★ "Wiles (the Sixties Trilogy) manages to cover all the outward milestones while making the heart of the book Kennedy's growth as a human being; her account, suffused with compassion, respect, and melancholy, communicates all that was lost with RFK's assassination. Fazlalizadeh's soft, textured illustrations, in graphite and colored digitally, variously convey time, place, and zeitgeist; evoke emotion; and capture personality... Superb." The Horn Book, starred review
"Effective use of lengthy quotes throughout the text brings the immediacy of Kennedy's work and world view to the forefront… useful for students looking to learn more about great American leaders." School Library Journal
"Tenderness typifies this subdued biography of Robert F. Kennedy... graphite sketches by Fazlalizadeh start out minimalist, building depth as darker events transpire." Publishers Weekly
Praise for The Sixties Trilogy:
★ "Wiles palpably recreates the fear kids felt when air-raid sirens and duck-and-cover drills were routine... this story is sure to strike a chord with those living through tough times today." Publishers Weekly, starred review
★ "References to duct tape (then newly invented), McDonald's and other pop culture lend authenticity to this phenomenal story of the beginnings of radical change in America." Kirkus Reviews, starred review
★ "An ambitious, heady endeavor that succeeds wonderfully in capturing the atmosphere of that pivotal and eventful summer." The Horn Book, starred review
★ "Accessible and moving... will open many eyes to the brutal, not-so-distant past out of which a new standard of fairness and equality arose." Publishers Weekly, starred review
Praise for Kent State:
★ "An important book not to be missed." Booklist, starred review
★ "Both timely and timeless." Publishers Weekly, starred review
★ "Well-researched and deeply moving." Kirkus Reviews, starred review
★ "Should not be skipped." The Horn Book, starred review
★ "Stunningly realized." Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review
2022-07-27
A reverent tribute to Robert F. Kennedy’s spirit and legacy.
The muted hues and grim, downcast faces in Fazlalizadeh’s atmospheric graphite art set a valedictory tone, but Wiles writes to connect living readers with Kennedy’s character and dedication to public service—framing her biographical overview as a tale told to a brown-skinned child by a lighter-skinned grandparent who ends with a present-tense challenge: “We know we have work to do.” Though the author humanizes her subject by informing readers that Kennedy loved “ice cream and big dogs. Just like you do,” offering anecdotes from his early years in a large and competitive family, and discussing his work to help his older—and more well-known—brother John be elected president, ensuing passages focus less on what he did than on his words as attorney general in support of voting and other civil rights along with his opposition to the war in Vietnam and statements of principle during his presidential candidacy (most cogently: “We can do better than this”). Wiles continues to address readers directly in her afterword, urging them to learn more about, and be inspired by, what he stood for and providing leads to recommended print and online sources. Faces and hands in group scenes are depicted in a range of skin tones. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Gives a Kennedy often lost in his older brother’s dazzle a glow of his own. (Picture-book biography. 7-9)