A story well worth sharing.
Black pilot James Herman Banning makes history with a cross-country flight in 1932.
Banner wanted wings from the time he was a child. He read widely as a child and young man, and he attended college for one year—as one of only seven Black students accepted—but was forced to leave for financial reasons. As he opened a mechanic shop, he continued to dream of flying. But no flight schools would take on a Black student. One day, a pilot came into his shop with a motorcycle, and Banning asked him for lessons. This time, the answer was yes. Banning finally got his chance to learn to fly. He earned his pilot’s license and continued teaching himself. He moved to California to teach at a new aviation school for Black men and women. Then he set out to pursue a new dream: to fly from Los Angeles to Long Island. With a partner, a cobbled-together airplane, and the support of many, both individuals and whole communities where they stopped on the way, Banning achieved this goal. Long paragraphs of text on each spread detail dates and locations of the duo’s flight. The level of detail provided makes this book suitable for older readers, particularly those interested in flight. Cooper’s softly painted artwork creates a lovely period feel to complement the story. Banning’s determination in overcoming obstacles is impressive, and the realistic ways in which supporters and refusers influenced his path paint an accurate portrait of the United States. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-16-inch double-page spreads viewed at 67.5% of actual size.)
A story well worth sharing. (note, sources, further reading) (Picture book/biography. 6-10)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-984847-62-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2020
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
An inspirational look at one girl’s quest to make sure that all skin tones are visible and available in the classroom.
A Black girl’s simple observation propels her into activism.
Woodard, who launched the More Than Peach Project—which arranges for classrooms and children in need to receive kits that include art supplies and boxes of multicultural crayons (crayons in a variety of skin tones)—relates the incident that sparked her journey. As the book begins, she is dropped off at school and notices that her family’s skin tone differs from that of her classmates. While it is clear that she is one of a few children of color at school, that difference isn’t really felt until her friends start asking for the “skin-color” crayon when they mean peach. She’s bothered that no one else seems to notice that skin comes in many colors, so she devises a unique way of bringing everyone’s attention to that fact. With support from her family and her school, she encourages her fellow classmates to rethink their language and starts an initiative to ensure that everyone’s skin tone is represented in each crayon box. Appealing, realistic artwork depicts Woodard’s experiences, while endpapers feature More Than Peach crayon boxes and childlike illustrations of kids of different ethnicities doing various activities. The story is stirring and will motivate budding activists. (This book was reviewed digitally; the review has been updated for factual accuracy.)
An inspirational look at one girl’s quest to make sure that all skin tones are visible and available in the classroom. (note from Woodard, information on Woodard’s journey into activism, instructions on starting a drive) (Picture-book biography. 6-10)Pub Date: July 26, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-338-80927-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: April 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2022
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