The Horn Book Guide

BIOGRAPHIES

Bowman, Donna Janell

Step Right Up: How Doc and Jim Key Taught the World About Kindness

48 pp. | Lee | September, 2016 | Trade ISBN 978-1-62014-148-9 $19.95

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Daniel Minter. William "Doc" Key was a self-taught veterinarian who was born into slavery and became a free man after the Civil War. With Doc's gentle, noncoercive training, his colt, Jim, learned to read, spell, write, and do sums, and thus became the star of Doc's traveling shows. Bowman's narration is steady and natural. Minter's woodcut-style illustrations are enticing and warm. Bib.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2017