Kamala Raised Her Hand by Raakhee Mirchandani

Illustrated by Supriya Kelkar 4 stars A beautiful picture book biography of Kamala Harris to inspire action and helping others regardless of how old you are. Follows Harris’ life and highlights her actions to stand up for herself and others in her childhood, in college, and as an adult. While the text is brief, it…

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Wangari Maathai: The Woman Who Planted Millions of Trees

by Franck Prévot Illustrated by Aurélia Fronty Translated by Dominique Clément 5 stars Originally published in French, this wonderful picture book biography celebrates the life of Wangari Maathai and her impact on the world. The book follows Maathai’s childhood in Kenya, her atypical education, founding the Green Belt Movement, and her activism to promote environmentalism,…

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My Little Pony Pioneer: Bonnie Zacherle by Megan Borgert-Spaniol

4 stars A wonderful biography celebrating Zacherle, her creation of My Little Pony, her work on other Hasbro projects, and her career after Hasbro. The book also covers the My Little Pony generations and fandom, from the first My Pretty Pony through Friendship is Magic. Nice, short two-page chapters cover various aspects of Zacherle life….

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Nearer My Freedom: The Interesting Life of Olaudah Equiano by Himself

by Monica Edinger and Lesley Younge 5 stars A biography in verse using found poetry from Olaudah Equiano’s own autobiography. I absolutely adored this format. Fantastically constructed. The found verse format was done in a way that made the text and narrative more accessible to a modern reader without losing the original intent. Throughout the…

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Coretta: The Autobiography of Mrs. Coretta Scott King

by Coretta Scott King with the Reverend Dr. Barbara Reynolds Adapted by Julia Sooy Illustrated by Ekua Holmes 5 stars A powerful adaptation of King’s memoir in a format suitable for young readers. I love to see so many more books focusing on the life and work of Coretta Scott King. The book covers King’s…

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On Her Own: The Life of Betty Brinn

by Priscilla Pardini Illustrated by Joanne Scholler Bowring 4 stars I’ve lived in Milwaukee for over 10 years and while I’ve heard the name Betty Brinn plenty of times, I didn’t really know anything about her. This was such a great biography to correct that. The book is quite text-heavy but I found the story…

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