(3) K-3 Illustrated by Malcah Zeldis. Straightforward prose tracks Mandela's journey from a South African village to his political awakening, ensuing activism, and subsequent imprisonment. Readers will appreciate this book's generosity with small but fascinating details (Mandela's childhood toys, the exact size of his prison bed) and its folk-art illustrations, which blaze with color as if to reinforce the power of the subject's convictions. Bib.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Malcah Zeldis. Featured in this collection are brief three-page biographies of eleven influential American women, including Harriet Tubman, Emily Dickinson, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Helen Keller. Unfortunately, the garish, often grotesque folk-art portraits that accompany each piece bear almost no resemblance to their subjects, but the writing is personable and reader friendly, focused on the women's early lives. A time line is included. Bib.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam