Review by Booklist Review
Growing up on a Georgia farm during the Depression, Jimmy Carter worked hard, helping in the fields and selling peanuts in the streets of nearby Plains. His best boyhood friend was Black, and Carter never forgot the unfairness of Jim Crow laws and customs. After attending college, marrying, and serving in the navy, he returned to run the family farm and then began a political career that took him from the Georgia senate to the governor's mansion to the White House. As president, he worked for peace and justice, and afterward he continued to strive for a better world. Han's line drawings are delicate, and the scenes are well composed, but the pictures do not capture Carter's likeness. While that's unlikely to bother children, it's a drawback and a missed opportunity. Hegedus, whose previous picture-book biographies include Alabama Spitfire (2018) and Rise! (2019), writes with clarity and uses stories from Carter's childhood to engage young readers while making significant points. The back matter fills in more details of his life and presidency. An informative introduction to Jimmy Carter.--Carolyn Phelan Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Growing up on a farm, the boy who would become the 39th U.S. president and a Nobel Peace Prize winner learned the value of hard work: "He brought water to the workingmen, hauled firewood, and tended to the hogs and chickens." But because that farm was in the segregated South, young Carter also witnessed injustices suffered by people of color every day; at the movies with his best friend, A.D., Jimmy "took a seat on the main floor or the first balcony. But A.D. had to climb to the third floor"--the "Colored Balcony," where African-Americans were consigned by law. Intertwined qualities of grit and social conscience inform every page of Hegedus's sensitive, uplifting biography, while Han's reportorial digital illustrations reflect Carter's unpretentious character. Grown-ups may continue to debate the subject's efficacy as president, but in these pages readers will see a man whose determination and principles have guided him throughout his accomplished life. An author's note and timeline conclude. Ages 4--8. (Jan.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3--This picture book biography depicts Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, as a hardworking hero. Carter grew up in Georgia in the 1930s during segregation yet maintained formative relationships with black members of his community, including his caretaker Rachel Clark and childhood friend Alonzo "A.D." Davis. As Carter and Davis grew older, they noticed how racism and Jim Crow impacted their friendship: "A.D. could no longer be himself around Jimmy." Carter realized that people were mistreated due to their race or class. He created a list of "Good Mental Habits" that served as his moral compass and eventually shaped his political future. Hegedus documents the trajectory of Carter's political career: a business owner refusing to perpetuate racial segregation in the state's school system, to a successful four-year run as governor of Georgia, to his win against President Ford in 1976. Though Carter's presidency lasted just one term, this book illustrates his positive achievements. Carter's continued humanitarian efforts, which resulted in earning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, end the narrative. Han's contour drawings are simple but provide a solid visual context. VERDICT An effective tribute to Carter's life and influence.--Jamie Jensen, Wayne Cox Elementary School, Roanoke, TX
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
An outline of President Jimmy Carter's lifepeanut farmer, president, and Nobel Peace Prize winner.As a child growing up during the Depression on a farm in Plains, Georgia, Jimmy Carter "knew more people of color than most white boys his age." In fact, an African American boy named Alonzo "A.D." Davis was Jimmy's best friend until they got older and the ways of segregation altered their relationship. Hegedus focuses on segregation as a key element in Carter's life, and Han's muted, fine-lined illustrations complement and extend the text, effectively evoking segregated lunch counters, movie theaters, school buses, and schools. As a young man, Carter's response to the injustice he witnessed was to create a set of "Good Mental Habits" to live by; even though they are included in an illustration, these aren't adequately explained. As he became politically active and progressed from local school board to the Georgia state Senate, from governor to president, Carter began to act against injustice. Though it is not made clear what he did to work for change in U.S. race relations, he is shown working on the Camp David Accords, trying to bring home hostages from Iran, and building houses for Habitat for Humanity.An affectionate, admiring tribute to our 39th president. (author's note, timeline, bibliography, online resources) (Picture book/biography. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
