Waiting on Wednesday: A Poem for Dudley Randall: Poet and Publisher of the Black Arts Movement by Don Tate

Image: Abrams Books

A Poem for Dudley Randall: Poet and Publisher of the Black Arts Movement by Don Tate. Illustrated by Laura Freeman. 48 p. Abrams Books for Young Readers, September 15, 2026. 9781419754357.

I follow Don Tate on Facebook and knew that he was doing a cover reveal (today) Monday. As luck would have it, I did not have to go to his page. The stunning cover image sat right at the top of my timeline and my jaw dropped. Is that not the most arresting sight? 

Here's the publisher synopsis: 

The only picture book biography of Dudley Randall—a poet, publisher, and leader of the Black Arts movement of the 1960s—from Ezra Jack Keats Award Winner Don Tate and Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Honoree and New York Times bestselling illustrator Laura Freeman

Dudley Randall’s first published poem appeared in the Detroit Free Press when he was only 13 years old. He continued to write, and as he grew older, he realized that his voice could be powerful.

When calls for equal rights were growing louder during the civil rights movement, Randall wrote the “Ballad of Birmingham” in response to an incident of senseless violence against a Black community in Alabama—and suddenly, the world was paying attention to his words.

But Randall knew that most publishing companies were ignoring Black writers. In 1965, he founded the groundbreaking Broadside Press to give a platform to Black creatives like Audre Lorde, Gwendolyn Brooks, Nikki Giovanni, and Sonia Sanchez, as well as his own work. Randall and his fellow writers used their literary voices to express pride in Black history and culture.

From award-winning author Don Tate and Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Honoree Laura Freeman comes a picture book biography of Dudley Randall—a poet, publisher, and leader of the Black Arts Movement.

Integrated throughout the story as well as the back matter, Randall’s most famous poems help bring the story alive. Back matter also includes more information about the famous figures and historical movements discussed in the narrative.

This book would be a terrific addition to my Picture Book Biography unit had I not retired. I am not certain that my replacement is using my lesson plans, but I think I'll pass the news about this book along anyway.

The cart holds well over 100 picture book biographies and there are at least 7 either written by or illustrated by Mr. Tate. The most popular were No Small Potatoes: Junius G. Groves and His Kingdom in Kansas, Pigskins to Paintbrushes: the Story of Football Playing Artist Ernie Barnes, and Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson's Stream of Inventions, written by Chris Barton. 

I developed this unit after I lost my flexible schedule and needed a long-term project that would meaningfully teach research and critical thinking skills. I had been collecting picture book biographies already because, 1. one is never too old for picture books and 2. I was hoping to entice the sixth grade LA teachers to add picture book biographies to their biography unit. 

Over the years, I have learned about so many different people by reading these picture books! I am looking forward to learning about Dudley Randall this fall.  

Fact Friday: Everywhere Beauty is Harlem: the Vision of Photographer Roy DeCarava by Gary Golio

Image: Astra Books/ Calkins Creek

Everywhere Beauty is Harlem: the Vision of Photographer Roy DeCarava by Gary Golio. Illustrated by E.B. Lewis. unpgd. Astra Books for Young Readers/ Calkins Creek, January, 2024. 9781662680557. Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.

I have to open this review with an apology. I received this finished copy over a year ago, and while I read it immediately, posted it as a 2023 favorite and wrote, "perfect in every way," I never blogged about it. I set it aside with the intention of posting, but my health issues got in the way. Last weekend, I was sorting stacks of books, came across it, and sat down to reread. I wondered if it would get any Youth Media Award love and put it on my spreadsheet for today's "Fact Friday" post. Happily, E. B. Lewis received a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor for his stunning illustrations this past Monday.

Writing in the present tense, using his signature spare and evocative language, Gary Golio describes a "day in the life" of photographer, Roy DeCarava. He worked a day job, but once work was over, "Roy's time is his own now." He loads his camera, he looks for subjects, and Harlem is brimming with them. Mr. Lewis' watercolor illustrations bring Harlem and its inhabitants to life. Each spread invites the reader to pause. 

Back matter includes further information about Mr, DeCarava, a black and white photo of the photographer, a timeline, a photograph of his camera and a photo of a Harlem street scene. A bibliography is included along with a list of museums featuring his photos. 

Everywhere Beauty is Harlem would be a terrific addition to my picture book biography unit and any school, classroom or public library. 

Fact Friday: Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement by Angela Joy

Image: Macmillan

Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement by Angela Joy and illustrated by Janell Washington. 64 p. Roaring Brook Press/ Macmillan Publishers, September 2022. 9781250220950.

Happy Friday! I have enjoyed the first week of summer break, taking it easy with lots of Boo time and garden time. Sorry that I'm posting Fact Friday is a bit late today. It features Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement by Angela Joy and illustrated by Janell Washington. This picture book biography of Mamie Till Mobley opens in August of 1955. Mrs. Till has just been informed of the death of her only son Emmett in Mississippi, hundreds of miles away from her Chicago home. The double-page spread depicts the silhouettes of two men standing near a river. The page turn introduces Mamie as a young child, a "child of the great migration." Spare, lyrical prose provide readers with an understanding of this woman who was remarkable for her time and the unconditional love she showered on her equally remarkable son, Emmett.

She insisted that her son's body be returned to her in Chicago. It arrived locked and with instructions barring the casket from being opened. She defied the instructions and held an open casket wake to show the world what happened to her son, thereby sparking the civil rights movement.

The cut paper collage art is primarily black, tan and white with pops of red and blue. Little details, such as the red ribbon heart connecting mother and son as she sent him off on his fateful train ride are especially powerful. Plentiful back matter includes a note from both the author and illustrator, a soundtrack, glossary, time line and sources.

Fact Friday: The Tower of Life: How Yaffa Eliach Rebuilt Her Town in Stories and Photographs by Chana Stiefel

Image: Scholastic Inc.

Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Fact Friday features The Tower of Life: How Yaffa Eliach Rebuilt Her Town in Stories and Photographs by Chana Stiefel and illustrated by Susan Gal. This powerful picture book tells the story of Yaffa Eliach, who grew up in a shtetl in Poland called Eishyshok. The small Jewish community was tight-knit and committed to keeping their religion and culture alive. Yaffa loved to help one grandmother sell candles at the marketplace and the other grandmother in her photography studio. The villagers visited the photography studio to pose for portraits marking weddings, births and bar mitzvahs, then they sent the photos to family members who moved away each Jewish New Year.

Yaffa was six when Germany invaded Poland and nearly all the villagers were rounded up and killed. Yaffa's father helped the family escape with just the clothing they wore, but Yaffa was able to tuck a few family photos into her shoes. The family survived by living in underground shelters, pig sties and potato sheds. Her mother taught her to read and her father told stories of the town's holidays. She took comfort in looking at the photos.

When the war finally ended, the family could not return to Eishyshok. It was not safe. Instead, they wandered across Europe to Jerusalem. Eventually, Yaffa moved to the U.S. Thirty five years after the war, President Carter asked her for help planning the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Yaffa had an idea that would celebrate life instead of reflecting solely on "death and darkness." Over the next 17 years, she traveled the world to meet with survivors from the village to collect family photos. The result is the permanent exhibit at the museum in Washington D.C. called the "Tower of Life."

The ink, watercolor and digital artwork is stunning, ranging from joyful to dark. Two photographs of Yaffa as a six-year-old are reproduced and the depiction of the "Tower of Life" requires turning the book vertically for its full effect. The Tower of Life belongs in every kind of library. Highly recommended. Never forget.

Fact Friday: Hope is an Arrow: The Story of Lebanese American Poet Kahlil Gibran by Cory McCarthy

Image: Candlewick Press

Hope is an Arrow: The Story of Lebanese American Poet Kahlil Gibran by Cory McCarthy. Illustrated by Ekua Holmes. unpgd. Candlewick Press, July 5, 2022. 9781536200324. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

Gibran Kahlil Gibran was born in Bsharri, what is now Lebanon in 1883. He was an introvert who preferred to spend time in the woods and found comfort in his art.  Religious turmoil in his country led to his father's imprisonment and his mother's and siblings' immigration to the south end of Boston, where his name was Americanized. In America, Kahlil noticed that the clashes were between the classes as he witnessed first-hand the disdain with which his hard-working mother was treated. 

His older brother was needed to work and his sisters were not allowed to go to school, leaving only Kahlil with an education. His art caught the attention of a famous photographer, Fred Holland Day, when he was only thirteen. Day took him under his wing and helped launch his art career, but his mother, fearing that he was becoming too Americanized, sent him back to Lebanon to study and live with his father. He eventually returned to America and, at the age of forty, published The Prophet, which would eventually be published in over forty languages. Its continued popularity makes Gibran the world's third best-selling poet. 

The author relates the details of the poet's life sparely and sprinkled with quotes from his writings. Even though the intended audience will most likely be unfamiliar with the name, their parents, and certainly their grandparents, probably have a beaten copy of The Prophet in the home library. Gibran's immigrant experience, straddling two cultures will be relatable to young audiences, perhaps inspiring young readers to seek out his writing. Back matter contains photos and detailed source notes that fill out details.

The art is stunning and utterly engaging. The colors and textures invite lingering on each spread as Ms. Holmes juxtaposes the poet's dual identities. 

Picture book biographies, when they are well done, can pique a reader's interest in learning more. Hope is an Arrow introduces a new generation to a wise poet.

Fact Friday: Breaking Through the Clouds: the Sometimes Turbulent Life of Meteorologist Joanne Simpson

Image: Abrams Books

Breaking Through the Clouds: the Sometimes Turbulent Life of Meteorologist Joanne Simpson by Sandra Nickel and illustrated by Helena Perez Garcia. 48 p. Abrams Books for Young Readers, March 8, 2022. 9781419749568.

Happy Friday! Fact Friday celebrates Women's History Month and #nevertoooldforpicturebooks with Breaking Throught the Clouds: the Sometimes Turbulent Life of Meteorologist Joanne Simpson by Sandra Nickel and illustrated by Helena Perez Garcia. Any TMS sixth grader can tell you that one of my mottos is that one is never too old for picture books, especially if it is an informational one and especially if it is a biography. I cannot tell you how many times I was able to solve a crossword clue thanks to something I read in a book for young readers.

Joanne Simpson's fascination with clouds began at age five, when she took a small boat out behind the family cottage in Cape Cod to watch the clouds. By age ten, she was sailing solo in the ocean to escape her mother's harsh words for her. It seems that Joanne was "too stubborn and too smart" to be loved. So Joanne took solace in sailing and cloud watching. She was flying a plane by age sixteen and was able to get closer to her beloved clouds. She also kept notebooks. During WWII, while at the University of Chicago, she was asked to teach Air Force officers about clouds, but when the war ended and she wanted to continue her studies and earn a PhD, her professors laughed. She was a woman, and no women were meteorologist and she wanted to study clouds and clouds were just "currents of air filled with tiny beads of water..."

But Joanne persisted. She sold her boat to earn enough money to continue studying. She read. She studied. She watched the clouds and made calculations. She earned her PhD, but there were still obstacles ahead of her because she was a woman working in a "man's" field. All of her calculations were done using a slide rule, pencil and graph paper while her professor had a huge computer to work with. Eventually, this professor, who laughed at Joanne years earlier, recognized the importance of her models and offered her the use of his computer.

The palette in the gouache illustrations pop with vibrant color and add energy to this story of resiliency and perseverance. The end pages are decorated with all the different types of clouds. I appreciated the details embedded in the book cover, such as the weather map in the background and her flowing scarf. The pattern made me think of birds and of her love of flying. Back matter includes an author's note, three black and white photos of Dr. Simpson at work, a selected bibliography and a timeline.

This picture book releases next week. Budding meteorologists will want to learn about this important history, but it is history everyone should be aware of. Happy book birthday (in advance) to Breaking Through Clouds! Happy Women's History Month! Happy reading!

Fact Friday: Sanctuary: Kip Tiernan and Rosie's Place, the Nation's First Shelter for Women by Christine McDonnell

Image: Candlewick Press

Sanctuary: Kip Tiernan and Rosie's Place, the Nation's First Shelter for Women by Christine McDonnell. Illustrated by Victoria Tentler-Krylov. unpaged. Candlewick Press, March 1, 2022. 9781536211290. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

Kip Tiernan was raised by her grandmother during the Great Depression. Granny always had a big pot of soup going and Kip would carry steaming bowls outside to give to men who would come to the door. Kip's granny didn't only give out food. If a man needed clothing, she found some to give. She had ten children. Kip learned that while her family was not rich, they still had more than many during those difficult times. 

These lessons followed Kip into adulthood when, after being inspired by a speech to end poverty in 1968, she sold her advertising business and dedicated her life to helping the poor of Boston. But she noticed that soup kitchens and homeless shelters only served men. Homeless women seemed invisible. They disguised themselves as men in order to eat. 

After a trip to New York City and the Saint Joseph's House, she returned to Boston determined to find a space to shelter women. In 1974, Rosie's Place opened in an empty supermarket. It was the first shelter for women. Her work was not done though. She also fought for health care for the homeless and food for the poor. 

Back matter includes more about Kip Tiernan as well as information about her memorial, which was erected in Copley Square, Boston in 2018. This memorial has quotes etched into the columns and they appear in the back matter. The soft watercolor and digital art features a diverse population of both homeless and helpers. 

Regular readers will already know how much I adore picture book biographies and how they can illuminate fascinating folk who don't always get their historical due. I am thankful for this book and for learning of this paragon of selflessness. 

Sanctuary releases on March 1 and belongs in all school, public and classroom libraries. 

Picture Book Review: Indelible Ann: The Larger-Than-Life Story of Governor Ann Richards by Meghan P. Browne

Image: Penguin Random House

Indelible Ann: The Larger-Than-Life Story of Governor Ann Richards by Meghan P. Browne. Illustrated by Carlynn Whitt. unpgd. Random House Studio/ Random House Children's Books, June, 2021. 9780593173275. (Review of finished copy courtesy of Blue Slip Media.)

Using a folksy conversational tone and effective repetition of the phrase, "Just wait, you'll see," author Meghan P. Browne paints the life of Dorothy Ann Willis as a tall tale. She was the only child of humble parents who worked hard. Ann had chores to do, but also loved to fish and run. She biked five miles each way to her piano lessons. When the second World War broke out, her father shipped out to California and it wasn't long before Dorothy Ann's mother packed up the car to join him.

In San Diego, she became part of a more diverse community than her small Texas hometown. She was also inspired by Eleanor Roosevelt. She did well in school and when the war was over she moved to Waco, Texas, where she attended high school, dropped Dorothy to become just Ann, and became active in speech and debate. Her talent earned her a trip to Washington D.C.

After college, she married and settled down to raise a family, but became involved in local politics, eventually becoming county commissioner. Her marriage did not survive her political rise. She remained committed to building a more just and equitable Texas government, first at its treasurer, then as its governor. Along the way, she reached national prominence when she delivered a speech at the Democratic National Convention in 1988. 

There's a good deal of political history packed into this accessible story. Bold, busy illustrations depict Ann at various ages always ambitious with clear, blue eyes flashing. Both the writing and art work well to bring this dynamo to vivid life. Back matter includes more information about Ann Richards, black and white photos and selected sources.

Indelible Ann will leave an indelible impression on young readers. I'm happy to be adding it to my sixth grade picture book biography unit. 

Picture Book Review: The Stuff Between the Stars: How Vera Rubin Discovered Most of the Universe by Sandra Nickel

Image: Abrams

The Stuff Between the Stars: How Vera Rubin Discovered Most of the Universe by Sandra Nickel. Illustrated by Aimée Sicuro. 48 p. Abrams Books for Young Readers/ Abrams, March 2, 2021. 9782419736261. (Review of finished copy courtesy of Blue Slip Media.)

Who's to say what might spark (or extinguish) a dream? A chance comment might, or perhaps the physical limitations of a room. Vera Cooper always liked looking at the night sky. When she was eleven, her family moved and her bedroom was so small that all she could do was look up. And, look up she did. She lay in bed and watched the stars travel across the window pane and disappear. Soon she was studying star maps. She even made her own telescope out of cardboard and a lens. When her parents thought she was asleep, she was observing and memorizing the night sky so that she could map their paths in the morning.

Image: Courtesy of Blue Slip Media

From an early age, she resisted naysayers, especially when they tried to dissuade her from pursuing astronomy, a so-called, "man's world." She graduated from Vassar as the only astronomy major in her class. (Vassar was all-women back then.) She married a mathematician named Robert Rubin and, as her family grew, she continued to study, earning first a master's degree and eventually a PhD. 

All along the way, she had to confront sexism, from a lack of bathrooms to hearing outright ridicule of her ideas. Nevertheless, she persisted and eventually, others listened to her theory that stars only consisted of a fraction of the universe and that dark matter was what made the stars move. 

The text focuses on Dr. Rubin's curiosity and resilience and presents complicated ideas in an accessible manner. The bold watercolor, ink and charcoal pencil illustrations complement the writing beautifully. Back matter includes an author's note, timeline, notes and selected bibliography making this a terrific addition to my picture book biography unit. 

A good picture book biography will motivate curious readers to learn more and this one certainly does. Shortly after I read this book, I happened to listen to Dr. Emily Lavesque being interviewed about her book on telescopes on NPR. She happened to mention a telescope that was named for Vera Rubin. Further reading revealed that Dr. Rubin was a role model for Dr. Levesque as well as other prominent female astronomers. I also learned that Dr. Rubin was inspired by a professor at Vassar, Maria Mitchell! Last year, I read, but didn't get a chance to review What Miss Mitchell Saw.

The Stuff Between the Stars is a fantastic STEM title that belongs in all school and classroom libraries, not only for budding astronomers and dreamers but as a fine model of persistence and resilience. 

************************************************

Author Sandra Nickel says that story ideas are everywhere; you just have to reach out and grab them. She holds an MFA in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her first book, Nacho’s Nachos: The Story Behind the World’s Favorite Snack, was a Golden Kite Award finalist. Sandra lives in Chexbres, Switzerland, where she blogs about children’s book writers and illustrators at whatwason.com. To learn more, visit https://sandranickel.com/.


Twitter: @senickel

Facebook: @sandranickelbooks

Instagram: @sandranickelbooks


Aimée Sicuro is an illustrator, picture book maker, and surface pattern designer who received a BFA in Illustration from Columbus College of Art and Design. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and young sons. Visit her website to learn more.


Twitter: @aimeesicuro

Instagram: @aimeesicuro


Watch the book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AC1KGw4aNuk

Picture Book Review: The Only Woman in the Photo: Frances Perkins & her New Deal for America by Kathleen Krull

Image: Simon & Schuster

The Only Woman in the Photo: Frances Perkins & her New Deal for America by Kathleen Krull. Illustrated by Alexandra Bye. unpgd. Atheneum Books for Young Readers/ Simon & Schuster, February, 2020. 9781481491518. (Review of finished copy courtesy of an author giveaway.)

Regular readers of this blog probably know about my sixth grade picture book biography unit (on hiatus this year since I am teaching fifth and sixth grade LA virtually) and know that I'm always on the lookout for more picture book biographies to add to my cart. Some time ago, author Kathleen Krull hosted a giveaway of this book. I admire Ms. Krull's work and have a few of her excellent picture book biographies in my cart, so I entered. I usually forget about these entries because I rarely win.

I won! I was so surprised when this picture book arrived in my mail!

Frances Perkins was a shy child who took her grandmother's advice to heart. "When someone opens a door to you, go forward." She realized that she needed to speak up for those who had no voice. And speak up she did. After working as a social worker and workplace safety investigator, she was appointed to the first female Secretary of Labor by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Her advocacy for the poor led to many of FDR's New Deal programs. 

The text is informative and accessible and the illustrations are cartoonish and appealing from the embossed cover through to the end-pages. Back matter includes an afterword with more information about Frances Perkins and sources. This will be a fantastic addition to the cart.

Fact Friday: Mary Seacole: bound for the battlefield by Susan Goldman Rubin

Image: Candlewick Press

Mary Seacole: bound for the battlefield by Susan Goldman Rubin. Illustrated by Richie Pope. Unpgd. Candlewick Press, October, 2020. 9780763679941. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

Happy Friday! What a rainy, dreary week this has been around here! The weather app promises a sunny day tomorrow, so make sure you get outside and stretch! Me? I have a date with a rake and a leaf blower. All that rain caused most of the leaves to fall and carpet my lawn. Plus, my hold on the audiobook of Rick Riordan's The Tower of Nero dropped into my phone and I can't wait to dive in to that!

Fact Friday features Mary Seacole: bound for the battlefield by Susan Goldman Rubin and illustrated by Richie Pope. This picture book for older reader highlights an unsung hero of the Crimean War, as well as of the history of nursing. You've most likely heard of Florence Nightingale and her efforts to serve the wounded during the Crimean War; but even she refused Mrs. Seacole's offer of help. This may have been due to Mrs. Seacole's treatment methods, which included herbal medicine and good food; but was more likely due to the color of her skin.

Mrs. Seacole was born in Jamaica to a Creole mother and a white father. Her mother was an herbal healer and her father was a Scottish officer. She grew up listening to his stories of war. Her father died when she was ten. She helped her mother run a boardinghouse and learned about medicinal herbs. As an adult, she packed up her supplies and headed to Panama, where there was an outbreak of cholera. Even as she successfully nursed many victims of the dread disease, she faced racism, not from her patients; from officers and doctors and other administrators. Undeterred, she focused on her mission to serve the sick.

The engaging text is broken up by brilliant full-page color illustrations featuring Mary, who loved colorful dresses, in a variety of situations. Quotes taken from Mrs. Seacole's autobiography, first published in 1857, are liberally sprinkled throughout and sourced in the back matter, which also includes two other books for further reading.

It's important for students to learn early that history books are often incomplete and favor the white, male story. Picture book biographies, such as this one, expand a reader's intellectual horizon. Mary Seacole: bound for the battlefield belongs in every school and classroom library. 

Fact Friday: Marjory Saves the Everglades by Sandra Neil Wallace

Image: Simon & Schuster

Marjory Saves the Everglades: the story of Marjory Stoneman Douglas by Sandra Neil Wallace. Illustrated by Rebecca Gibbon. 56 p. Paula Wiseman Books/ Simon & Schuster, September, 2020. 9781534431546. (Review of finished copy courtesy of Blue Slip Media.)

Fact Friday is late today! In "never too old for picture book news, Marjory Saves the Everglades: the story of Marjory Stoneman Douglas is our Fact Friday feature. This brilliantly illustrated slightly longer picture book for older readers highlights the long and illustrious life of Marjory Stoneman Douglas.

Marjory's love for Florida, more specifically Florida's everglades was born over a hundred years ago, when she was a child visiting her father, the founder of the Miami Herald. She grew up in the north, went to Wellesley College, married briefly and returned to Florida and began work as a reporter for her father's newspaper. When World War I broke out, she joined the Red Cross. Upon returning home from the war, she found that developers were planning on draining the Everglades in order to develop the land. She researched; she wrote; she enlisted supporters. Eventually, she and her supporters changed minds; but it had to be done again and again over the years as developers tried to drain the Everglades. She even had to battle the US Army Corps of Engineers when they straightened a river and that led to damage to the fragile ecosystem. Her life of environmental activism is an inspiration and a reminder that the environment continues to need our protection.

Plentiful back matter includes a timeline and tons of extra information and resources to learn more. This is a welcome addition to my picture book biography unit.

Fact Friday: Flying Paintings: the Zhou Brothers: a story of revolution and art by Amy Alzauer

Image: Candlewick Press

Flying Paintings: the Zhou Brothers: a story of revolution and art by Amy Alzauer. Illustrated by Shan Zuo Zhou & DaHuang Zhou. 48 p. Candlewick Press, September, 2020. 9781536204285. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

Fact Friday features Flying Paintings: the Zhou Brothers: a story of revolution and art by Amy Alzauer. Illustrated by Shan Zuo Zhou & DaHuang Zhou. Two boys were born several year apart "in the back of a bookstory on the highest hill in Wuming, China." Shaoli arrived first, followed several years later by Shaoning. They were raised by their grandmother, Po Po after their parents were imprisoned. Eventually, the book store was closed because "the new People's Republic of China did not appreciate the high spirits of people who ran their own stores or made their own art."

This gorgeously illustrated picture book biography, illustrated by the subjects themselves is immersive. The text is poetic, spare and impressionistic, prompting curiosity in the reader to learn more. The creamy pages have heft. Back matter consists of a helpful author's note and photo of the brothers. A photo of the brothers at work on one of their pieces gives the reader a sense of scale. There were no suggestions for further reading. 

This lovely book lends itself to many uses in the classroom from social studies, to art to language arts.  

Picture Book Review: Box: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford

Image: Candlewick Press

Box: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford. Illustrated by Michele Wood. unpgd. Candlewick Press, April, 2020. 97800763691561. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

Instead of the usual title page one would expect when opening this picture book biography in verse, one finds an enigmatic number six made out of the words, "How Many Sides to a Box?" with the title, "Geometry." Ah, a concrete poem! All of the poems save this one are six lines long, representative of the six sides of the box Henry Brown folded himself into in order to escape enslavement. Ms. Boston Weatherford used Henry Brown's own autobiography to mine material for her poems, which are told in Henry's voice and paint a devastating picture of the horror and injustice of slavery and the desperation which can propel a human to risk everything for freedom. 

Henry Brown was born into slavery in 1815. His family remained intact on the same plantation for the first fifteen years of his life, when his master died. Then, he and his family were "flung apart as if dandelion puffs." He lands in a tobacco factory in Richmond. He hears about Nat Turner's Rebellion. He understands the laws that keep Black people in bondage and he fears the overseers, who seem to be getting nastier and nastier. He falls in love with Nancy and the two receive permission to "jump broom" and a promise that Nancy would not be sold. Not only was this promise broken, but each master was crueler than the last. Once Nancy and his children were sold away, Henry, feeling there that there was nothing more to lose, plans his escape. An escape that would not be possible without aid from a sympathetic shoe maker with abolitionist friends in Philadelphia. 

The poems, spare and evocative provide historical context as well as information about Henry Brown's life. The textured mixed media paintings invite the eye to linger over the stylized art, quilt motifs and occasional symbolism. The palette is decidedly rich in color and utterly radiant. Back matter includes a time line, bibliography, and illustrator and author notes. The pages are thick and the book has heft. 

Box: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom is a first-purchase! I look forward to rereading it and I am thrilled to be able to add this to my sixth grade picture book biography unit. Verse biographies are relatively rare and a bit on the difficult side. I have several on the cart, including Ms. Weatherford's Schomberg:The Man Who Built a Library. We also have Voice of Freedom; Gordon Parks: and The Legendary Miss Lena Horn. One is never too old for picture books in general, but picture book biographies give even older students a glimpse into the lives of people they may never have heard of. This year, I asked my seventh graders to write a Nonfiction reading reflection. Most students stated they preferred fiction to nonfiction reading, but a significant number fondly recalled a picture book biography from their sixth grade year. This made my librarian heart proud. 

Picture Book Review: The Boy Who Dreamed of Infinity by Amy Alznauer

Image: Candlewick Press

The Boy Who Dreamed of Infinity: a tale of the genius Ramanujan by Amy Alznauer. Illustrated by Daniel Miyares. unpgd. Candlewick Press, April, 2020. 9780763690489. Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

People who know me, know I am math averse. It's a trauma that goes all the way back to my childhood cringing under the weight of my father's impatience when I couldn't understand any concept he tried to "teach" me. I am frequently pulled from the library to cover classes and my greatest dread is covering a math class. I once sorta kiddingly told my VP, "Sending me to cover math is child abuse." 

But I do love reading about mathematicians! The Boy Who Dreamed of Infinity is a beautifully illustrated picture book biography of a self-taught mathematical genius told sparely and accessibly. Ramanujan was born in British-ruled India in the late 1800s. He took a while to talk and would quietly arrange copper pots instead of interacting. His grandfather taught him how to count and that seemed to make a connection for soon he was talking and asking such unanswerable questions as, "What is small?" or "What is big?" He went to school at age five but soon grew bored when his teachers would not/ could not answer his incessant questions. He tried school over and over rarely encountering a teacher who appreciated his genius. He flunked out of college, had trouble finding jobs, yet still he wrote equations in his notebooks and pondered what is big and small. He sent a letter to a distinguished professor of mathematics at Cambridge University, who invited him to sail to England to discuss number theory. 

The palette of the ink illustrations is cheery with splashes of red and yellow to draw the eye. Several illustrations sport equations. All evocatively depict Ramanujan immersed in another world. He seems to glow in each spread. In the Author's Note at the end of the book, readers learn that Ramanujan died young, at the age of 32. There's a bibliography but not one that young readers will find easily accessible. The Boy Who Dreamed of Infinity seems to be the first and it's terrific. 

November is Picture Book Month! Review: Mario and the Hole in the Sky: how a chemist saved our planet by Elizabeth Rusch

November is Picture Book Month! Each November, I attempt to highlight/ review a picture book a day. Let's see how many days I can get this year!

Image: Charlesbridge

Mario and the Hole in the Sky: how a chemist saved our planet by Elizabeth Rusch. Illustrated by Teresa Martínez. unpgd. Charlesbridge, November 5, 2019. 9781580895811. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

Regular readers of this blog know that one of my mottoes is, "One is never too old for picture books." Regular readers also know that I developed a picture book biography unit for my sixth graders. I believe a picture book biography is a terrific entry into the world of biography. Choosing a full-length biography to read as an assignment can be daunting. A well-researched picture book biography can give middle school readers a glimpse into the person before committing to a full-length biography. I am so happy to add Mario and the Hole in the Sky to the cart.

Mario Molina grew up in Mexico. He had an intense interest in science from an early age. This was supported and encouraged by his family, who gave him a microscope for his birthday as well as full access to chemicals and a rarely used bathroom. He just loved to experiment. His love for chemistry, especially, continued through boarding school in Switzerland and into college. Around the same time, new products were being introduced into the markets that contained chemicals that Mario knew could be harmful. Shortly after completing his PhD and moving to the U.S., Mario heard about harmful chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and worked with a fellow scientist, F. Sherwood Rowland to find out how. Of course, no one believed them; but they persevered. 

The story is fascinating - direct and compelling. The vibrant illustrations featuring a big-eyed, big-headed Maria exude energy, humor and warmth. Useful back matter includes an epilogue, which includes a photo of the scientist; comparisons of the Ozone Hole and Global Warming; books and websites for further reading; tips for doing more to decrease greenhouse gases and an author's note. 

Mario and the Hole in the Sky is a first-purchase. It belongs in a variety of teaching situations - from STEM classes to a read aloud to model resilience and perseverance. 

Picture Book Review: The Important Thing about Margaret Wise Brown by Mac Barnett

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

The Important Thing about Margaret Wise Brown by Mac Barnett. Illustrated by Sarah Jacoby. 42 p. Balzar + Bray/ HarperCollins Publishers, May, 2019. 9780062393449. (Review of finished copy borrowed from public library.)

This post is as much rumination as review. I did read Goodnight Moon to my sons. I loved the bunny's bedtime ritual of saying goodnight to everything. Our ritual was reading each night after dad sang taps. Two of my boys shared a room and each got to choose two books (and later, two chapters) for me to read each night. Dad took turns when he could. He was more a storyteller though, and regaled them with The Castle Boys, an original serial starring them, which invariably wound them up instead of winding them down. 

Runaway Bunny was less appealing to me and thankfully, to them as well. (Egad, that mother!) But our love of Goodnight Moon had us poking around Brown's other books and mostly enjoying them. We were surprised to learn that she had written over a hundred books and especially surprised after learning that she died so young at age 42.

Which is the exact number of pages in this picture book "biography." In some respects, The Important Thing about Margaret Wise Brown is less a biography and more a conversation about a remarkable person and what is important. Barnett mirrors MWB's storytelling, which deeply respected a child's intellect, wonder and capacity to think deeply. 

Picture books are typically 32 pages long. Occasionally, they are 40 pages and sometimes, a longer form picture book will weigh in at 48 pages. I don't know why. I'm too lazy to research the reasoning. Perhaps it's some kind of printer math or publisher rule. But, like MWB, Mac Barnett is a rule breaker. Of course, there's a good, writerly, symbolic reason for insisting that this story contain 42 pages, but he breaks the rules in other ways. Such as telling the (presumably) young reader that MWB skinned one of her rabbits after it had died and wore its pelt. Yikes. She liked to swim naked in cold water (sure to send kids into peals of laughter), bought a whole cartful of flowers with the money she made from her first book and how her books were not like other books for children at the time. 

And just as MWB would suddenly shift gears in one of her stories, Mac Barnett switches from biographical tidbits about MWB to NY Public Library Librarian, Anne Carroll Moore. She was a gatekeeper whose stamp of approval was sought if a children's story were to succeed. Apparently, Anne Carroll Moore did not approve of MWB. He digresses for a few pages illustrating just how eccentric Anne Carroll Moore was (despite the many ways she advanced library services to children) before getting back to MWB and the hilarious stunt she and her editor Ursula Nordstrom pulled when they weren't invited to a snooty party at the NYPL.

The illustrations are evocative of Garth Williams, who illustrated more than a few of MWB's picture books. Whimsical and watery, the retro feel of the pictures are perfect here. 

The story ends as abruptly as Brown's life with the explanation that lives can end suddenly and can be many things from happy to sad but that MWB wrote important books. 

Typically, biographies contain back matter. Little things like author's notes, which might add detail that didn't quite fit into the story; or source notes; or suggestions for further reading. This lovely, provocative story of the life of Margaret Wise Brown contains no back matter whatsoever. Interesting choice. This is definitely going into my picture book biography unit. I can't wait to see what my students make of The Important Thing about Margaret Wise Brown.

Fact Friday: The Eye That Never Sleeps: how detective Pinkerton saved President Lincoln by Marissa Moss

Image: Abrams

The Eye That Never Sleeps: how detective Pinkerton saved President Lincoln by Marissa Moss. Illustrated by Jeremy Holmes. 48 p. Abrams Books for Young Readers, November, 2018. 9781419730641. (Review of finished copy purchased at ALAAC19)

Fact Friday features The Eye That Never Sleeps: how Detective Pinkerton saved President Lincoln by Marissa Moss. Have you ever wondered where the term "private eye" came from? You will find out in this intriguing picture book biography. Allan Pinkerton was born in Scotland. He grew up quite poor but very observant. As a young man, he agitated for worker's rights and was wanted by the government, so he fled to the U.S. with his bride and established a business as a cooper (barrel maker). He continued to observe though. While gathering wood for his barrels on a island, he noted the remnants of a campfire and wondered who would be on the island and for what. Turns out, it was a band of counterfeiters. As the headline of the Chicago Daily Tribune said, the "Cooper Becomes a Copper." Pinkerton was hired as the Chicago Police Department's first detective. 

After a year on the force, he founded his own agency and wrote his own manual for his trainees to study. By the 1850s his agency was well-known for solving murders and recovering stolen goods. Pinkerton was hired by the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad in 1860 to protect the railway from secessionists who were conspiring to blow up the tracks. During the investigation, Pinkerton heard rumors of a plot to assassinate President-Elect Abraham Lincoln. I will leave it to you to read about the thrilling details.

Helpful back matter includes a timeline, artist's note, author's note, source notes and a bibliography. The illustrations were digitally rendered to look like scratchboard. The palette is muted shades of purples, reds and orange. There's lots of spot art and speech bubbles adding visual appeal. The compelling narrative is somewhat dwarfed by the illustrations though, and is mostly relegated to the far left of each spread. This arrangement sort of lends itself to a sort of silent film effect. I found it a bit distracting and read through the text first, then backtracked and read the illustrations. (Click on the link to the page for the book on the Abrams website. There is a slide show of some of the spreads.)

This is definitely going in my Sixth Grade Picture Book Biography Unit! I had a short conversation with the author and her editor as she signed my book about back matter and what makes a good picture book biography. Remember, you are never too old for picture books. This one is terrific! 

Picture Book Review: Sonny's Bridge by Barry Wittenstein

Image: Charlesbridge

Sonny's Bridge: jazz legend Sonny Rollins finds his groove by Barry Wittenstein. Illustrated by Keith Mallett. unpgd. Charlesbridge, May 21, 2019. 9781580898812. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

Even the most tone-deaf of readers will find themselves bopping to the rhythm of this snazzy picture book biography told in free verse of jazz legend, Sonny Rollins. Rollins was born in 1930 in Harlem, where jazz legends Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald often performed. He was drawn to jazz early and when his mother finally bought him a saxophone, he would practice like crazy. World War II raged and he would sneak into the Apollo Theater to learn from the greats. At nineteen, he began playing his own gigs around town and very quickly made a name for himself. He just as quickly walked away.

This accessible biography is a terrific introduction to jazz and one of its innovators. Everything about it is energetic and beautiful from the poetry that begs to be read aloud to its gorgeous digital illustrations. The design is genius as well. I just loved the first title page that looks like a vinyl LP in its sleeve complete with the circular crease that outlines the disc inside. Turn the page and the next title page shows that disc on a turntable. These delights will probably need to be explained to young people whose music is delivered digitally. One can get lost in each illustration noticing and appreciating little details like the whoosh of notes, the upward view of the Williamsburg Bridge or the gorgeous sun setting over lower Manhattan while a despondent Sonny contemplates his life. Oh! And check out the jacket flaps!

Exemplary back matter includes an author's note; Liner Notes about The Bridge Album; a timeline; quote sources, two websites, videos and books to learn more as well as a Selected Bibliography. I am constantly reminding my students to check out the backmatter for research and source ideas. A well-done back matter section is a treasure trove of information!

The copyright page, located on the final page, sports the same design as the front. Had I had a say, I would've suggested that it mirror the front with "Side 2." (Teeny quibble.)

I would be eager to learn if there are plans for an audio book. I recall reading Charlie Parker Played Be-Bop by Chris Raschka way back in 1992. I am a fan of Raschka's work and I liked this enough. It wasn't until the early 2000s and I was a librarian and discovered the audiobook. Once I shared it, I realized how badly I had read the book originally. The audiobook was immersive and experiential. Hearing the music and listening to the performance transformed the book for me.

In the absence of an audiobook, librarians and teachers who share the book with young readers would do well to find Rollins' music from The Bridge.  I can't wait to add this to my sixth grade picture book biography unit. 

Sonny's Bridge: jazz legend Sonny Rollins finds his groove is truly a treasure.

ETA: More book design beauty. I forgot to mention the slipcover dilemma. Sometimes it pains me to tape a cover down on a library book:

Picture Book Review: Smile: how young Charlie Chaplin taught the world to laugh and cry by Gary Golio

Smile: how young Charlie Chaplin taught the world to laugh and cry by Gary Golio. Illustrated by Ed Young. unpgd. Candlewick Press, March 26, 2019. 97807636967617. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

Oh, how my heart sang when I received an email about reviewing Smile! First off, I am a huge Chaplin fan. Secondly, I am a fan of Golio's biographies, especially his earlier collaboration with Young, Bird and Diz. It wasn't hard to be objective. 

Smile beguiles from first glance. The cover design is absolute genius with the author's and illustrator's names incorporated into the "Little Tramp's" noteworthy mustache and eyebrow. Be sure to open it up and appreciate more design treats, such as the spotlit silhouette that starts on the spine and bleeds onto the front cover. The back cover pays homage to silent films with a title card that displays the title, creators and the promise that, "You'll laugh! You'll cry!"

Remove the cover to find this:

This will probably appear in a "Cover Dilemma" post soon. I must confess, while I love the colorful, torn tissue paper collage work on the jacket, I don't get the connection to Chaplin. I see the color motifs carried over into the word, "smile." Maybe there is no significance other than beauty. It is quite beautiful and a shame to tape down the cover as one must in a library.

Golio's spare and lyrical biography is the perfect introduction of the complex and flawed Chaplin for young readers. He gently plucks the reader's heartstrings with Charlie's rough beginning. Luckily, Charlie was loved by his mother who cultivated a love a performing and story. Reader's will come to learn about resiliency and creativity as Charlie works to adapt to the changing times. 

I have a gorgeous biography called, Sir Charlie: Chaplin, the funniest man in the world, written by Sid Fleischman that only a single student checked out since its publication in 2010. I usually get blank looks when I try to hand-sell this one. One aim of my sixth grade Picture Book Biography unit is to give students a taste of a subject that will pique enough interest to invest time and effort to read a full-length biography. I have high hopes that some of my sixth graders will become Chaplin fans after reading Smile.

It is Young's mixed media collages that star here. Textures and color are combined to bring Charlie to life. Interestingly, this is done mostly through silhouette. One really doesn't get a sense about what Charlie looks like. It's pure emotion, action and, later, humor. It isn't until the final page of the book, where a black and white photo of "The Little Tramp" floats in the white space, that the reader see what his face (and persona) look like. 

An additional design delight pays homage to the silents by the placement of "The Little Tramp's" silhouette in the lower right corners of most the other pages. Careful flipping of the pages makes for a crude movie of sorts. I tried to film it with my phone to share on FB, but the page loaded sideways and the file is too big to share through an email for me to embed here. 

Do I hear the word, Caldecott?