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“Unstoppable John” and “Saturday Morning at the ‘Shop” — book reviews

January 5th, 2025
Mt. Hood/ Trillium Lake (“Mt. Hood/Trillium Lake,” photo by Rawley, yeah I’m ready for spring and summer; use with permission only, please)
  • “Unstoppable John: How John Lewis Got His Library Card — and Helped Change History,” is a fantastic new picture book/biography by Pat Zietlow Miller (Viking/Penguin Random House, 2025, all ages, $18.99). Jerry Jordan provided the illustrations, which are outstanding, thank you. The late, great John Lewis was a badass, gifted, astounding politician, forward-thinker and reader. In 1956, when he was a kid, he wanted to check out library books, but the library people wouldn’t let him. “But that didn’t stop John. John sent a letter to the library asking them to lend books to everyone. He waited and waited. But the library never wrote back.” That small — yet huge, unfair and yes, illegal situation — changed the man’s life and impacted the work he did, starting then, and for the rest of his years. I have so much love in my heart for Lewis. This book moves mountains, by telling his story. Thank you to everyone who brought this fine picture book into existence.
  • “Saturday Morning at the ‘Shop” is a cool new picture book written by Keenan Jones, with illustrations by Ken Daley (Beach Lane Books/Simon & Schuster, 2025, all ages, $18.99). “Every picture tells a story/don’t it?” to quote the song, and yes, this is a great story, with great pictures, about a longstanding African-American tradition for the guys, as told through the eyes of a young man who spends his day there.
  • Book three of the week is: “Nearly Exactly Almost Like Me,” a sweet, funny and inspiring picture book about two brothers. And yes, thank you!! they are brothers, even though they look nothing alike and people say things. Author Jennifer Bradbury did a lovely job with this book, which is illustrated by Pearl AuYeung. (A Caitlyn Dlouhy Book/Atheneum Books for Young Readers/Simon & Schuster; on sale Feb. 11, 2025; ages 4 and up; $19.99).
These books are my three picks of the week and I hope they win many, many, many awards. They deserve it, and all the love. All would be great additions to any library collection. Shout-out of the week to Perri Klass, by the way, for this excellent review of one of my lifelong favorite books, the American classic “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,” by Betty Smith. Disclaimer: The titles included in today’s post were sent to me free for review purposes. Disclaimer here. See you next time! WM

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