Stylish and significant.
A tribute to one of the previous century’s most renowned and innovative fashion designers.
Dubbed “Unsinkable” by Brewster for the same reasons Molly Brown was—rising from relatively humble origins to stylish celebrity and then surviving the sinking of the Titanic—Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon (to use her final married name), not only became a celebrated belle epoque dressmaker in France, Great Britain, and the United States, but is credited with inventing both tinted undergarments to go with her filmier tea dresses and high-society gowns and also runway-style fashion shows with live models. (She also sparked a pre–First World War furor for “Crazy Big Hats.”) Following an isolated glimpse of her as a child living with her strict grandparents near Guelph, Ontario (after her father’s death, the family relocated from England), the author skips ahead through high spots and notable incidents in her career to the Titanic disaster (she and her husband were unjustly stigmatized afterward because of rumors that they had bribed their way aboard a lifeboat), later struggles, and death in 1935. The generous mix of newly colorized period photos and McGaw’s formally composed scenes of shows, dances, and other events offer enough examples of her work to impart a clear idea of their characteristic lines and looks. People depicted present as White.
Stylish and significant. (glossary) (Nonfiction. 10-12)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-228-10382-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Firefly
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Unassuming of aspect but judicious and illuminating of content.
Modest production values add appeal to this carefully researched account of “a life of courage, passion, and adventure.”
Young readers already have a plethora of Tubman titles to choose from, including the author’s own 1992 Picture Book of Harriet Tubman for younger readers, illustrated by Samuel Byrd. This one, though, offers an unusually coherent picture of her character as well as her place within both the major events of her times and the work of the Underground Railroad. Laying stress on her religious faith and her selfless nature, Adler covers her career as Union spy and nurse as well as “conductor” in deep-enough detail to make mention of her later involvement in a money swindle and her ambiguous relationship with “niece” (daughter? kidnap victim?) Margaret Stewart. Sheaves of small, period black-and-white portrait photos or engravings, plus occasional atrocity reports or editorials clipped from African-American newspapers give the pages a staid look overall. This is underscored by a typeface that, intentionally or otherwise, sometimes looks battered or too-lightly inked. Tubman’s exploits and struggles make absorbing reading nonetheless.
Unassuming of aspect but judicious and illuminating of content. (endnotes, bibliography, personal note about the author’s family in the Civil War) (Biography. 10-12)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-8234-2365-1
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 25, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2013
A portrait of a courageous and admirable young voice for change—but no substitute for the book that is its major source.
A cursory introduction to the Pakistani teenager who earned international attention (and a Nobel Peace Prize nomination) after surviving a Taliban gunman’s assassination attempt.
Doeden draws largely from Yousafzai’s 2013 autobiography and a handful of news reports to craft his account. He explains how she, as the eldest daughter of a dedicated founder of girls schools in Pakistan and co-author (at the age of 11) of a personal blog sponsored by the BBC Urdu, became a public face for Muslim girls’ education—and therefore a Taliban target. Silenced only temporarily by a bullet to the head in 2012, she has gone on not only to become an even more vocal advocate for equal (not to say any) education, but to challenge President Barack Obama face to face about the use of military drones in her country. It’s a straightforward account geared to those who aren’t ready to tackle longer, richer resources. Most of the cramped color photos, and all of the unhelpful pull quotes, serve to fill space more than anything else.
A portrait of a courageous and admirable young voice for change—but no substitute for the book that is its major source. (map, endnotes, bibliography) (Biography. 10-12)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4677-4907-7
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Lerner
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2014
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