Continuing the move, begun with Stonewall (1979), from her delightful founding-father sketches to a somewhat older, straighter, and fuller biography, Fritz has made another lively, readable life story from far less personable material. Her first sentences establish a tone and a running theme: "When Benedict Arnold was a teenager, some people in his hometown of Norwich, Connecticut, predicted that he'd grow up to be a success. Others said, No. Benedict Arnold would turn out badly." Examples of his youthful daredeviltry and then his strutting extravagance as a young merchant contribute to the later picture of Arnold as both a fearless and compelling military leader and a vain and childish prima donna—who demands recognition and reward for his patriotic services, and considers private gain from army provisions as no more than his due. Fritz' eye for human foibles enlivens her account of squabbles with army rivals and superiors (he recognized none), and her story of Arnold's treachery becomes a fascinating spectacle of pieces (personal rancor, the old dependence on money and easy self-justification, a new young Tory-sympathizing wife) falling inevitably into place. Though you might miss the fond anecdotes Fritz tells on more congenial subjects (even Stonewall was lovable in comparison), you'll admire her success in communicating an understanding of the man a contemporary called "the veriest villain villain [sic] of centuries past."
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1981
ISBN: 0698115538
Page Count: 114
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1981
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This biblical tale is filled with wonder, hope, and beauty.
Miriam is pivotal in the story of Moses and the Exodus.
A 7-year-old girl narrates the details of the day that she heeds “God’s voice,” places her baby brother in a basket, sets him adrift in the Nile River to save him from “Pharoah’s men,” and then watches as Pharoah’s daughter rescues him. That baby boy will grow up to be Moses, and his sister is the prophet Miriam. In her author’s note, Yolen explains that she has taken this story from Exodus and from the Midrash, tales that interpret the Torah. Miriam’s story is interwoven with miracles associated with water, ranging from that basket on the Nile to the parting of the Red Sea and the life-giving water flowing from a rock that sustains the Jews wandering in the desert, but there are relatively few children’s books that place her at their center. Many celebrants of the Passover Seder sing a song honoring Miriam and will welcome a book that celebrates her childhood. It is Le’s illustrations that truly shine, however. The vibrant blues and oranges reflect both calm and swirling waters dotted with a multitude of plant life. Elegant storks wade in the water as hippos and crocodiles swim nearby.
This biblical tale is filled with wonder, hope, and beauty. (Picture book/religion. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5415-4400-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kar-Ben
Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Another too-little-known chapter in African-American history is revealed in this rich story of the first free black settlement to legally exist in what later became the United States. Founded in 1738 in St. Augustine in what was then Spanish Florida, Fort Mose offered sanctuary to slaves who escaped from English colonies. It would become home to approximately 100 people. Turner begins with the story of Francisco Menendez. With little historical record of his life, the author must speculate on what Menendez's life was like in West Africa before he was captured and sold into slavery in South Carolina. She does so responsibly, reminding readers of the paucity of source material and extrapolating from what is known of the slave trade at the time. In St. Augustine, Menendez became captain of the black militia that was vital to defending the settlement from English attack and the leader of the Fort Mose community. Illustrated throughout with archival images, this handsomely designed book offers an eye-opening look at a hitherto little-known community and a notable figure in Colonial American history. (glossary, source notes, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 8-12)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-8109-4056-7
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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