Review of Out of the Shadows, by Fiona Robinson

Biography, Children's Nonfiction Review, Starred Review 0

Out of the Shadows

How Lotte Reiniger Made the First Animated Fairytale Movie

by Fiona Robinson

Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2022. 44 pages.
Review written May 4, 2022, from a library book
Starred Review

This exquisitely illustrated book tells a story I’d known nothing about and fascinated me all along the way. It’s a picture book biography of the young woman who pioneered techniques in animation and made the first full length animated movie.

The book starts with Lotte’s love for fairy tales and her discovery of Chinese puppets, jointed puppets controlled with sticks. Next, Lotte learned at school the traditional craft of Scherenschnitte, cutting paper to make intricate character outlines. Then she combined the two techniques, making characters from paper and turning them into jointed puppets. All while she was still a child.

As an older teen, Lotte got to go to acting school where she met a German moviemaker. Movies were still silent in those days, with intertitles between scenes to give dialog and live orchestras playing while the movies played.

I love the spread that describes why she got a chance to try her puppet techniques in animating movies. It was for a movie about the Pied Piper of Hamelin. They brought rats to the street where they were filming and set them loose.

The rats didn’t magically follow Wegener. They disappeared into the town, plaguing the townsfolk.

Next, the crew tried guinea pigs, painted gray with tails attached. A gunshot was fired into the air. The camera whirred. The guinea pigs were released. Wegener turned to see the little creatures in the middle of the street, chewing their fake tales off.

So Lotte got the chance to create her first animation. She used stop motion animation, giving the crew big baskets of wooden rats. They moved them little by little and photographed each step. It took all day, but when they combined the pictures of the rats with the pied piper, it worked perfectly. The movie was a hit!

The book talks more about how Lotte did her work, using a special table to film animations done with cut paper, and then the new improved table she invented herself to give more depth to the animation. It all builds up to a full-length movie they weren’t sure people would be able to sit through — and then had to have police manage the crowds. I like the story included that Lotte noticed smoke that the audience thought was a special effect and successfully stopped a fire by discovering the source.

The Adventures of Prince Achmed took its place in film history as the first full-length fairytale movie. It is also considered the oldest surviving full-length animation. For a young woman in 1926, this is a remarkable, almost unbelievable achievement. But all of this is true, and absolutely not a fairy story!

And if Lotte’s story weren’t fascinating enough, the wonderful illustrations accompany the text in perfect harmony. There’s generous use of silhouettes, mimicking the cut-paper characters from her work, but there’s plenty of variety. Sometimes words show as if on a reel of film and titles between sections look like the intertitles from silent movies. The back matter tells the reader more about Lotte’s amazing life.

This is a truly stellar picture book biography that I didn’t even know I needed.

abramsbooks.com

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of Why Longfellow Lied, by Jeff Lantos

Children's Nonfiction Review, History, Starred Review 0

Why Longfellow Lied

The Truth About Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride

by Jeff Lantos

Charlesbridge, 2021. 134 pages.
Review written January 7, 2022, from a library book
Starred Review

My plan was to read this book a little bit at a time, but once I started, it was hard to stop! It takes Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s famous poem, “Paul Revere’s Ride” stanza by stanza and tells us what really happened on that fateful night that the Revolutionary War began.

But Longfellow made it a poem about one hero, Paul Revere, when actually a long list of people were involved in warning the colonists. So the author also looks at the question of why Longfellow took so much poetic license? What was he trying to accomplish with this poem? (Hint: It was written just before the Civil War began.)

Now, kids today may not be familiar with the famous poem. The author takes care of that by printing it at the front of the book. And the words do have a ring to them. Then he takes the poem a little at a time and tells us what actually happened that night, from revealing the actual mastermind behind the mission to telling us about Paul Revere’s capture before he ever got to Concord.

It turns out that was a momentous and exciting night in American history. The book is filled with plenty of paintings, maps, sidebars, engravings, photographs, and other artefacts. I now have a much better understanding of April 18-19, 1775, than I ever got in History class. Super interesting and informative. And it will help kids think critically about history.

charlesbridge.com

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Review of Small Shoes, Great Strides, by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, illustrated by Alex Bostic

Children's Nonfiction Review, History, Starred Review 0

Small Shoes, Great Strides

How Three Brave Girls Opened Doors to School Equality

by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
illustrated by Alex Bostic

Carolrhoda Books, 2024. 44 pages.
Review written June 5, 2024, from a library book.
Starred Review

You’ve probably heard of Ruby Bridges. It turns out that first graders Leona Tate, Tessie Prevost, and Gail Etienne, were ten minutes ahead of Ruby integrating a previously all-white school in a different part of New Orleans.

This lovely book tells their story. It’s in picture book format, with large artwork on each spread, but there’s also a lot of text on each spread, so the target audience is upper elementary school kids who can handle that much reading. There are ten pages of back matter, giving more to the story.

This book leads off with telling how the girls were taught in a classroom with paper over the windows and had to have recess and lunch indoors. Federal marshals escorted them to school and even to the bathroom.

The book also covers the threats they faced even at home and the constant police presence. We can all be so thankful that they and their families saw it through. Already the next year, they were able to take the paper down from the windows.

I have to admit, though, that I was saddened by the pages in the back matter describing what school was like for them from third grade on in an integrated school. No longer protected by federal marshals, students and even teachers were often cruel. But it still doesn’t diminish the powerful thing they accomplished as first graders and the lasting effects.

vaundamicheauxnelson.com
alexbostic.com
lernerbooks.com

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Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of Bei Bei Goes Home, by Cheryl Bardoe

Children's Nonfiction Review, Science, Stand-outs 0

Bei Bei Goes Home

A Panda Story

by Cheryl Bardoe

Smithsonian Kids (Candlewick Entertainment), 2021. 44 pages.
Review written March 5, 2022, from a library book
Starred Review

The only thing cuter than a book full of photographs of pandas is one full of photos of a baby panda. Bei Bei Goes Home tells the story of the giant panda born at the National Zoo in Washington, DC, in August 2015.

Who knew that a giant pandas are minuscule at birth? The pictures of mother Mei Xiang cradling the tiny baby emphasize how tiny Bei Bei was as a cub. The reader gets the whole story of his birth, keeping him healthy (had to wait until Mei Xiang put him down for a minute), choosing his name, getting vaccinated, learning to get around and play.

At one year old, they had a traditional Chinese ceremony and Bei Bei chose luck and friendship to represent his future. In multiple photographs on every spread, we see Bei Bei exploring his habitat, playing with toys, and growing quickly.

Then, as referred to in the title, at four years old, we see Bei Bei shipped to China.

Where Bei Bei lives now is part of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda. Researchers there hope to raise panda cubs who can succeed in the wild. Bei Bei cannot do this himself because he is too comfortable around humans. Keepers in China have begun donning panda costumes to help raise cubs who will be released into the wild. After Bei Bei is fully mature, around six or seven years, he may become the father to such a cub.

This is a book to enjoy looking at, and you’ll pick up plenty of information about giant pandas along the way.

candlewick.com

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of Stamped (for Kids), by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi, adapted by Sonja Cherry-Paul

Audiobooks, Children's Nonfiction Review, Current Issues, History 0

Stamped

(For Kids)

Racism, Antiracism, and You

by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
adapted by Sonja Cherry-Paul
read by Pe’Tehn Raighn-Kem Jackson

Hachette Audio, 2021. 2 hours, 22 minutes on 2 CDs.
Review written April 13, 2022, from a library audiobook
Starred Review

This is now the third iteration of this book, and the third I’ve read or listened to. First, Dr. Ibram X. Kendi wrote a big and long and scholarly book for adults called Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America. Then Jason Reynolds “remixed” that content into a book for teens, called Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You. That was the first version I listened to. It was accessible and easy to understand, but had some powerful and thought-provoking content.

Now they’ve gone another step, and Sonja Cherry-Paul has adapted the content from Jason Reynolds’ book into an even shorter version that is easy for kids to understand. I like the kid narrator who reads the audiobook, making it feel like a kid talking with his friends.

I was happy to refresh my memory of these ideas. The authors give the history of racist ideas in America. They explain segregationalists, who believe Black people are inferior, assimilationists, who believe Black people can be good people if they work at it, and antiracists who believe that Black people are human and valuable and just as worthy as anyone else.

I also appreciate the explanation that most people aren’t just one thing all the time. They explain why ideas like the “Talented Tenth” are assimilationist, even when those putting forward the ideas are trying to be helpful. Even in this short and simple adaptation, we’ve got complex concepts clearly explained.

And make no mistake about it — this is a book about fairness and caring and seeing past discrimination. Kids who listen to this audiobook or read this book will be able to spot policies that treat any one class of people as inferior to others. Here’s to a new generation of antiracists!

jasonwritesbooks.com
ibramxkendi.com
Downpour.com

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Review of How to Find a Fox, written by Kate Gardner, photographs by Ossi Saarinen

Children's Nonfiction Review, Good for the Very Young, Science, Starred Review 0

How to Find a Fox

written by Kate Gardner
photographs by Ossi Saarinen

Running Press Kids (Hachette), 2021. 48 pages.
Review written November 29, 2021, from a library book.
Starred Review

Here’s a wonderful first science book for little ones. The big, beautiful photographs, mostly of foxes in the wild, steal the show.

There’s a short and simple text in big letters. It begins by talking about where you can look to find a fox. There’s a paragraph in smaller text on most pages, giving some more background information.

For example, after pages saying “Listen for yips, yowls, and growls,” we’ve got this text in a smaller font:

Red foxes make a range of noises, though none of them sound much like a common dog’s barking. Instead, foxes’ high-pitched howls, chirps, and screams are more birdlike. . . . And sometimes, a fox can even sound like a person crying. Different calls are used when playing, or fighting, or when fox parents want to warn their babies of danger.

The photos are big, colorful, and striking. I am so taken with this book, I want to try it in Toddler Storytime, as I think the photos can catch even their attention. They will like the pages that tell you where not to look for a fox, and name the animals found in the sky, in the trees, in the river, and in the pond.

runningpress.com/rpkids

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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*Note* To try to catch up on posting reviews, I’m posting the oldest reviews I’ve written on my blog without making a page on my main website. They’re still good books.

Review of One Step Further, by Katherine Johnson, illustrated by Charnelle Pinkney Barlow

Biography, Children's Nonfiction Review, Starred Review 0

One Step Further

My Story of Math, the Moon, and a Lifelong Mission

by Katherine Johnson
with her daughters Joylette Hylick and Katherine Moore
illustrated by Charnelle Pinkney Barlow

National Geographic Kids, 2021. 48 pages.
Review written January 5, 2022, from my own copy
Starred Review

Here’s a wonderful picture book biography that tells about the groundbreaking life of Katherine Johnson and weaves in the experiences of her three daughters growing up with her example.

The book uses photographs and artifacts from Katherine’s life to give wonderful visuals, giving a taste of the times. The daughters are pictured with speech bubbles giving commentary on the artifacts and the main text, effectively pulling the reader into the story with child guides.

Segregation affected Katherine’s life, and it also affected her daughters’ lives. When she moved in order to find a job that used her talents, her children experienced segregation. But I also like that when she became a human computer for NACA, there were many other college-educated African-American women working there (segregated from the white computers). The kids are pictured saying about that:

Our neighborhood was full of smart and stylish Black women mathematicians. At church, at school pickups, at summer cookouts, in our kitchen.

They took such pride in their jobs and looked so perfect every day. We didn’t know quite what they did, but we wanted to be like them.

The theme of “one step further” is carried through the book, as Katherine continued to push to go one step further. Her daughter Kathy also went one step further by participating in sit-ins to protest racial segregation.

The book progresses through to Katherine’s important work on the moon launch and how John Glenn asked Katherine to check the math of the mechanical computer before he was willing to take off.

I like the page at the back that tells how NASA named a building and then an entire facility after Katherine. It also tells how her daughters followed in her footsteps, with one working for NASA and the other two working as teachers.

There are ten pages of detailed historical notes after the main story, so older kids intrigued by this can learn how they can find out more. This biography is put together in a wonderfully inviting package.

natgeo.com

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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*Note* To try to catch up on posting reviews, I’m posting the oldest reviews I’ve written on my blog without making a page on my main website. They’re still good books.

Review of My Incredible India, by Jasbinder Bilan, illustrated by Nina Chakrabarti

Children's Nonfiction Review, History 0

My Incredible India

by Jasbinder Bilan
illustrated by Nina Chakrabarti

Candlewick Press, 2023. First published in the United Kingdom in 2022. 72 pages.
Review written May 20, 2024, from a library book.

This book reminds me of Africa, Amazing Africa, by Atinuke and Mouni Feddag. This one, too, is a big, beautiful, oversized picture book offering an in-depth look at a region of the world I hadn’t known a lot about. It, too, offers a look at personal things people love about India.

This book is framed as a visit of a child with her grandmother, who shows her wonderful things from India out of a large wooden chest. And each thing is associated with a different place in India. There’s a map at the front locating all the places talked about. Each place is located as to which of India’s twenty-eight states or eight union territories it’s found in. In between some of the spreads, which are all covered with illustrations as well as facts, there are spreads about more general topics such as wildlife, religious festivals, food, sports, crafts, and the like. A timeline of the history of India is at the back, along with an index and a list of websites to find out more.

I took it slowly when I read it, a few spreads at a time, and learned fascinating things about India.

Friday nights are exciting nights: that’s when I sleep over at Nanijee’s. She makes me spiced milky chai sprinkled with cinnamon. I take a small sip and snuggle into the folds of her chunni. She smiles and creaks open the trunk. It smells sweet, like the heart of a tree.

She takes out one object and tells me all about it — which state it’s from, why she loves it so much, and what makes it unique.

Let this author and artist share their love of India with you.

jasbinderbilan.co.uk

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Review of Latinitas, by Juliet Menéndez

Biography, Children's Nonfiction Review 0

Latinitas

Celebrating 40 Big Dreamers

by Juliet Menéndez

Godwin Books (Henry Holt), 2021. 102 pages
Review written December 11, 2021, from a library book

I’m not a big fan of collective biographies. When there are page after page of short bios, the details start to run together. But this book is something special.

Latinitas has forty one-page biographies of Latinas who accomplished great things, with about half of each bio focusing on the subject’s childhood. There’s a folk-art style illustration of each subject as a girl, with a banner giving her name and what she’s known for. She’s holding things that symbolize her accomplishments.

Something I liked about this collection is that I hadn’t heard of a large proportion of these truly amazing woman. I am so glad their stories will become more well-known. They come from countries all over Latin America. The first woman featured, a military leader, was born in 1651 in Mexico, and the last one, an Olympic gymnast, was born in 2000 in the United States.

I hope many young Latinas find this book and are inspired!

julietmenendez.com
mackids.com

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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*Note* To try to catch up on posting reviews, I’m posting the oldest reviews I’ve written on my blog without making a page on my main website. They’re still good books.

Review of She’s on the Money, by Andrea Hall, illustrated by Li Zhang

Children's Nonfiction Review, History, Starred Review 0

She’s on the Money

by Andrea Hall
illustrated by Li Zhang

Albert Whitman & Company, 2021. 32 pages.
Review written December 1, 2021, from a library book
Starred Review

What a fun idea! This picture book gives short biographies of 15 women who appear or have appeared on currency somewhere in the world. Each woman gets a spread, with a page at the back for Britannia and a page for Lady Liberty.

Some of the women are well-known, such as the first one presented, Cleopatra. Others I’d never heard of, such as the last set presented, the Mirabal Sisters of the Dominican Republic. The women are presented in the order of the year they were born.

There are more from America than anywhere else, but that’s just two – Sacagawea and Helen Keller (who was on the Alabama quarter) – well, you may also count “Lady Liberty” at the back. I like the wide range of countries represented.

Also fun is the close look at the currency where the women are portrayed – I’ve long said that other countries have much more interesting money and it shows the colorful bills and the symbolism next to the woman’s portrait.

A fascinating book. You can learn both about distinguished women and what money looks like in other countries. Now, I know they didn’t present every woman who’s ever been on currency, because Queen Elizabeth wasn’t mentioned – but I do wish the book were fatter with more examples, and I fear that’s because there aren’t too many more examples out there. There is a note in the back about plans to put Harriet Tubman on the United States twenty dollar bill. May it be so.

lizhangart.com
albertwhitman.com

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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

What did you think of this book?

*Note* To try to catch up on posting reviews, I’m posting the oldest reviews I’ve written on my blog without making a page on my main website. They’re still good books.