  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 01/01/2017 Gr 1–3—Most recent biographies of Malala Yousafzai are for early readers. This French import stands out for its vivid, naive illustrations, its present-tense narration, and the pages that stress Yousafzai's ongoing, post-Nobel efforts to bring education to girls in other nations. The paintings and folk designs are bright and positive, and the shooting scene is depicted sensitively. Translator Cormier's clear text uses mostly simple sentences and vocabulary. Five spreads (with photos and a map) at the end provide excerpts from Yousafzai's speeches and writing, her inspirations, a time line, a short reading list, and additional information about girls' education in Pakistan and elsewhere. Initially, the Taliban is called "a violent group." Only in the back matter is Islam briefly mentioned, along with Yousafzai's rejection of fundamentalism. The book does not present her as a victim and emphasizes her family's support and the help she received from others: she isn't fighting cultural traditions alone. VERDICT Although similar to Rebecca Langston-George's For the Right To Learn: Malala Yousafzai's Story and Karen Leggett Abouraya's Malala Yousafzai: Warrior with Words, this work surpasses them in contextual scope.—Patricia D. Lothrop, formerly at St. George's School, Newport, RI - Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 02/01/2017 In this vibrant picture-book biography, translated from the French, Malala Yousafzai’s courageous story is retold in considerable detail, with nuances and illustrations that highlight the salient people and places in her life. The now-familiar account of a father who defied tradition by wanting his daughter to have the same rights as his son is expanded to provide a view of Mingora, Pakistan, which possesses great natural beauty (snow-capped mountains, waterfalls, orchards) and a cruel patriarchal social order that forces young girls into marriage and denies them basic civil rights. The story covers Malala’s early activist years, the shooting, her recovery, her speech at the UN, and subsequent efforts to speak up for girls around the world since she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. If the narrative sometimes feel stiff, it is softened by Fronty’s gorgeous illustrations. Highly stylized and rich in detail, texture, and color, they suffuse Malala’s life with beauty. Back matter about Malala, Pakistan, girls’ education, and more supplements this lovely biography. - Copyright 2017 Booklist. Loading...
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