Dr. Fauci: How a Boy from Brooklyn Became America's Doctor, by Kate Messner, illustrated by Alexandra Bye

 

Anthony Fauci was a lucky child. He was a naturally curious kid, and he had warm and supportive parents. His father, particularly, supported him in exploring the solution to a problem—whether it was homework, chatting with the tough guys in his neighborhood or countering his short stature by being quick on his feet during basketball. Anthony’s interest in being a doctor bloomed in high school and carried him through medical school; ultimately, he became an expert in infectious diseases. The curiosity Fauci had as a child served him well: he kept an open mind as he explored evidence and searched for solutions for new diseases such as AIDS and SARS. At the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, he worked as a health advisor under seven U. S. presidents.

 

In DR. FAUCI: How a Boy from Brooklyn Became America’s Doctor, written by Kate Messner and illustrated by Alexandra Bye, readers are invited to share in Dr. Fauci’s curiosity and confidence as he met new challenges. One of his biggest challenges has been confronting the fast-spreading coronavirus COVID-19, which swept across our nation and the globe. Supported by a network of scientists around the world, health experts highlighted important ways for individuals and communities to stay safe while vaccines were being developed. This excellent, colorfully illustrated narrative biography is extended with an explanation of how vaccines work, wonderful photos of the Fauci family, Dr. Fauci’s five tips for future scientists, and intriguing recommendations for further reading about problem-solving scientists. Perfect for young people ages 4-8, this book is informative and inspiring for people of all ages! Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2021.

Readers can learn more about the National Institutes of Health here.

 

 

 

 

The People's Painter: How Ben Shahn Fought for Justice with Art, by Cynthia Levinson, with pictures by Evan Turk

 

In The People’s Painter: How Ben Shahn Fought for Justice with Art, readers take a fascinating journey through the life of an artist driven to create images of real lives and real places around him. As a young child in Lithuania, Ben Shahn noticed things: how his elders created useful objects out of wood and clay, how elegant the letters of his Hebrew Bible stories were. He also saw, and felt, the injustices around him: students or teachers at school bullying or discrediting him, his father taken away from the family for speaking against the Czar. Ben put his thoughts and feelings into pictures—a passion that would drive his energy for the rest of his life. Eventually Ben’s father escaped to America, and the family was able to follow when Ben was eight years old. Ben captured the life around him in America—chalking sidewalk portraits of boys who teased him, copying the forms of English text in his schoolbooks. Soon Ben had to leave school to help support his family and, working for a lithographer, he learned techniques of lettering and carving. At night he attended art school but his instructors did not appreciate his work based on real life, telling him to paint beautiful scenes instead. But Ben was compelled to convey the injustices he saw around him. His realistic images portrayed powerfully the lives of working people, poor people, immigrants and prisoners. He took photographs and painted murals as part of President Roosevelt’s New Deal programs to assist people suffering in the Great Depression. In the 1930s, he created a series of paintings about Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, two immigrant men who spoke out against the government, and were convicted of murder in a trial which many people felt was unjust. Ben’s unrelentingly realistic art—in scenes that did not portray a beautiful America—led to accusations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation that Ben was disloyal. Overcoming these threats, Ben continued to paint as a social activist in support of peace and justice. His work stands as an enduring record of decades of our history. 

 

To conclude this wonderful picture book biography, Cynthia Levinson presents an Author’s Note placing the life of Ben Shahn in historical context, sharing her long appreciation of the themes in his art, and providing windows to her scholarly research. In an Illustrator’s Note, Evan Turk tells readers that Shahn’s work has always been his inspiration–in their bold, expressive energy and storytelling power. Levinson’s narrative and Turk’s colorful pages together convey one artist’s drive to capture the complex world around him. Ages 5-9. Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2021.

The Highest Tribute: Thurgood Marshall’s Life, Leadership, and Legacy, by Kekla Magoon, illustrated by Laura Freeman

Thurgood Marshall grew up at a time when there were many “Whites Only” signs on businesses and public places in his home city of Baltimore, Maryland. His parents encouraged conversations around the dinner table discussing concerns about what was fair and what was not. When reading the U. S. Constitution (his teacher required him to do so after he acted out in class), Thurgood began to wonder how—when our nation’s laws declared all persons equal—huge disparities in treatment could exist. He loved discussing and debating. He practiced using his curiosity, analytical mind and strong voice all during high school and college and into law school. Over time, Thurgood Marshall became an important part of many “firsts” in matters of racial equality. He participated in the first interracial debate between U.S. colleges in 1928; as a lawyer he won a case establishing the first court order to desegregate a school in 1935; in 1954 he won the landmark U. S. Supreme Court case Brown vs. Board of Education making all school desegregation unconstitutional. After years of hard and determined work for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and then as Solicitor General (the first Black person in this position, arguing cases before the Supreme Court), he was sworn in as a Supreme Court Justice in 1967, serving until 1991. Marshall was known as an “activist” judge, who consistently set the bar high on issues of fairness and equality under the law. In the picture book biography The Highest Tribute: Thurgood Marshall’s Life, Leadership, and Legacy, author Kekla Magoon weaves the details of Marshall’s barrier-breaking career into a fully engaging narrative. Laura Freeman’s vivid, sensitive illustrations bring wonderful immediacy to Marshall’s strong character. This inspiring book ends with a timeline of Marshall’s life and descriptions of major court cases. Ages 5-10. Quill Tree Books / HarperCollins Publishers, 2021.

For a contemporary look at Thurgood Marshall’s legacy, view the website of the Legal Defense Fund’s Thurgood Marshall Institute: https://tminstituteldf.org

Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré, by Anika Aldamuy Denise, illustrated by Paola Escobar

When Pura Belpré left her home in Puerto Rico to attend her sister’s wedding in New York in 1921, she thought she was coming for a short visit. But no! An opportunity opened for her when she became an assistant at the public library, bringing her three languages to the job. Discovering there were no folktales from her native land on the library shelves, Pura remembered her abuela’s wonderful stories and told them aloud to appreciative young audiences, enhancing them with hand-made puppets. Author Anika Aldamuy Denise weaves an entrancing story herself in the biographical picture book Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré. English and Spanish phrases combine seamlessly as readers learn how Pura spread her tales at story hours and in a published book Pérez y Martina—the favorite Puerto Rican tale of an elegant cockroach and handsome mouse. She brought the language and colors of Puerto Rico to countless libraries, classrooms, churches and community centers in New York, and even further afield as she traveled with her new husband. Returning to New York, she could see how thoroughly the seeds she had planted had taken root in communities she had served, firmly and invaluably establishing Spanish language literature in library collections. Paola Escobar’s exuberant illustrations draw readers into scenes of Belpré’s life with rich immediacy. An author’s note and list of sources provide further information about Pura Belpré’s fine legacy. Ages 4-8. HarperCollins Children’s Books, 2019.                                                                                                                                                                                                              

A Spanish language edition is available: Sembrando historias: Pura Belpré: bibliotecaria y narradora de cuentos. HarperCollins Espanol, 2019.

 

For information about the Pura Belpré Award “presented annually to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth” visit:

https://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/belpre

All Different Now: Juneteenth, the First Day of Freedom, by Angela Johnson, illustrated by E. B. Lewis

 

What might it have been like, as a young Black girl in the south, to hear the news that slavery had been abolished? To hear that people you lived with and loved were no longer working for a master who did not honor you with pay for a hard day’s work or the simple dignity of choosing your own name or occupation? Author Angela Johnson captures beautifully the dawning understanding of a community of enslaved workers in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, when word is finally delivered that two years earlier the Emancipation Proclamation stated that enslaved persons shall be ”forever free.” The abolition of slavery was one of the outcomes of the Civil War, but the reality of abolition spread slowly in places where economic and societal structures depended on enslavement. Word of freedom came late to Texas, but it did come.
 
In All Different Now: Juneteenth, the First Day of Freedom, early breakfast in the quarters and preparation for laboring in the cotton fields start the day. Slowly, as word of an announcement spreads from the port through the town to the countryside and the fields, grownups whisper; curious, hopeful faces change expression as the news is shared. People leave the fields to gather and picnic on the shore; the quiet yet joyful celebration continues into the night. When the next day dawns, it feels different. It is different, even to a youngster who cannot ken exactly what this means for her future.
 
Readers learn in endnotes that author Angela Johnson came to know her great grandparents’ history as slaves gradually. She began to wonder exactly what the moment of freedom felt like to them. When illustrator E. B. Lewis began exploring the history of this time, he perceived it as a combination of “surreal” and “awesome”—and his sensitive, evocative paintings convey that mix of emotions.

Appended are a timeline of important dates from the Emancipation Proclamation to the 13^th Amendment of the U. S. Constitution, commentary on the celebration of Juneteenth throughout history, a glossary of terms, and online resources. Today, Juneteenth is recognized widely as “a day for celebrating African American freedom and achievement.” This picture book presents its beginnings with grace and dignity, providing a gateway to understanding and appreciation. Ages 6 and up. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2014.

Readers may enjoy visiting https://juneteenth.com for additional information and news, including the establishment of Juneteenth as a national holiday.

                                                                    

Maya Lin: Thinking with Her Hands, by Susan Goldman Rubin

 

Readers may know Maya Lin as the designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall in Washington, D. C., a powerful statement honoring the over 58,000 American servicemen and women who lost their lives in the Vietnam War. Lin thought long and hard about how to capture the names of veterans in a manner that visitors could really respond and remember those who served. The polished black granite surface rising as a low wall from the ground invites people to touch the etched names and pause as they see themselves reflected in the memorial.
 
Maya Lin was still a college student in 1981 when she created the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. From the start, she did not want to be considered a builder only of memorials. While she has produced numerous highly original and effective ones (such as the Civil Rights Memorial for the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Alabama, and the Langston Hughes Library and Riggio-Lynch Chapel for the Children’s Defense Fund in Clinton, Tennessee), Lin’s creative spirit drove her to envision and execute many projects, among them the Museum of Chinese in America in New York City, Storm King Wavefield in Mountainville, New York, and What Is Missing?, a project spanning years and multiple locations, highlighting losses to our biodiversity and natural habitats. All Maya Lin’s designs convey her sense of the relationship among materials, heritage and landscape as they create and connect spaces.
 
In Maya Lin: Thinking with Her Hands, author Susan Goldman Rubin describes Maya Lin’s life events, thought processes and projects beautifully. Rubin weaves together documentary photos with key quotes from Lin, grounding them in clear, engaging text. How did a shy child of immigrant parents come into public life as a notable designer? Why was touching clay and water and granite and wood and earth—and using them in elemental ways—so important to Lin? Lin said: “Each project allows me to learn about a new subject” and readers will make the journey alongside her as she allows the natural environment, and human engagement with it, to drive her artistic expressions. Ages 10-14. Chronicle Books, 2017.

The picture book biography Maya Lin: Artist-Architect of Light and Lines, written by Jeanne Walker Harvey and illustrated by Dow Phuminuk, provides inspiring perspectives on designer Maya Lin for younger readers. Ages 4-8. Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, 2017.

Especially for families—an interesting blog post from the Library of Congress:

https://blogs.loc.gov/families/2021/07/history-in-our-backyards-monuments-and-memorials/?loclr=eafam

The Only Woman in the Photo: Frances Perkins & and Her New Deal for America, by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Alexandra Bye

“Strand by strand, Frances Perkins (1880-1965) helped weave a safety net that protects all Americans to this day.” This is the sentence author Kathleen Krull uses to summarize the career of the remarkable woman who was Secretary of Labor during Franklin Roosevelt’s four terms as President of the United States. Being the first woman to hold a cabinet position was remarkable in and of itself, but Perkins’s enduring accomplishments – both before and after she served as Secretary of Labor – are what distinguish her in our nation’s history. She is not, perhaps, well-known; she chose to work quietly and ceaselessly over her lifetime. Though a shy child, she took to heart her grandmother’s encouraging words: to walk through any doors of opportunity that opened to her. She gained her voice as a student debater; by watching and listening in the communities around her, she became very aware of the challenges hungry immigrants suffered and, in college, the untenable conditions endured by textile and paper mill workers, among them young children. Understanding that having an effective voice was an aspect of the power to change things, Frances joined the fight for women’s right to vote, pursued an education in the emerging field of social work, and embarked on relentless documentation of unsafe work conditions in New York City. Spurred to activism when the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in 1911 took the lives of 146 immigrants who could not escape the factory, she accepted the job of overseeing workplace regulations for New York state. When the nation faced the devastating stock market collapse of 1929 and the subsequent Great Depression, Frances was the exact right person for President Roosevelt to select as Secretary of Labor as he unveiled his plans for a New Deal. Frances made a list of all her pertinent ideas for the President: “The scope of her list was breathtaking. It was nothing less than a restructuring of American society.” Perkins was usually “the only woman in the photo” when government programs were launched, such as the Civilian Conservation Corps putting millions of young people to work caring for natural resources. The Social Security Act of 1935 is perhaps her biggest legacy, though few of us know she was at the very heart of its design. Perkins understood the issues and the power of the national government to address them. The picture book biography The Only Woman in the Photo: Frances Perkins & and Her New Deal for America is packed with wonderful narrative details that express Perkins’ motivations and accomplishments; illustrations by Alexandra Bye convey, very appealingly and energetically, the life and times of an exceptional woman. Ages 6-10. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2020.

 

Readers can learn more by visiting the website of the Frances Perkins Center in Damariscotta, Maine: https://francesperkinscenter.org