Goldie Takes a Stand

June 16, 2014
Long before Sheryl Sandberg was encouraging women to lean in, the precocious Milwaukee fourth grader who would become Golda Meir was all over it. In the early 1900s, she formed a group of immigrant peers called the American Young Sisters Society and launched a campaign to buy textbooks for her impoverished classmates. Confident to her core (“I, Goldie Mabowehz, naturally appointed myself president”), Goldie doesn’t give up when various fund-raising strategies fall flat, and she eventually hits on the winning idea: a public meeting to rally support for the cause. Garrity-Riley gives her characters the placid, round faces and pink cheeks of vintage dolls, and this technique, along with her use of a single plane and sepia tones, doesn’t provide much visual momentum. First-time children’s author Krasner’s first-person narration matches her heroine’s forthrightness and fortitude, but it’s so effective that it undermines the story’s dramatic arc: readers may doubt that a dynamo like Goldie would get stage fright before giving a speech at the big event, or decide to “speak from my heart” instead of carefully rehearsing her pitch. Ages 5–9. Illustrator’s agency: Catugeau.

September 1, 2014

Gr 1-3-A biographical picture book that showcases a pivotal episode in the early life of Golda Meir, Israel's first female prime minister. Fourth-grade immigrant Goldie, president of the American Young Sisters Society, felt compelled to assist schoolmates who couldn't afford new textbooks and convinced her friends to help raise money for them. Goldie contributed by working at her family's store (and charging customers more for their purchases) and also by making personal sacrifices, such as donating her candy allowance to the cause. Ultimately, she became aware of the need for large-scale fund-raising and organizes a community-wide event. Told in the first person from young Goldie's perspective, this book is rich with possibilities. A solid choice for read-alouds, it could spark discussions about service learning, immigration, leadership, and inspiring female role models. Goldie's strong voice comes through, and the conversational tone makes it accessible for readers. The softly colored gouache illustrations, with heavy use of beiges and browns, subtle hints of collage, and clever use of graph and loose-leaf paper prints on character's dresses, create an inviting, nostalgic aesthetic that complements the setting. A solid addition to elementary school libraries.-Whitney LeBlanc, Staten Island Academy, NY

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2014
Grades 1-3 Before she was Golda Meir, she was Goldie Mabowehz, living in Milwaukee with her family at the turn of the last century. According to this book, based on an incident from her life, the woman who became prime minister of Israel was pretty formidable even at age nine. When Goldie observes her classmates with substandard textbooks, she decides that she and her immigrant friendsthe American Young Sisters Societyshould start a fund-raising drive. The girls try. Goldie, who works in her mother's store, even attempts to make customers pay extra. But it becomes evident that their efforts are a bust. So Goldie goes bigger: she persuades an auditorium owner to let her use his space for the drive. Will anyone show up? The author's note states that while the dialogue is imagined, the events are true, but even more clarification would have been helpful. The text does ably capture a decisive Goldie, and what's especially fun here is the artwork, particularly the images of the girlsa nest of almost doll-like figures. A bibliography closes this engaging bit of history.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)