A treasure for a niche; disappointing for most.
Minibiographies of women behind Disney animation highlight their skill sets and unique contributions to the enterprise.
For each entry, two pages of text describe the woman’s background, skills, and place in Disney history; one cartoon illustration represents her at work; and one page highlights an inspirational, rhyming couplet set in large display type. “By improving the quality of work that we do, / Great Girls accomplish so much that is new,” supposedly sums up the work of color innovator Hazel Sewell, for instance. Some of the women are noted more for accomplishments unrelated to their work at Disney (such as a section about women who also flew planes). Japanese American artist Gyo Fujikawa and Cuban artist Berta “Bea” Tamargo are the only women of color represented. The illustrations are attractive, and each story contains valuable information to educate and inspire. Unfortunately, the text layout and lackluster writing make it difficult for those who are not industrial-strength Disney fans to persevere. Frequent references to specialized roles and processes defer explanation to a closing glossary, which acts as a further deterrent to casual readers. The insistent use of “Great Girls” to refer to these women disappointingly diminishes the importance of their work.
A treasure for a niche; disappointing for most. (timeline) (Collective biography. 10-12)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-368-02868-4
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Disney Press
Review Posted Online: April 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2019
In no particular order and using no set criteria for his selections, veteran sportscaster Berman pays tribute to an arbitrary gallery of baseball stars—all familiar names and, except for the Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez, retired from play for decades. Repeatedly taking the stance that statistics are just numbers but then reeling off batting averages, home-run totals, wins (for pitchers) and other data as evidence of greatness, he offers career highlights in a folksy narrative surrounded by photos, side comments and baseball-card–style notes in side boxes. Readers had best come to this with some prior knowledge, since he casually drops terms like “slugging percentage,” “dead ball era” and “barnstorming” without explanation and also presents a notably superficial picture of baseball’s history—placing the sport’s “first half-century” almost entirely in the 1900s, for instance, and condescendingly noting that Jackie Robinson’s skill led Branch Rickey to decide that he “was worthy of becoming the first black player to play in the majors.” The awesome feats of Ruth, Mantle, the Gibsons Bob and Josh, Hank Aaron, Ty Cobb and the rest are always worth a recap—but this one’s strictly minor league. (Nonfiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4022-3886-4
Page Count: 138
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
Unassuming of aspect but judicious and illuminating of content.
Modest production values add appeal to this carefully researched account of “a life of courage, passion, and adventure.”
Young readers already have a plethora of Tubman titles to choose from, including the author’s own 1992 Picture Book of Harriet Tubman for younger readers, illustrated by Samuel Byrd. This one, though, offers an unusually coherent picture of her character as well as her place within both the major events of her times and the work of the Underground Railroad. Laying stress on her religious faith and her selfless nature, Adler covers her career as Union spy and nurse as well as “conductor” in deep-enough detail to make mention of her later involvement in a money swindle and her ambiguous relationship with “niece” (daughter? kidnap victim?) Margaret Stewart. Sheaves of small, period black-and-white portrait photos or engravings, plus occasional atrocity reports or editorials clipped from African-American newspapers give the pages a staid look overall. This is underscored by a typeface that, intentionally or otherwise, sometimes looks battered or too-lightly inked. Tubman’s exploits and struggles make absorbing reading nonetheless.
Unassuming of aspect but judicious and illuminating of content. (endnotes, bibliography, personal note about the author’s family in the Civil War) (Biography. 10-12)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-8234-2365-1
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 25, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2013
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