Review by Booklist Review
This visually appealing collection profiles individuals from all over the world, sharing what they love about their jobs. Each two-page spread offers a basic introduction, numerous quotes, and reflection points: "If you could invent anything, what would it be?" "Do you like to climb?" "Have you ever done a tongue twister?" An eclectic cast of experts explain the finer points of their chosen fields; 28 occupations were chosen to pique readers' interests. A wildlife expert from Uganda explains how to corral a giraffe, a Muslim fashion designer in Sweden shows off her police uniform veils, and a German ferry captain talks about having to navigate around porpoises. The jobs emphasize equal employment opportunities and thoughtfully feature women in fields such as auto mechanics, making musical instruments, and forest firefighting. Back matter explains how these cocreators, New York Times business columnists, interviewed subjects and created illustrations based on actual photographs. The text emphasizes personal satisfaction, and the colorful, energetic drawings convey enthusiasm, providing fresh material for career collections.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
This impressively global and genuinely heartfelt survey communicates that every job has its particular--and peculiar--demands and rewards. For a candlestick maker in Ireland, rolling beeswax is "like meditation," while a research assistant at Chicago's Field Museum "has to write really small so she can number bones," and a ferry captain in Germany must grapple regularly with the weather. New York Times columnists and previous collaborators Feinberg and Rothman (How We Got By, for adults) describe 28 jobs via interviews with arrayed specialists across the globe, giving each gig a spread featuring concise, reportorial text blocks and mixed-media vignettes. A sense of calling unites the labors, based in everything from a Buenos Aires street food vendor's family legacy to a Seoul-based designer's love for handiwork. Relatable portraiture (a duo of vegan butchers in Minneapolis is particularly winning) captures people in the "flow" of their work alongside spot illustrations that showcase the subjects' creations, such as the array of task-specific devices created by a London-based prosthetics maker. Appropriately, among the 28 profiles are those of the "illustrator" and "author" themselves. A brief explanation of the book's process and a glossary conclude. Ages 6--9. (Dec.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Drawing inspiration from theirNew York Times business column, Feinberg and Rothman offer introductions to people happily engaged in 28 unconventional careers. These concise profiles include a veterinarian in Uganda, who explains how to transport live giraffes; owners of an antique toy shop on City Island in the Bronx; and a pair of vegan butchers who live in Minneapolis but grew up in Guam, to mention just a few. Based on live or video interviews, each entry combines brief background notes and quotes distributed in easily digestible blocks around Rothman's lively portraits and lavishly detailed views of storefronts, crowded display shelves, workspaces hung about with specialized gear, and outdoorsy gatherings of wild or domestic animals. Here, a tour guide in Australia's Budj Bim National Park exhibits a special net that he and other Gunditjmara people use to trap eels. There, a research assistant in Chicago's Field Museum notes that the ability to write very tiny numbers is a job requirement. Why? In order to label very tiny bones. The author and illustrator close out with entries on their own work and a list of helpful prompts for would-be interviewers. The workers here are as diverse racially and culturally as they are geographically; one (an architect and accessibility consultant) uses a motorized wheelchair. This fascinating survey will leave readers exhilarated by the options before them, inspired to think big, and eager for more--hopefully, Feinberg and Rothman have a follow-up in the works. Tantalizing glimpses of working worlds beyond the office or computer screen. (glossary)(Informational picture book. 6-10) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
