Young readers will applaud Baez but likely won’t be begging for encore presentations.
A picture-book celebration of folk singer and activist Joan Baez.
“As a little girl, Joan Baez loved to be the center of attention—dancing, acting, making jokes, and especially singing!” So begins this introduction to Baez, which is short on basic facts (for instance, the year and place of her birth aren’t cited) but long on zeal. Brown covers her subject’s youthful empathy (modeled by her principled parents, immigrants from Mexico and Scotland); her struggles with identity (as a child, she was bullied for her Latine heritage but also told she wasn’t “Mexican enough”); the gift of a ukulele that set Baez on a musical path; her life-changing exposure to the music of Pete Seeger and other folkies; her post–high school move to Boston, where she got her start playing at clubs; and the steady professional climb that led to performances at 1963’s March on Washington and other large-scale social-justice gatherings. Baez is a worthy biographical subject, and Brown does tailor her language for a young crowd (“Joan’s voice was beautiful and gentle, her message fierce and strong!”), but the work feels more like a static recitation of Baez’s accomplishments than a compelling narrative. Mendoza’s pink-and-orange-blasted art finds a retro groove. Often flanking images of Baez are flower motifs, abstract swirls, and other bold imagery that would be at home on the side of a 1960s VW bus.
Young readers will applaud Baez but likely won’t be begging for encore presentations. (author’s note) (Picture-book biography. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2026
ISBN: 9781665926607
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A supplemental rather than introductory book on the great artist.
Frida Kahlo’s strong affection for and identification with animals form the lens through which readers view her life and work in this picture-book biography.
Each two-page spread introduces one or more of her pets, comparing her characteristics to theirs and adding biographical details. Confusingly for young readers, the beginning pages reference pets she owned as an adult, yet the illustrations and events referred to come from earlier in her life. Bonito the parrot perches in a tree overlooking young Frida and her family in her childhood home and pops up again later, just before the first mention of Diego Rivera. Granizo, the fawn, another pet from her adult years, is pictured beside a young Frida and her father along with a description of “her life as a little girl.” The author’s note adds important details about Kahlo’s life and her significance as an artist, as well as recommending specific paintings that feature her beloved animals. Expressive acrylic paintings expertly evoke Kahlo’s style and color palette. While young animal lovers will identify with her attachment to her pets and may enjoy learning about the Aztec origins of her Xolo dogs and the meaning of turkeys in ancient Mexico, the book may be of most interest to those who already have an interest in Kahlo’s life.
A supplemental rather than introductory book on the great artist. (Picture book/biography. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7358-4269-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: NorthSouth
Review Posted Online: June 18, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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