A worthy read that bears witness to the brave women of the Six Triple Eight.
An inspiring chronicle of the all-women, African American 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, which saved the U.S. mail system during World War II.
By 1945, mail delivery in Europe had stalled. Weary soldiers were becoming homesick. But “powerful people came up with a powerful plan” to put someone new on the job—the 6888th (referred to here as the Six Triple Eight). With the rallying cry “no mail, low morale,” these women cleared the enormous mail backlog, first in England and then in France. Overcoming challenges including racism and cold conditions, they redirected more than 17 million pieces of mail. While few remembered the women who were “the glue for service members,” with this admirable introduction to their significant contributions, Abari ensures that they will never be forgotten. She establishes a comprehensible timeline that covers huge swaths of information, including “Rosie the Riveter,” segregation, collaboration between civil rights activists and politicians, and more. The narrative occasionally feels a little bulky, and the book’s framing is somewhat bewildering. It opens by naming six members of the Six Triple Eight, but it doesn’t explicitly state why these particular women were chosen or the roles of all six. Thankfully the backmatter fills in those gaps with verve and clarity. Evans’ handsome, desaturated digital art evokes the period aesthetic of old-time war posters. Creamy backgrounds and angular, overlapping portraits create an appropriate tone of solemnity.
A worthy read that bears witness to the brave women of the Six Triple Eight. (timeline, glossary, more to explore, sources) (Informational picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780063265769
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2025
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 pivotal moment in a child’s life, at once stirring and authentically personal.
Before growing up to become a major figure in the civil rights movement, a boy finds a role model.
Buffing up a childhood tale told by her renowned father, Young Shelton describes how young Andrew saw scary men marching in his New Orleans neighborhood (“It sounded like they were yelling ‘Hi, Hitler!’ ”). In response to his questions, his father took him to see a newsreel of Jesse Owens (“a runner who looked like me”) triumphing in the 1936 Olympics. “Racism is a sickness,” his father tells him. “We’ve got to help folks like that.” How? “Well, you can start by just being the best person you can be,” his father replies. “It’s what you do that counts.” In James’ hazy chalk pastels, Andrew joins racially diverse playmates (including a White child with an Irish accent proudly displaying the nickel he got from his aunt as a bribe to stop playing with “those Colored boys”) in tag and other games, playing catch with his dad, sitting in the midst of a cheering crowd in the local theater’s segregated balcony, and finally visualizing himself pelting down a track alongside his new hero—“head up, back straight, eyes focused,” as a thematically repeated line has it, on the finish line. An afterword by Young Shelton explains that she retold this story, told to her many times growing up, drawing from conversations with Young and from her own research; family photos are also included. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A pivotal moment in a child’s life, at once stirring and authentically personal. (illustrator’s note) (Autobiographical picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-545-55465-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
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