Bobby A story of Robert F. Kennedy

Tenderness typifies this subdued biography of Robert F. Kennedy (1925--1968), portrayed as the gentler sibling of President John F. Kennedy. In mythologizing text, Wiles describes both privilege and pain: "a rich boy, the seventh of nine children, small and awkward and shy." A domineering father who pushed his children to win prompted him to act "tough and fierce on the outside.... But on the inside... Robert was thoughtful and gentle and, often, afraid." As his brother's campaign manager and later attorney general, he's driven to succeed, but working with the Civil Rights Movement, he realized that "winning was more than steamrolling over everyone else." Excerpts from his own presidential campaign speeches highlight his compassion, contextualizing the nation's deep grief at his assassination "by an angry man with a gun." Overlaid with color, uneven graphite sketches by Fazlalizadeh start out minimalist, building depth as darker events transpire. Back matter includes a creator's note. Ages 5--10. (Sept.)

In 1968, a grandfather and grandchild wait for the train carrying the slain Robert F. Kennedy's body to pass by, in order to pay their respects. As they wait, the grandfather tells the story of "Bobby's" life, from a small boy in a rich, ambitious family, acting tough to please his father; to campaign manager for brother and presidential candidate John F. Kennedy, determined to "WIN" at all costs; to his own candidacy for the presidency -- undertaken to change things for the better, and working in concert with others. "This time, he didn't grab at victory to win. Instead, he reached out his hand...Hands of all colors, hands in all neighborhoods, hands of all sizes...reached back to him." Wiles (the Sixties Trilogy) manages to cover all the outward milestones while making the heart of the book Kennedy's growth as a human being; her account, suffused with compassion, respect, and melancholy, communicates all that was lost with RFK's assassination. Fazlalizadeh's soft, textured illustrations, in graphite and colored digitally, variously convey time, place, and zeitgeist; evoke emotion; and capture personality. The book ends back at the railroad tracks, with the grandfather urging the child to reach out their own hand, to use their own "tough, fierce, mighty" heart to change the world. Appended with an author's note, suggestions for further reading, and a selected bibliography; quotes sprinkled throughout give further insight into RFK's character. Superb. Martha V. Parravano November/December 2022 p.104(c) Copyright 2022. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

A reverent tribute to Robert F. Kennedy's spirit and legacy. The muted hues and grim, downcast faces in Fazlalizadeh's atmospheric graphite art set a valedictory tone, but Wiles writes to connect living readers with Kennedy's character and dedication to public service--framing her biographical overview as a tale told to a brown-skinned child by a lighter-skinned grandparent who ends with a present-tense challenge: "We know we have work to do." Though the author humanizes her subject by informing readers that Kennedy loved "ice cream and big dogs. Just like you do," offering anecdotes from his early years in a large and competitive family, and discussing his work to help his older--and more well-known--brother John be elected president, ensuing passages focus less on what he did than on his words as attorney general in support of voting and other civil rights along with his opposition to the war in Vietnam and statements of principle during his presidential candidacy (most cogently: "We can do better than this"). Wiles continues to address readers directly in her afterword, urging them to learn more about, and be inspired by, what he stood for and providing leads to recommended print and online sources. Faces and hands in group scenes are depicted in a range of skin tones. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Gives a Kennedy often lost in his older brother's dazzle a glow of his own. (Picture-book biography. 7-9) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.