandpa tells Lucy that she’s destined for greatness and that she should never stop singing, even through life’s toughest moments. Back at home, Lucy’s father scolds her for singing at the dinner table, so she quickly finishes eating and wanders outside and sings into the night. Her voice reaches her family and neighbors, who are all touched by her song. Digital illustrations evoke the time period in muted tones, featuring endearing characters with simple yet expressive features. The visual subject matter is repetitive from page to page, as are the incorporated lyrics of “This Little Light of Mine.” Based on Lucimarian Tolliver’s experiences growing up during the Depression, the text contains an epilogue but lacks backmatter detailing historical context or more information about Lucy’s life. Though the themes of optimism and the importance of family, faith, and music shine through the text, readers may be left with more questions than answers.
A brief but sweet snapshot of an inspiring girl who finds hope in song. (Picture-book biography. 5-7)Pub Date: May 20, 2025
ISBN: 9780063222540
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
A common topic ably presented—with a participatory element adding an unusual and brilliant angle.
To the tune of a familiar ditty, budding paleontologists can march, dig, and sift with a crew of dinosaur hunters.
Modeling her narrative after “Here We Go ’Round the Mulberry Bush,” Lendroth (Old Manhattan Has Some Farms, 2014, etc.) invites readers to add appropriate actions and gestures as they follow four scientists—modeled by Kolar as doll-like figures of varied gender and racial presentation, with oversized heads to show off their broad smiles—on a dig. “This is the way we clean the bones, clean the bones, clean the bones. / This is the way we clean the bones on a warm and sunny morning.” The smiling paleontologists find, then carefully excavate, transport, and reassemble the fossil bones of a T. rex into a museum display. A fleshed-out view of the toothy specimen on a wordless spread brings the enterprise to a suitably dramatic climax, and unobtrusive notes in the lower corners capped by a closing overview add digestible quantities of dino-detail and context. As in Jessie Hartland’s How the Dinosaur Got to the Museum (2011), the combination of patterned text and bright cartoon pictures of scientists at accurately portrayed work offers just the ticket to spark or feed an early interest in matters prehistoric.
A common topic ably presented—with a participatory element adding an unusual and brilliant angle. (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 3, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-62354-104-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: Dec. 17, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020
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