Jimmy's Rhythm & Blues

The Extraordinary Life of James Baldwin

A TRUE TALE WITH

A CHERRY ON TOP

Harper Collins

(pub.1.30.2024)

48 pages

Ages 4-8

Author: Michelle Meadows

   Illustrator: Janiel Law

Character: James Baldwin

Overview:

" Before he became a writer, James 'Jimmy' Baldwin was a young boy from Harlem, New York, who loved stories. He found joy in the rhythm of music, family, and books.

But Jimmy also found the blues, as a Black man living in America.When he discovered the written word, he discovered true power. Writing gave him a voice. And that voice opened the world to Jimmy. From the publication of the groundbreaking collection of essays The Fire Next Time to his passionate demonstrations during the civil rights movement, Jimmy used his voice fearlessly."

Tantalizing taste:

"Writing is electric blue,

bright, brilliant words

of letters and words

flying, flipping,

flowing to the beat.

In elementary school, Jimmy stood out.

Kids picked on him,

noticing he was small, shy, and smart.

His teachers noticed something else:

Jimmy had a gift for weaving words together

like musical notes of a song."

And something more: Michelle Meadows, in the Author's Note writes: "While writing this book, it moved me most to learn how James Baldwin found comfort in words from a young age. Words have always soothed me too. My mother says that when I was a child, I left little notes all around the house about how I was feeling. I hope this book inspires young readers to find joy an dpower through written expression."

Fighting with Love

The Legacy of John Lewis

A TRUE TALE WITH

A CHERRY ON TOP

A Paula Wiseman Books

(Simon & Schuster)

(pub.1.9.2024)

48 pages

Ages 4-8

Author: Lesa Cline-Ransome

   Illustrator: James E. Ransome

Character: John Lewis

Overview:

" John Lewis left a cotton farm in Alabama to join the fight for civil rights when he was only a teenager. He soon became a leader of a movement that changed the nation. Walking at the side of his mentor, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Lewis was led by his belief in peaceful action and voting rights. Today and always his work and legacy live on."

Tantalizing taste:

"John knew that standing up to segregation would mean hard work, but he also knew what years of marching up and down rows of cotton fields had taught him - that hard work meant long days and longer nights. So, after washing dishes in the school cafeteria to pay his tuition, studying late into the night, and practicing his sermons, John started marching."

And something more: Lesa Cline-Ransome, in the Author's Note writes: "Relentless, inspiring, undaunted, John Lewis was my hero. One of my greatest honors was meeting him in 2017 while attending a Black American Library Association event in Atlanta, Georgia. He was in person just as I imagined he would be - a gracious gentleman with a quick laugh.

Gone, but not forgotten, he and his loving legacy remind us all to keep marching."

Review of Remembering Rosalind Franklin

Rosalind Franklin & The Discovery

of the Double Helix Structure of DNA

A TRUE TALE WITH

A CHERRY ON TOP

Christy Ottaviano Books

(Little, Brown and Company)

(pub.2.20.2024)

40 pages

Ages 5-9

Author: Tanya Lee Stone

   Illustrator: Gretchen Ellen Powers

Character: Rosalind Franklin

Overview:

" Rosalind Franklin was a Jewish scientist with a remarkable talent as a chemist. Although there were few women working in this field in the 1950s, Franklin, using crystallography, captured an image that held the secret to unlocking the structure of DNA: the double helix. Her Photo 51 was used by her male colleagues without her knowledge, and they went on to win the Nobel Prize, while Franklin never found out how instrumental her work was to the discovery of the double helix.

This incredible story uncovers the life and work of an extraordinary scientist, rightfully celebrating her landmark contributions to history."

Tantalizing taste:

"Dear reader,

This true story doesn't really have a happy ending.

Why would I start by telling you that? Because sometimes a person can do something extraordinary and not get the win. They don't become famous, or earn a prize, or live happily ever after. Sometimes, they never even find out they made a difference

Often when we hear about something that's never been done before, it's about the people who got there first… But nobody achieves such great things alone. There are usually other people whose hard work made change possible. Stories about those people are just as important. And it's up to us to remember them.

This story is about remembering Rosalind."

And something more: Tanya Lee Stone, in the Author's Note of Remembering Rosalind Franklin explains:"One of my favorite types of stories to tell are about real women who have done extraordinary things to help shape our world. Too often, these true stories are not in our history books. Even worse, for hundreds of years, countless women's achievements haven't been just been overlooked – the credit for their work has been claimed by men. This is now called the Matilda affect, named after Matilda, Joslyn Gage, who spoke about this pattern of injustice in the late 1800s...

Tragically, Rosalind Franklin died at the young age of thirty-seven from ovarian cancer. But in her brief career, she helped change what we know about DNA... My hope is that young readers will learn her name and dig more deeply into her scientific work, further honoring and remembering Rosalind for her invaluable contributions to science."