This is one in a series of monthly reviews of books for young people written by area teachers of children’s literature. Today's reviews are by Melissa Cain, professor at the University of Findlay.
Picture books are a wonderful way to introduce children to the lives of all kinds of interesting people. This collection of books may inspire deeper investigation of the subjects’ lives.
MUMBET’S DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. By Gretchen Woelfle. Illustrated by Alex Delinois. Carolrhoda Picture Books. $17.95. Ages 7-9.
Mumbet was a slave owned by Col. John Ashley, the richest man in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. She had no true name, but was called many by her abusive mistress. Her desire for freedom was her everyday companion. When the Colonies declared their freedom, Mumbet heard the new constitution’s promise that “All men are born free and equal” at a public meeting. She convinced a young lawyer to sue Ashley for her freedom, arguing that the line meant everyone. In 1781, she won. Soon after, slavery in Massachusetts was abolished, freeing all 5,000 slaves in the state.
STAR STUFF: CARL SAGAN AND THE MYSTERIES OF THE COSMOS. Written and illustrated by Stephanie Roth Sisson. Roaring Brook Press. $17.99. Ages 4-8.
In the Milky Way galaxy, on the third planet from the sun, in a big city, in a small apartment, lived a curious boy who was fascinated with the stars, loved science fiction, and had a vivid imagination, all of which led him to research more about the universe. Carl Sagan and other scientists sent out mechanical probes, including Voyager I and II, and analyzed what they found. He used television to share the resulting knowledge, sparking the public’s imagination. Charming illustrations include a foldout that gives a sense of the vastness of the night sky.
THE IRIDESCENCE OF BIRDS: A BOOK ABOUT HENRI MATISSE. By Patricia MacLachlan. Illustrated by Hadley Hooper. Roaring Brook Press. $17.99. Ages 4-8.
This beautiful book contains only two sentences, one of which lasts for 16 page turns and describes the childhood of Henri Matisse in a dreary northern French mill town. It tells of how his mother brought color to their lives through her painted plates and the fruits, flowers, rugs, and fabrics she brought into the house and how young Matisse raised pigeons and was captivated by their iridescence. Hooper’s pictures, in slightly muted colors, look like woodcuts and show how Matisse’s childhood experiences influenced the designs of his adult work as a fine artist.
VIVA FRIDA. By Yuyi Morales. Roaring Brook Press. $17.99. Ages 4-8.
Brief text celebrates the spirit of Frida Kahlo, one of the artists Morales studied in art school. Frida was a lively woman who integrated new and old symbols of Mexican culture into her paintings, many of which were portraits of herself in lavish jewelry and hairstyles and also included her pet monkey, her dog, her parrots, and her husband, Mexican muralist Diego Rivera. The text in the book is superimposed over its Spanish translation. The vivid pictures are a mixed-media blend of photographs and paintings in colors as bright as Mexico.
FOUNDING MOTHERS: REMEMBERING THE LADIES. By Cokie Roberts. Illustrated by Diane Goode. Harper. $17.99. Ages 7-12.
We hear about the Founding Fathers of our nation, but not always about the women who were at their sides. Derived from Roberts’ adult book of the same title, this version is perfect for its age range. The selection of represented women goes beyond the ones readers most expect — Abigail Adams, Deborah Franklin, Martha Washington, and Dolley Madison — and gives a broader view of the activities of women to support the birth of our nation. Goode’s scribbly illustrations display careful research, even down to perfect copies of the signatures of the women.
BENNY GOODMAN & TEDDY WILSON: TAKING THE STAGE AS THE FIRST BLACK-AND-WHITE JAZZ BAND IN HISTORY. By Lesa Cline-Ransome. Illustrated by James E. Ransome. Holiday House. $16.95. All Ages.
Told in free-verse poetry, this is the story of two very different musical prodigies, Benny Goodman, son of struggling Russian Jewish immigrants in Chicago, and Teddy Wilson, son of two African American professors at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.
Early double-page spreads show both boys on the path to ultimately become, with drummer Gene Krupa, the Benny Goodman Trio, the first interracial jazz band. Moreover, the group helped create the style known as swing. Ransome is a master of lively characters and facial expressions. The energy jazz and swing inspire is evident throughout the book.
First Published October 26, 2014, 4:00 a.m.
