Unstoppable John

November 1, 2024
Grades K-3 In a fine example of "what goes around comes around," this historical anecdote begins with the fruitless efforts of 16-year-old book lover Lewis to get a card at his local public library, and it ends 42 years later with him being ceremoniously presented with one. In between, Miller charts Lewis' course as a marcher, Freedom Rider, politician, author, all-around civil rights hero, and librarian's husband. Though in tallying the tough, dangerous work of "John and his friends" Miller may give the impression that Lewis led the entire civil rights movement, she offers clear and concise overviews of its--and many of Lewis'--accomplishments, with more-specific highlights and violent details relegated to the back matter. Among vignettes of dark-skinned figures marching, protesting, and voting, Jordan mixes in views of Lewis as a teenager being rejected by a huffy-looking librarian, later as a grown man waving his new card at a crowd of fans, and finally absorbed in a book and surrounded by piles of others. Lewis' legacy and strength of character shine out here.

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November 15, 2024
A young reader grows to be a fearless activist and change-making politician. As a child in Alabama, John Lewis wasn't permitted to have a library card: "Most libraries were for white people. And he was Black." Recognizing injustice, he wrote the library a letter, which went unanswered. That didn't stop John from spending the rest of his life fighting for racial equity. Years later, John and his friends sat at lunch counters and in bus seats reserved for white customers and stood in the sun for hours in voter registration lines. Again and again, they were denied access. Even when faced with anger and violence, they marched for their rights until the laws began to slowly change. John never stopped reading, learning, and fighting, long after he had finally received his library card. Framed by its subject's love of books and libraries, this biography celebrates Lewis' determination and situates him within the Civil Rights Movement in language accessible to the picture-book set. Detailed backmatter (including an author's note) touches on the March on Washington and Bloody Sunday, adding necessary historical depth for older readers, caregivers, and teachers. Rough-edged oil paintings lend a folk-art feel to the story and bring certain striking details into focus, such as the purposeful expressions of the marchers and the ire of the bystanders. A captivating, bookish tribute to an unstoppable upstander that will empower the youngest activists. (timeline, further reading)(Picture-book biography. 4-7)

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December 1, 2024

Gr 2-4-Many books have been written by and about civil rights icon John Lewis, who died in 2020, and his work as an adult. This story focuses on his quest for a library card. He was denied one as a teen in 1956 for being Black. The book frames this rejection as the inciting incident in Lewis's long history of fighting for civil rights. Due to its brevity, the book becomes a condensed and simplified look at the years of the Civil Rights movement, rendering the library card event virtually incidental. Sadly, the artwork is uneven. Environments and objects are well-rendered; people are not. The passage of time is unclear, and Lewis is not depicted consistently, making it difficult to identify him in some scenes. A spread near the end features a crowd of people who are so lightly detailed, they appear unfinished and angry in what is supposed to be a triumphant moment. Back matter includes an author's note with more context about Lewis, a time line of his many achievements, and a list of reading resources. VERDICT This serves as an accessible introduction to a civil rights hero, regardless of flaws, and is worth an add to larger collections.-Chance Lee Joyner

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.