Starred Review ALA Booklist (Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 CDT 2012)

Starred Review In the winter of 1909, a brave girl named Clara Lemlich, only five feet tall, picketed for workers' rights. She arrived in America along with hundreds of other immigrants from eastern Europe, hardly speaking any English. But instead of her father being hired, it's Clara the factories want, and off she goes to make women's clothing in a garment factory from dawn till dusk. The conditions are appalling: "If you prick your finger and bleed on the cloth, you're fined. If it happens a second time, you're fired," and more. While the men at the factory don't think girls are strong enough to strike, Clara proves them wrong, eventually leading the "largest walkout of women workers in U.S. history." Markel's informative text buzzes with details of the oppressive conditions and neatly plays up Clara's can-do spirit, but she perhaps tries to cover too much territory, and as a result, omits some crucial explanations (e.g., why can't Clara's father get hired?). However, Robert F. Sibert Medalist Sweet (Balloons over Broadway, 2011) creates punchy, vibrant collages that make up for any shortcomings. The zingy images masterfully (and appropriately) incorporate fabric and stitches as well as old images of checks and time cards. One particularly moving picture is seen from above as row upon row of workers toil away. A detailed note about the garment industry and a selected bibliography conclude. This book has fighting spirit in spades u go, Clara!

Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

A sparkling picture-book biography of the dauntless organizer of the titular strike. Immigrant Clara Lemlich was tiny and spoke little English, but she not only worked to support her family in a factory that made women's clothing, but read and studied at night. When the male workers talked about a strike to protest their fearsome working conditions, they thought the girls weren't strong enough to join them. But it was Clara who finally--in Yiddish--called for a general strike. She was arrested 17 times and beaten, but the strike won the right to unionize for workers in many factories (but not the Triangle Waist Factory, whose gruesome fire claimed 146 lives in 1911). Markel's text is well-supported by Sweet's watercolor, gouache and mixed-media images, some clearly based on archival photographs. What catches the heart are the bits of stitching on cloth ribbons that outline or accent some of the pages and the sweet, determined faces of these girls. They were girls indeed, some as young as 12, most in their teens and early 20s. A bibliography of primary and secondary sources and a note about the garment industry fills in some more background, including Clara's further work in the labor movement, and the fact that 70 percent of the workers were between 16 and 25 and that most were Eastern European Jews and Italians. Very fine indeed. (Picture book/biography. 5-9)

Horn Book (Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2013)

In her simple but powerful text Markel shows how multiple arrests, physical attacks, and misogyny failed to deter Clara Lemlich as she set off on her lifelong path as a union activist in the early twentieth century. Clara's story is accentuated by Sweet's vivid illustrations, many of which are presented on fabric scraps or torn paper with borders of machine stitching. Bib.

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

A sparkling picture-book biography of the dauntless organizer of the titular strike. Immigrant Clara Lemlich was tiny and spoke little English, but she not only worked to support her family in a factory that made women's clothing, but read and studied at night. When the male workers talked about a strike to protest their fearsome working conditions, they thought the girls weren't strong enough to join them. But it was Clara who finally--in Yiddish--called for a general strike. She was arrested 17 times and beaten, but the strike won the right to unionize for workers in many factories (but not the Triangle Waist Factory, whose gruesome fire claimed 146 lives in 1911). Markel's text is well-supported by Sweet's watercolor, gouache and mixed-media images, some clearly based on archival photographs. What catches the heart are the bits of stitching on cloth ribbons that outline or accent some of the pages and the sweet, determined faces of these girls. They were girls indeed, some as young as 12, most in their teens and early 20s. A bibliography of primary and secondary sources and a note about the garment industry fills in some more background, including Clara's further work in the labor movement, and the fact that 70 percent of the workers were between 16 and 25 and that most were Eastern European Jews and Italians. Very fine indeed. (Picture book/biography. 5-9)

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

When immigrant Clara Lemlich arrived in New York City, she was -dirt poor, just five feet tall, and hardly a word of English,- but she wasn-t short on tenacity and determination. After becoming employed as a garment worker and witnessing firsthand the deplorable factory conditions, she began to organize her fellow workers. Markel doesn-t sugarcoat the obstacles and injuries Lemlich faced as she went on to lead the -largest walkout of women workers in U.S. history.- Sweet incorporates images of assorted fabrics and stitch patterns into her tender illustrations, brightening the lives of workers whose reality was bleak. Author-s agent: Anna Olswanger, Liza Dawson Associates. Ages 4-8. (Feb.)

School Library Journal (Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 CST 2013)

Gr 1-5 This is the inspiring story of immigrant Clara Lemlich, a girl who led the largest walkout of female workers in U.S. history when she urged young women to leave their jobs in New York City garment factories and strike for higher pay and better working conditions. Michelle Markel and Melissa Sweet's picture book (HarperCollins, 2013) of overcoming adversity and fighting for what is right is presented with an optional read-along feature, and there is also bonus background material. Narrator Lesa Lockford mimics the rat-a-tat-a-tat of the sewing machines and Clara's urgent appeal to the workers: "Strike!" The background sound effectsincluding the click of sewing needles and the sounds of the factory doors locking after the young girls enterpaint a realistic picture of working conditions in the early 1900s. The story's background music, with its international flair, is also a subtle nod to Clara's immigrant heritage. This production supports Common Core Standards, and it will be a solid addition to classes studying immigration or labor history. Anne Bozievich, Friendship Elementary School, Glen Rock, PA