PICTURE BOOK - Ruth Bader Ginsburg: The Case of R. B. G. vs. Inequality by Jonah Winter

Illustrated by Stacy Innerst

2017, Abrams Books for Young Adults

HC $18.95

40 pgs.
This is a picture book for older kids, perhaps grade 4 and up?

Goodreads rating:  4.39 - 359 ratings

My rating:  5

Endpapers"  Shelves and shelves of books, with Ms. Ginsburg on a ladder, accessing them.  Lt. brown background, with books in shades of browns and reds.

Illustrations:  Most are in browns and reds, Most are fine, but I don't really like the cover. I'm sure others do.

1^st line/s:  "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury: During this trial,  you will learn about a little girl who had no clue just how important she would become.  You will see the unfair world she was born nto - where boys were valued more than girls, where women were not encouraged to achieve and aspire.  You will see evidence of that unfairness, just as she herself has seen it all her life.

     Here are the facts of her case."

My comments:  This seemingly tiny woman is a powerhouse.  I love hearing her speak when I see her on Facebook or on the tv.  Smart,  Fair.  And, unfortunately getting older.  Born in 1933, that makers her somewhere in her 84th year, and still going strong!  Highly recommended to school age kids AND adults!

Goodreads:  To become the first female Jewish Supreme Court Justice, the unsinkable Ruth Bader Ginsburg had to overcome countless injustices. Growing up in Brooklyn in the 1930s and ’40s, Ginsburg was discouraged from working by her father, who thought a woman’s place was in the home. Regardless, she went to Cornell University, where men outnumbered women four to one. There, she met her husband, Martin Ginsburg, and found her calling as a lawyer. Despite discrimination against Jews, females, and working mothers, Ginsburg went on to become Columbia Law School’s first tenured female professor, a judge for the US Court of Appeals, and finally, a Supreme Court Justice.
          Structured as a court case in which the reader is presented with evidence of the injustice that Ginsburg faced, Ruth Bader Ginsburg is the true story of how one of America’s most “notorious” women bravely persevered to become the remarkable symbol of justice she is today

Sonia Sotomayor: A Judge Grows in the Bronx - Jonah Winter

Illustrated by Edel Rodriguez
Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2009
$16.99
32 pages
Rating: 4.5
For: grades 1-4
Endpapers: Yellow with white flowering vines
Back - author's note

This is a beautifully written picture book biography that introduces our newest supreme court justice to the world. It tells of her roots in poverty in the south Bronx and of the strong, loving mother who did everything in her power to feed, nurture, and educate her children. She instilled in her daughter a passion for learning, for success, to be and do her very best. She got into Princeton. I'm guessing a good part of her life might have been lonely - but she was proud to be Latino and proved that just because she was not a white male she could more-than succeed. Her story is one to be shared with every kid in our country.

Thanks, Johan Winter, for this fascinating peek at Sonia Sotomayor's childhood.

An added plus - the entire book is translated into Spanish on each page. Excellent!

The illustrations are not overpowering, they're gentle pen and ink, then colored, and enhance the story beautifully. I love the picture of her looking out her Princeton dorm window at a cricket in a tree.

Super book.

My Senator and Me - Sen. Edward M. Kennedy

A Dog's-Eye View of Washington, D. C.
Illustrated by David Small
Scholastic Press, 2006
$16.99
56 pages
Rating: 5
Endpapers: Red (but of sort of washed-out red)

Written from the point-of-view of Sen. Kennedy's Portugese water dog, Splash, who accompanies the senator to and from his office and meetings in Washington D. C. We see places in D. C. and learn about the government. We accompany them around the capitol and watch a bill being formed and passed.

This makes the people who run our country in Washington REAL. It's really well-written with warmth, intelligence and humor.

David Small does a wonderful job illustrating - his depiction of Sen. Kennedy is right-on.

What a great way to learn about our nation's capitol and the work of our elected officials there!

Hillary Rodham Clinton - Kathleen Krull

Dreams Taking Flight
Illustrated by Amy June Bates
Simon & Schuster, 2008
For: ages 5-10
36 pgs.
Endpapers have copyright info & title page

In this picture book biography for kids we learn a great deal about Hilary Clinton - and because we know so much about her from the media, none is surprising - but it's really interesting. (She wanted to be an astronaut -- and a doctor!)

At the end of the book are more detailed facts and information for each two-page spread. I read every word- it was really interesting.

Whether you agree with Hilary's politics or not, you've got to agree that she has championed and pioneered women's rights like very few others. A groundbreaker.

Amy June Bates' illustrations cover the entire page. It was interesting to see she lives in Carlisle, PA, where I visit at least three times a year (that's where Laura lives).

On each two-page spread is a great quote. For example:
"Take a deep breath, look ahead, and keep trying to fly."
"Stank up for yourself, and keep your balance."
"Even if you jake a mistake, never be afraid to show your intelligence."
"Find heroes to lift you up."
"When borders surround you, try to break through.
"You don't have time for fear."
"Try harder - you can do better."
"Dare to compete."
"Think of the world as bigger than yourself, and carry on."
"Be who you are, get through it, and wait for times to change."
"When something makes you fall, rise up again."
"Take the lead role in your own life."
"Take a risk and dare to change the world."

The author's website: www.Kathleen Krull.com