Review by Booklist Review
During the Great Depression, when Kip Tiernan was a child, she helped serve soup to the many hungry people who lined up outside her grandmother's kitchen. That experience taught compassion for "good men who have come upon hard times." As a young woman working in a homeless shelter, she noticed that women in men's clothing could often be found at the end of a line of men waiting for a meal. At the time, officials assumed that only men were homeless, but Tiernan changed that misconception. Inspired to help needy women find food, shelter, and a welcoming atmosphere, she created Rosie's Place, America's first woman's shelter, in 1974 and continued to advocate for the poor throughout her life. This picture-book biography presents Tiernan's story through a concise, involving narrative that begins with ideals learned in childhood and ends with the achievements expressing those ideals. Created using watercolors and digital media, the vibrant illustrations capture a variety of people with individuality. This touching picture book shows how Tiernan made a difference in the lives of those in need.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
McDonnell, a former educator at Boston's Rosie's Place, the first women's shelter in the U.S., spotlights Mary Jane "Kip" Tiernan (1926--2011), raised during the Great Depression by her grandmother, whose selflessness inspired Tiernan to care deeply about addressing housing insecurity. Interspersed with quotes, the book tracks Tiernan's feats in brisk prose that uses outmoded language: "Just as her grandmother had helped people during the Depression, Kip was determined to help these homeless women.... Again and again, she heard this answer: homelessness isn't a women's problem." Tiernan's frustration with the lack of resources would eventually lead her to open Rosie's Place in 1974, as well as help found many of Boston's aid programs. Tentler-Krylov contributes fluid, atmospheric illustrations, rendered in watercolor and digital media, that portray figures of varying ability, age, skin tone, and size, underscoring Tiernan's mission to help all in this compassionate narrative about the ambitious, accomplished social activist. Back matter includes more about Kip Tiernan and the Great Depression. Ages 7--10. (Mar.)
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Review by Horn Book Review
Growing up during the Great Depression, young Kip Tiernan saw her grandmother open their home to those in need, handing out food, shoes, and other items to "good men who have come upon hard times." As an adult, she worked for Warwick House in Boston, a service organization and shelter. "At that time, shelters were only for men. Women had to disguise themselves to get a meal and a bed." Tiernan began to fight for women experiencing poverty and homelessness ("Again and again, she heard this answer: homelessness isn't a women's problem"). Finally, in 1974, she was able to open Rosie's Place, the country's first shelter for women, still in operation today. McDonnell's straightforward and informative text incorporates well-chosen quotes that further demonstrate her subject's iron-willed determination, questioning of the status quo ("Who decides who gets the condo and who gets the cardboard box?"), active listening, and deep empathy ("The face of homeless women is our face. She is our mother, our sister, our daughter and she deserves more than three hots and a cot"). Tentler-Krylov's (Building Zaha, rev. 3/21) watercolor and digital illustrations, featuring soft colors and rounded edges, emit warmth and beautifully depict the healing power of human connection. Appended notes (including sources) tell more about Tiernan's life and times and explain some of the structural causes behind homelessness. Elissa Gershowitz March/April 2022 p.(c) Copyright 2022. 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
Kip Tiernan "passed through a door and there [was] no turning back." She was compelled to help homeless women. Food is scarce for Granny's large family, but she still feeds the strangers at her door during the Depression. Granddaughter Mary Jane, known as Kip, helps. Fast-forward to the 1960s. Kip, an adult, is moved by the social consciousness of the 1960s to work at Boston's Warwick House, a shelter--for men. When she notices women disguising themselves as men to gain entrance, she campaigns to create a special shelter for them, one with flowers and music and where the residents are respected. Finally, in 1974, she turns an abandoned market into Rosie's Place, the United States' first shelter just for women. At each stage of Kip's journey, illustrations capture the mood. The front endpapers, washes of gray and blue, lead into mostly gray scenes from the Depression, with spots of bright colors in Granny's kitchen and on Kip's dress. Splashes of color highlight scenes of the civil rights movement when Kip, as an adult, dedicates her life to helping end poverty, and the grays and colors mix as she struggles to create a sanctuary for Boston's homeless women. Colorful washes grace illustrations of Rosie's Place and the final endpapers. The book closes with extensive backmatter about Kip, the Depression, and causes of homelessness. Illustrations depict people of a broad range of ethnicities and ages. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A worthy social justice story about a compassionate woman who dedicated her life to helping others. (Picture-book biography. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
