A compelling tale of an intriguing subject who left an indelible mark on fashion and culture.
An African American fashion pioneer turned her love of style into a way to help others.
Born in 1916, Eunice Johnson (nee Walker), the daughter of a doctor and a school administrator, grew up in an elegant home that reflected her art teacher mother’s sense of style. She loved fashion and sewing, but her parents wanted her to attend college. As a student at Loyola University in Chicago, she met a young businessman named John H. Johnson. Once married, they founded a magazine about Black Americans in order to counter negative media depictions of their people. First published in 1945, Ebony quickly became popular. When Eunice was asked to help raise funds for a local hospital by hosting a fashion show, she was able to employ models like those in the magazine. Soon the Ebony Fashion Fair grew, showcasing the work of Black designers, gaining the involvement of top fashion houses, raising millions of dollars for Black charities and scholarships, and promoting the beauty and elegance of African American communities. Brathwaite’s account of Eunice Johnson’s impact on Black culture is charming and straightforward, and her determination to help her community is palpable throughout. Gaines’ digital illustrations are bright and colorful enhancements for the text.
A compelling tale of an intriguing subject who left an indelible mark on fashion and culture. (author’s note, photos, photo credits, quotation source, author’s sources) (Picture-book biography. 8-11)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781620143124
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Lee & Low Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024
At its best when the emphasis is on the skill and artistry of Mime’s most accomplished practitioner—alas, too much of the...
The legendary mime is introduced to a new generation, though not entirely successfully.
As a child, Marceau loved to silently entertain his friends, like his idol, Charlie Chaplin. During the Nazi occupation of France, Marcel and his brother took on new identities in the French Underground, where they forged documents for Jewish children and helped many to escape to Switzerland. Spielman assumes that her young audience will understand references to deportation and concentration camps; unfortunately for those that don't, her matter-of-fact tone speaks more of adventure than deadly peril. Her tone subtly changes when she lovingly describes Marceau’s training and development as a mime and his stage persona of Bip the clown, admiring his skills in the “art of silence” that won him international renown. But here too, comparisons to the Little Tramp and Pierrot may be outside readers’ frame of reference. Though the illustrations carefully complement the textual content with period details, Gauthier’s cartoon faces are all nearly identical, with only the screen image of Chaplin and Marceau’s Bip having distinctive features. A double-page spread at the conclusion provides photographs of Bip in action and is the only clear indication of Marceau’s stagecraft.
At its best when the emphasis is on the skill and artistry of Mime’s most accomplished practitioner—alas, too much of the book looks elsewhere. (Picture book/biography. 8-10)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7613-3961-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kar-Ben
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
It’s an often-told story, but the author is still in a position to give it a unique perspective.
The author of Promises to Keep: How Jackie Robinson Changed America (2004) tells her father’s tale again, for younger readers.
Though using a less personal tone this time and referring to herself in the third person, Robinson still devotes as much attention to his family life, youth and post-baseball career as she does to his achievements on the field. Writing in short sentences and simple language, she presents a clear picture of the era’s racial attitudes and the pressures he faced both in the military service and in baseball—offering plenty of clear reasons to regard him not just as a champion athlete, but as a hero too. An early remark about how he ran with “a bunch of black, Japanese, and Mexican boys” while growing up in Pasadena is insensitively phrased, and a sweeping claim that by 1949 “[t]he racial tension was broken” in baseball is simplistic. Nevertheless, by and large her account covers the bases adequately. The many photos include an admixture of family snapshots, and a closing Q-and-A allows the author to announce the imminent release of a new feature film about Robinson.
It’s an often-told story, but the author is still in a position to give it a unique perspective. (Biography. 8-10)Pub Date: March 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-545-54006-3
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
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