Biblical syntax and cadences lift The Greatest from sports legend to prophet in this remarkable homage. “In the beginning was Jack Johnson . . . And some many years later, in a different age, God said, ‘Let there be Joe Louis’ . . . And the heavens opened up, and there appeared a great man . . . And he was called Cassius Clay.” Clay’s ascent through the ranks of boxing becomes a matter of predestination, his conversion to the Nation of Islam and his banning from the sport during the Vietnam War precursors to his apotheosis in the “Rumble in the Jungle” with George Foreman. Fortunately, Winter leavens his text with plenty of humor, allowing Ali’s personality to peek through. Roca’s beautiful poster-like oils are built on strong horizontal and vertical lines, the light shining on Ali emphasizing his status as Chosen One. Playful typography allows highlighted words to pop off the page, visual punches to underscore Ali’s determination and personality. A prefatory note gives readers some background and prepares them for the presentation to come. As hagiography goes, it doesn’t come any more unabashed than this—or more effective. (Picture book/biography. 4-10)
Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-375-83622-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2007
"From the beginning the baby was a disappointment to her mother," Cooney (The Story of Christmas, 1995, etc.) begins in this biography of Eleanor Roosevelt. She is a plain child, timid and serious; it is clear that only a few people loved her. After her parents die, she is cared for in the luxurious homes of wealthy relatives, but does not find acceptance until she arrives in a British boarding school, where she thrives on the attention of the headmistress, who guides, teaches, and inspires her. Cooney does not gloss over the girl's misery and disappointments; she also shows the rare happy times and sows the seeds of Eleanor's future work. The illustrations of house interiors often depict Eleanor as an isolated, lonely figure, her indistinct face and hollow eyes watching from a distance the human interactions she does not yet enjoy. Paintings reveal the action of a steamship collision; the hectic activity of a park full of children and their governesses; a night full of stars portending the girl's luminous future. The image of plain Eleanor being fitted with her first beautiful dress is an indelible one. Readers will be moved by the unfairness of her early life and rejoice when she finds her place in the world. An author's note supplies other relevant information. (Picture book/biography. 5-9)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-670-86159-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
One of the watershed moments in African-American history—the defeat of James Braddock at the hands of Joe Louis—is here given an earnest picture-book treatment. Despite his lack of athletic ability, Sammy wants desperately to be a great boxer, like his hero, getting boxing lessons from his friend Ernie in exchange for help with schoolwork. However hard he tries, though, Sammy just can’t box, and his father comforts him, reminding him that he doesn’t need to box: Joe Louis has shown him that he “can be the champion at anything [he] want[s].” The high point of this offering is the big fight itself, everyone crowded around the radio in Mister Jake’s general store, the imagined fight scenes played out in soft-edged sepia frames. The main story, however, is so bent on providing Sammy and the reader with object lessons that all subtlety is lost, as Mister Jake, Sammy’s father, and even Ernie hammer home the message. Both text and oil-on-canvas-paper illustrations go for the obvious angle, making the effort as a whole worthy, but just a little too heavy-handed. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: May 1, 2004
ISBN: 1-58430-161-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Lee & Low Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2004
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