Lisbeth KaiserCritiques

I think this book is for the primary level and intermediate depending on the reason for reading it. This book is the story of Maya Angelou and what motivated her to become a writer. It is not an in-depth story of her life, but it is motivational in trying to show why she persevered in her life.

Brief bio of Maya, with pleasing illustrations.

Summary: This book talks about Maya Angelou and her life growing up and how she became an inspiration to many.
Reflection: I love this book. It speaks on what Maya Angelou went through and how her life turned out. I like how writing became her main outlet to speak about her true feelings.

Maya Angelou's voice is alive for future generations and they need to know about this powerful black woman. Kaiser approaches in the story about the biography of Marguerite Annie Johnson, also know as Maya Angelou. This figure would be an excellent example for boys and girls because they can be what ever they want to be, but they have to fight for their goals. Maya moved from her hometown with her brother to her grandmother's house when she was 4 years old, but soon she finds out about the cruelty of the world because of the color of skin and gender. When she was 8 years old, she was attacked and that made her loose her voice. But with help of the words of books, and the power of reading she found herself again and the power of her voice was loud! She was great in achieving her goals, she was a cook, a streetcar conductor, a dancer, a singer, an actress, but what she is known for is her mighty writings, and her famous poems. This book can be used for the kids to know the story of Marguerite, a girl of a small town, that overcame all the obstacles, and to teach the children they can be whatever they dream to be when they work hard and have hope for the future, but most important to create a change and get inspired by people that changed the history for good.

This book was really good.The book describes Maya Angelou's childhood and how she was raised in a very troubling environment. The book describes how Maya Angelou went through a period of not speaking at all. However, she learned how to use her voice and became a great public speaker and writer.

This is a book I could read in my classroom. It is a sad story at the beginning, but the girl overcomes her struggles and becomes an artist, a singer, and voice of other people. I will use this book to teach my students that we might go through struggles, but we have to fight them and overcome our problems. Also, we can teach students that our problems make us who we are and sometimes we need to use those bad experiences to help other people overcome their own struggles to find happiness.

I truly loved this book because of the message about Maya Angelou and her story. I believe this is a very important book to have in a classroom to encourage inclusion between students who may look different. I also think its super encouraging for young girls to achieve any goal they want even if people say its not possible.

Mooi boek die een kijkje geeft in het leven van Rosa Parks. Het boek is geschreven zodat kinderen zich goed kunnen inleven en het verhaal kunnen begrijpen. Het boek is goed te gebruiken om het onderwerp 'gelijkheid' te bespreken.

Very clear text on who RBG was, and why what she did was so important. Excellent for little children (and frankly, for adults too).

Her passing away is a dark day in history, in justice, in equality.


I received a copy through Edelweiss for review, opinions are my own.

Another excellent installment in the series. Although I must admit, it felt a bit strange seeing Dr. King referred to a just 'Martin', it fits in with the intended audience.

I received a copy for review trough Edelweiss, opinions are entirely my own.

I picked this up because of the retro cute cover and the illustration style. It's a beautiful little book, but the text of the story didn't sit well with me. When the book ends: "But she knew who she was. A regular person, just as good as anyone else," it feels condescending. It made sense in the middle of the book, when she was little and the book is looking at how she was treated differently/poorly because she was black, to talk about how she's "just as good as anyone else." But, in 2017, it's weird to emphasize that same narrative at the end of the story.

It comes across as, hey, little African American readers, you're just as good as anyone else! Implying that maybe you weren't aware of that? Like empowering stories and representation are really important, but I feel like they should be coming from a place of power instead of a place of insecurity? I wanted an ending more like: Rosa knew who she was. Not just a regular person, a person who saw something wrong and worked really hard to address it. A person with a regular life and regular problems, who chose to fight against them. A determined and driven person, who became a hero.

On the other hand, I really appreciated that this didn't take the inaccurate narrative that Rosa didn't move on the bus because she was tired. I feel like when I learned about her in school, the narrative was that she was tired of working and just couldn't move instead of she was tired of poor treatment and was choosing to take a stand. So I liked that this made it really clear that she was taking deliberate action.

I don't know. I have a lot of complicated thoughts about this picture book.

Van klein tot groots: Rosa Parks. Tekst: Lisbeth Kaiser. Tekeningen: Marta Antelo.

Het zesde deel in de reeks Van klein tot groots en wederom een voltreffer. Eerst en vooral wil ik nog even benadrukken hoe goed deze reeks over kleine meisjes met grote dromen is. Ze is inspirerend, enthousiasmerend en empowerend. Prachtig gewoon. Elk deeltje heeft een eigen schrijver en tekenaar en hoewel de stijl steeds heel verschillend is, is het geheel een samenhangende verzameling die je volledig in je bezit wil hebben.

Dit deel gaat over de moedige Rosa Parks, die al van kindsbeen af graten zag in de ongelijkheid tussen witte en zwarte mensen. Echt actief in de burgerrechtenbeweging werd ze pas toen ze huwde met haar man Raymond Parks. Op haar 42ste werd ze gearresteerd omdat ze haar plaats in de bus niet wou afstaan aan een witte man. En de rest is geschiedenis.
Of zou dat toch moeten zijn. Jammer genoeg is haar strijd, meer dan 50 jaar later, nog niet gestreden. Integendeel zelfs.

Net daarom is het zo belangrijk om haar verhaal te kennen, te lezen, te delen. Om jong en oud te inspireren. Want hoewel er nog veel werk aan de winkel is kunnen we gerust stellen dat Rosa een held is die heel wat voor ontelbaar veel mensen heeft betekend, en nu nog steeds betekent.

Kleine meisjes met grote dromen kunnen uitgroeien tot belangrijke vrouwen die de wereld veranderen. Lees Rosa, wees Rosa!

Emmeline Pankhurst (1858-1928) was a suffragette in England (she also came to America). Her activism eventually changed minds and laws in England; women won the right to vote after WWI.

"[Her daughters]...asked why women had been following unfair rules for so long. This gave Emmeline an idea...[they] would stop following the rules and would fight for their rights. People called them suffragettes."

Back matter includes a timeline with four photographs and a concise biography.

I am in love with this "Little People, Big Dreams" series of biographies for kids! They focus on women and minorities (the global majority) and make their lives accessible to young readers.

Rosa Louise McCauley (Parks de casada) (Tuskegee, 1913 • Detroit, 2005) fue una activista y una de las figuras más importantes del movimiento por los derechos civiles de Estados Unidos. Nieta de esclavos, se crió con su madre, su hermano y sus abuelos en una pequeña granja en las afueras de Montgomery, Alabama, donde se tuvo que enfrentar a un trato cruel e injusto debido a su color de piel. Habitualmente Rosa se defendía con valentía y dignidad, pero no descubrió el activismo hasta que conoció a su marido, Raymond Parks. A los treinta años, se convirtió en líder de la Asociación Nacional para el Progreso de las Personas de Color (NAACP) en Montgomery y comenzó a trabajar para acabar con la desigualdad. A los cuarenta y dos, fue detenida y encarcelada porque se negó a cederle el asiento en un autobús a una persona blanca. Su detención unió a los afroamericanos de Montgomery para exigir un cambio y ella lideró un boicot de un año a los autobuses. Las acciones de Rosa y su ardua labor ayudaron a desarrollar el movimiento de derechos civiles pero para su trabajo, su propia seguridad y la de su familia fueron un peligro. Se mudaron al norte de Detroit, donde descubrió con consternación que persistía una gran desigualdad entre blancos y negros. Rosa fue activista toda la vida, ayudó e inspiró a innumerables personas con su valor, dignidad y determinación en la lucha por la igualdad de los seres humanos.

I think this book is too simplistic. My guess is it is for ages birth through 3. Just a very basic overview. The whole book can be summed up with one sentence. Emmeline pankhurst wanted women to vote. That’s it. The entire idea of the book. No why, no depth, etc.

I wish the 'Little People, Big Dreams' series had been available for my daughter. I remember looking at the shelves and shelves of children's biographies of brave, active boys leading countries as presidents or armies as generals. Now we have the latest in this necessary series, Rosa Parks by Lisbeth Kaiser, about women who do big, very important things too..

The Rosa Parks narrative, as the other wonderful books in the series, brings us alongside her during moments before and after her pivotal decision to remain seated. We come to understand how her circumstances shaped her decision to join the civil rights movement and fight the Jim Crow laws. What the author tells us about her life as a person of color in Alabama is spare but imparts what young people should know. The stylized illustrations will help to engage young readers in a story that for them happened a very long time ago and, depending on the audience, in a place as foreign to them as Mars. This is a book that should be added to all school libraries.

In this true story of an inspiring civil rights activist, Rosa Parks grew up during segregation in Alabama, but she was taught to respect herself and stand up for her rights. In 1955, Rosa refused to give up her seat to a white man on a segregated bus, sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Her decision had a huge impact on civil rights, eventually leading to the end of segregation on public transport.

This book tells the life story of Maya Angelou, a woman who is prominent in black history as well as the history of women. Maya began as a hurt little girl who was scared to talk, and grew into a strong woman who empowered and changed women everywhere.

Great series; great books.

Little People, Big Dreams series - another great book!!