Review by Booklist Review
In this picture book, based on a lovely premise, an intergenerational family of Black women (two young girls, their mother, and their grandmother) look at images of 26 diverse women representing an array of achievements. The rhymed text, addressed to the audience, encourages readers to remember these women, speak their names, and realize that current generations stand on their shoulders. None of the women are named--instead, lilting lines address their qualities and actions in generic terms: "Freedom seekers, / Truth speakers, / Fierce women, brave and wise, / Justice burning in their eyes." The digital illustrations portray historical figures whom adults might recognize (politicians, activists, artists, explorers, athletes, with a key in the back), and kids will be encouraged to learn more. The book ends with a call to action: "When we speak, whisper, sing, and shout their names, / We honor their lives and the rights we gained. / We are ALL standing on their shoulders. / Who will stand on YOURS?" Remember this for both Women's and Black History Months.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Clark-Robinson celebrates the ways in which women have opened doors for the girls and women coming after them. Two women, one elderly and one younger, sit a girl down with tea and photographs to tell her stories of how "our mothers and all those who've gone before, / paved a freer path and opened a wider door." The walls of this Black family's home are covered in framed photographs of diverse historical and contemporary women who made their marks in the worlds of art, sports, politics, and more. As the women encourage the girl to "speak [the] names" of those who came before and recognize that they stand on the shoulders of those women, the art transitions from their home to full spreads showing the heroes in action. Toward the end, as the text repeats praise for the women leaders, the art shows the family framing a photograph of themselves and hanging it on the wall, placing them in the line of strong women as the question is posed to the girl: "Who will stand on YOURS?" Many of the icons in the images will be recognizable to informed readers, overlaying the text's general message onto specific examples of excellence. Backmatter provides a sentence introducing each figure beneath her portrait, offering an opportunity for readers to "speak their names." Though perhaps overly hopeful in its depiction of women's unity across racial lines, this book achieves the effect of an intergenerational embrace. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-16-inch double-page spreads viewed at 22.2% of actual size.) Uplifting. (author's note, illustrator's note) (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
