A salutary gallery of monarchs—or at least monarchial types.
A wide-angled survey of men who ruled—and not just empires or countries.
Crowning a series that began with Drimmer’s The Book of Heroines (2016) and Crispin Boyer’s The Book of Heroes (2016) and publishes simultaneously with Drimmer’s The Book of Queens, this gathering of glitterati covers not just historical heads of state from Akbar to Shaka Zulu, but also fictional ones such as T’Challa of Wakanda. Readers will also meet Martin Luther King Jr. and other “Kings of Change,” “Aristocrats of Action” (Babe Ruth, Dwayne Johnson), preeminent performers (Elvis, Lin-Manuel Miranda), and sci-tech sovereigns such as Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Compiled with an eye to examples both good and bad, the roster includes an admixture of tyrants, losers, and deposed rulers, and it closes with a blanket summary of positive characteristics supposedly common to great leaders. Despite occasional flubs, such as an all-white selection of “Emperors of Exploration,” said roster also shows commendable racial and geographic diversity—and even includes queens and other notable women in frequent sidebars (in case, apparently, readers don’t want to check out or buy two books). The profiles range from two pages in length to a quick paragraph, and they focus more on quick summaries of accomplishments (or failures) than biographical details. Though the layout has a dense look, the bright colors and graphics, as well as a plethora of photos, period images, and fanciful but realistically modeled modern portraits, provide plenty of life and visual energy.
A salutary gallery of monarchs—or at least monarchial types. (index) (Collective biography. 9-12)Pub Date: Nov. 12, 2019
ISBN: 9781-4263-3533-4
Page Count: 176
Publisher: National Geographic Kids
Review Posted Online: Aug. 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2019
Like oil itself, this is a book that needs to be handled with special care.
In 1977, the oil carrier Exxon Valdez spilled 11 million gallons of oil into a formerly pristine Alaskan ocean inlet, killing millions of birds, animals, and fish. Despite a cleanup, crude oil is still there.
The Winters foretold the destructive powers of the atomic bomb allusively in The Secret Project (2017), leaving the actuality to the backmatter. They make no such accommodations to young audiences in this disturbing book. From the dark front cover, on which oily blobs conceal a seabird, to the rescuer’s sad face on the back, the mother-son team emphasizes the disaster. A relatively easy-to-read and poetically heightened text introduces the situation. Oil is pumped from the Earth “all day long, all night long, / day after day, year after year” in “what had been unspoiled land, home to Native people // and thousands of caribou.” The scale of extraction is huge: There’s “a giant pipeline” leading to “enormous ships.” Then, crash. Rivers of oil gush out over three full-bleed wordless pages. Subsequent scenes show rocks, seabirds, and sea otters covered with oil. Finally, 30 years later, animals have returned to a cheerful scene. “But if you lift a rock… // oil / seeps / up.” For an adult reader, this is heartbreaking. How much more difficult might this be for an animal-loving child?
Like oil itself, this is a book that needs to be handled with special care. (author’s note, further reading) (Informational picture book. 9-12)Pub Date: March 31, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5344-3077-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
A hardworking addition to U.S. history shelves.
In 1776, some of the most respected men in Great Britain’s American Colonies signed the Declaration of Independence, a revolutionary—but not necessarily transparent—document.
Although the declaration is one of the key documents of American history, its sometimes-archaic language may mystify young citizens of the 21st century. After a few pages of introductory information that describes the conflicts faced by colonists before the Revolutionary War, this effort presents the declaration line by line, explaining the concepts, defining confusing words and ideas, and illuminating the intent of the signers in the context of the time. Occasionally, in sections headed “Think Deeper,” the author asks pointed, thoughtful questions on a variety of issues that have never been fully resolved in the past 245 years, without devolving into revisionist history. The format places original text on verso with the translation on recto, but clever design keeps readers engaged. The double-page spreads are neatly laid out, many including portraits of Founding Fathers presented against appealing, brightly colored backgrounds that vary from spread to spread. A variety of maps, cartoon characters, and period illustrations extend the text. With a reading level appropriate to the upper grade schoolers who are often introduced to this tumultuous period of history, this engaging and surprisingly entertaining effort seems like the perfect choice to accompany and expand lesson plans. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A hardworking addition to U.S. history shelves. (bibliography) (Nonfiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Oct. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-638190-48-6
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Bushel & Peck Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2021
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