  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 01/01/2008 Gr 3-5-Adler presents biographical sketches of several individuals and the defining actions or events in their lives as they relate to the roles they played during the Civil Rights Movement. The information is brief, ranging from four to seven short paragraphs, thus giving more of a snapshot of the person and/or incident rather than facts. Fannie Lou Hamer, Lyndon Baines Johnson, James Meredith, and Earl Warren are among those included. The format is attractive, with the easy-to-read text facing a full-page illustration. Farnsworth's oil paintings complement the simple presentations by featuring a large portrait of each individual, with one or more smaller pictures of a significant moment superimposed on it. A poignant, sad touch is the addition of a single painted red rose on the pages featuring the heroes who were murdered because of their stand against segregation and inequality. The chronology corresponds sequentially with the information in the book, beginning in Baton Rouge with the African-American boycott of the city's segregated public buses and ending in 1968 with the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. A detailed list of sources and selected bibliography follow. An engaging introduction to people and events of the era.-Mary N. Oluonye, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information. - Copyright 2008 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 02/01/2008 Adler uses quotes wisely and well in this attractive picture-book collective biography, billed as a “companion” to Enemies of Slavery (2004). Thirteen double-page spreads, arranged in roughly alphabetical sequence, introduce civil-rights activists, black and white, and groups whose actions left an impact as they unfolded on buses, at lunch counters, at the polls, and in the courts. Most profiles are of familiar figures, such as King, Abernathy, Parks, but a few individuals (Fred Shuttlesworth and Michael Henry Schwerner, for example) may be new to young readers. The mostly page-long profiles focus strictly on accomplishments in the movement, which, though presented succinctly, still give a clear sense of the history—the vicious racism, the protests, and the courage of the many who sought change. As Ralph Abernathy said following the death of Martin Luther King, “You can kill the dreamer, but you cannot kill the dream.” Farnsworth’s large portraits, in thickly applied, warm colors and strong brush strokes, add visual substance to both the people and the struggle. - Copyright 2008 Booklist. Loading...
 |