A Day For Rememberin': The First Memorial Day by Leah Henderson & Floyd Cooper (Children's Nonfiction Picture Book Review)

A Day For Rememberin':
The First Memorial Day
by Leah Henderson
Illustrated by Floyd Cooper
Published by Harry N. Abrams
on May 11, 2021
Genre: Children's, Nonfiction, Picture Books
Length: 40 pages
Ages: 6 - 9 years

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Synopsis:
A moving tribute to the little-known history behind the first Memorial Day, illustrated by Coretta Scott King Award winner Floyd Cooper.  

Inspired by true events told through the eyes of a young boy, this is a deeply moving story about what is regarded as the first Memorial Day on May 1, 1865. Eli dresses up in his best clothes, Mama gathers the mayflowers, Papa straightens his hate, and together they join the crowds filling the streets of Charleston, South Carolina, with bouquets, crosses, and wreaths. Abolitionists, missionaries, teachers, military officers, and a sea of faces Black, Brown, and White, they march as one and sing for all those who gave their lives fighting for freedom during the Civil War. 


My Thoughts:

Experience a fictional account of what may have been the very first Memorial Day, through the eyes of a young Black boy who no longer has to worry daily about his parents being sold and sent away and can go to school freely, all thanks to the Union soldiers who fought in the Civil War. His family prepares and off they go to join in on the procession headed to the Washington Race Course where one of the worst Confederate prisons was turned into a peaceful resting place for the Union prisoners who died there. 

Both beautiful and heartbreaking, this important picture book shares a little-known side to the history of Memorial Day, starting with the very first Decoration Day. On this day grateful families and individuals honored those lives lost in the Civil War by decorating their graves with flags and flowers.

Includes archival photos in the back of the book, as well as extra information on the roots of Decoration Day, a timeline of events, and more. 

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It Started With A Big Bang by Floor Bal & Sebastian Van Doninck (Nonfiction Picture Book Review)

It Started With A Big Bang:
The Origin of Earth, You, and Everything Elseby Floor Bal
Illustrated by Sebastian Van Doninck
Published by Kids Can Press
on October 1, 2019
Genre: Children's, Picture Books, Nonfiction
Length: 34 pages
Ages: 5 - 8 years

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Synopsis:
In this accessible informational picture book, young readers can follow the fascinating story of how we got from the very beginning of the universe to life today on the "bright blue ball floating in space" called Earth.

Science journalist Floor Bal and award-winning illustrator Sebastiaan Van Doninck have combined their talents to create a captivating, kid-friendly introduction to the history of the universe and life on Earth. The spirited narrative and vibrant illustrations make millions of years of history entertaining and give this book read-aloud appeal.

Our Thoughts:
 Learn all about the beginning of the universe in this beautifully illustrated and educational picture book!

It Started With A Big Bang begins with the bang that created the universe and continues through time to show how Earth and its' moon were formed, how it molded into land and water, and how the life that started in Earth's oceans grew and evolved into land dwellers. Of course, it includes the evolution of humans as well! 

This is both an explanation of the 'creation' of the universe and our home planet as well as a timeline of history that includes Earth's earliest chaotic years, the dinosaurs (and how they disappeared), our earliest mammals and humans, all the way up to the present!

The illustrations in this picture book are absolutely stunning! I personally want our own copy of this book just for the cover alone!

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Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly (Picture Book Review)

Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race

by Margot Lee Shetterly

with Winifred Conkling

Illustrated by Laura Freeman

Published by HarperCollins

on January 16, 2018

Genre: Children's, Picture Book, Nonfiction, Biography, Science, History

Length: 40 pages

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Literary Awards:
Coretta Scott King Honor for Illustrator (2019)

Synopsis:

Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden were good at math... really good.

They participated in some of NASA's greatest successes, like providing calculations for America's first journeys into space. And they did so during a time when being black and a woman limited what they could do. But they worked hard. They persisted. And they used their genius minds to change the world. 

In this illustrated picture book edition, we explore the story of four female African American mathematicians at NASA, known as "colored computers," and how they overcame gender and racial barriers to succeed in a highly challenging STEM-based career. 

My Thoughts:

I have the full-length novel somewhere on my TBR shelf waiting to be read but I couldn't pass up reading the picture book to my daughter. I love books like this that show girls that they too can grow up to do amazing things if only they persevere and follow their dreams. 
More so, this picture book is about the four intelligent Black women who worked for NASA, doing mathematics, programming their first computer, engineering airplanes & spaceships, and helping the United States to send the first man around Earth and land on the moon.

This picture book only dips into the lives of Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden and their accomplishments, which just makes me want to read the full-length novel more, but it is a great summary of both the history of  'the Space Race' and these extraordinary women.

It follows a timeline (which is illustrated in the back of the book), starting in 1943 when the first African-American female "computers" were hired at what is now NASA. These women did all the complicated mathematics that we now use actual computers for.
Each of the four women started working for NASA at different times but each played a huge roll in aeronautics and space travel.

Overall, I'm glad to have come across this important book and hope to read and learn more about these women and their contributions soon in the young adult and adult versions of this book!

Looking for more biographies of amazing women?
Be sure to check out my reviews for these!

    

Happy reading!