As a digital subscriber, you’ll receive unlimited access to Horn Book web exclusives and extensive archives, as well as access to our highly searchable Guide/Reviews Database.
To access other site content, visit The Horn Book homepage.
To continue you need an active subscription to hbook.com.
Subscribe now to gain immediate access to everything hbook.com has to offer, as well as our highly searchable Guide/Reviews Database, which contains tens of thousands of short, critical reviews of books published in the United States for young people.
Thank you for registering. To have the latest stories delivered to your inbox, select as many free newsletters as you like below.
No thanks. Return to article
32 pp.
| Whitman
| April, 2024
|
TradeISBN 9780807552780$18.99
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Olga Lee.
This picture book tells the story of the Mud Angels -- mostly American students in Florence who jumped into action when mud from the Arno River flood threatened to destroy artifacts and books in 1966. Vivid text from the perspective of a young fictional narrator observing the action (she is not allowed to help save the books because of contamination dangers) shares an inspiring, little-known piece of history. Digital illustrations are static but effective in conveying the overwhelming mud’s damage. An author’s note gives background.
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Sian James.
This story begins in 1934 Norman, Oklahoma, as a grandmother and her grandson are preparing to bake a birthday cake. When the boy shares his self-conscious worry ("I want to help, but my friends said only girls bake"), Grandma Dora launches into the story of "the world's first woman mayor," elected in 1887 Kansas. The cartoony illustrations evoke the Old West and feature a determined Susanna Madora Salter...who, her grandson (and readers) learns, is actually Grandma Dora. The fictional framing story is a bit awkward, and why Susanna was put on the ballot as a prank isn't clear. Nonetheless, this book brings to light an early and largely unknown example of women's rights and leadership, challenging preconceived notions about women's roles in American history.