A gorgeous tribute to family history and cultural heritage that could benefit from a clearer chronology.
A heartwarming multigenerational family story for middle-grade readers.
Muñoz, a ninth generation “Bordercanx,” here explores the history of her mestizo family living along the border of the United States and Mexico. The story centers around her grandparents, Maria (Cuca) and Alfonso (Poncho). Maria was a factory worker and devout Catholic with a rich spiritual life. People often asked her to pray for their loved ones, so Maria would write down their names on slips of paper and tuck them in her Bible. One day, a coworker gave her the names of soldiers from the border to pray for; among them was Alfonso, a military sniper from El Paso. After the war, Maria and Alfonso met while working at the same factory—it was “love at first sight.” They married a year later, and the birth of a son (Muñoz’s father) soon followed. Around this time, a paper fell out of Maria’s Bible; on it was written Alfonso’s full name, suggesting that their marriage was divinely orchestrated. For their granddaughter Muñoz, Sundays were filled with family traditions, including Mass and homemade tortillas. Alfonso took the young author to his hometown’s El Bowie Bakery, introducing her to the employees with pride. This family origin story is intertwined with a broader history of the Latine community in La Union, New Mexico, where American, Indigenous, and Mexican heritages combine to create a unique culture and identity. The author’s descriptions, like how Maria’s skin was “as smooth as desert dunes” and Alfonso’s lanky frame was “like a long twig in a windstorm,” paint a vivid picture of her family. Muñoz infuses the narrative with Spanish, styled in a large, blue font to differentiate it from the English text. The book’s breathtaking collage artwork, a combination of painting and illustrations by Cortez and photography by Lopez, captures the beauty of border communities and the tenderness of loved ones’ faces. However, non–Spanish speakers may find the bilingual text challenging to interpret, and some readers may struggle with the story’s nonlinear timeline.
A gorgeous tribute to family history and cultural heritage that could benefit from a clearer chronology.Pub Date: Feb. 22, 2025
ISBN: 9780875659114
Page Count: -
Publisher: TCU Press
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A picture book worth reading about a historical figure worth remembering.
An honestly told biography of an important politician whose name every American should know.
Published while the United States has its first African-American president, this story of John Roy Lynch, the first African-American speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives, lays bare the long and arduous path black Americans have walked to obtain equality. The title’s first three words—“The Amazing Age”—emphasize how many more freedoms African-Americans had during Reconstruction than for decades afterward. Barton and Tate do not shy away from honest depictions of slavery, floggings, the Ku Klux Klan, Jim Crow laws, or the various means of intimidation that whites employed to prevent blacks from voting and living lives equal to those of whites. Like President Barack Obama, Lynch was of biracial descent; born to an enslaved mother and an Irish father, he did not know hard labor until his slave mistress asked him a question that he answered honestly. Freed by the Emancipation Proclamation, Lynch had a long and varied career that points to his resilience and perseverance. Tate’s bright watercolor illustrations often belie the harshness of what takes place within them; though this sometimes creates a visual conflict, it may also make the book more palatable for young readers unaware of the violence African-Americans have suffered than fully graphic images would. A historical note, timeline, author’s and illustrator’s notes, bibliography and map are appended.
A picture book worth reading about a historical figure worth remembering. (Picture book biography. 7-10)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-8028-5379-0
Page Count: 50
Publisher: Eerdmans
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2015
Readers will agree that “Melba Doretta Liston was something special.”
Bewitched by the rhythms of jazz all around her in Depression-era Kansas City, little Melba Doretta Liston longs to make music in this fictional account of a little-known jazz great.
Picking up the trombone at 7, the little girl teaches herself to play with the support of her Grandpa John and Momma Lucille, performing on the radio at 8 and touring as a pro at just 17. Both text and illustrations make it clear that it’s not all easy for Melba; “The Best Service for WHITES ONLY” reads a sign in a hotel window as the narrative describes a bigotry-plagued tour in the South with Billie Holiday. But joy carries the day, and the story ends on a high note, with Melba “dazzling audiences and making headlines” around the world. Russell-Brown’s debut text has an innate musicality, mixing judicious use of onomatopoeia with often sonorous prose. Morrison’s sinuous, exaggerated lines are the perfect match for Melba’s story; she puts her entire body into her playing, the exaggerated arch of her back and thrust of her shoulders mirroring the curves of her instrument. In one thrilling spread, the evening gown–clad instrumentalist stands over the male musicians, her slide crossing the gutter while the back bow disappears off the page to the left. An impressive discography complements a two-page afterword and a thorough bibliography.
Readers will agree that “Melba Doretta Liston was something special.” (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-60060-898-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Lee & Low Books
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
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