Jesse Jackson

November 1, 2011

Gr 2-3-While this series covers familiar ground, it nonetheless provides solid facts about six civil rights fighters who shaped American history and helped pave the way for African Americans to gain equality. It delivers basic information about these crusaders, but it mostly focuses on their accomplishments and their positions in the civil rights fights of their respective times. The pages alternate between the text (with "Let Freedom Ring" side boxes that provide supplemental information) and large, captioned color photographs. Vocabulary words in bold are defined at the end of each book. With their clear information, short sentence structure, and linear writing, these books would be useful for basic reports.

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2011
Grades 2-5 Starting with a full-page color photo of Jesse Jackson addressing a crowd at a protest in 2010, this picture-book biography in the Civil Rights Crusaders series follows his lifelong political role, including his work with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and his dynamic presidency of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition as well as his international work for peace. It feels condescending to refer to the leader as Jesse throughout, but the clear, informal prose in spacious type; full-page, high-quality color photos of the politician in action; and Let Freedom Ring facts and quotes in boxed screens on every spread will draw elementary-schoolers to the important issues they see on the news, right up to Jackson's current resistance to U.S. involvement in Iraq and his support for new health-care laws. The back matter includes a glossary, a brief bibliography, and websites.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)