Reviews for Sojourner Truth: African American Trailblazers (History Maker Bios)

The average rating for Sojourner Truth: African American Trailblazers (History Maker Bios) based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2018-02-13 00:00:00 Robert Lerum My Name is Gabito/Me llamo Gabito: The Life of Gabriel García Márquez is a children's picture book written by Monica Brown and illustrated by Raúl Colón. It is a biographical picture book of Gabriel García Márquez, a Nobel Prize Laureate. Mid-September to Mid-October, at least in my part of the world is Hispanic/Latino Heritage Month, which I plan to read one children's book, particularly a biography, which pertains to the subject everyday this month. Therefore, I thought that this book would be apropos for today. Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez was a Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo throughout Latin America. Considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th century and one of the best in the Spanish language, he was awarded the 1972 Neustadt International Prize for Literature and the 1982 Nobel Prize in Literature. Brown's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. Brown does a wonderful job of articulating Márquez's complex literary style in a way youngsters can grasp. Even better, she shows how his imagination was nurtured and encouraged from a very early age by the things around him. The text is written in blocks of English and Spanish with words of both languages sometimes incorporated into the page design. Colón's brilliant watercolors float off the page, anchored by his penciled outlines. The use of swirls and scratches gives depth to the clothing and backgrounds of each illustration and captures a sense of Márquez's creative imagination. The premise of the book is rather straightforward. This luminous picture book describes the Colombian author's childhood and influences. From his humble beginnings in Aracataca, Colombia, Márquez was nurtured by his grandparents, which his grandfather was an important figure for the development of his talent. Márquez loved learning words from his grandfather's dictionary and realized that the more he read, the more imaginative his stories became. All in all, My Name is Gabito/Me llamo Gabito: The Life of Gabriel García Márquez is a wonderful biographical picture book of Gabriel García Márquez - a Nobel Prize Laureate for Literature.

Review # 2 was written on 2010-11-02 00:00:00 Ned Walters My Name is Gabito, by Monica Brown, is a 2007-2008 Americas Award Commended Title. It is a story about the life of the distinguished Nobel Prize winner for literature, Gabriel Garcia Marquez. This book begins when "Gabito" is a little boy in his home town of Aracataca, Colombia. The reader is quickly immersed into Gabito's wild imagination and dreams. As the story continues the reader learns about a special person in Gabito's life who helped influence his love of words. The story ends when Gabito grows up to be "the great storyteller, read by millions." This text is eloquently written with words that capture Gabito's vivid imagination. The illustrations are full of color, movement, and beauty, bringing the author's words to life. I would recommend this book for grades 1-4. It could be used in the classroom as part of an author or creative writing unit, or as a biographical study of a famous person. This text also won the ALA 2008 Pura Belpre Honor Award.