My recent break here is the consequence of a stubborn head cold, which continues to slow me down. Even so, this remarkable book demands that I share it with you. So, inspired by UNSTOPPABLE JOHN, my post was not stopped, just delayed.
New picture books are coming out all the time, so keeping up can be a challenge. That's one reason why I only write about select titles, choosing those that stand out (to me) and appeal in particular ways that I think readers here will appreciate. After focusing on nonfiction works for the CYBILS AWARDS (see our finalists selections HERE) , I was especially eager to consider fictional material. But UNSTOPPABLE JOHN: How John Lewis Got His Library Card-- and Helped Change History is a long-awaited title that deserves the spotlight!
Newly released UNSTOPPABLE JOHN is written by Pat Zietlow Miller and illustrated by Jerry Jordan. Both are talented creators, and their talents blend perfectly on this project. For those meeting John Lewis for the first time, his love of reading, learning, books, and fairness will undoubtedly resonate with aspects of their own contemporary lives. The launching of this story finds Lewis as an impoverished young teen, longing for books, enough "to fill a room and spill into the hallway". He was well aware that libraries were such places, but also aware of the unjust rules that prevented anyone of color from having access to a library card. Even so, he requested one, was refused, and used that episode in his first official protest-- a letter to seek change.
VIKING, 2025
To someone with my own history, someone near his age and aware of Lewis's activism and Civil Rights leadership at the time he was rising to roles within the movement, that simple act of protest did not surprise me. In fact, it reminded me of earlier accounts, RICHARD WRIGHT and the LIBRARY CARD (MIller/Christie, 1997) and RON'S BIG MISSION (Blue/Naden/Tate, 2009), which depict a struggle for access to books by other young people of color. Wright became an honored American author, and Ron became a NASA astronaut. Lewis, though, chose a path directly related to making changes in the overt and subtle rules and laws in this country that imposed such limits on any members of our society. His path involved activism, politics, writing, and speaking, all of which are wonderfully described and illustrated throughout. It's a history and legacy that deserves attention, described in a back matter timeline.
Throughout, the narrative and images incorporate the powerful drive Lewis followed throughout his life: books. He read them, wrote them, used their contents to support the positions he advocated throughout his life, and even married a librarian! The essential value of reading, of access to books, of public libraries (now, too often, under attack) are at the heart of this new picture book and of John Lewis's life. The text is both accessible and comprehensive, incorporating Miller's talent for rhythm and appeal ("stopping by is not the same as stopping") and Jordan's images that depict Lewis in action as a boy/young man and then on into years of public service. The scenes and details in both text and images incorporate books, including standing in long lines to wait to register to vote and in lunchroom protests. Books anchor and center Lewis's strength and influence.
For most readers, this might be an introduction to John Lewis. His collaboration in writing a trilogy of graphic books, MARCH, Books One, Two, and Three, gained accolades and awards aplenty, and justly so. Anyone seeking further information about the details and consequences of his long life should read these. I fully anticipate that this recent picture book about his life will gain such attention and praise. It deserves both, and to be read by everyone, every age.
Another side note:
As we approach February, Black History Month, this is a superb addition to home, school, and library collections. That certainly affected the timing of its release. Even so, please be sure to make this book available to young readers throughout the year, year after year. I wrote about HERE.
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