If Kamala Can... You Can Too! by Carole Boston Weatherford #review #childrensbooks #empowerment

About the book:

If Kamala can, so can I! From the newly-announced Young People's Poet Laureate comes a powerful and inspiring picture book that shares how each milestone and moment in Kamala Harris's life represents something that lies within young readers' reach, too—building community, asking for answers, learning from elders, standing up for what's right, pride, friendship, strength, and most of all—knowing that nothing is out of the reach of their future!

My review:

Kamala Harris is a personal hero of mine, so I was truly excited to read this children's book. The book is meant to inspire children to reach for what may seem unreachable and it does do that. For each thing Kamala has overcome on one page, a child is seen on the next page attempting to reach that goal. The book speaks boldly about her and what kids can do.

However, I would have liked to have seen more about Kamala herself. The book dedicates two pages in the back of her overall successes which is great but to have seen them throughout would have been awesome. The illustrations are bold like the person herself.

Still, I give the book 4 stars and encourage maybe an updated version.

Disclosure: This book was given to me from the publicist. The views here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~Michelle, Reading Authors Network

Where to find the author:

Amazon

#Review: Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman by Kathleen Krull/Illustrated by David Diaz #Olympics #DiverseBooks

Summary:
Before Wilma Rudolph was five years old, polio had paralyzed her left leg. Everyone said she would never walk again. But Wilma refused to believe it. Not only would she walk again, she vowed, she'd run. And she did run--all the way to the Olympics, where she became the first American woman to earn three gold medals in a single Olympiad.

My review:
I have always heard of Wilma Rudolph, her story is legendary. However, her story was not complete until I read this book. It is amazing to me that this woman had overcome not only polio, but also all the childhood diseases we now have vaccines for. She often had double pneumonia too.

She was one of the youngest 23 children and at the time faced discrimination in Tennessee where she was born. Many doctors would not even treat her because of her color. She was most often treated at home. It is amazing she lived past her first birthday but then to become so great in history...Wow!

I loved her story of tenacity and never giving up. This is a story that many of us should learn because if we do, we can do and become anything we want.

As for the illustrations, the are bold and in mostly brown colors with touches of greens, oranges, and blues. They are all done in watercolor and just as fantastic as the whole story itself.

The book is a gold medal for me with 5 stars!

Disclosure: I obtained a copy of this book from my local library. The review here is 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~M.M. aka Naila Moon

Where to find the author:

Amazon
Goodreads

#Review: Legendary Sport Events: The Olympics by Matt Christopher #MiddleGrade #Sports #Olympics

Summary:
Ask most Olympians how their story begins and they will answer, "When I was young, I always dreamed of going to the Olympics. . ." Some will then go on to tell of their great athletic triumphs. Others will recall agonizing near-misses. But for most, the very fact that they reached the Games at all was a dream come true. For the Olympic Games offer athletes something few others sporting events can: the chance to be recognized as the best in the world at a chosen sport. 

With stories of great triumphs and great tragedies, the Olympics not only embodies the competitive human spirit, but also sets a stage stage for foreign relations and politics. Historical references combined with amazing sports stories give this book both an educational and exciting appeal.

My review:
I thought since it was an Olympic year (at this writing Summer Olympics in Rio 2016), it would be nice to read some books on the Olympics or athletes of the Games.

I found this author's book which gave a nice overview of the Olympic Games (summer and Winter) starting at the original in 776 BC. up through what was going to be the Beijing Summer Olympics Games in 2008.

The author runs through a series of years in eleven chapters giving information about stand-out athletes and tidbits of information.
Did you know that the original games barred women? The reason? It was because they were naked! Whoa! 

I actually loved the information the author presented. He did not shy away from problems that have arisen either, including: shootings, bombings, bashings, and doping. Yes, it was all in there.

He also included the changes throughout the years and the reasons for them. One major one was the Games not being in the same year.

As I have seen many of the Games over the years, I remember a lot of what he wrote. It was obvious to me that he did his homework before he wrote. The only disappointing thing for me was not having more photos included, there was eight total. I thought it would have been nice to see some of the actual photos on the pages where he would talk about certain athletes. I think middle grade kids, who would be reading this book, would have liked to have seen more too.

Overall, not a bad book and very informative. I give it 4 stars for its comprehensiveness.

Disclosure:I picked up a copy of this book from my local library. The views here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~M.M. aka Naila Moon

Where to find the author:

Amazon

Goodreads