The struggle to achieve voting rights for women in both the United States and the United Kingdom is told in this illustrated book first published in the U.K.
Readers who may be skeptical that a man—as author/illustrator Roberts is—can do justice to the story of women’s suffrage will be happily proved wrong. Not only does Roberts bring his well-researched story to life, but his Edward Gorey–like watercolor portraits (some based on period photographs) both enlighten and entertain. Though primarily focused on the struggle in the U.K., the narrative in this large, sumptuously illustrated book nonetheless inserts U.S. suffrage activities in a natural way. Young readers will be amazed to learn that women’s suffrage in both countries took decades of organizing, demonstrating, marching, and educating—and that it was not a completely unified endeavor. The schism in the U.K. between factions who believed in peaceful demonstration and those who subscribed to more violent (although not against human lives) measures is presented factually, as is the discrimination in United States suffrage organizations that discouraged or denied participation by women of color. This cleareyed, evenhanded presentation gives the overall story a veracity that lets shine the bravery of all the women (and men) who were ridiculed, imprisoned, force-fed, and beaten for their determination to win the franchise.
This compelling story of determination and persistence can’t help but inspire today’s readers. (foreword, introduction, bibliography) (Nonfiction. 8-14)Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5362-0841-2
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Walker US/Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Aug. 28, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2019
Categories: CHILDREN'S HISTORY | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL SCIENCES
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A measured corrective to pervasive myths about what is often referred to as the “first Thanksgiving.”
Contextualizing them within a Native perspective, Newell (Passamaquoddy) touches on the all-too-familiar elements of the U.S. holiday of Thanksgiving and its origins and the history of English colonization in the territory now known as New England. In addition to the voyage and landfall of the Mayflower, readers learn about the Doctrine of Discovery that arrogated the lands of non-Christian peoples to European settlers; earlier encounters between the Indigenous peoples of the region and Europeans; and the Great Dying of 1616-1619, which emptied the village of Patuxet by 1620. Short, two- to six-page chapters alternate between the story of the English settlers and exploring the complex political makeup of the region and the culture, agriculture, and technology of the Wampanoag—all before covering the evolution of the holiday. Refreshingly, the lens Newell offers is a Native one, describing how the Wampanoag and other Native peoples received the English rather than the other way around. Key words ranging from estuary to discover are printed in boldface in the narrative and defined in a closing glossary. Nelson (a member of the Leech Lake Band of Minnesota Chippewa) contributes soft line-and-color illustrations of the proceedings. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Essential. (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Nov. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-338-72637-4
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Scholastic Nonfiction
Review Posted Online: Oct. 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021
Categories: CHILDREN'S HISTORY | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS
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When Fred Korematsu, a young Japanese-American man, defied U.S. governmental orders by refusing to report to prison camps during World War II, he and his allies set in motion a landmark civil liberties case.
Like any American, Fred dreams of marriage and raising a family with his sweetheart, Ida, a daughter of Italian immigrants. But after the attack on Pearl Harbor, wartime hysteria spreads, and Japanese natives and Japanese-Americans on the West Coast are ordered to prison camps. Knowing this is unjust, Fred changes his name and calls himself "Spanish Hawaiian" but becomes dismayed knowing others are imprisoned in camps. His identity ultimately discovered, he is jailed following his arrest for his refusal to report to the camps and there meets Ernest Besig, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union. Together, they begin a long and against-all-odds fight against injustice. Written in free verse, Fred’s story engages in powerful bursts and shows how speaking out brings complex consequences. Enhanced with pictures and archival materials, well-researched and approachable historical essays interspersed throughout Fred’s account offer context, while Houlette’s reverent illustrations give humanity to Fred’s plight. Co-authors Atkins and Yogi raise good questions (such as, “Have you ever been blamed for something just because of how you look?”) that will inspire a new generation of activists.
This first book in the Fighting for Justice series is a must-read for all civics classrooms. (resources for activism, note from Karen Korematsu, bibliography) (Blended nonfiction/historical fiction. 8-14)Pub Date: Jan. 30, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-59714-368-4
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Heyday
Review Posted Online: Nov. 16, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2016
Categories: CHILDREN'S HISTORY
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