- Dec 29, 2022
The Story of Senator
Tammy Duckworth
A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
Candlewick Press
(pub. 9.27.2022) 48 pages
Author: Christina Soontornvat
Illustrator: Dow Phumiruk
Characters: Tammy Duckworth
Overview:
" Senator Tammy Duckworth has logged a long list of 'firsts' during her tenure as the first Thai American woman elected to Congress, including being the first woman with a disability to serve in the House and Senate. But while she dreamed of serving her country from a young age, Tammy’s path was not without its challenges.
In this dramatic account, award-winning creators Christina Soontornvat and Dow Phumiruk chronicle Tammy’s journey. From her childhood fight to keep her family from homelessness, to her service in the US Army, to her recovery from grievous injuries sustained in the line of duty, Tammy never lost her determination to keep going against staggering odds."
Tantalizing taste:
" The doctors fit Tammy with prosthetic legs. Her right leg was gone all the way to the hip, and controlling her new prosthetic was like balancing on the end of a broomstick.
Each day was a battle against gravity.
Inch by inch, falling, getting up, and falling again.
And again.
Get back up.
Keep fighting."
And something more: The last page of the book includes this quote by Tammy Duckworth:
"That day, I lost both of my legs, but I was given a second chance at life. It's a feeling that has helped to drive me in my second chance at service – no one should be left behind, and every American deserves another chance."
- Dec 14, 2022
The Wong Kim Ark Story
A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
Little, Brown and Company
(pub.11.23.2021) 40 pages
Authors: Martha Brockenbrough
with Grace Lin
Illustrator: Julia Kuo
Characters: Wong Kim Ark
Overview:
" When American-born Wong Kim Ark returns home to San Francisco after a visit to China, he’s stopped and told he cannot enter: he isn’t American. What happens next would forever change the national conversation on who is and isn’t American. After being imprisoned on a ship for months, Wong Kim Ark takes his case to the Supreme Court and argues any person born in America is an American citizen.
I am an American: The Wong Kim Ark Story is an important picture book that introduces young readers to the young man who challenged the Supreme Court for his right to be an American citizen and won, confirming birthright citizenship for all Americans."
Tantalizing taste:
" Long ago, a boy was born in an apartment
above a shop in San Francisco.
His name was Wong Kim Ark - and
he believed something that would change
this country.
I am an American.
...When Kim Ark was growing up, hard financial
times hit. Many people blamed the Chinese.
They said people of Chinese heritage could never
be American.
Kim Ark knew this was not true.
I am an American."
And something more: More About the Story at the back of the book explains that "Even after Wong Kim Ark won his Supreme Court case, he and other people of Chinese ancestry continued to experience unfair treatment.
He always had to carry a certificate of identity with him to prove he was American."
I appreciate that the Back Matter not only includes an explanation of The Fourteenth Amendment, but also a discussion of who argued against and for Wong Kim Ark, in particular "Thomas Riordan [who] defended the rights of people of Chinese ancestry in San Francisco and challenged other racist laws in court. He fought two other cases all the way to the Supreme Court."
- Dec 13, 2022
How Isaac Stern United the World
to Save Carnegie Hall
A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
Quill Tree Books
(Harper Collins)
(pub.7.5.2022) 40 pages
Author: Megan Hoyt
Illustrator: Katie Hickey
Character: Isaac Stern
Overview:
"When Carnegie Hall first opened its doors in 1891, no one could have predicted its incredible success. With talented artists like Duke Ellington and Albert Einstein gracing its stage, the hall quickly became a place where all people—no matter their skin color, religion, or social status—could come together under one roof to be entertained.
People like Isaac Stern. The son of Jewish immigrants who fled war-torn Ukraine for America to escape the Holocaust, Isaac was a talented violinist whose dream of one day performing on Carnegie Hall's legendary stage came true, many times over. So when a real estate tycoon sets out to demolish Carnegie Hall, Isaac knew something had to be done to preserve decades of hopes, dreams, and inclusivity."
Tantalizing taste:
" But the next day, the people of New York City went back to their daily routines. Cars and buses cruised past the hall, pouring exhaust and dirt onto the sidewalk out front.
Isaac looked around. Didn't they know this was where the famous Tchaikovsky made his American debut? Where Albert Einstein mesmerized the crowd with his talk of tiny atoms in a vast universe? Where the lilting tones of Marian Anderson melted people's hearts?
Just like Isaac, young musicians from all over the world dreamed of one day performing at the prestigious Carnegie Hall.
It has to be saved, Isaac thought."
And something more: I'm always interested in other authors' journeys in finding primary sources for picture book biographies. Megan Hoyt in the Author's Note explains: "As I started to do research on Carnegie Hall, I went to the source: the hall itself! There are hundreds of letters, photos, and contracts tucked away in the Carnegie Hall archives, including an autographed photo of Tchaikovsky - composer of The Nutcracker and Swan Lake - and the trowel Louise Carnegie used back in 1890 to lay the first cornerstone of the building.…
Isaac Stern also left dozens of boxes of relevant background information to the US government. They are stored in the National Archives and have not yet been opened. Maybe one day we will even find out even more about Carnegie Hall, about Isaac Stern, and about the activism that saved this beautiful building from destruction." Yes! Another book for Megan to write.
