Biblioburro: a true story from Columbia written and illustrated by Jeanette Winter. Beach Lane Books, 2010. ISBN 978-1-4169-9778-8
Reader's Annotation: Luis loves books and reading so much that he wants to share them with the people of his country, Columbia. But how to get the books to the isolated villages? Book burros!
Summary: In the heart of the Colombian jungle lives a man named Luis who loves books so much that he fills his house with them. He decides to share his books with people who have none, and that the best way to reach these isolated people is with burros. Luis buys two strong little burros and names them Alfa and Beto, and builds special crates for them to carry that will be filled with books. He paints the word, "Biblioburro" on the side of the crates, which means "The Burro Library".
Every week Luis and his burros travel to remote villages on lonely, sometimes even dangerous trails, but once they reach the people of the village, they are far from lonely. The children that run to meet him are thrilled to see him again, and Luis reads them a story before they choose a book to borrow. Luis and his burros then make the long trek back home, back to dinner, and rest, and reading late into the night. Winter concludes with an illustration that demonstrates the impact that this one kind man has made on the people of the hills of Colombia.
In the Author's Note, Winter explains that the story of Luis and his book burros is true, and provides a more detailed account of his life, as well as the growth of the burro library program.
Critical Evaluation: In an interview on the website PaperTigers.org, Winter states, "I am drawn to true-life stories, and true stories that relate to world events. Stories about brave and courageous individuals are personally so inspiring to me, and I want children to know about these people. I feel that children have the capacity to understand the big issues of our lives, if in a simplified way." Winter's excels at taking an inspiring life story and adapting it for children without losing any of the important details that show the effect that each person can have on other people and wider society as a whole.
In telling Luis Soriano's story, Winter also highlights how valuable books truly are, which is something that children who grow up in an affluent country may not realize. To share the risks Luis takes, and the trouble he goes to to get books to the people of Columbia, Winter provides a perspective on reading that may not have been considered before reading her work.
Winter's illustrations are vibrant and jewel-toned, and her folk art style of drawing is ideal for telling the story of Luis and his burros. She includes plenty of native flora and fauna in her art, and her portraits of Luis contain a quiet dignity and sense of purpose.
Age or Interest Level: Ages 3 to 6
Lexile Level: 640L
Awards: Americas Award Commended Title; CCBC Choices (Cooperative Children's Book Council); NCTE Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts
Why Included? This is a story worth sharing with every child in your life. Luis Soriano has criss-crossed a region which has been severely impacted by a guerrilla war, even putting his life in danger, so that he can get books into the hands of isolated children. Reading is powerful, and so is what Luis has accomplished with his traveling library.
Before John was a Jazz Giant: a Story of John Coltrane written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Sean Qualls. Henry Holt and Company, 2008. ISBN 978-0-8050-7994-4
Reader's Annotation: When John Coltrane was growing up, he heard sounds of all kinds: birds, instruments, music, parades, singing, and turned them into his own kind of sound.
Summary: John Coltrane was a star in the world of jazz for his abilities on the saxophone, but growing up in the South in the 1930's, John was just a child listening to the sounds around him. From natural sounds like the singing of birds, to musical sounds like his father playing the ukulele, and his mother playing their gramophone, John took it all in. At church he heard hymns and preaching, and outside he heard the whistle of steam trains and the music and marching of parades.
The saxophone solos on the radio called to John, and when he picked up a horn and blew into it, all of the sounds he had heard melded together into his own signature style of music. John grew up to become an incredibly talented musician, and Weatherford's picture book biography of Coltrane provides a window into his early influences.
The Author's Note provides an in-depth account of Coltrane's life, from his childhood in North Carolina, to his time in the Navy, and highlights from his lengthy musical career. Suggested recordings are included, to allow young readers to hear Coltrane's music for themselves. Additionally, items for further reading are recommended to expand a child's understanding of John's life.
Critical Evaluation: The narrative text, illustrations, and information included in the author's note and biographical references combine to provide a complete portrait of one of our nation's greatest saxophonists. The narrative includes simple repetition, rhythmic phrasing, and a focus on the auditory qualities of everyday life. The illustrations are primitive in style, but are full of movement, and representative of life for African Americans in the South of the 1930's.
The palette is restrained, mostly blues, grays, blacks, oranges, and pinks, which may be a result of the illustrator not wanting the visual aspect of the story to compete with the focus on the sounds Coltrane heard and played. Each spread includes ribbon-like clouds of sound, as well as bubbles and circles to represent what John was hearing.
With mentions of popular culture of the era, such as Bojangles and Jitterbuggers, the author and illustrator have provided just enough detail through context and imagery to pique the interest of curious children who may want to find out more. This picture book biography has been well-researched, and invites the reader to explore the early days of jazz culture through both sound recordings and further reading.
Age or Interest Level: Ages 4 to 8
Lexile Level: 1090L
Awards: 2009 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book; 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.
Why Included? This is a wonderful picture biography of a jazz legend. The rhythmic text and the movement in the illustrations almost form a musical statement themselves, and made me want to go put some jazz on the radio.
Malala, a Brave Girl from Pakistan / Iqbal, a Brave Boy from Pakistan written and illustrated by Jeanette Winter. Beach Lane Books , 2014. ISBN 978-1-14814-2294-9
Reader's Annotation: Here are the true stories of two brave young people, Malala Yousafzai and Iqbal Masih, who were both shot for speaking out for freedom and education in Pakistan.
Summary: Malala was born in 1997 in a small town in Pakistan, and greatly enjoyed her studies at the local school until the Taliban began to make it difficult for girls to attend. When Malala was eleven, she began to speak out about the rights of girls to have access to education, but due to her brave public statements, she began receiving threats, and was gravely injured when a Taliban fighter shot her on her way home from school.
Malala was rushed to hospitals in Pakistan, but when the Pakistani doctors did not have the ability to heal her, she and her family flew to England where she was treated and began to recover. As Winter so eloquently states, "The shot fired at Malala is heard the world over". Malala's story does not end here, but continues as Malala transcends above the hatred and ignorance that wounded her, and carries on in her efforts to fight injustice.
Fifteen years before Malala was born, Iqbal was born in another village in Pakistan, but unlike Malala, who was lucky enough to attend school, Iqbal began working at the age of only four, as a bonded worker in a carpet factory. He was shackled to the loom each day, and his existence was little better than a slave's.
When Iqbal was ten, he was freed from his bond by the Bonded Liberation Front of Pakistan, and began to speak out against child labor. His brave words were heard around the world, and he traveled internationally to share his childhood experiences. Iqbal dreamed of studying law, to help others who continued to suffer under unjust labor practices, but when he was just twelve, he was shot and killed as he was riding his bicycle. His murder was never solved, but it is suspected that the assassin was hired by the carpet industry.
Critical Evaluation: Winter has taken a difficult subject, and adapted it with sensitivity to the developmental level of her young readers. Her passion for the rights of children everywhere is clearly evident in her telling of these two biographical tales. By combining these two life stories with the picture book format, Winters has created a lovingly crafted tale that can be shared with children much younger than the typical reader of juvenile biographies.
The illustrations are representational of the true accounts of these child heroes, but are drawn in such a way, and with a jewel-toned palette, that the combination of the text and images never allows the tone of the work to become frightening or overly graphic.
The two stories are published back to back, and are connected by a single spread that can be enjoyed as it is reached from either segment of the book. It shows Malala and Iqbal flying kites towards each other across the night sky and the mountains of Pakistan. This page can be appreciated at numerous levels, literally, spatially, or spiritually, depending on the maturity of the children who are reading the book.
In our modern world, where an appreciation for multi-culturalism, and an awareness of global human rights issues are necessary, Winter's picture book biographies provide an excellent starting point for young children to develop these character qualities.
Age or Interest Level: Ages 5 to 9
Lexile Level: 640L
Awards: Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature, Best Multicultural Books of 2014; Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People - 2015, Kindergarten to Second Grade; 2015 Amelia Bloomer Project List, Early Readers, Nonfiction
Why Included? The sharing of stories like Malala's and Iqbal's is so very important in our country, where children are born into freedom. Growing up without an awareness of the plights of others less fortunate will result in a child who takes his or her own freedom for granted, and who may be less likely to realize that part of a free person's responsibilities is to help those who are not free themselves.