Review: The Voting Booth

Enter Marva Sheridan, the young Black heroine of The Voting Booth, who will tell you that some people don’t have the luxury of not being involved. The novel is set on Election Day, in an unnamed year, although the issues discussed throughout might give you a clue as to where Colbert’s mind is. Marva is so excited to be voting in her first election. For the past two years, she has been canvassing, registering voters, and even getting her beloved cat to encourage civic participation on Instagram. Her parents, while proud, wonder if Marva is a little too intense.

You see, Marva has been interested in politics since she was 7, when she summarily informed her teacher that she wanted to become either Secretary of State, an environmental attorney, or a Supreme Court Justice.

Review: Marching with Aunt Susan (Susan B. Anthony and the Fight for Women’s Suffrage)

So why am I so thoroughly disappointed in this book? It comes down to a few choices made to erase Anthony’s racism in the supplemental materials included in the back of the book.

While it is actively noted that Anthony and her friend/fellow activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton started the suffrage movement in conjunction with their involvement in the abolition movement, there is no mention of the subsequent rift between the two movements over Anthony’s bitterness that the Fifteenth Amendment was making greater headway than women’s suffrage. No mention of the racist speeches Anthony made, or her chosen alliances with George Train (“Woman first and negro last.”), or avowed white supremacists like Belle Kearney.

Review: My Tail’s Not Tired

The book follows a very patient Big Monster and a very energetic Little Monster through their night time routine. Little Monster needs to work out their bouncy knees, wiggly bottom, swingy tail, roly-poly back, roaring voice, jumpy feet, jet-plane arms, and finally, their blinky eyes that are NOT tired. Definitely not tired at all. All through the book you can see a tired Big Monster encouraging Little Monster to get all the wiggles out while coaching them upstairs, to bath, pajamas, and bed.

Review: Yokki and the Parno Gry

Yokki and his Romani Traveller family live in tents, and move around a lot. They sell their crafts, wisdom, and services as well as perform odd jobs to take them through the slow seasons. Yokki is a gifted storyteller in a community that values oral tradition, and he weaves his tales while the family sits around a fire every night.

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