Review by New York Times Review
IT'S A question parents have wrestled with since the 2016 presidential election: How do we explain this political moment to our children? I, for one, was hoping the answer would not involve a book aimed at teenagers in which a candidate's obscene reference to female anatomy appears on Page 2, butthatis where we are. In unpresIDENTED: A Biography of Donald Trump (Feiwel and Friends, 384 pp., $19.99; ages 12 and up), Martha Brockenbrough provides an encyclopedic tale of the rise of Donald J. Trump. Brockenbrough's version is, unapologetically, a liberal's framing of events. Then again, I'm not sure if a nonpartisan book about Trump could grow out of the current climate. For now, there is this thorough, hard-hitting volume that seeks to explain Trump, from the time he was born with a silver spoon and "golden hair, pink cheeks and a tiny pucker of a mouth," to his shocker of a presidential campaign ("candidates typically don't insult the parents of soldiers who die in combat"). The tone isn't lighthearted, yeti laughed out loud in Chapter 4. Is there any more telling symbol of our bizarre (and yes, unprecedented) times than Roy Cohn appearing prominently in a young adult book, and not one about the bygone days of McCarthyism? Brockenbrough describes Trump's infamous lawyer and fixer (or "attack dog," as she calls him) in such stark, terrifying terms that he seems almost like a cartoon villain, a closeted Cruella de Vil "with weatherworn skin, dark eyes and a nose that looked like it had encountered many fists in his 46 years." Halfway through "Unpresidented," I found myself craving a different type of children's book, something that would enlighten kids about the current climate, educate them on the historical struggles that got us here, but also offer bipartisan hope. I wanted a respite from the partisan rancor, preferably with appealing illustrations that didn't include a 2016 Electoral College map. I FOUND ALL of this and more in several immersive picture books about women leaders. The standout books of the bunch tell the stories of two remarkable women of color. In WHAT DO YOU DO WITH A VOICE LIKE THAT? (Beach Lane, 48 pp., $17.99; ages 4 to 8), a biography of Representative Barbara Jordan written by Chris Barton and illustrated by Ekua Holmes, we go from Jordan's modest upbringing in Houston to her civil rights activism to the halls of Congress and back to Texas after a multiple sclerosis diagnosis takes her out of public life. All the way, Jordan's distinct "big, bold, booming, crisp, clear, confident voice" guides us. Appropriately, Holmes's illustrations are big, bold, booming, crisp, clear folk art collages. The images - Jordan strumming a guitar against a starry sky, walking with a cane against the rowhouses of her youth - draw on Holmes's prowess as a mixedmedia artist. We learn about United States history in the process. "In 1960, America was not as free or fair a place as it could be. Barbara believed politics could change that," Barton writes. "Her voice had made a difference." IN TURNING PAGES: My Life Story (Philomel, 40 pp., $17.99; ages 4 to 8), Justice Sonia Sotomayor delivers an ode to books under the guise of recounting her life story. Lulu Delacre's soft renderings of the first Latina Supreme Court justice as a little brownhaired bookworm in the Bronx will make both Red and Blue hearts melt. But Sotomayor's book serves another purpose - her musings about her favorite comic books and Nancy Drew novels reinforce how few children's books reflected little girls like her. "Her make-believe life was so different than mine," Sotomayor writes of the Nancy Drew mysteries. "She lived in a big house on a tree-lined street and partnered with her dad, a successful lawyer, to solve crimes." Justice Sotomayor credits "Lord of the Flies" with teaching her why "we need laws and rules to feel safe." Her story skips a beat (or 12) when young Sonia suddenly ends up at Princeton, followed by a successful legal career and a seat on the Supreme Court. But it's a small hiccup in a children's book that bursts with charm. THESE BOOKS, in addition to ELIZA: The Story of Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton (Schwartz & Wade, 48 pp., $17.99; ages 4 to 8), a Sweet romp written by Margaret McNamara with artwork by Esme Shapiro that gives the woman and philanthropist best known as Alexander Hamilton's wife her proper due, appeal partly because their subjects aren't running for president. I MIGHT HAVE found ELIZABETH WARREN: Nevertheless She Persisted (Abrams, 48 pp., $ 18.99; ages 6 to 9), a biography of the Massachusetts senator by Susan Wood with peppy, absorbing illustrations by Sarah Green, equally charming were it not for Warren's obvious 2020 ambitions. Young readers will benefit from seeing little Elizabeth growing up in Oklahoma as her parents struggle financially. But lines like "Elizabeth wondered why more and more middle-class families weren't getting by anymore while the rich just seemed to get richer" track too closely with what'd we'd hear on the stump. Political mythmaking or not, the book's subtitle - "Nevertheless, She Persisted" - is satisfying. I'd bet that the majority leader, Mitch McConnell, didn't know he'd uttered the ?-Span moment that launched a thousand children's books when he tried to silence Warren's objections to the confirmation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions. His line, "Nevertheless, she persisted," became a feminist rallying cry, but it also quickly morphed into what seemed like attention for everyone except Warren. (Chelsea Clinton, for example, has written two children's books whose titles borrow from the phrase.) So I was delighted to see the words on the cover of this biography, underneath Sarah Green's quirky illustration of Warren, the woman who'd been told essentially to shut up, in a bold blue suit, finger raised to make a point, standing at a lectern. ANOTHER POTENTIAL 2020 CANDIDATE, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, is the author of BOLD & BRAVE: Ten Heroes Who Won Women the Right to Vote (Knopf, 40 pp., $18.99; ages 6 to 9), a delicate-looking picture book with sumptuous, pink-washed art by Maira Kalman. It was only in the first few pages, when Gillibrand relays the story of the strong women in her own family, that I wondered whether she wrote this book to educate children or to woo their parents (or babysitters of voting age). After that, "Bold & Brave" features blocks of straightforward text that introduce female activists from Elizabeth Cady Stanton to Alice Paul and Ida B. Wells, with Kalman's illustrations, both portraits and scenes of action, painted in cotton-candy tones. I WANT MY SON (and other little boys) to know about the women featured in these books, but "Bold & Brave" doesn't seem to invite boys in. There are only thumbnail images of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, and a lot of policemen and men in drab brown suits dragging women away. That's historically important, but I wished "Bold & Brave" also showed boys how they can play their part in women's progress. Sure, boys could stick to genderneutral titles like what's the big deal ABOUT ELECTIONS (Philomel, 48 pp., $17.99, ages 4 to 8), by Ruby Shamir with illustrations by Matt Faulkner, and what can a citizen DO? (Chronicle, 52 pp., $17.99, ages 5 to 8), by Dave Eggers with illustrations by Shawn Harris, two new titles that feel like obligatory reading for future informed citizens. But if we're truly going to teach our children about this political moment, then boys and girls both should heed the stories of Barbara Jordan, Justice Sotomayor and Susan B. Anthony. Roy Cohn can wait. AMY CHOZICK is a writer at large at The Times and the author of "Chasing Hillary."
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [July 21, 2019]
Review by Booklist Review
Gillibrand, New York's junior U.S. senator, opens this picture book with personal memories of the strong women in her family. She then introduces Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Jovita Idár, Alice Paul, Inez Milholland, Ida B. Wells, Lucy Burns, and Mary Church Turrell. These 10 women each receive a superb full-page portrait in Kalman's impressionistic gouache art, accompanied by a relevant declaration ( Never Give Up, Speak the Truth ) and two to three paragraphs of biographical overview with additional spot art. Fast-forward to the Women's March on January 21, 2017, when voices were raised just as they were at the 1913 Women's Suffrage Parade. Brief mentions of additional names from Phillis Wheatley to Maya Lin follow. While this unfortunately lacks source notes and includes the questionable wording that Sojourner Truth left her owner in 1826 (as if it was just that easy), it's a rousing introduction to these history makers, and the final spread encourages suffragists of our time to use their power to change the world. --Andrew Medlar Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Making her children's book debut, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand offers a personal history of the strong women in her family (her roller-skating grandmother, her karate black-belt mother), then introduces 10 notable suffragists spanning eras, socioeconomic backgrounds, and professions. Familiar suffragists, abolitionists, and black rights activists include Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, and Ida B. Wells, as well as more obscure figures like Lucy Burns, Alice Paul, and Jovita IdA¡r. Gillibrand describes the women's contributions clearly and with context, while Kalman illustrates in distinctive thickly layered gouache, a palette of pink tones making their way into each spread. Final spreads focus on today's activists: Kalman paints a sea of women in bright pink hats: "Now it's your turn. You are the suffragists of our time," Gillibrand concludes. End pages mention other significant women: Billie Jean King, Maya Lin, and iconic characters Rosie the Riveter and Wonder Woman. Ages 6-9. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-5-Gillibrand, a U.S. Senator, begins with a quick look back at her great-grandmother, grandmother, and mother-all strong women who bucked the norm, fought for what they believed in, and never backed down. And who inspired these female forebears to be "bold and brave so they could teach me and you?" Blending eye-catching artwork with well-written text, the two-page profiles that follow introduce 10 trailblazing women, touching upon each individual's particular challenges, accomplishments, and legacy. Well-chosen details make the snapshots vivid, as do the short quotations woven into the vignettes (though no citations are provided). Kalman's full-page portraits combine the realism of a photograph with bold color choices that pack in personality and make the images pop off the pages. Featured are figures such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Jovita Idár, and Mary Church Terrell. The book ends on a well-conceived and truly inspirational note with mention of the 2017 Women's March in Washington, DC and a call to readers to "Stand up, speak out, and fight for what you believe in." VERDICT A rousing introduction to 10 fascinating and fearless women. Consider for robust collections.-Joy Fleishhacker, Pikes Peak Library District, Colorado Springs © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
They fought so women could be heard," writes Senator Gillibrand in this introduction to American women's suffrage. Glimpses at the usual suspects (Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony) mingle with profiles of less commonly covered women, such as Jovita Idar and Inez Milholland. Pink abounds in Kalman's distinctive and recognizable gouache paintings, which provide striking portraits of the suffragists and vignette scenes of their fight. Timeline. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Brief biographical sketches of female American suffragists, accompanied by bold artwork.Sen. Gillibrand, D-NY, introduces her great-grandmother, grandmother, and mother as strong, feisty women. In these first pages, the text is laden with platitudes about being brave and believing in yourself. Fortunately, the captivating art carries the day, as does the wise inclusion of humor: The author's grandmother used to roller-skate through the New York State Capitol, where she worked. The introduction appropriately segues into the lives of 10 women whose work for women's voting rights inspired the author's family. Those biographies have an accessible and enjoyable format: Each clearly points out the woman's contributions to the suffrage movement and includes both a few facts about her life and a short quotation. The brilliantly conceived, colorful art expands each story. Women best known for suffrage workSusan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stantonare interspersed with women better known for other accomplishments, such as Harriet Tubman and Ida B. Wells, and with lesser-known but equally impressive activists, such as Chicano educator Jovita Idr. Several times the text mentions the racism experienced by suffragists of color. The stories build up to the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920 and then, in a stroke of genius, shifts to the 2017 Women's March in Washington, D.C."Mr. President, how long must women wait for liberty?" Inez Milholland's 100-year-old question lingers. (timeline) (Informational picture book. 7-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
