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JEAN LAFFITE

Name: JEAN LAFFITE
Author: Susan Goldman Rubin
ISBN: 978-0-8109-9733-2

THE PIRATE WHO SAVED AMERICA

by Susan Goldman Rubin & illustrated by Jeff Himmelman ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2012

Still, this will suffice as an introduction for die-hard pirate fans and add an interesting, quirky footnote to American...

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Who knew that some pirates in the old days were Jewish and fought on the side of the good guys? Mateys, meet Jean Laffite, a real pirate of the Caribbean.

Rubin’s slim book begins in what is now Haiti with Laffite’s early days as a descendant of Spanish Jews. She moves on to his “career” as a successful privateer and smuggler and then to his fighting alongside Andrew Jackson in the Battle of New Orleans. Wise to the ways of the bayous and marshes, knowledge crucial to American defenses, Laffite also supplied Jackson with troops and ammunition. Amazingly, the fierce battle was over quickly and the British trounced. Thereafter, all was forgiven, as Lafitte and his pirates were proclaimed heroes and lauded for bravery and patriotism. Details about the rest of his life remain spotty in the historical record. While several of Laffite’s nefarious exploits are recounted here, they’re told in a matter-of-fact tone that doesn’t make them sound as exciting and dangerous as they had to have been. The paintings rendered in muted colors are fairly stiff, though some add atmosphere and rousing flavor. Lafitte is depicted as heavily buckled in the illustrations; too bad he doesn’t come across as more swashbuckling.

Still, this will suffice as an introduction for die-hard pirate fans and add an interesting, quirky footnote to American history. (author’s note, bibliography, index) (Picture book/biography. 8-11)

Pub Date: April 1, 2012

ISBN: 978-0-8109-9733-2

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Abrams

Review Posted Online: Feb. 21, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2012

Categories:

CHILDREN'S BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR

- BOOK REVIEW
THE WOMEN WHO BUILT HOLLYWOOD
by Susan Goldman Rubin

- BOOK REVIEW
MARY SEACOLE
by Susan Goldman Rubin ; illustrated by Richie Pope

- BOOK REVIEW
SING AND SHOUT
by Susan Goldman Rubin

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HATSHEPSUT, HIS MAJESTY, HERSELF

by Catherine M. Andronik & illustrated by Joseph Daniel Fiedler ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2001

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Thanks to the strenuous efforts of her successor, Tuthmosis III, to eliminate all evidence of her 15th-century b.c.e. reign, the historical record is particularly spotty for Hatshepsut, the most successful of the few women who became rulers of ancient Egypt. Still, hedging the speculative portions of her narrative with plenty of “perhaps”-es and “probably”-s, Andronik (Prince of Humbugs: A Life of P.T. Barnum, 1994) assembles a credible, coherent reconstruction. Coming to power largely due to attrition in the royal family, Hatshepsut assumed an office that had no female referents. Consequently, to reinforce her position, she dressed as a man, even in a false beard, and often referred to herself as a man—which confused the eminent 19th-century archaeologist Champollion, for one, to no end. Basing his figures on ancient statuary and wall paintings, Fiedler creates illustrations in the formal Egyptian style and grand manner, evoking more sense of time and place than personality, but imbuing his portraits of Hatshepsut with a regal air. Younger students of Ancient Egypt and women’s history alike will find this careful, but not stuffy, study worthwhile, and the closing bibliography of fiction and nonfiction provides some intriguing follow-up reading. (Biography. 8-11)

Pub Date: March 1, 2001

ISBN: 0-689-82562-5

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Atheneum

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2000

Categories:

CHILDREN'S BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR | CHILDREN'S HISTORY

- BOOK REVIEW
WILDLY ROMANTIC
by Catherine M. Andronik

- BOOK REVIEW
KINDRED SPIRIT
by Catherine M. Andronik

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ABIGAIL ADAMS

by Alexandra Wallner & illustrated by Alexandra Wallner ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 15, 2001

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Abigail Adams, wife and mother of American presidents, with a remarkable story of her own, gets a rather dull introduction to her life in Wallner's (Sergio and the Hurricane, 2000, etc.) picture-book biography. Wallner's text plods through Abigail's life, noting important dates and events, particularly the birth of all her children. Abigail supports her husband in his fight for independence at home, where she runs the family farm and manages the finances and her growing family. She also joins Adams in England when he is ambassador there. Later, she becomes the first president's wife to live in the White House. Abigail is shown as a strong woman, disappointed in her efforts to win a place for women and blacks in the new Constitution. Readers learn about Abigail's thoughts and personality as she matures from child to adult, from homemaker to public figure, but unfortunately we do not hear more than a few phrases in Abigail's own voice. Abigail, who is known through her many published letters, was a lively and interesting correspondent and little of that liveliness permeates this effort. The author's folkart-style illustrations depict a homely group of colonialists in pleasantly colorful detail. A timeline and bibliography would have been helpful to young researchers. This intelligent, early feminist and civil-rights advocate deserves better. (Biography. 8-10)