The Horn Book Guide

PICTURE BOOKS

Kroll, Virginia

Especially Heroes

32 pp. | Eerdmans | February, 2003 | Trade ISBN 0-8028-5221-1 $$16.00

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Tim Ladwig. It's 1962, and a classroom discussion about heroism hits home when white narrator Ginny's father defends a black neighbor after she's the victim of a hate crime. The prose contains clichÃ©s, but because Kroll takes her time introducing the cast, the story will resonate with children and adults alike. The large-scale illustrations, while created with care, feature characters with almost comically exaggerated facial expressions.

Reviewer: Nell Beram