Horn Book (Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2013)

The Pinkneys create a testament to African American males (from Benjamin Banneker to Barack Obama) that, taken together, tells one big story of triumph that, incidentally, spans American history. Each profile is compact but comprehensive and includes an introductory poem and a watercolor portrait. The illustrations are a perfect marriage of line, color, and medium and complement the colloquial and ebullient text. Reading list, timeline. Ind.

Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

Addressing the appetites of readers "hungry for role models," this presents compellingly oratorical pictures of the lives and characters of 10 African-American men who exemplify a "birthright of excellence." Each of the chronologically arranged chapters opens with a tone-setting praise song and a commanding close-up portrait. From Benjamin Banneker, whose accusatory letter to slaveholder Thomas Jefferson "socked it straight / to the secretary of state," to Barack Obama, who "turned Yes, we can! into a celebration call," the gallery is composed of familiar names. Instead of rehashing well-chewed biographical fodder, though, the author dishes up incidents that shaped and tested her subjects' moral and intellectual fiber along with achievements that make her chosen few worth knowing and emulating. Carping critics may quibble about the occasional arguable fact and an implication that Rosa Parks' protest was spontaneous, but like Malcolm X, Pinkney has such "a hot-buttered way with words" that her arguments are as convincing as they are forceful, and her prose, rich as it is in rolling cadences and internal rhymes, never waxes mannered or preachy. A feast for readers whose eyes are (or should be) on the prize, in a volume as well-turned-out as the dapper W.E.B. Dubois, who was "more handsome than a fresh-cut paycheck." (timeline, index, lists of recommended reading and viewing) (Collective biography. 10-15)

School Library Journal

PreS Short, rhyming sentences, accompanied by large framed watercolor illustrations featuring Wells's signature rabbits on each page, pay tribute to all the ways a parent nurtures and teaches a child from birth onward. The young child narrator, whose gender is ambiguous, makes requests ("Be my teacher/from day one. Be my sky, my moon,/my sun") and enumerates all the things a mother does ("My first feeder./My first reader"). The illustrations, which include only a mother, elaborate on each brief statement by depicting the activities in which child and parent are engaged. For example, the picture above "Midnight staymate" contains a vaporizer, box of tissues, and medicine bottleobvious indicators that the little one lying in bed embraced by Mom is ill. Small framed scenes on two opposite pages show the child learning to be polite, to share, and to help. The text, while brief, is filled with lovely metaphors such as "Kindness is our daily bread; gentle words, our feather bed" that would be difficult for very young children to understand. VERDICT This offering is a suitable gift for an expectant parent who might then use the object-filled endpapers as a vocabulary game after the little one arrives. Marianne Saccardi, Children's Literature Consultant, Greenwich, CT

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Addressing the appetites of readers "hungry for role models," this presents compellingly oratorical pictures of the lives and characters of 10 African-American men who exemplify a "birthright of excellence." Each of the chronologically arranged chapters opens with a tone-setting praise song and a commanding close-up portrait. From Benjamin Banneker, whose accusatory letter to slaveholder Thomas Jefferson "socked it straight / to the secretary of state," to Barack Obama, who "turned Yes, we can! into a celebration call," the gallery is composed of familiar names. Instead of rehashing well-chewed biographical fodder, though, the author dishes up incidents that shaped and tested her subjects' moral and intellectual fiber along with achievements that make her chosen few worth knowing and emulating. Carping critics may quibble about the occasional arguable fact and an implication that Rosa Parks' protest was spontaneous, but like Malcolm X, Pinkney has such "a hot-buttered way with words" that her arguments are as convincing as they are forceful, and her prose, rich as it is in rolling cadences and internal rhymes, never waxes mannered or preachy. A feast for readers whose eyes are (or should be) on the prize, in a volume as well-turned-out as the dapper W.E.B. Dubois, who was "more handsome than a fresh-cut paycheck." (timeline, index, lists of recommended reading and viewing) (Collective biography. 10-15)

ALA Booklist (Sun Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2012)

In her extensive introduction, Pinkney explains how a visit to a creative-writing program made up of young black teens rother Authors" spired her to write a testament to positive African American role models. She has chosen 10 men, and though each appears in his own extensive chapter, their accomplishments weave them together "like a chain." Some are well known, like Martin Luther King Jr., Jackie Robinson, and Malcolm X. Others, such as Benjamin Banneker, W. E. B. Du Bois, and Thurgood Marshall, may be less familiar to today's young people. Pinkney uses an upbeat, sometimes colloquial writing style that kids will appreciate, and with chapters sometimes as long as 20 pages, there is often more information about a subject than might be found in a slim series title. Each chapter begins with an original poem and a Brian Pinkney portrait. Another two or three small pictures break up the long pages of text. Surprisingly, Pinkney provides no notes, even though she references both feelings and words in her biographies. For instance, she quotes Barack Obama's Kenyan grandfather and his unhappiness over his son's marriage to Ann Dunham without any sourcing. While this is problematic, the book is still a handsome piece of bookmaking that does Pinkney's premise proud.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Ten influential black men-including Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. Du Bois, Thurgood Marshall, Jackie Robinson, and Martin Luther King Jr.-are profiled in this husband-and-wife team-s vibrant collaboration. Andrea Davis Pinkney introduces her subjects with powerful poems, before moving into image-rich, introspective, and candid descriptions of each man-s influence on civil rights, culture, art, or politics: - thought carefully about some of the beliefs he-d held in the past, and how they supported the idea that he-d been brainwashed by whites. For example, straightening his hair was Malcolm-s attempt to deny his black heritage by trying to look -more white.- - Brian Pinkney-s portraits of each man echo the multidimensional prose with their bold strokes and dynamic swirls of color. An examination of Barack Obama-s life and presidential election carries readers into the present day, placing the achievements of those who came before him into perspective. Though the text-heavy format may initially daunt some readers, the inviting narrative voice and eloquent portrayal of these iconic men and the times in which they lived make for memorable reading. Ages 9-12. Agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (Oct.)