(3) K-3 Illustrated by Amiko Hirao. Librarian Clara Breed was a hero to the Japanese American children in San Diego who were banished to internment camps during WWII: she sent books, postcards, soap, and other supplies to cheer them up. Hirao's colored-pencil illustrations and archival black-and-white photographs on the endpapers help contextualize Grady's moving story, which includes excerpts from the children's actual letters. Reading list, timelines. Bib.

Reviewer:

(3) YA This gripping historical verse novel is based on the life of Clara Lemlich, a Russian Jewish immigrant who worked tirelessly to help unionize and establish rights for fellow young women factory employees in the early twentieth century. Clara's driven and emotional voice radiates strength amid her doubts, fears, conflicts, and conviction to create a more equal world for women.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(4) K-3 American Red Cross founder (and Polacco's ancestor) Clara Barton's childhood is chronicled. Davie protects and teaches his little sister, especially when she's ridiculed for her lisp. But gentle Clara loves and understands nature and becomes recognized as a healer early on. Polacco's sunny illustrations underscore the sibling affection and Clara's compassion; invented dialogue and lack of concrete resources bring into question the sentimental story's validity.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Melissa Sweet. In her simple but powerful text, Markel shows how multiple arrests, physical attacks, and misogyny failed to deter Clara Lemlich as she set off on her lifelong path as a union activist in the early twentieth century. Clara's story is accentuated by Sweet's vivid illustrations, many of which are presented on fabric scraps or torn paper with borders of machine stitching. Bib.

Reviewer: Monica Edinger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2013

(4) 4-6 Treasure Chest series. Twins Maisie and Felix discover a hidden room filled with historical artifacts. Touching a letter addressed to American Red Cross founder Clara Barton transports them to 1836, where they meet the fourteen-year-old future "Angel of the Battlefield." Inconsistent time-travel logic and scant information on the real-life Barton make the twins' journey feel purposeless. An appended biographical note fills in some details.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(4) YA Military Heroes series. Filled with photographs and archival illustrations, this series presents a range of famous and lesser-known people involved in U.S. military history. In addition to standard biographical details, the texts also examine controversies and career flops as well as successes; sidebars provide historical context. Though the writing is on the bland side, the texts are useful for reports. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Military Heroes titles: Samuel Houston, Benjamin O. Davis Jr., George S. Patton, Clara Barton, John McCain, and Colin Powell.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) YA Classical Composers series. Clara Schumann, along with managing a tumultuous relationship with her father and tending to her erratic husband and their eight often-ill children, was able to maintain a career as a world-renowned concert pianist (and composer) for over six decades. The information in this thorough volume could be better organized, but it's engaging nonetheless. Archival artwork supports the text. Timeline, websites. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Rebecca Hachmyer

(4) K-3 Amazing Americans series. With minimal, easy-to-read texts, these biographies touch on a few key points in each notable American's career. Roosevelt focuses on his early life, so it's not obvious what made him an "amazing" president; the contributions of Barton and Carson are clearer, though greatly simplified. Stock photographs (some oddly colorized) are featured opposite the text on each spread. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Amazing Americans titles: Amazing Champion of the Earth Rachel Carson, Amazing Civil War Nurse Clara Barton, and Amazing President Theodore Roosevelt.

Reviewer: Laura A. Woollett

(3) 4-6 Americans--The Spirit of a Nation series. Archival photographs, maps, primary sources, and well-documented citations combine with comprehensive texts to provide worthy biographies of two American icons. These titles sort fact from fiction and show the passionate determination that established Barton's and Poe's places in history. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Americans--The Spirit of a Nation titles: Edgar Allan Poe and Clara Barton.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) K-3 Heroes of American History series. Although their brevity sometimes interferes with a nuanced interpretation of history (as when Ford maintains that "FDR did not want America to go to war"), these books tell enough of the story for elementary school students to grasp the importance of their subjects. Many captioned illustrations break up the text, helping young readers better visualize the historic events. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Heroes of American History titles: Clara Barton and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(4) K-3 Ready-to-Read: Stories of Famous Americans series. Illustrated by Simon Sullivan. Barton's childhood, her early life helping soldiers during the Civil War, and her founding of the American Red Cross are briefly detailed in this biography for emergent readers. The information is sound, but the illustrations are awkward, and at times Barton looks grotesque, as if Sullivan is ramming home the reference to her homeliness made in the text. Timeline.

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(4) K-3 Photo-Illustrated Biography series. Occasionally dry but easy to read and understand, these simple biographies adequately retell each subject's life story and contribution to society. Archival photos and reproductions enhance the text; however, the images are occasionally paired with boxed quotations, while the captions confusingly appear on the opposite pages. Timeline, websites, reading list. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Photo-Illustrated Biography titles: Clara Barton, Helen Keller, John Adams, and Rosa Parks.]

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) K-3 Breakthrough Biographies series. Mostly black-and-white captioned photographs and art depict the childhood, education, and accomplishments of these two women. Quotes and excerpts from their letters add interest to the straightforward, readable text. Special features include a trivia page and a page devoted to five notable female contemporaries for each subject. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Breakthrough Biographies titles: The Story of Clara Barton and The Story of Eleanor Roosevelt.]

Reviewer: Christina Dorr

(4) 4-6 History Maker Bios series. With soft illustrations on almost every page, the first-ever first lady is presented as a gracious hostess and a selfless helpmate to George. Beyond that, little about her own life and personality is included--the emphasis is on the historic events of the emerging United States. A period portrait of young Martha Custis (Washington), an afterword, and a timeline are included.

Reviewer: Jenn Matters

(4) 1-3 Magic Tree House series. Illustrated by Sal Murdocca. Annie and Jack travel back in time to the Civil War, where they help the nurses at a battlefield hospital run by Clara Barton. Liberally illustrated with black-and-white pictures, the short chapter book will please fans of the series, despite a few unbelievable plot elements. Facts about Clara Barton and the Civil War conclude the slim volume.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(3) K-3 Carolrhoda On My Own Books series. Illustrated by Janice Lee Porter. Freed slave and activist Clara Brown and radical abolitionist John Brown are profiled in these early readers. Simple sentences make for taut story lines and render weighty themes, especially John Brown's controversial legacy, accessible to children. The spare, expressionist paintings in Aunt Clara are mostly successful in conveying emotions in a few strokes; some human figures in John Brown are stiff and awkwardly rendered.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) 4-6 This thoroughly researched book draws on primary sources, both Clara's own diaries and her voluminous correspondence with her husband (more comfortable writing than speaking to each other, she and her husband maintained a joint diary) and other musicians of the times. Reich's lucid, quietly passionate biography is liberally illustrated with photographs and reproductions. Ind.

Reviewer: Susan P. Bloom | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 1999