Voices of Justice

August 15, 2020
Portraits and poems celebrate change-makers. Lyon mixes such stalwarts as Nelson Mandela, Dolores Huerta, Jeannette Rankin, and Shirley Chisholm with emerging heroes such as the Parkland shooting survivors and Greta Thunberg and less well-known people like Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese government official stationed in Lithuania who wrote transit visas for 6,000 Jews during World War II, and Brazilian transgender activist and pastor Alexya Salvador. The unrhymed poems vary in structure, frequently relying on line breaks and spaces within lines to govern reading pace while occasionally indulging in flashier visuals. The Jane Addams poem appropriately resembles a small home with an open door, successfully evoking Hull House, but the poem that celebrates primatologists Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birut� Galdikas is too clever for its own good, lines arranged like the rays around a large, yellow sun and consequently very difficult to read. The language itself is often disappointingly flat, as in these first lines of the Julia Butterfly Hill poem: "Do you like to climb trees? / Would you live in one / for two years to save its life?" With the exception of a compelling James Baldwin, the portraits are too often likewise static. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 57.3% of actual size.) Well-intended but undistinguished. (thumbnail biographies, guide for parents and caregivers, glossary, selected sources) (Picture book/poetry. 8-12)

COPYRIGHT(2020) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 1, 2020
Grades 3-6 Activism is soaring among young people, but who paved the way to fight intolerance and injustice? Prolific poet Lyon introduces practicing and historic global activists through 18 descriptive, free verse poems. From Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman elected to Congress, to Alexya Salvador, Brazil's first transgender teacher, pastor, and adoptive parent, to the gun violence survivors of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the activists reflect a diverse range of race, gender, sexual identity, and social justice issues. A few of the poems take different forms, such as the house-shaped poem about Jane Addams' creation of Hull House and the protest signs that embody Dolores Huerta's marches for workers' rights, to highlight the activists' specific causes. Potter's expressive illustrations offer more context, like a large black snake, representing an oil pipeline, that ominously slithers underground while Indigenous earth activist Jasilyn Charger runs in protest. The final poem, You!, encourages readers to continue these activists' paths to a better world. Concluding thumbnails also provide more details about each profile. A lyrical, inspiring call to action.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

October 1, 2020

Gr 3-6-Lyon uses poetry to highlight the stories of historical and contemporary activists. Whether it involves writing, creating art, protesting, or running for office, there is something to inspire every reader. The featured poems showcase a variety of forms and are enhanced by Potter's artwork. Each spread explores a different type of poetry, such as golden shovel, free verse, and concrete poetry. Sometimes the poem is a part of the illustration. Expressive portraits of the advocates provide engaging details. Many of the names will be familiar to children (James Baldwin, Jane Goodall, Dolores Huerta, Nelson Mandela, Greta Thunberg). The title ends on a call to action: The reader is the future of activism. The back matter includes more information about the activists, a guide for parents and caregivers, a glossary, and selected sources. VERDICT A motivating collection that celebrates past and present advocates. An additional purchase for elementary school collections.-Molly Dettmann, Norman North H.S., OK

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.