While this picture book is far from perfect, Ross was a multitalented helper whose story is well worth knowing.
Canadian ornithologist Alexander Milton Ross, a white man, dedicated years of his life to helping enslaved people escape from the American South.
Ross was raised in Upper Canada, where he roamed the natural landscape and learned the names of birds and plants from his mother. One day, Ross’ father brought home a group of exhausted travelers whose ship had blown off course as they were escaping from slavery in the United States. Ross’ parents treated the escapees as guests, and Ross learned of the cruelty of slavery and lessons of compassion. Ross trained to become a doctor, and his life changed again when he read Uncle Tom’s Cabin and began to work in earnest with abolitionists and free blacks to help enslaved people escape, endangering his own life and livelihood. He often gained access to speak with enslaved people by entering plantations with permission to study birds; hence his nickname, Birdman. The earth tones and blues of the soft-focus illustrations become monotonous, but the maps and grids lightly overlaid and the details of place and dress successfully evoke the time period. Some awkwardness creeps into the text. Harrison frequently refers to people as “escaped slaves” or just “slaves” and quotes Ross’ rather turgid writing: “I was struck with their individuality and kindness.” Worse, she uses painfully stereotypical dialect for the enslaved characters’ speech: “Massa, is we near heaven yet?” Still, the book introduces an important perspective and example to young readers.
While this picture book is far from perfect, Ross was a multitalented helper whose story is well worth knowing. (historical note, timeline, bibliography) (Picture book/biography. 8-12)Pub Date: Jan. 15, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-88995-506-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Red Deer Press
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2018
A celebration of progressive Judaism and an inclusive primer on Jews making a difference in the world.
This wide-ranging collection of short biographies highlights 36 Jewish figures from around the globe and across centuries.
Explicitly pushing back against homogenous depictions of Jewish people, the authors demonstrate the ethnic, racial, and gender diversity of Jews. Each spread includes a brief biography paired with a stylized portrait reminiscent of those in Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo’s Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls (2016). A pull quote or sidebar accompanies each subject; sidebars include “Highlighting Jewish Paralympic Athletes,” “Jewish Stringed Music,” and “Ethiopian Jews in Israel.” Kleinrock and Pritchard’s roster of subjects makes a compelling case for the vastness and variety of Jewish experience—from a contemporary Ethiopian American teen to a 16th-century Portuguese philanthropist—while still allowing them to acknowledge better-known figures. The entry on Raquel Montoya-Lewis, an associate justice of the Washington Supreme Court and an enrolled member of the Pueblo Isleta Indian tribe, discusses her mission to reimagine criminal justice for Indigenous people; the sidebar name-checks Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan. The bios are organized around themes of Jewish principles such as Pikuach Nefesh (translated from the Hebrew as “to save a life”) and Adam Yachid (translated as the “unique value of every person”); each section includes an introduction to an organization that centers diverse Jewish experiences.
A celebration of progressive Judaism and an inclusive primer on Jews making a difference in the world. (resources) (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2024
ISBN: 9780063285712
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Though a bit loose around the edges, a charmer nevertheless.
Tales of a fourth grade ne’er-do-well.
It seems that young Jordan is stuck in a never-ending string of bad luck. Sure, no one’s perfect (except maybe goody-two-shoes William Feranek), but Jordan can’t seem to keep his attention focused on the task at hand. Try as he may, things always go a bit sideways, much to his educators’ chagrin. But Jordan promises himself that fourth grade will be different. As the year unfolds, it does prove to be different, but in a way Jordan couldn’t possibly have predicted. This humorous memoir perfectly captures the square-peg-in-a-round-hole feeling many kids feel and effectively heightens that feeling with comic situations and a splendid villain. Jordan’s teacher, Mrs. Fisher, makes an excellent foil, and the book’s 1970s setting allows for her cruelty to go beyond anything most contemporary readers could expect. Unfortunately, the story begins to run out of steam once Mrs. Fisher exits. Recollections spiral, losing their focus and leading to a more “then this happened” and less cause-and-effect structure. The anecdotes are all amusing and Jordan is an endearing protagonist, but the book comes dangerously close to wearing out its welcome with sheer repetitiveness. Thankfully, it ends on a high note, one pleasant and hopeful enough that readers will overlook some of the shabbier qualities. Jordan is White and Jewish while there is some diversity among his classmates; Mrs. Fisher is White.
Though a bit loose around the edges, a charmer nevertheless. (Memoir. 8-12)Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-338-64723-5
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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