An intriguing look into the early 20th century that features a strong female hero and—most importantly—dinosaurs.
“Ruth Mason was forever curious about her own backyard.”
In 1905, near her family’s log home in South Dakota, a 7-year-old White girl named Ruth Mason found her first dinosaur bone. Accessible text bubbles with enthusiasm and provides a straightforward narrative while colorful illustrations show the bright-eyed, full-bodied heroine who continues to search for and find bones on the prairie, undeterred by the lack of interest of those around her. Unlike those of her English parallel, Mary Anning, Ruth Mason’s discoveries went unrecognized; despite the numerous letters she wrote to various institutions, no one came to investigate until a dinosaur hunter visited her ranch while Mason was in her 80s and drew attention to what she’d found. Multiple digs followed, and now many specimens are featured in museum collections, including one in Wales known simply as “Ruth.” The endnotes explain the difficulties of finding information and obtaining an education during this period but do not mention the additional challenge of being a girl interested in science, which would have further highlighted her uniqueness. Still, this is an inspiring tale of resilience and dedication, a paean to the art of performing a task for its own sake, and a most interesting addition to the world of dinosaur hunting. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
An intriguing look into the early 20th century that features a strong female hero and—most importantly—dinosaurs. (further reading) (Picture book/biography. 5-8)Pub Date: Oct. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-7464-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2021
Blandly inspirational fare made to evoke equally shrink-wrapped responses.
An NBA star pays tribute to the influence of his grandfather.
In the same vein as his Long Shot (2009), illustrated by Frank Morrison, this latest from Paul prioritizes values and character: “My granddad Papa Chilly had dreams that came true,” he writes, “so maybe if I listen and watch him, / mine will too.” So it is that the wide-eyed Black child in the simply drawn illustrations rises early to get to the playground hoops before anyone else, watches his elder working hard and respecting others, hears him cheering along with the rest of the family from the stands during games, and recalls in a prose afterword that his grandfather wasn’t one to lecture but taught by example. Paul mentions in both the text and the backmatter that Papa Chilly was the first African American to own a service station in North Carolina (his presumed dream) but not that he was killed in a robbery, which has the effect of keeping the overall tone positive and the instructional content one-dimensional. Figures in the pictures are mostly dark-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Blandly inspirational fare made to evoke equally shrink-wrapped responses. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Jan. 10, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-250-81003-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
A picture book more than worthy of sharing the shelf with Alan Schroeder and Jerry Pinkney’s Minty (1996) and Carole Boston...
A memorable, lyrical reverse-chronological walk through the life of an American icon.
In free verse, Cline-Ransome narrates the life of Harriet Tubman, starting and ending with a train ride Tubman takes as an old woman. “But before wrinkles formed / and her eyes failed,” Tubman could walk tirelessly under a starlit sky. Cline-Ransome then describes the array of roles Tubman played throughout her life, including suffragist, abolitionist, Union spy, and conductor on the Underground Railroad. By framing the story around a literal train ride, the Ransomes juxtapose the privilege of traveling by rail against Harriet’s earlier modes of travel, when she repeatedly ran for her life. Racism still abounds, however, for she rides in a segregated train. While the text introduces readers to the details of Tubman’s life, Ransome’s use of watercolor—such a striking departure from his oil illustrations in many of his other picture books—reveals Tubman’s humanity, determination, drive, and hope. Ransome’s lavishly detailed and expansive double-page spreads situate young readers in each time and place as the text takes them further into the past.
A picture book more than worthy of sharing the shelf with Alan Schroeder and Jerry Pinkney’s Minty (1996) and Carole Boston Weatherford and Kadir Nelson’s Moses (2006). (Picture book/biography. 5-8)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-8234-2047-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 6, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2017
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