An informative, engaging depiction of the life and growth of an exceptional literary talent.
Effervescent text peppered with Austen’s own words tells the story of the beloved novelist, showing how greatness can unfold and how exciting creativity can be.
Myriad threads—young Jane’s early attempts at satire; her participation in family theatrics; the education her family supported and provided; the financial and personal losses she suffered; her rebellion against literary trends; her growth as an artist; her wit, resilience, and observant nature—all come together to present an engaging portrait accompanied by detailed and engaging illustrations that entwine with the story and give a strong sense of the era. Light, pastel-colored interiors share space with gray outdoor scenes, stable verticals and horizontals suggesting the intellectual limitations she encountered. The focus on the evolution of Austen’s genius means that some seemingly important aspects of her life—the fact that her father was a clergyman, her particularly close and continuous relationship with her sister—do not receive full attention. Moreover, the typical role of women of the gentry receives only a brief mention (and those of women of the lower classes not at all), so that young readers will not necessarily understand exactly how groundbreaking Austen’s accomplishments were. What is present, though, is a bright and honest tale of the development of a great writer who grappled with adversity, one that will inspire and fascinate young readers.
An informative, engaging depiction of the life and growth of an exceptional literary talent. (biographical note, author’s note, illustrator’s note, novels, resources, bibliography) (Picture book/biography. 5-10)Pub Date: March 30, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0110-3
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
A unique angle on a watershed moment in the civil rights era.
The New Orleans school child who famously broke the color line in 1960 while surrounded by federal marshals describes the early days of her experience from a 6-year-old’s perspective.
Bridges told her tale to younger children in 2009’s Ruby Bridges Goes to School, but here the sensibility is more personal, and the sometimes-shocking historical photos have been replaced by uplifting painted scenes. “I didn’t find out what being ‘the first’ really meant until the day I arrived at this new school,” she writes. Unfrightened by the crowd of “screaming white people” that greets her at the school’s door (she thinks it’s like Mardi Gras) but surprised to find herself the only child in her classroom, and even the entire building, she gradually realizes the significance of her act as (in Smith’s illustration) she compares a small personal photo to the all-White class photos posted on a bulletin board and sees the difference. As she reflects on her new understanding, symbolic scenes first depict other dark-skinned children marching into classes in her wake to friendly greetings from lighter-skinned classmates (“School is just school,” she sensibly concludes, “and kids are just kids”) and finally an image of the bright-eyed icon posed next to a soaring bridge of reconciliation. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A unique angle on a watershed moment in the civil rights era. (author and illustrator notes, glossary) (Autobiographical picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-338-75388-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Orchard/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2022
PERSPECTIVES
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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