2014 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Kadir Nelson, illustrator and author of Nelson Mandela, published by Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
With Strong images and test, this is a good first introduction to Nelson Mandela. A 40 page book for 4-8 year old children can't cover the detailed life of an incredible man, but this is a foundation.
"We understand it still there is no easy road to freedom. We know it well that none of us acting alone can achieve success. We must therefore act together as a united people, ..., for the birth of a new world."
Age Range: 4 - 8 years Grade Level: Preschool - 4 Lexile Measure: 960L
--- From Booklist Starting with the full-page cover portrait, this glowing picture-book biography offers a celebratory introduction to Nelson Mandela’s life for young readers. Clear free verse and handsome, unframed paintings follow the iconic leader from his tribal childhood and his work as a young city lawyer through his political leadership against the brutality of apartheid, his long imprisonment, and then the triumph of his election as president of his country. The story doesn’t mention conflicts both political (the splits in the anti-apartheid movement) and personal (the bitter rift with his daughters), as well as the continuing inequality South Africans face. Still, words and images bring close the cruel apartheid segregation in daily life, including one double-page spread of Cape Town’s glorious beaches with the sign that reads White Area. Then there is the view of prisoners on Robben Island hammering rocks into dust. In contrast, the final pages show today’s nonsegregated beaches and people of all races standing together free at last. A long final note fills in more. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: With an internationally beloved leader as its subject and a multi-award-winning artist as its creator, this title is sure to be on every library’s must-purchase list. Preschool-Grade 3. --Hazel Rochman
Kadir Nelson, illustrator and author of Nelson Mandela, published by Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
With Strong images and test, this is a good first introduction to Nelson Mandela. A 40 page book for 4-8 year old children can't cover the detailed life of an incredible man, but this is a foundation.
"We understand it still there is no easy road to freedom. We know it well that none of us acting alone can achieve success. We must therefore act together as a united people, ..., for the birth of a new world."
Age Range: 4 - 8 years
Grade Level: Preschool - 4
Lexile Measure: 960L
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From Booklist
Starting with the full-page cover portrait, this glowing picture-book biography offers a celebratory introduction to Nelson Mandela’s life for young readers. Clear free verse and handsome, unframed paintings follow the iconic leader from his tribal childhood and his work as a young city lawyer through his political leadership against the brutality of apartheid, his long imprisonment, and then the triumph of his election as president of his country. The story doesn’t mention conflicts both political (the splits in the anti-apartheid movement) and personal (the bitter rift with his daughters), as well as the continuing inequality South Africans face. Still, words and images bring close the cruel apartheid segregation in daily life, including one double-page spread of Cape Town’s glorious beaches with the sign that reads White Area. Then there is the view of prisoners on Robben Island hammering rocks into dust. In contrast, the final pages show today’s nonsegregated beaches and people of all races standing together free at last. A long final note fills in more. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: With an internationally beloved leader as its subject and a multi-award-winning artist as its creator, this title is sure to be on every library’s must-purchase list. Preschool-Grade 3. --Hazel Rochman