April 15, 2021
A child-friendly retrospective of Ruth Bader Ginsburg's life and legacy. While a life as meaningful as Ruth Bader Ginsburg's cannot possibly fit in a board book, this admirably distills her story and achievements into the most accessible form possible. Yes, the text is lengthy for the format, and conceptually, some topics are above the comprehension of the targeted audience, but the message that defined Ginsburg's career, that a girl is "just as important as a boy," shines clear. Starting with Ruth's origins as a young Jewish girl, the text follows her as she becomes a lawyer and parent, discusses a smattering of her glass-ceiling-shattering jobs and legal rulings, before ending with her on the Supreme Court. Though the unvarnished language reads like early-reader text, the austere words convey a certain poignancy. The companion text on Martin Luther King Jr. is warm and welcoming but too often relies on generic statements about his "big, strong heart" while his civil right accomplishments remain implied rather than clearly stated. In a nod to the intended listeners, Dr. King's assassination goes unmentioned. In each, a concluding biographical paragraph with a photograph is largely rehash. The flat, angular, caricature-style art is stylish but borders on lifeless. The cast in the Ginsburg book defaults to mostly White characters while, unsurprisingly, that of the King title defaults African American. No dissent here--this is a solid introduction to a beloved feminist icon. (Board book. 2-4)
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