Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 01/01/2016 Gr 2–5—This biography of celebrated photographer Dorothea Lange (best known for the iconic Migrant Mother) has a clear, consistent message: Lange's photographs are unique because they depict "people the world ignores" with both truth and love, allowing viewers to see the world with their eyes and hearts. The author chronicles the evolution of Lange's approach. An enthusiastic, curious observer who often felt invisible to others, Lange decided as a young woman to embark on a career as a photographer. She opened a successful portrait studio but ultimately was compelled to take to the streets to document the impact of the Great Depression on the poor. Lange later traveled the back roads and less familiar places, chronicling the lives of people during hard times. Despite her physical problems due to childhood polio, she traveled to 22 states, capturing the poverty of the homeless, jobless, and hungry. Lange's photographs, published in newspapers and magazines, convinced the government of the need for assistance. Statements in bold red print found throughout the text explain the growth of Lange's caring and truthful approach, while descriptive words written in gray print highlight the feelings Lange had that caused her to stand apart from others as a sympathetic observer: "Different. Watchful. Curious." DuBois employs a muted palette, and the striking illustrations have a faded look that complements the setting and mood. End matter includes an author's note and reprints of several of Lange's photographs. VERDICT A solid introduction to one of America's most celebrated photographers.—Myra Zarnowski, City University of New York - Copyright 2016 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 02/01/2016 An oversize portrait of those titular grey-green eyes introduce Dorothea’s special talent at seeing details in objects and faces that others might miss. When Dorothea was seven, she contracted polio, and her forever-withered leg caused kids to call her “Limpy.” Feeling invisible, she learned to be watchful and curious, “seeing with her eyes and her heart.” Dorothea’s love of faces led her to take up photography as an adult, a very unladylike profession in 1914. Her focus on the poor led to her documentation of humanity’s suffering during the Great Depression. In seeing and recording the people the world ignored, Dorothea helped others see with their hearts and created a lasting portrayal of events in U.S. history. Softly outlined pastel images create spacious and simple vivid pictures of her family and the many people she encountered. At book’s end, iconic photographs by Lange show the breadth of her moving portraits. Back matter, in addition to an informative time line, gives more information about her life. - Copyright 2016 Booklist.

Bulletin for the Center... - 04/01/2016 Dorothea Lange’s mother might have been surprised by her eighteen-year-old daughter’s announcement that she intended to become a photographer, but, according to Rosenstock’s picture-book bio of the noted documentary photographer, Dorothea had been cultivating a disposition toward this career all throughout her childhood. Crippled by polio and abandoned by her father, young Dorothea preferred to think of herself as invisible and to focus instead on the faces of those around her. Finagling her way into professional studios, she learned technique and management, and she eventually started her own portrait studio: “All the richest families in California wanted portraits by Dorothea Lange.” But when the Great Depression pummeled the country, she left her cozy life to expand her career in a new direction—capturing the people hardest hit by the financial crisis. Rosenstock’s text features clipped sentences and a thoughtful, poetic tone, well matched by DuBois’ soft-focus acrylic and digital images, with their distressed textures suggestive of hard times past. A half-dozen reproductions of Lange’s iconic photos bring the brief biography to a satisfying conclusion. Elementary students pursuing biography assignments (and who wouldn’t want to dress up with wide-legged cropped pants, a neck scarf, a jaunty beret, and a camera prop?) will appreciate the appended notes, sources, timeline, and suggestions for where to find online photo collections and museums featuring Lange’s works. EB - Copyright 2016 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

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