The Civil Rights Movement

January 1, 2018

Gr 3-5-Both books feature easy-to-read type, multiple short chapters, and occasional sidebars, and they are adorned by abundant line drawings done in a light playful tone. In theory, they are a welcome rival for Penguin's "Who Is" series. However, in practice, they fall far short. The Civil Rights Movement begins by asking if readers have ever heard of the movement and then launches into a lengthy and dry explanation-the text doesn't reach the titular topic until page 46. Simo's illustrations do not match the tone of the subject matter and often undercut the content. For instance, smiling cartoon people are just a page turn away from a slave auction scene. In addition, the majority of the people shown protesting in The Civil Rights Movement are white. The Statue of Liberty suffers from the same readability problems. Its illustrations are also equally goofy and insensitive; for example, a group of smiling "Native Americans" (tribes are not specified) is depicted as wearing loin clothes and headbands right before the text discusses European colonization on the next page ("The original Native American inhabitants were forced to leave and try to find new homes to the north and west."). VERDICT Poorly designed and visually misleading.-Sheri Reda, Wilmette Public Library, IL

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2018
Grades 2-5 With a small trim size and cartoon illustrations, these entries in the Blast Back! series resemble paperback chapter books more than classic series nonfiction, but the format, coupled with the easygoing tone, adds up to an inviting, approachable introduction to moments in U.S. history. The Civil Rights Movement begins with basic definitions and some historical background for the fight for civil rights (including the slave trade, the Civil War, the Emancipation Proclamation, Jim Crow laws, and Reconstruction) before moving on to the mid-twentieth-century movement; some of its key players; and its legacy, such as the presidency of Barack Obama and the founding of Black Lives Matter. Both topics are expansive?the civil rights movement more so?and although the breadth of information covered within each title is admirable, they're by no means comprehensive, and students may need to look elsewhere for more. Still, the fine-lined, genial illustrations and straightforward, easy-to-understand text make these breezy introductions appealing.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)