(2) K-3 Illustrated by E. B. Lewis. In "Song of Myself," Whitman defines the essence of his poetry: "I am the poet of the Body and I am the poet of the Soul." This picture-book biography covering Whitman's experiences during the Civil War introduces readers to that "Soul" by showcasing his deeply felt compassion. After traveling to Virginia to see his wounded brother, he is so affected by the plight of injured soldiers that he moves to Washington and takes a part-time job that allows him time to visit the many hospitalized war casualties, befriending them by writing letters, bringing treats, and just listening to their stories. Appropriately placed excerpts from his poetry, and a letter to his mother, underscore the deep connections between his words and his deeds. Whitman writes in Leaves of Grass: "And my heart, O my soldiers, my veterans, / My heart gives you love." Others are inspired by his actions to contribute both money and baked goods for these soldiers. Lewis's watercolor portraits of Whitman, staring at readers with his steady blue eyes, are nearly as realistic as the Mathew Brady photograph appended in the back matter. Hospital scenes are less detailed, while the battleground illustrations blunt the horrors of war, as Lewis displays a more impressionistic style. An author's note providing more details about Whitman and a bibliography conclude this fine book.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Lewis E. B.. "SNAP!" The camera clicks on a young boy creating chalk art. "SNAP!" The camera finds a crumpled soda can on the street. Photographer DeCarava (1919–2009) depicts the people, places, and spirit of Harlem. A spare, poetic text emphasizes his love for the neighborhood where he grew up, which was the subject of his long, prolific career. In addition to his photography and other artwork, DeCarava also taught for more than three decades. Lewis's realistic illustrations take on a painterly tone with soft, muted colors and effective play between light and shadow. The watercolors create a fluid, dreamy world where DeCarava could quietly snap away while walking the streets of Harlem on a warm, sunny afternoon. The pictures portray a neighborhood in motion, not directly aware of the artist who spent a lifetime reflecting the vibrancy of a place and people. Back matter gives biographical information and a timeline of the artist's life, providing a more complete picture of one of the most influential Black photographers of our time.

Reviewer: Monique Harris | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by E. B. Lewis. A true story from the Civil War offers insight into a little-known aspect of ­African American history. In 1861 ­Virginia, a man named George Scott, who had escaped enslavement, overhears how field hands had rowed to the nearby Fortress Monroe seeking refuge--and Union soldiers had not returned them to captivity. Scott joins the flow of people seeking freedom, known as "contrabands." At the fortress, he tells Major General Benjamin Franklin Butler that he knows the location of some ­Confederates, and Butler sends him on a reconnaissance mission. His bravery and heroism prompt Butler to seek freedom for Scott and the others, writing, "These contrabands had been property, but since they had been abandoned, they were now simply men, women, and children... These human beings must be given the free enjoyment of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Castrovilla's straightforward narrative style makes the events readily accessible to readers who are interested in this complex era of American history. Lewis's atmospheric watercolors convey themes of urgency and humanity. Comprehensive back matter includes additional information about contrabands, Butler, Scott, and Fort Monroe; archival photographs; and a bibliography.

Reviewer: Pauletta Brown Bracy | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2022

(3) K-3 Illustrated by E. B. Lewis. In 1854 New York City, Elizabeth Jennings, an affluent African American woman, stood against discrimination by refusing to depart a streetcar. This led to a groundbreaking court case--Jennings v. Third Avenue Railroad Company--and victory. Anderson's author's note provides more detail (including about occasional fictionalization). Lewis's illustrator's note explains why he chose a brighter color palette for his typically muted eye-pleasing watercolors. Reading list. Bib.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(2) K-3 Illustrated by E. B. Lewis. Little is known about the childhood and early life of Willie Johnson, the legendary bluesman known as Blind Willie whose recording of his song "Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground" was included on the Golden Record on NASA's 1977 Voyager 1 space probe. Lewis's watercolors provide the perfect complement to Golio's spare second-person prose: "In a dark, quiet room, your voice poured into a microphone, slid down some wires, and scratched itself into a wax disc." The contrast between the bright yellows of Johnson's Texas birthplace and the star-filled vistas of deep space parallel Johnson's loss of vision as a young boy. In a series of double-page spreads, Golio and Lewis trace the path of Johnson's musical career: his first cigar box guitar, singing in church, learning to play slide with the edge of his pocket knife--all leading to the day Johnson lays down his first recordings. Back matter reveals the challenges of writing a biography of someone about whose early life little is known, and also gives more detailed information about NASA's Golden Record and the Voyager 1 space probe.

Reviewer: Eric Carpenter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2020

(2) K-3 Illustrated by E. B. Lewis. Before John Lewis was a member of the civil rights movement's "Big Six" and a U.S. congressman, he was a farm boy from southern Alabama. After church on Sundays, he liked to preach to the chickens; soon, John's siblings started calling him Preacher, foreshadowing the days when he would "speak before thousands." Bucolic-looking watercolor and gouache landscapes accompany the conversational text.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2016

(3) K-3 Illustrated by E. B. Lewis. In this welcome story of nonviolent protests in the early-1960s Jim Crow–era South, black residents of Huntsville, Alabama, organize Blue Jean Sunday--a boycott of shops that sold traditional expensive Easter outfits; students plan a sit-in at a lunch counter; schools are integrated through persistence and peaceful methods. Bright watercolors backdrop the relevant, calmly told story.

Reviewer: Lauren Causey

(3) K-3 Illustrated by E. B. Lewis. After Sarah Roberts was removed from her classroom by a police officer, a little-known 1847 Supreme Court case set the tone for Boston to eventually become the first major American city to end segregation in schools. Watercolor and gouache paintings capture the historical era. The valuable book's extensive back matter includes "What Happened to Our Heroes?" and an author's note. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib.

Reviewer: Lauren Causey

(3) 4-6 Candlewick Biographies series. Illustrated by E. B. Lewis. For Walter Anderson, "to paint on Horn Island was to be in paradise." Bass's lyrical text describes Anderson's visits to the isle off the Mississippi Gulf Coast where he immersed himself in art and nature. Lewis's watercolors depict Anderson's love for his island refuge. Biographical details and impressive images of Anderson's artwork are appended in this "reformatted edition." Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(1) K-3 Illustrated by E. B. Lewis. In exquisite, lyrical text, Johnson reimagines Juneteenth--the date slaves in Texas finally learned of their emancipation--from the perspective of one fictional family. The words build to a crescendo of emotions as these now-free people prepare for a new life. Lewis's soft watercolors mirror the emotion of the text--the sun reflects off the grateful faces, eyes face the future with clarity.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2014

(3) K-3 Illustrated by E. B. Lewis. This tender story, sensitively illustrated by Lewis's luminous watercolors, is based on the true story of a rescued dog. Trouper himself narrates in free verse, telling of his life on the street and his desolate days and nights in the pound until he's adopted by a gentle boy who is as "skinny as a string bean." It's all quite heartwarming.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(3) K-3 Illustrated by E. B. Lewis. Young Tosh loves it when his grandmother Honey bakes tea cakes and tells stories of his "long ago" ancestor Grandma Ida, a slave who baked tea cakes, sneaking some out for the slave children. Then Honey begins forgetting things; to help her remember, Tosh retells her Grandma Ida stories. Realistic watercolors reinforce the warm, loving relationship between the two. A recipe is included.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(2) K-3 Illustrated by E. B. Lewis. At recess, Chloe pointedly gathers her best friends to share secrets while ignoring new-girl Maya's advances of friendship. Maya plays alone, seemingly unbowed by the ostracism, until one day, suddenly, she's gone. A silent, belatedly thoughtful Chloe regrets "each kindness I had never shown." Woodson's affecting story focuses on the withholding of friendship rather than outright bullying; Lewis reflects the pensive mood in sober watercolors.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2013

(3) K-3 Illustrated by E. B. Lewis. San Souci presents one of the well-known legends surrounding Robin Hood. The Sheriff of Nottingham devises a plan to capture Robin and his band of merry men at an archery contest; needless to say, Robin outwits him. The text is straightforward and accessible, and Lewis's watercolor illustrations do much to bring the legendary characters and their heroic deeds to life.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(3) 4-6 Black Pioneers series. Illustrated by E. B. Lewis. In 1855, thirteen-year-old Maria's family is in danger of losing its home to Central Park's development. Meanwhile, Maria, inspired by hearing Sojourner Truth speak, gets involved in the struggles of a fugitive slave family. Hansen's New York City setting, ably assisted by Lewis's atmospheric black-and-white spot illustrations, is vividly presented. An author's note tells more about the time and place.

Reviewer: Nancy Hull

(4) K-3 Illustrated by E. B. Lewis. In this holiday book based on a true story, young baseball fan Steve Satlow is thrilled when Jackie Robinson moves into his 1940s Brooklyn neighborhood. When a misunderstanding arises over why Steve doesn't have a Christmas tree (the Satlows are Jewish), it results in a lasting friendship between the families. While the prose is labored, the story, accompanied by soft watercolors, is heartwarming.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(3) K-3 Illustrated by E. B. Lewis. For Walter Anderson, "to paint on Horn Island was to be in paradise." Bass's lyrical text describes Anderson's visits to the isle off the Mississippi Gulf Coast where, isolated from other people, he immersed himself in art and nature. Lewis's watercolors depict Anderson's love for his island refuge. Biographical details and impressive images of Anderson's artwork are appended. Bib.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(3) K-3 Illustrated by E. B. Lewis. From the pen of a teenage Hughes, this lyrical piece celebrates a people's enduring determination to survive. Lewis's landscape paintings, in earth-tone shades cooled by the blues of the rivers, are populated with a cross-generation of African Americans throughout history and also of today.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(4) K-3 Illustrated by H. B. Lewis. When Joe's penguin Osbert, who lives at the zoo, shows up at Joe's door with an invitation to the South Pole, Joe agrees to help his friend see the southern lights. After Osbert falls in love with a female penguin, Joe worries he'll never make it home. Rich pastel, watercolor, and digitally rendered illustrations add verve to the slow-paced story.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) K-3 Illustrated by E. B. Lewis. Amanda's soldier father helps her overcome her fear of the dark by showing her the wonders of the night sky. Together, they make glow-in-the-dark stars for her room, forging a bond that sustains them when he goes overseas for a dangerous tour of duty. Lewis's illustrations depict the family's interactions from varying perspectives, and he deftly executes the nighttime scenes.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert