Review of Call Me Roberto

Roberto Clemente Goes to Bat for Latinos

A TRUE TALE WITH

A CHERRY ON TOP

Calkins Creek

(Astra Books for Young Readers)

(pub. 8.27.2024)

40 pages

Ages 7 -10

Author: Nathalie Alonso

   Illustrator: Rudy Gutierrez

Character: Roberto Clemente

Overview:

" Roberto Clemente always loved baseball. Growing up in Carolina, Puerto Rico, he swung tree branches (since he didn’t have a bat) and hit tin cans. He was always batting, pitching, running, sliding. His dedication paid off when, at the age of 19, he was tapped for a major league team.

First stop: chilly Montreal . . . where he warmed the bench and himself, longing to play baseball.

Months later, he finally got his chance with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Clemente had an instant impact on the field—hitting the ball and making it to first base and finally home. Many Pittsburgh fans loved his bold style on the field, but not everyone was quick to embrace a Black man from Puerto Rico who spoke español.."

Tantalizing taste:

"But newspaper reporters don't praise Roberto's energy: They call him a show – off. And when his back hurts and he can't play, lazy! To make things worse, people call him "Bob." They think it sounds more familiar – more American.

Roberto doesn't like being called Bob.

Call me Roberto, he insists, orgulloso to be from Puerto Rico.

And Puerto Rico is just as proud of him..."

And something more: The author, Nathalie Alonso, shared in the Author's Note: "...Roberto has long been honored primarily as a humanitarian figure. And while he certainly deserves to be recognized as such, that narrative has obscured what I see as his greatest contribution to baseball: his battle to get the sport to accept and embrace players from Latin America. It is this legacy that most resonates with me as a first – generation Latina, who covers baseball for living, a job that has traditionally been the domain of White men.…

... When Roberto arrived in the majors, he encountered an industry that, years after Jackie Robinson's debut with the Dodgers, remained hostile to people of color.…

His refusal to bow to bigotry and his defiance of racist stereotypes are what most inspire me. As someone whose first language is Spanish but who wasn't always comfortable speaking it in professional settings, the moment when Roberto addressed his parents on national television [when he was named MVP of the World Series in 197 - a first for a Spanish-speaking player] is incredibly validating."

Review of As Edward Imagined

A Story of Edward Gorey in Three Acts

A TRUE TALE WITH

A CHERRY ON TOP

Cover of picture book biography about Edward Gorey titled As Edward Imagined

Knopf Books for Young Readers

(pub. 9.17.2024)

48 pages

Ages 4 - 8

Author: Matthew Burgess

   Illustrator: Marc Majewski

Character: Edward Gorey

Overview:

"Discover the unique childhood and life of the enigmatic and eccentric Edward Gorey whose artwork and books had a profound impact on creators such as Neil Gaiman, Lemony Snicket, and Tim Burton.

Even as a young boy, Edward constantly forged his own path, passions, and pursuits never forsaking his individuality for fame. This picture book biography is paired with a whimsical art style that captures the unrelenting creativity Edward brought to his playfully macabre creations."

Tantalizing taste:

"But in the many books Edward left behind…

Mr. Earbrass still broods and frets,

the alligator rides the bicycle on his back,

and from deep inside the Wuggly Ump,

the children sing glogalimp, glugalump,

just as Edward imagined."

And something more: The author, Matthew Burgess, shared in the Author's Note: "From early childhood to the very end, [Edward Gorey] was intensely creative, and in both art and life, he was completely himself. This is one of the reasons I want to share his story with young readers. I remember, as a child, how important it was to encounter grown-ups who followed their own path. We all need people to remind us that we can be truly ourselves, and that we are free to create and even inhabit the worlds we imagine."

Review of I'm Gonna Paint

Ralph Fasanella, Artist of the People

A TRUE TALE WITH

A CHERRY ON TOP

Holiday House

(pub. 11.7.2023)

48 pages

Ages 4 - 8

Author: Anne Broyles

   Illustrator: Victoria Tentler-Krylov

Character: Ralph Fasanella

Overview:

" When dared to jump, Ralph always took the dare. So begins this beautiful tribute to a singular artist and his tireless efforts to honor and celebrate immigrant and working-class communities through his paintings.

Born in 1914 New York City to Italian immigrants, Ralph’s youth was one of dress factories, ice deliveries, union meetings, and Momma’s stories of the Bread & Roses Strike around the dinner table. By teaching himself how to paint, Ralph discovered a new way to reach working people: he would depict their lives, their work, and American history with electric color at a grand scale.

Focusing on themes of social justice, immigrant rights, labor rights, and the dignity of working people, I’m Gonna Paint inspires to give a new generation the confidence to continue the fight for better working conditions."

Tantalizing taste:

"As a kid, Ralph taught himself to read.

As an adult, he taught himself to paint.

He visited museums to study works by famous artists.

He filled giant canvases with precise details in bold colors that rippled out, like when a pebble is thrown into a pond. Memories of his old neighborhoods, his father's ice wagon, the Protectory, and the dress shop where Mama used to work were transformed into paintings.

Ralph also referenced current events: Martin Luther King Jr.'s March on Washington, President Kennedy's assassination ,and many more.

He painted ordinary people, city streets, everyday working life."

And something more: The More About Ralph section includes his quotes:

"Any good painting is a social statement. I just feel that art and politics can't be separated ."

"I have been a working man and a union man all my life. My paintings celebrate that. They're about working people: what they do, where they go, and what their hopes and dreams are."

"You want to be smart, go to the library."

"I never did a painting for myself. I was always trying to uplift other people, to show them who they are and where they came from… My job is not only to record American history, but to record the feelings of American workers as honestly as possible."