(2) Illustrated by Rebecca Gibbon. This lively picture-book biography introduces readers to "one of America's first bird photographers," whose early-twentieth-century books about the natural world have inspired generations of conservationists and birders. Unconventional for her time, Stratton-Porter (1863–1924) develops her fascination with birds and their behaviors during a carefree childhood in rural Indiana. As a "grown-up married lady," she writes about her birding experiences but declines to be published when she learns her words would be accompanied by unlifelike drawings of birds "posed in silly positions." Photography changes everything for Stratton-Porter, and she embarks on a five-year project in the Limberlost Swamp near her home, photographing birds in their natural habitat (including "the world's first photo series of a growing vulture chick"). Esbaum's (Jack Knight's Brave Flight, rev. 5/22) conversational text engagingly conveys her subject's single-minded pursuit of her passion: sharing her love of birds with the world. Gibbon's (illustrator of Marjory Saves the Everglades, rev. 3/21) evocative acrylic-ink and colored-pencil illustrations depict the era and the beauty of the environs. Back matter includes more about Stratton-Porter and her influence; two photos of the subject and one of her photographs of a barn owl; a bibliography; and a list of Stratton-Porter's own books.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Becca Stadtlander. From the Brooklyn hotel room in which she was born to the Maine coast where she spent many years, Barbara Cooney (1917–2000) sought color and light, which Kunkel adopts as her leitmotif. Cooney's merchant father's fondness for "numbers ticking steadily away in black and white" is contrasted with her artist mother's encouragement to create, and with the vibrancy and freedom of Maine, where the family summered. Working as an illustrator, Cooney was initially confined to black and white, dutifully plying the scratchboard "because there [were] houses to heat and children to feed." Taking her subject's simplicity of prose as a model, Kunkel does not name Cooney's oeuvre, instead matter-of-factly folding in references to it. In one spread Cooney is transfixed by the beauty of a rooster; in the next, she creates illustrations for what readers may recognize as the Caldecott-winning Chanticleer and the Fox. Liberated by its "huge success," Cooney traveled widely, Miss Rumphius–like, "soaking up sun, and color, and light" and eventually settling in Maine. Directly echoing Miss Rumphius, Kunkel tells readers that "there [was] still one thing [Cooney] must do": raise money to build a new library in her adopted hometown. Working in gouache, Stadtlander emulates the illustrator's flat, folk art esque style, her palette and compositions harmonizing with Cooney's. Her penultimate spread depicts an adult reading Miss Rumphius to a child, making the connection between author and creation in quiet affirmation of the titular "world more beautiful." Appended with an author's note, a brief bibliography, and an afterword by Cooney's daughter.

Reviewer: Vicky Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Sarah Green. Sydney Taylor (1904–1978), born Sarah Brenner, was the author of the All-of-a-Kind Family novels, known as the first Jewish children's books to be popular with a mainstream audience. Here, Michelson (a recipient of Taylor's eponymous award for As Good as Anybody and The Language of Angels) tells a portion of her story in a lighthearted picture-book biography. Much of the book focuses on the Lower East Side childhood on which Taylor's novels were based; it also touches on her socialist activism, her work as a dancer, and her marriage to Ralph Taylor. An emphasis throughout on her interest in books and writing culminates in the "happily ever after ending" of her first book's publication. The third-person present-tense narration focuses tightly on Taylor's internal life and, along with occasional dialogue, lends an immediate feel; an appended note acknowledges that much of that dialogue is invented, "but the thoughts, if not the exact words, are all taken from Syd's writings or [her daughter] Jo's recollections." Green's cool-hued digital gouache illustrations alternate straightforward scenes and spreads filled with vignettes highlighting aspects of Taylor's life. This introduction, mostly cheerful in focus and tone, provides useful context for her novels (Cummins and Dunietz's adult biography From Sarah to Sydney, rev. 7/21, paints a more complete picture). Back matter gives brief additional information about Taylor and her husband and daughter as well as a bibliography.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(2) K-3 "Julia Elizabeth Wells was born into a melody--her childhood attuned to the timbre of the tiny English village where she heard music in the rhythm of the river, in the whistle of the wind, in the symphony of songbirds." This lyrical picture-book biography focuses on the challenges and successes of Andrews's early life. When her concert-pianist mother remarried and moved to London during WWII, Julie was summoned to join her and had a difficult time adjusting to life in a large city under constant threat of bombs. But her stepfather, also a musician, discovered her gift of a voice, paid for singing lessons, and promoted her career. Julie became successful so quickly that she performed for the queen while still a child. The book concludes with a brief summary of Andrews's accomplishments as an actor and author of children's books; in an appended author's note, Hedlund describes her personal connection to her subject. Soft-hued illustrations ranging from a series of small vignettes to double-page spreads reveal setting, action, emotion, and personality, complementing the alliterative text, which is full of musical references. The case cover offers a surprise: an illustration of young Julie by the river, with Mary Poppins reflected in the water. Back matter includes a timeline (but no source notes).

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2023

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Jerome Pumphrey & Jarrett Pumphrey. An intriguing photograph of writers Maya Angelou and Amiri Baraka dancing at a party at the New York Public Library's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is the springboard for Reynolds's first (traditional) picture book. In 1991, people in Harlem gathered to celebrate the grand opening of the Langston Hughes Auditorium and the literary brilliance of its namesake. At the "fancy-foot, get-down, all-out bash," guests boogie to the beats and bops of music as renowned word-makers are pictured leaning in from the spines of books on the shelves, captivated by the dazzling whirlwind of excitement. The master poet, Langston Hughes, was called "the 'word-making king.'" He "could make the word America look like two friends making pinky promises to be cool, to be true" and turn words into laughter, "bringing joy to the little and the big." In his own evocative and kinetic style of word-making, Reynolds exudes reverence for Langston and the festive tempo of the occasion. The Pumphreys' vibrant illustrations, created with digitized handmade stamps, extend the theme of wordsmithing in creative interpretations of text, as in the double-page spread of Angelou and Baraka dancing with the letters of their first names forming the shape of their bodies. A jubilant tribute to the enduring legacy of one of the most prominent voices of the Harlem Renaissance and others whom he has inspired.

Reviewer: Pauletta Brown Bracy | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2023

(2) K-3 Illustrated by James E. Ransome. This picture-book biography of writer Toni Morrison (born Chloe Ardelia Wofford), by the team behind Freedom Bird (rev. 1/20), pays homage to its renowned subject and the wondrous power of storytelling. In childhood, Morrison was a listener, relishing the stories and music shared by her parents and grandparents. She was also an avid reader and continued to read more and more, "feeding a hunger that would never end." After attending college and graduate school and a brief teaching career, she began working as an editor in New York, at which time she started to write, publishing many books and winning awards for her stories about the lives of Black people in America. Nolen emphasizes Morrison's uncanny gift for storytelling ("She could look beyond things as they were and see a greater vision") and celebrates her not only as a brilliant writer but also as an inspiration to others. The straightforward main narrative is appealingly accompanied by words floating at the tops of pages in a storyteller's voice ("I'm telling you, that girl was magic"). Ransome's expressive watercolor and collage illustrations, delivered as mostly double-page spreads, are perfectly matched to the text and especially compelling in conveying a sense of Morrison's profound legacy. Back matter includes an author's note, a bibliography, important quotes, and a list of select achievements.

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

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Melissa Sweet. Largely forgotten today, American writer Celia Laighton Thaxter enjoyed a significant literary career in the latter half of the nineteenth century. Both her life and her writing revolved around Maine's Appledore Island, and it is here that this picture-book biography takes root. Thaxter comes alive as a gardener from her earliest years (when the family lived on White Island), coaxing blooms to life amid the rocks, with vivid colors punctuating Root and Schmidt's narrative: "Pink morning glories opened to the sun, and Celia found green moss and purple starfish in rocky pools." Sweet's illustrations follow the text's lead, depicting the main character ankle-deep in a tide pool surrounded by bright, stylized flowers in purples, pinks, oranges, and reds. Both Celia and the island backdrop are dressed in muted gray-greens, causing the colors to pop all the more. Readers learn that Celia's lighthouse-keeper father moved the family to Appledore Island and built a hotel where "artists and writers [came] to stay"; after she married and moved to the mainland, that network f­acilitated her career. Hand-lettered excerpts of Thaxter's writings--both poetry and prose--frequently appear in the margins, artfully commenting on the narrative. The telling is elliptical; readers who wonder at the abrupt disappearance of Thaxter's husband must comb through the two-page timeline, printed in a tiny font, to learn of their estrangement. But Thaxter's devotion to her titular garden shines bright. Also appended are a biographical note and a bibliography.

Reviewer: Vicky Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Adelina Lirius. This picture book, a partial biography co-written by L'Engle's granddaughter, Voiklis, begins when baby Madeleine's parents introduce her to the stars in the night sky, a formative memory. It then takes readers through her childhood and early career, and up to the storied publication of her 1963 Newbery Award–­winning classic, A Wrinkle in Time. ­Flowing throughout the text is the ­connection between humanity and the stars, both metaphorical and scientific, from which L'Engle drew comfort and inspiration. Full of stars and starlight, the digital illustrations, with some elements painted traditionally with gouache, blend reality and the fantastical in glorious contrasting colors and swirling lines. Text incorporated into the art poses questions that the author herself might have asked, offering opportunities for readers to consider their own answers: "What is my place in the universe?" "Should I keep doing this?" The questions change as she matures but are always rooted in the themes of finding purpose and fulfillment. The book celebrates L'Engle for her writing career but also for her inquisitive approach to the world around her, highlighting her love of music, art, theater, and stories. For those whose interest is piqued, expansive back matter provides more insight into L'Engle's life and work as well as the ­creators' connections to her.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2022

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Bryan Collier. In free-verse poems, Watson describes key experiences in Maya Angelou's life. She highlights influential family members, such as Maya's brother (a source of strength) and Momma (grandmother and shrewd store owner) as well as ­historical figures such as Malcolm X and Dr. ­Martin Luther King Jr., close friends in her adult life who invite her to speak, write, and work toward the cause of freedom for all. Watson doesn't shy away from addressing tough topics, including Maya at age seven being attacked by her mother's boyfriend, which left her mute for years. Collier's accomplished illustrations have a strong narrative pull. Two spreads are particularly compelling. "Caged In" zooms in on the top half of Maya's face, enlarged to show eyes full of pain, with a cage and shadow of a bird, while the following spread shows the bottom half of that same face with her mouth encircled by a lotus-like flower and that cage imprisoning her words. Both illustrations are drenched in the blue of sadness that Collier describes in his illustrator's note. This eloquent picture book is a portrait of a resilient woman with a deep capacity for using words to find hope in the world.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2022

(1) 4-6 A biography that's as unique in form and content as the groundbreaking sci-fi/fantasy author herself. Zoboi (The People Remember, rev. 11/21) came to this project from a lifetime love of Butler's work and from having met her on several occasions. The word constellation in the subtitle is used both literally--referring to the other-worldly stories about which Butler dreamed and then wrote--and figuratively, for she was a lonely "rogue planet," with others revolving around her but rarely ­getting to really know her. Focusing mainly on her early life, Zoboi tells the author's story in several literary modes: original poems in many forms (haiku, concrete, and acrostic, among others); excerpted quotes from interviews; and descriptive passages that offer further explanations of these biographical snapshots. This variety is narratively enthralling and reflects Butler's openness to telling stories in many different ways. The volume also offers superb historical context for Butler's life, from the Great Migration to the U.S.'s fascination with UFOs, the baby boom, ­McCarthyism, the civil rights movement, and more. Zoboi occasionally includes relevant visuals--a photograph of Octavia and her mother, Butler's handwritten childhood notes, the cover of a Dick and Jane basal reader--that will provide readers a clearer sense of the historical details. Informational and inspirational, this innovative work will draw committed Butler fans and entice those unfamiliar with her work to seek it out.

Reviewer: Michelle H. Martin | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2022

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Magaly Morales. "Pura Belpré always knew that many stories worth telling aren't in books" is the lingering message of this picture-book biography. Growing up in Puerto Rico, Belpré listened as her abuela told vivid cuentos that elicited "giggles...shivers...sighs," reactions later mirrored by the enthralled library audiences with whom Pura shared those same folk stories. Belpré began library work in Harlem among a growing Spanish-speaking diaspora, at a time when the library lacked both staff to communicate in their patrons' language and books to reinforce a connection. Recognizing how the rigid traditions of storytime limited her ability to promote culturally relevant stories--stories shared had to be read from a book--Belpré proposed her own oral storytelling practice to the library "bosses" (all depicted as white). Eventually she published those stories and devoted herself to reaching the public beyond library walls, paving the way for practices of modern librarianship. Pimentel (Girl Running, rev. 3/18) captures Belpré's dazzling storytelling ("She hisses...murmurs...roars") through text that carries a soft rhythm apt for reading aloud. Morales's (A Piñata in a Pine Tree, rev. 11/09) digital images feature a bright and distinct color palette and illustrate Pura's liveliness through dynamic perspectives and expressive gestures. Deftly incorporated details throughout the art, including a coqui and characters such as Pérez and Martina, evoke Belpré's childhood influences and culture. An author's note, a source list, and a selected bibliography are appended. Pair with González and Delacre's The Storyteller's Candle and Denise and Escobar's Planting Stories (rev. 1/19).

Reviewer: Jessica Agudelo | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021

(1) YA In graphic memoir form, Russo depicts her childhood in Queens, New York, from 1957–1967. "When I was a little girl, I took Catholicism very seriously... Despite the fact that my relatives spoke Yiddish, ate herring, and drank seltzer, it never occurred to me that I might actually be Jewish." Her divorced mother, who "became a Catholic when she lived in Italy during the war," has her own complicated relationship with the Church--and with her Jewish mother and sisters; with Marisabina's father; and with her two sons, Marisabina's half-brothers. The author's dream was "to become a nun so that I could live a calm and orderly life far from the fermisht tummel [Yiddish for 'mixed-up commotion,' per a footnote] of my own family." She instead became a prolific picture-book creator (Waiting for Hannah, rev. 9/89; Sophie Sleeps Over, rev. 3/14; and many others) and wrote about her family's experiences during WWII in the moving nonfiction picture books Always Remember Me (rev. 3/05) and I Will Come Back for You (rev. 9/11). This snapshot of her formative years (including middle-school dances, the Beatles, and JFK's assassination) is focused squarely on her idiosyncratic family members' traits and foibles at that time, gradually revealed. For example, Marisabina's noodge-y mom had received a medal for bravery for her work with the partisans during WWII. Copious panels, with dialogue that spills out from them, depict day-to-day life in color and interspersed flashbacks in black and white, providing an unvarnished look at one complicated, opinionated, and ­personality-filled family.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Jacqueline Alcántara. "In a town called Eatonville...lived a girl who was attracted to tales like mosquitos to skin." So begins the evocatively descriptive account of the life of acclaimed storyteller Zora Neale Hurston. Young Zora spent the favorite parts of her day at Joe Clarke's general store, where she would listen to her elders tell fantastical tales of "how that trickster Brer Rabbit always got the best of Brer Fox," the origin of "squinch owls," and more. She didn't mind passing them on, either; perched atop the gatepost that led to her house, Zora would relate those tales--and a few of her own--to any passerby who would listen. While some family members chastised her for "lying," Zora's mother encouraged her consistently to "jump at de sun. You might not land on de sun, but at least you'd get off de ground." These "jumps" carried Zora to Howard University, then on to Harlem (and its burgeoning Renaissance), and right back down to Eatonville, where she continued to do what she did best--trade, tell, and write down stories. Rich with down-home vernacular, the text immerses readers in the Southern tradition of oral storytelling. The illustrations prove just as dynamic, with vibrant spreads bursting with brilliant-toned hues and enjoyable details to notice (e.g., the fashionable hats famously worn by Hurston--modeled by anthropomorphic animals). Snippets of folktales are paneled loosely alongside the biographical story; Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox are no respecters of borders, with both making multiple appearances. Back matter includes an author's note, sources, and additional reading, for both "Youngins" and "Older Folk."

Reviewer: Eboni Njoku | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2021

(2) YA Before he actually had children, Bronson Alcott wondered, "Can parents limit ­outside influences and raise a perfect child?" Well, the answer was no. By the time second daughter Louisa was three and her older sister Anna was four, they were out of control. Louisa was a "brute" in the nursery, Mrs. Alcott was an emotional mess, and family life was a disaster. (Good to know there's hope for us all!) "Wild and ungovernable," Louisa threw food and pulled Anna's hair. As Louisa grew up, she loved racing through the park and sliding down bannisters. But being given freedom to play and dream; growing up in a house full of books; and having such Concord neighbors as ­Thoreau, Emerson, and Hawthorne nurtured the young, passionate girl--ultimately readying her to take on the literary world with Little Women. Noyes expertly places Alcott within the context of a chaotic and poverty-stricken family life and a confining and conventional Concord. An idealistic father, an overburdened mother, and three lively sisters provided the models for her characters in Little Women, published when she was thirty-five. Photographs--of Thoreau, Walden Pond, and John Brown--and reproductions of letters, magazine covers, and even a tintype of a Civil War drummer complement the text. Back matter includes an extensive bibliography.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2020

(1) YA Anderson's three-part autobiographical collection of dynamic, mostly free-verse poems serves as a potent postlude for Speak. The first third takes us from Anderson's difficult childhood to Speak's publication. Next is a series of impassioned poems about sexual assault, censorship, consent, etc. She concludes with a quiet set of reflective family poems. By turns angry, commanding, raw, and wistful, this is a praise song to survivors and a blistering rebuke to predators. Reading list.

Reviewer: Jennifer Hubert Swan | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2019

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Sarah Jacoby. Barnett is openly admiring of Brown's legacy in this picture-book biography. In forty-two pages (because Brown lived forty-two years), he weaves facts about her life with information on how her books were received, in particular by notable librarian Anne Carroll Moore. Barnett conveys the sense that Brown's stories felt as strange and wondrous as life itself can be. Jacoby's mixed-media illustrations are appropriately impressionistic and playful. Bib.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Paola Escobar. As a bilingual assistant at Nueva York's public library in 1921, Pura Belpré retells the folk stories of her native Puerto Rico at storytimes and eventually writes them down for publication. Descriptive language moves between English and Spanish seamlessly. Both text and expressive, warm illustrations carry the metaphor of planting seeds, so that readers see the seeds of Belpré's stories bloom as the biographical details unfold. Also available in Spanish. Reading list. Bib.

Reviewer: Alicia K. Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2019

(1) YA This companion verse memoir to Enchanted Air provides a glimpse into Engle's teen years in Los Angeles and early adulthood. Engle addresses head-on the impact of the Vietnam War; the injustices prevalent in society at the time; the resistance of students and workers; and black and brown solidarity. The poems display Engle's customary sincerity and reflect the parallels and divergences between her two worlds--her Cuban and American heritages.

Reviewer: Sujei Lugo | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2019

(2) YA Introduction by Alison Bechdel. This well-researched comics-format biography depicts key moments from Brontë's studies at austere boarding schools, her later teaching jobs, and her travels abroad. Fawkes highlights Brontë's bleak childhood; her creativity inventing imaginary worlds with her siblings; and the difficulties she faced as a woman writer in the nineteenth century. Although panel layouts are unvaried and text-heavy, the bluish-purple palette nicely captures setting; intricate line work focuses on characters' expressive faces. Bib.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2019

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Tonya Engel. Foreword by Colin Johnson. In propulsive free verse and vibrant illustrations, Hegedus and Engel present the life and legacy of Angelou (1928–2014). She survived childhood instability, anguish, and abuse to thrive and to triumph, becoming a performer, dancer, journalist, activist, poet, mother, and humanitarian. Warm, swirling acrylic and oil paintings illustrate the various moods of the story. Photographs, an author's note, and websites of sexual assault organizations are appended. Timeline. Bib.

Reviewer: Cluadette S. McLinn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2019