The Leaders Doing Headstands series combines narrative nonfiction with a kid-friendly picture-book format. Each volume focuses on the childhood of a noteworthy figure in history or contemporary society, highlighting the interests and pastimes that led to his or her future success; a one-page afterword summarizes the accomplishments for which the person is best known. The title acts as a hook to grab readers' attention, rather than serving as the focus for the book, but it accurately hints at the many relatable childhood activities contained within. For instance, Hillary Rodham Clinton draws attention to the leadership skills she acquired as a Girl Scout and later used in her political and law careers. Paragraphs of small text and concluding critical-thinking questions make these accessible biographies best suited to primary-grade readers.

These picture book biographies include a mix of direct quotes (in bold) and imagined dialogue and focus on childhood lessons that inspired and shaped these subjects. Parks's volume has emotive illustrations but takes a simplistic approach to her activism; Clinton's bio acknowledges the influence of her parents' values, but it's marred by cartoonish illustrations. Afterwords included. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.