Triumphant and inspiring.
The first Black female U.S. Supreme Court justice’s journey to greatness.
Charles notes that Ketanji Brown Jackson’s groundbreaking achievements are rooted in the dreams of her ancestors, who “fought to change / the fabric of this country.” Born in 1970, Ketanji Onyika Brown was the daughter of a lawyer and a principal. Indeed, she often sat with them as they studied and graded papers. She was an honor student and skilled debater, but when she set her sights on Harvard University, a guidance counselor discouraged her. She nevertheless attended both Harvard University and Harvard Law School, worked as a public defender, and became a district court judge. History was made when President Joe Biden nominated her as a Supreme Court justice. Never in 232 years had a Black woman ever served on the court, but her confirmation by the Senate changed that. This lively picture-book biography tells Justice Jackson’s story in direct, age-appropriate verse, never losing sight of either her struggles or successes. References to Black women lawyers and judges such as Charlotte E. Ray, Jane Bolin, and Constance Baker Motley make clear that many paved the way for her. The text is supported by colorful and expressive gouache and wax pencil illustrations that contribute to the overall hopeful tone of the narrative. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Triumphant and inspiring. (author’s note, important dates, important people and history shown in the art, bibliography) (Picture-book biography. 5-8)Pub Date: April 4, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-66593-526-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 7, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
Self-serving to be sure but also chock-full of worthy values and sentiments.
The junior senator from California introduces family and friends as everyday superheroes.
The endpapers are covered with cascades of, mostly, early childhood snapshots (“This is me contemplating the future”—caregivers of toddlers will recognize that abstracted look). In between, Harris introduces heroes in her life who have shaped her character: her mom and dad, whose superpowers were, respectively, to make her feel special and brave; an older neighbor known for her kindness; grandparents in India and Jamaica who “[stood] up for what’s right” (albeit in unspecified ways); other relatives and a teacher who opened her awareness to a wider world; and finally iconic figures such as Thurgood Marshall and Constance Baker Motley who “protected people by using the power of words and ideas” and whose examples inspired her to become a lawyer. “Heroes are…YOU!” she concludes, closing with a bulleted Hero Code and a timeline of her legal and political career that ends with her 2017 swearing-in as senator. In group scenes, some of the figures in the bright, simplistic digital illustrations have Asian features, some are in wheelchairs, nearly all are people of color. Almost all are smiling or grinning. Roe provides everyone identified as a role model with a cape and poses the author, who is seen at different ages wearing an identifying heart pin or decoration, next to each.
Self-serving to be sure but also chock-full of worthy values and sentiments. (Picture book/memoir. 5-8)Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-984837-49-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: Jan. 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2019
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