Review of
Goin’ Someplace Special,
by Patricia C. McKissack and Jerry Pinkney ISBN 043945624x
Five out of five stars
The context is
the southern United States during the time of Jim Crow segregation and the main
character is a young black woman living in a city. Her name is ‘Tricia Ann and
for the first time she is going to go by herself to the place she calls “Someplace
Special.” Her mother helps her don her best dress and gives her warnings to
remember what she has been told.
For young black
women at that time and place, it meant far more than the normal warnings that
parents give their female children that are venturing out alone for the first time.
Nearly every place she will go has white and colored sections and she must not
cross the social lines.
‘Tricia Ann
takes the bus and walks past empty seats until she is in the colored section.
She goes to the park and admires the fountain until she must sit down, only to
discover that the bench is for whites only. When she is at the front door of a
hotel, there is a crowd of fans that she is caught up in and is pressed inside,
only to be told to get out.
Finally, she
arrives at the public library, with the sign out front “Public Library: All Are
Welcome.” For ‘Tricia Ann, it is truly Someplace Special, for it is one of the
few public places where blacks are welcome with whites.
In the late
1950’s the library board of the city of Nashville, Tennessee voted to be fully
integrated and that act is the basis for this story. It is a slightly
fictionalized account of her childhood in coping with segregation. Black parents
routinely did not their children venture out alone until they were mature
enough to deal with the segregation and frequent ridicule by whites.
Young people
today have very little idea what was standard social policy only a few decades
ago. This book of more fact than fiction is a lesson in how things used to be
and hopefully will never be again.
Review of
Virgie Goes to School with Us Boys,
by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard ISBN 0689800762
Five out of five stars
This is one of
those stories of historical fiction that was no doubt fact for many people. The
time context is after the American Civil War, the slaves are freed and nearly
all black people in the south are illiterate. The Quakers have established a
school for blacks seven miles from the residence of the main characters, they
walk to the school at the start of the week carrying their food for the week as
well as spare clothing. The students stay at the school during the week and
then walk home for the weekend.
Virgie is a
young girl with five older brothers, and she is determined to start school in
the fall. She is told that she is too small, and girls have no need for formal
schooling, a position that she rejects. Finally, her father relents and agrees
to allow Virgie to go to school. After their things are packed, and their
father tells the older boys to take care of Virgie, the six of them start their
trek to the school.
There was
indeed such a black family (Fitzgerald) that lived seven miles from
Jonesborough, Tennessee and walked to the Quaker school there. This book is
based on tales of their lives that were passed down through the generations
until it reached the author. Therefore, this book is more a work of fact than
fiction. It is a great story about a young girl determined to learn, it also demonstrates
how there were groups that did what they could to assist the recently freed
blacks to rise up above the level of subservience.
Review of
The Art of Minnie Mouse,
Disney Editions ISBN 9781484767733
Five out of five stars
The Minnie
Mouse character was literally present at the creation of the more famous Mickey
Mouse. His first cartoon was “Steamboat Willie” and Minnie was his love
interest in that classic. Walt Disney himself was the voice of Minnie in this
as well as other early Mickey/Minnie cartoons.
Over the years,
her wardrobe has dramatically changed, from the simple skirt to a more modern and
complete wardrobe. She is often featured wearing makeup, particularly around
the eyes. She is now a truly modern woman.
This book is a
textual and visual depiction of the evolution of the physical appearance of
Minnie over the years. Following the general trend of the depiction of female
characters in entertainment, Minnie has also developed a more assertive
personality.
This is a fun
book to look at. While the wardrobe and other appearance changes are targeted
at young female readers, it is enough of a history to be interesting to adult
males as well.
Review of
Disney Alice in Wonderland Cinestory Comic,
adapted by Jeremy Barlow ISBN 9781987955057
Five out of five stars
Mathematicians,
of which I am one, regularly point out the Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll), the
author of the classic “Alice in Wonderland” was a mathematician/logician. No
book ever published has a wider spectrum of memorable and original characters,
it is a book that is just as entertaining for adults as it is for children,
even though it was published over 150 years ago.
This book is a
graphic novel rendition of that classic tale and is based on
the Disney movie, and it expresses all of the wonder and nonsensical dialog of
these entertaining characters. I have read “Alice in Wonderland” and several books
that contain commentary about it and when reading this version, I was once
again amazed at the originality of the characters. The artwork is superb, the exaggerated
features of the creatures adds to their imprint on your mind.
Review of
The New New Rules,
by Bill Maher ISBN 9780399158414
Five out of five stars
Bill Maher is
one of the funniest people in America and while he is liberal and hard on the
conservatives, especially the last two Republican presidents, he does not spare
his ideological brethren. His HBO show, “Real Time With Bill Maher” is the
place where these “rules” first appeared, and Maher has his delivery honed to a
fine edge. Many times, he his guests laugh along, sometimes hysterically. Even
the conservatives chuckle at the jokes targeted at conservatives, although
there is the occasional groan.
Political humor and satire is an essential component
of a free and democratic society, there are many countries of the world where
Maher would be jailed or even executed for what he says. Republicans and their
mouthpieces often use the phrase “American exceptionalism.” The fact that Maher
is allowed to openly say these great jokes is one of the strongest pieces of
evidence that the phrase is true, even though those that utter it often
criticize Maher for what he says.
Review of
The Moon Dragons,
by Dyan Sheldon and Gary Blythe ISBN 9781467763141
Five out of five stars
The dragon is a
mythical creature that has appeared in countless stories of legend, from
folktales to science fiction to songs to movies and television series. There is
also a wide spectrum in the way they are treated, from the loving playmate in
the song “Puff the Magic Dragon” to the fire-breathing bringer of death. In
this book, they are presented as creatures where humans have almost hunted them
to extinction, so they confine themselves to a region where humans simply do
not go.
The legend of
the Moon Dragons is widely held in the kingdom and the king demands that one of
them be brought back to his castle. Hunter after hunter goes up into the misty
mountains searching for a Moon Dragon, but none are ever found.
Finally, a poor
young woman named Alina announces that she will go alone in searching for the
Moon Dragons and she is ridiculed. Armed with the song that her grandmother
taught her, Alina goes off into the mist and she sees a small set of Moon
Dragons flying and playing in the moonlight. She returns to her village and
rather than admit to what she saw, she protects the dragons by telling everyone
that she never saw them.
Although she
does no slaying of dragons or gets rich and powerful, Alina is a genuine
heroine in this book. Her example of doing the right thing at her own expense
is a valuable lesson to children. There are some secrets that must be kept, no
matter what the personal consequences.
Review of
Peach Boy: A Japanese Legend,
retold by Gail Sakurai ISBN 0816734097
Five out of five stars
This old Japanese
folktale shares many characteristics of many legends of other cultures. A poor old
couple is childless until the woman finds a giant peach floating down the stream.
She takes it home, thinking that they will have some fresh peach as part of
their next meal. They are surprised when it opens, and a young boy emerges.
He proves to
have a ravenous appetite and grows rapidly, becoming strong and very helpful to
those around him. A group of ogres has terrified the population, stealing their
valuables and destroying their possessions. The boy vows to fight and defeat
the ogres and after acquiring a sword and being given provisions, he sets out
on his adventure.
Along the way,
he aids some wild animals by sharing his dumplings and they accompany him on
his journey. Once he arrives at the castle of the ogres, with the assistance of
the animals, he beats up the ogres and gets them to give up their treasure and
forever leave the villagers alone.
The child being
found floating on a river is a very old and ubiquitous story, think Moses of
the bible. Growing up to be the hero and sharing his belongings with wild
creatures is also found in many other tales. This is a nice story with a simple
plot, the hero saving his family and neighbors from a consistent threat that no
one else seems capable of dealing with. While not original by any means, it
still makes for a good tale to be read to children.
