(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Eric Velasquez. Weatherford provides an unflinching look at the life of Robeson (1898–1976), activist, scholar, singer, actor, and athlete. Through a series of resonant first-person, free-verse poems, she covers his life from childhood just one generation removed from enslavement to international stardom as an entertainer and his subsequent blacklisting by the federal government. The book is divided into four acts: Youth, Artist, Activist, and Erased. Weatherford's poems are interspersed with lines from Negro spirituals (which Robeson was known for singing), such as "Steal Away" and "Scandalize My Name," along with his own words. Robeson earned a law degree, but discrimination led him to leave that career behind and focus on the arts, a love of his since childhood. Following his success on the stage, Robeson became more active politically, and Weatherford uses his own words to describe his feelings upon visiting the Soviet Union in 1934: "Here I am not a Negro but a human being." Support for the USSR cost him his livelihood. Weatherford doesn't shy away from the racism he faced (including spelling out a racial slur) or from Robeson's suicide attempt. Velasquez's illustrations, produced in oil on watercolor paper, capture Robeson's stature as well as his despair. The book ends with Robeson contemplating how he will be remembered. A timeline, source notes, a bibliography, and copyright acknowledgments for illustrations inspired by existing photos are appended.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Eric Velasquez. Victor Hugo Green (1892–1960) was a mail carrier whose work took him all across New Jersey. Though well-loved on his routes, Green knew the danger he faced as a Black man anytime he went somewhere unfamiliar. This prompted the energetic Green, who "had great get-up-and-go," to create a guide for Black people to find safe places to stop, eat, and stay when road-tripping on the nation's newly built highways and turnpikes. Called the Green Book, this handbook grew from "just a pamphlet" listing welcoming places in the New York City area in 1936, to a 1940 edition featuring amenities in large cities in every state plus Washington, DC, and standing as a useful--and possibly life-saving--tool for Black travelers well into the 1960s. Velasquez's scrapbook-style, painterly vignettes capture period detail and nimbly complement Bolden's conversational free-verse text ("These travelers, / whether going places with smiles / or with tears in their eyes, / could face / hassles, humiliation, hardships"). Back matter includes a timeline, source notes, and selected sources.

Reviewer: Sam Bloom | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2022

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Eric Velasquez. In 1948 at New York City's ­Palladium Ballroom a new dance craze--the mambo--was born. Robbins (­Margaret and the Moon) and Velasquez (Octopus Stew, rev. 1/20) team up to tell the story of Latin jazz, dance halls, and some of mambo's brightest stars. We open on the streets of New York with an introduction to dancers Millie Donay ("in her Italian neighborhood") and Pedro Aguilar ("in his Puerto Rican neighborhood") in action, their dance moves exploding off the pages in energetic, realistic oils. What follows is an overview of the segregated status quo of 1940s New York ("Black people danced in Black places. Jews danced in Jewish places"), before the focus lands on the Palladium Ballroom and its ­open-door policy that allowed people of all backgrounds to enjoy the sounds of Latin jazz band Machito and His Afro-Cubans. Meeting there for the first time, Aguilar and Donay would together smash through society's barriers while becoming the best mambo dance team in the country. In Robbins and Velasquez's hands, this early challenge to segregation makes for a lively, compelling piece of history. Back matter includes an author's note with further information about the 1940s, Latin jazz, and mambo--and some of the musicians and dancers that made them famous.

Reviewer: Eric Carpenter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Eric Velasquez. Velasquez's arresting jacket portrait of Ginsburg, superimposed on a facsimile of the U.S. Constitution, conveys a woman of purpose; Rappaport's biography, largely focused on Ginsburg's work for gender equality, reinforces this first impression. Despite societal inequalities between men and women in the 1950s, Ginsburg receives a full scholarship to Cornell and is then accepted to Harvard Law School. She graduates first in her class from Columbia Law (where she had transferred), but not a single law firm interviews her. She begins teaching at Rutgers with a salary less than those of her male counterparts and a legal barrier against claiming her student husband as a dependent. After joining several lawsuits addressing these issues, she successfully argues one such case before the Supreme Court. Rappaport's narrative scope includes Ginsburg's personal life, where her marriage mirrored her beliefs of shared and equal gender roles. Generous oil paintings place Ginsburg front and center except in illustrations relating to her marriage; there both husband and wife share the visual spotlight. Ginsburg's own words, stating both the inequalities she endured and her own convictions, conclude thus: "When I'm sometimes asked when will there be enough women on the Court, and I respond when there are nine, people are shocked. But the Supreme Court has had nine men for ever so long, and nobody's ever raised a question about that." Appended with a timeline, notes from both author and illustrator, a brief bibliography, and source notes.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2020

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Eric Velasquez. "Unbought and Unbossed": Shirley Chisholm's 1968 campaign slogan, still relevant today. Russell-Brown (Little Melba and Her Big Trombone, rev. 11/14) engagingly presents the life of Chisholm, born in Brooklyn in 1924. Unable to support their children, Shirley's parents took Shirley and her sisters to Barbados to live with their grandmother, "whose house was stocked with love, rules, and chores." Shirley excelled academically and loved living among the Black Barbadians. She and her younger sisters returned home during the Great Depression, and her predominantly white school demoted her from sixth to fourth grade because she knew so little U.S. history. With a tutor's help, Shirley soon took an interest in America's political system and attended Brooklyn College, where she became an award-winning debater. A schoolteacher and community activist, Chisholm became a New York State assemblywoman, then the first Black Congresswoman, steadfastly following her grandmother's mantra: "always..speak the truth." Chisholm broke further ground as an African American woman running for president, in 1972. ­Velasquez's vibrant watercolor illustrations capture Chisholm's ­determination and passion for improving life for Americans with the fewest advantages. The informative and useful back matter includes an afterword, source notes, and photos.

Reviewer: Michelle H. Martin | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2020

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Eric Velasquez. Plainspoken, economical prose traces the boxer's life from his Kentucky childhood and early amateur career, through the years he spent as heavyweight champion. Haskins's text also ably portrays Ali's personal and spiritual journeys, while Velasquez's page-dominating oil paintings offer pleasing stylistic variation, from montages and action panel sequences to double-page spreads. This new edition features a timeline updated with Ali's death in 2016.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2002

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Eric Velasquez. In free verse, Weatherford tells of Arturo Schomburg's (1874–1938) widespread impact on literature, art, and music as book collector, avid reader, and prominent figure among New York's black literati. Velasquez's richly detailed oil paintings aptly capture Schomburg's zeal for learning and for teaching others. Framed images imbedded in the narrative focus on important black historical figures. A must-read about a bibliophile extraordinaire. Timeline. Bib.

Reviewer: Michelle H. Martin | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2017

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Eric Velasquez. After Ella Mae isn't allowed to try on shoes in Johnson's store because she is black, she and her cousin Charlotte gather others' outgrown shoes and open their own resale store, where "anyone who walks in the door can try on all the shoes they want." Velasquez's dramatic paintings capably illustrate this touching, inspiring historical-fiction picture book. An author's note adds context.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Eric Velasquez. By the light of a full moon, a young boy says his bedtime prayers. In addition to praying for his family members, he prays for the sick to be well, an end to war, and food for the hungry. Velasquez's large full-bleed paintings portray a diverse if static urban setting. There is much sadness here, but this quiet book does offer some hope.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Eric Velasquez. Alemitu (later Eva) is brought from Ethiopia to the U.S. because her birth mother wants her to have a better life where food and clean water are available. Based on Ieronimo's experience as an adoptive mother, the inspirational story is handsomely illustrated with strong mixed-media and oil paintings, but the narration suffers from overly flowery language. An author's note on water is appended.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Eric Velasquez. In 1856, John Price and two other Kentucky slaves escape to Ohio, a free state. John and his friend Frank decide to settle in the welcoming town of Oberlin. When John is captured by slave hunters, hundreds of Oberlinians mobilize to rescue the fugitive slave. The story is compelling, but some overgeneralizing is unfortunate. Velasquez's static illustrations quietly extend the story. Reading list, websites. Bib.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Eric Velasquez. On October 13, 1741, heartless moneygrubber John Leep sets out to evict the Widow Mays. After being chased by a ghostly echo of horses' hooves, John arrives nastier than ever--he steals a coin from the widow's rent payment. Little does he know it's the last cruel deed he'll ever commit. The dark, muted shades of Velasquez's oil paintings enhance the hair-raising text.

Reviewer: Shara Hardeson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2013

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Eric Velasquez. Mason, a black teenager living in Greenville, North Carolina, in the 1960s, receives a manual typewriter from his father's civil rights group as thanks for writing letters for the activists; he uses it to compete against white students in a high school typing tournament. The fine oil paintings are worthy of this multifaceted story; an author's note explains its origin.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Eric Velasquez. Alice Coachman dreamed of athletic success as a "never-sit-still girl" in Depression-era Georgia. Her high-jumping career took off in high school, and in 1948 she became the first black female to win Olympic gold. The drama of Malaspina's free-verse telling is mirrored by Velasquez's emotive oil paintings. Appended archival photographs and an author's note expand the inspirational story. Bib.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Eric Velasquez. A straightforward, unemotional text tells the story of William Powell, the first African American to design and build--in 1948 Ohio--his own golf course. Although racial discrimination prevented him from playing at public golf courses or even attaining a loan to buy land for a course, Powell was determined. The paintings capture the era's time and place but lack vibrancy.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Eric Velasquez. Watkins, niece of Martin Luther King Jr., provides background on the civil rights movement. Her text incorporates King's own words and explains them in context ("Uncle Martin said, 'Let justice roll down like waters.' He meant that everyone should be treated fairly"). Velasquez's illustrations include close-up portraits and crowd scenes, all conveying the movement's scope. Reading list. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Eric Velasquez. In rhythmic blank verse, Dant describes the coming together of relatives from across many miles in joyous family reunion; each poem begins: "Must be some kind of love..." Activities range from fishing to storytelling to music and worship, culminating in a family photograph. Velasquez's warm illustrations of a loving African American family give distinctive personality to each of the members.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Eric Velasquez. An offstage (until the last page) narrator tells readers about her friend Maya, a young ballet dancer. The text in rhyme describes how "music moves Maya," whether it's classical, jazz, gospel, or reggae. Soft illustrations capture the joy of dance and finally display our narrator, who is in a wheelchair but experiences her own satisfaction--through her drawing.

Reviewer: Amy Kellman

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Eric Velasquez. Watkins's narrative provides a warm and intimate glimpse into the life of "Uncle M.L.," Martin Luther King Jr., as a gentle and fun-loving man spending time with his family. Young readers will delight in the laughter, the teasing, the indulgence allowed during church service, etc. Warm-hued paintings capture the spirit of the man at work and at rest.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Eric Velasquez. Grimes brings her lyrical style--and a compassionate, human-centered tone--to the Nativity story. Each double-page spread comprises three parts: a vividly rendered portrait, a poem in the voice of the spotlighted figure, and a biblical passage. The book design is sumptuous, with its gold typeface and endpapers, and Velasquez's paintings are dramatically composed. A CD with original music and the author's reading is included.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2009