Dorothea Lange The photographer who found the faces of the Depression

In a world where images are littered across multiple platforms seconds after they're captured, it's important for children to understand the difference one photograph can make. In this picture-book biography, the life of photographer Dorothea Lange is covered with admiration for her work and respect for the struggles her subjects were facing. Weatherford's text is rich with figurative language and sentences that, though brief, emphasize Lange's pivotal place in history. She also doesn't shy away from the reality of life during the Great Depression, showing stark views of poverty and hardship that are matched well with Green's evocative paintings. The boldly colored illustrations range from a flapper party to a wide expanse of open coast to a painting of Lange's most iconic photograph. End material gives additional information on Lange that would be helpful for a parent or adult, as it reads a bit older than the book's primary audience. A well-researched and inviting introduction to a woman whose important, compassionate art captured the nation's attention.--Linsenmeyer, Erin Copyright 2017 Booklist

Dorothea Lange was always drawn to photography, but it wasn't until the Great Depression that she became inspired to tell human stories through her camera. Weatherford (Freedom in Congo Square) writes eloquently of Lange's creative drive and compassion: "Dorothea hit the road to show America to Americans. What others neglected or ignored, she noticed and preserved on film." Working in a thick, mossy style and a creamy color palette, newcomer Green shows Lange photographing impoverished Americans, including homeless men on Skid Row and Florence Owens Thompson, the subject of her famous image, Migrant Mother. Weatherford emphasizes how Lange was not only an artist driven to make art but an activist whose images generated awareness of suffering and injustice. Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Rubin Pfeffer, Rubin Pfeffer Content. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

K-Gr 2-Dorothea Lange saw the human misery of the Depression and photographed it, helping to bring aid to those in need. Though polio left her with a limping gait, it did not keep this remarkable woman from making a difference in the world and using her insight to tell stories with her camera. The subjects she chose-sharecroppers in the South, migrant workers in the West, and, later, Japanese Americans in internment camps-faced poverty and injustice. In condensing her life for this simple picture book introduction for young readers and listeners, Weatherford and Green have sadly flattened it. Without background, the intended audience is unlikely to recognize how extraordinary Lange was, especially as a woman working professionally in her time, as an advocate for social justice, and as an artist. Swiftly summarizing events in smoothly written prose, the author ends with Lange's encounter with Florence Owens Thompson, the migrant mother of her iconic photograph. The digitally painted illustrations have a 1930s look, but the grayscale images of a few of Lange's famous photographs lack the emotion of the originals. (There are three small reproductions in the back matter.) VERDICT For a younger audience than that of Barb Rosenstock's Dorothea's Eyes: Dorothea Lange Photographs the Truth, this might provide a bridge but is not a necessary purchase.-Kathleen Isaacs, Children's Literature Specialist, Pasadena, MD © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.