A noteworthy life to share but one more stirring in recordings than on these pages.
The legendary 20th-century gospel singer takes center stage in a too-short song of praise.
From her childhood in New Orleans to a move to Chicago as a teen, Nolan’s text tells readers that Mahalia Jackson loved one thing above all others—singing in church. She toured the South, performing in churches rather than nightclubs despite the lure of better pay, and without fail, her “joyful voice lifted people with hope.” A recording contract and radio broadcasts brought a larger audience, and eventually she appeared at Carnegie Hall and sang for world leaders. On the day of the 1963 March on Washington, she sang prior to Dr. King’s speech, although there is no mention of her momentous advice to him. Nolan’s brief text, with unsourced quotations, is more focused on Jackson’s musical drive than on the specifics of her career. The only mention of racism comes in the chronology, a misstep in a book about an African-American performer born in 1911; sadly, there is no note about gospel music. Holyfield’s full-bleed acrylic paintings are richly textured and feature a portrait of Jackson on every double-page spread, her voice raised to the heavens.
A noteworthy life to share but one more stirring in recordings than on these pages. (resources) (Picture book/biography. 5-8)Pub Date: Jan. 27, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-06-087944-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Amistad/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2014
A beautifully designed book that will resonate with children and the adults who wisely share it with them.
An inspirational ode to the life of the great South African leader by an award-winning author and illustrator.
Mandela’s has been a monumental life, a fact made clear on the front cover, which features an imposing, full-page portrait. The title is on the rear cover. His family gave him the Xhosa name Rolihlahla, but his schoolteacher called him Nelson. Later, he was sent to study with village elders who told him stories about his beautiful and fertile land, which was conquered by European settlers with more powerful weapons. Then came apartheid, and his protests, rallies and legal work for the cause of racial equality led to nearly 30 years of imprisonment followed at last by freedom for Mandela and for all South Africans. “The ancestors, / The people, / The world, / Celebrated.” Nelson’s writing is spare, poetic, and grounded in empathy and admiration. His oil paintings on birch plywood are muscular and powerful. Dramatic moments are captured in shifting perspectives; a whites-only beach is seen through a wide-angle lens, while faces behind bars and faces beaming in final victory are masterfully portrayed in close-up.
A beautifully designed book that will resonate with children and the adults who wisely share it with them. (author’s note, bibliography) (Picture book/biography. 5-8)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-06-178374-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2012
It’s a slam dunk
Lucy discovers that the way to learn to play basketball is with friends on a neighborhood court.
Lucy loves playing in the park, and one day she and her friends join their friend Ava and her cousin in their new favorite sport: basketball. Pro player Jermaine, aka “Coach J,” teaches all the basics—footwork, quick passes, dribbling, and a variety of shots. But he also encourages the players to keep trying when they miss, stresses the value of teamwork, and focuses on fun as they learn and later play a practice game. At the end of the workout, Coach J invites the young players to watch him and his team play. Written in loose rhyming couplets, the text has many near rhymes and inconsistent meter. While the storyline is predictable, the book is a good introduction to basketball terms, and young basketball players and fans will appreciate reading about themselves. Vivid silhouetted figures against a white background portray male and female players of several races; Lucy herself is white while Ava and Coach J are black. One young player competes from a wheelchair. A half page of backmatter explains the history of basketball, the NBA and its players, and wheelchair basketball, and one entry also explains the three-on-three basketball that the children play. The book publishes in a simultaneous French edition translated by Rachel Martinez.
It’s a slam dunk . (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4598-1697-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: May 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
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