A timeless and timely tribute to the enduring power of literature and libraries to build bridges.
The true story of how librarian Fanny Goldstein’s unwavering commitment to diverse books led to the 1925 creation of Jewish Book Week.
“The more you know about someone’s life, the harder it is not to like them.” These words from Fanny’s bubbe are perhaps the key theme of this uplifting book. Antisemitic persecution forced young Fanny’s family to flee Russia for a diverse immigrant neighborhood in Boston. Teachers and neighbors tried to push Fanny to assimilate, yet she stayed true to herself, sharing her culture with others and learning about theirs. Despite receiving only a grammar school education, she loved to learn and found refuge at the library. Fanny eventually became a librarian, the first Jewish branch director in Boston. There, she noticed that children rarely checked out books about their own cultures, as families prioritized fitting in as Americans. In response, she planned a weeklong celebration, setting up a display of Jewish books and sharing foods such as latkes and kugel. She spread the word in Boston and to libraries around the country, marking the first ever Jewish Book Week. Russell’s emotive art and Michelson’s earnestly expressed text reflect Fanny’s quiet, optimistic perseverance and deep appreciation for the people around her; Michelson’s insights on the importance of books as windows and mirrors feel especially relevant in light of the threats currently facing stories by and about marginalized people.
A timeless and timely tribute to the enduring power of literature and libraries to build bridges. (more information on Fanny Goldstein and Jewish Book Week, bibliography) (Informational picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9798217003259
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Rocky Pond Books/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
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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