Barbara Kerley

It's hard to imagine, but not so long ago the general population didn't really have any idea what dinosaurs were all about - what kind of creatures they were, how and when they lived, what they looked like - and they certainly couldn't rattle their complicated names off in a glib list, as so many children today will happily do, at the drop of a hat. That began to change in the mid-nineteenth century however, as ignorance gave way to an enthusiastic thirst for knowledge, something that was show more owing, not just to scientists and their discoveries, but to the work of a man named Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, an artist who created the first three-dimensional, life-sized models of these prehistoric creatures. His dinosaur models were first made available to the public in 1854, at the opening of the Crystal Palace - the science museum founded by Victoria and Albert - something that made Hawkins something of a celebrity in his day. Commissioned to create similar models of the American dinosaurs, only to see his work vandalized and destroyed by corrupt New York City politician Boss Tweed (boo! hiss!), Hawkins worked well into his old age, and, when new discoveries demonstrated his models were incorrect, welcomed the additional information.

The third picture-book biography I have read by Barbara Kerley - the previous two are What to Do about Alice?: How Alice Roosevelt Broke the Rules, Charmed the World, and Drove Her Father Teddy Crazy! and The Extraordinary Mark Twain - this wonderful title accomplishes a great deal in its brief page-span (a hallmark of great picture-books). Not only does it tell an immensely engaging personal story, the story of Waterhouse Hawkins, it also highlights a number of important ideas that young readers may never have considered - such as the fact that we didn't always know what we know now, scientifically speaking, or that our ideas have to change, as new evidence emerges - without ever descending into any kind of overt didacticism. The accompanying artwork, which won Brian Selznick a Caldecott Honor (he won the medal itself for The Invention of Hugo Cabret), is just as appealing as the narrative, capturing the excitement of Hawkins' work, and the disappointment of his dashed American hopes. All in all, a superb biography for younger readers, one that is both educational and entertaining - it has a dinner party given inside a dinosaur model: what could be cooler than that?!? - as well as physically beautiful! A sure winner for dinosaur lovers young and old! show less

I actually don't love this. Thank you, Kathryn, for articulating the appeal so well. I do understand all that, now that I see the book through your eyes.

However, I wanted more science or educational value. Basically this book is teaching us about a man who had too much hubris and got things wrong because he made too many irresponsible assumptions. I mean, I'm all for courageous exploration, but bad science has caused a world of hurt, and I cannot condone it.

I've had this picture-book biography of Mark Twain - really, it's about Twain and his daughter Susy - on my "to-be-read" shelf for some time now, but my recent viewing of a PBS documentary on the great man (I think it was the Ken Burns film, but I can't remember...), which discussed his relationship with Susy, prompted me to finally pick it up and give it a try. How glad I am that I did (and how grateful I am to my goodreads pal Chandra, for bringing it to my attention!), as it is a show more wonderfully informative, and subtly enlightening title, one that will give young readers, not just a snapshot of Samuel Clemens' life, but a portrait of him as a loving father and mentor to his young daughter, Susy.

Susy Clemens did indeed write a biography of her father, beginning when she was thirteen years old, because she thought the public was unacquainted with the "real" Mark Twain - older readers interested in the full text can pick up a copy of Papa: An Intimate Biography of Mark Twain - and it is this work which has inspired Barbara Kerley in her picture-book. The main narrative is enhanced by little booklet inserts, containing quotes from Susy itself, making The Extraordinary Mark Twain (According to Susy) into an interactive story within a story. The accompanying illustrations by Edwin Fotheringham - whose artwork has also graced other picture-book biographies, from What to Do about Alice?: How Alice Roosevelt Broke the Rules, Charmed the World, and Drove Her Father Teddy Crazy! (also written by Barbara Kerley) to Mermaid Queen: The Spectacular True Story Of Annette Kellerman, Who Swam Her Way To Fame, Fortune & Swimsuit History! - are eye-catching, and capture the quirky and irreverent sense of humor often displayed by its main subject.

All in all, this is a most engaging book about an important man in American letters - and about his daughter - and is one I would recommend to all young readers interested in American literature, or who enjoys biography and/or family stories! show less

Making Walt Whitman's involvement in and reactions to the American Civil War their focus, Barbara Kerley and Brian Selznick - the same author/illustrator team behind the fabulous The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins: An Illuminating History of Mr. Waterhouse Hawkins, Artist and Lecturer - have produced an emotionally involving, and artistically satisfying picture-book about this great American poet. Making judicious use of Whitman's own words, Kerley begins (appropriately enough) with show more Whitman's youth, and his time as a printer's apprentice, but quickly moves on to his adulthood, the development of his free-wheeling poetic style - so out of step with the literary establishment of the day - and his work as a sort of de facto, unofficial nurse in Washington, D.C., during the dark days of the Civil War. The tragic aftermath of the war, and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln - for whom Whitman felt a deep admiration and love - is also covered, with a brief summary of the poet's alter years.

All things considered, I don't know that Walt Whitman: Words for America is really the best biography of this poet for young people, as it has such a specific focus, but as an exploration of Whitman's involvement in the life of the nation - his sense of himself as a sort of everyman, his desire to speak for and to the common man, his love for people of all kinds, and of all regions - it succeeds. The artwork is simply beautiful, and it struck me, as I was looking at it, they'd I'd only really seen Selznick's black-and-white pencil drawings, in works like The Invention of Hugo Cabret and Wonderstruck, so it was good to finally experience his full-color paintings. The two-page on which two Whitmans are facing away from one another - one rushing along a crowded city street, the other running naked along a deserted beach - was particularly appealing, although I really appreciated them all.

In short: this is a wonderful book, very informative and thought-provoking, that will introduce young readers to Whitman and his poetry (I found, after reading it, that I wanted to pick up my Whitman, realizing that it really had been some time), while also treating them to some beautiful illustrations! show less