Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Starred review from July 3, 2017
Winter (The Secret Project) and Innerst (The Music in George’s Head) use the frame of a court case to trace the life of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The evidence of the sexism and discrimination Ginsberg faced is abundant, often described in “exhibits” for readers (“Exhibit F: Even among law firms supposedly open to hiring women, not one firm would hire her. She was a woman, she was Jewish, and she was a mother”). Innerst’s muted palette adds to the retrospective feel of a story that unfolds over several decades; in one striking scene, Ginsburg reads a dissent from the bench while her fellow justices yawn and look away. A valuable and moving account of a woman who, as Winter writes in closing, “has herself become a symbol of justice in America.” Ages 6–9. Illustrator’s agent: Susan Cohen, Writers House.

Starred review from July 1, 2017
How did a book-loving girl grow up to be a Supreme Court justice? "Ladies and gentleman of the jury," the story opens, as a young white girl faces an audience to present evidence on how Ruth Bader Ginsburg experienced an "unfair world" of prejudice against Jews and females. Winter traces Ginsburg's life from birth in Brooklyn in 1933 to college at Cornell and law school at Harvard and Columbia and, ultimately, to the United States Supreme Court, the second woman ever to be appointed. Each step of the way, she faced sexism and exclusion, effectively addressed as courtroom evidence. In exhibit A, she's demoted and forced to take a pay cut in her first job out of college (before law school) due to pregnancy. Exhibit B presents the fact that Harvard Law School had no housing for women since there were only nine of them, and in exhibit C, women couldn't enter the periodicals room--critical for completing coursework. The text, informative without overwhelming, is extended by an author's note describing some of Ginsburg's actual court cases (including her opposition to the Citizen's United decision). Innerst's stunning gouache, ink, and Photoshop illustrations employ an R. Gregory Christie-style of abstraction, from the dust-jacket portrait and the case cover's clever depiction of Ginsburg and the scales of justice to the endpapers full of books, books, books. From cover to cover, a lovingly made volume that succeeds on every level. A beautiful example of what a picture book can be. (glossary) (Picture book/biography. 8-12)

COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

August 1, 2017

Gr 3 Up-"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury: During this trial, you will learn about a little girl who had no clue just how important she would become. You will see the unfair world she was born into-where boys were valued more than girls, where women were not encouraged to achieve and aspire...Here are the facts of her case." Thus begins this clever, engaging picture book biography, which chronicles Ginsburg's early years in Brooklyn, at Cornell, and beyond, highlighting the obstacles she encountered at every turn. Readers are asked to act as the jury, examining the injustices the young lawyer faced: "Exhibit F: Even among the law firms supposedly open to hiring women, not one firm would hire her. She was a woman, she was Jewish, AND she was a mother." The illustrations, rendered in gouache, ink, and Photoshop, illuminate the text with humor and sophistication. One page features the young college student perched under the sink in the bathroom, secretly studying-everyone knew a smart, studious girl would never get asked on a date. Another shows caricatures of the large, black-robed male justices yawning, angry, or perplexed as a tiny Ginsburg reads one of her famous "dissents." The endpapers feature shelves and shelves of books in the same muted tones of the book-cream, pale pink, black, gray, and brown. Pair with Debbie Levy and Elizabeth Baddeley's I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark, another fabulous picture book biography on the subject. VERDICT An excellent addition to "Mighty Girl" collections!-Barbara Auerbach, New York City Public Schools

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from September 1, 2017
Grades 1-4 *Starred Review* Though the inimitable Ruth Bader Ginsburg may, at first glance, seem an odd subject for a picture book, this biography, cleverly framed as a court case, is focused primarily on empowering young readers from an early age. In his opening statement, Winter (The Secret Project, 2017) delivers an indictment of the world in which a young Ruth was raised: You will see the unfair world she was born intowhere boys were valued more than girls, where women were not encouraged to achieve and aspire. After a brief overview of Ruth's early lifeshe was born to a mother who loved learning and wanted her daughter to have an education, and to a father who believed a woman's place was in the home the book delves into the skills Ruth possessed that would make her a good lawyer, her successes in school, and the persecution she faced as a woman, a Jew, and a mother. Examples of the outrageous nonsense Ruth endured are presented as evidence, but through toughness, determination, and intelligence, Ruth persevered, paving the way for a new generation of women. Innerst's digital gouache-and-ink illustrations are as matter-of-fact as the text, clearly offering up facts that showcase what Ruth faced throughout her life. A smart, sometimes biting biography that proves it's never too early to start teaching kids about justice.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)