Meet a Real Global Leader: BRAVE VOLODYMYR: The Story of Volodymyr Zelensky and the Fight for Ukraine

 

QUILL TREE BOOKS, 2025

Here's a quick look at a biographical picture book that you really should not miss, BRAVE VOLODYMYR: The Story of Volodymyr Zelinsky and the Fight for Ukraine, written by Linda Elovitz Marshall and illustrated by Grasya Oliyko. This beautifully produced visually appealing and informative book has compelling text that allows readers of any age to live alongside Volodymyr and his country-folk from the time of his childhood, living within restrictions of SOVIET UNION suppression through years of liberation and the current state of war. 

The opening spread sets the stage for this chronological but emotionally compelling account with an expanse of blue sky and golden sunflowers (below) forming the background of young Volodymyr's youth. Both text and spread effectively reveal the landscape as the inspiration for the horizontal expanse of blue and yellow color that is the Ukranian flag. I will never see that flag again without recognizing the iconic countryside that inspired it. The brief text on that page includes the facts that Ukrainians are rightly proud of their flag but were denied the right to fly it while under the thumb of the Soviet Union.

Quill Tree Books interior: Brave Volodymyr

In early pages we learn that lies were issued and enforced by that Russian state suppression. When a famine that starved millions of Ukrainians was denied by the government, no one could speak out to disagree or report the facts. Volodymyr and others all knew they were lies, and Volodymyr hated lies. 

At age thirteen, Volodymyr witnessed the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

As a child in a Jewish family in Ukraine, he was aware of existing antisemitism, despite Jews being an integral part of Ukraine for more than a thousand years. He attended college, mastering not only Ukrainian and Russian languages but English as well. He became a performer in comedy, acting, and more. 

Across the years, his independent government shifted to dishonesty and Influence by Russia,  including relying on lies to manipulate the public and maintain control. Across several ensuing years, Volodymyr noted his country's corruption and took part in protests and efforts to replace the leadership with more honest government. He created and starred in a television series in which an honest high school teacher is elected president of the country.  His goal was to offer humor and heart as communication tools to help his people find and protect the truth.

Soon after, when a free election was held, VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY was elected president of Ukraine! When Russia invaded portions of Ukraine, the people fought back. A few years later, another Russian invasion and full armed assault threatened Ukraine, but they managed to fight back with support from many other countries, and by insisting on THE TRUTH. At the writing of this book, the war continues, despite Zelensky's and Ukraine's effort to find a peaceful solution. 

The author's heritage is early generations of Ukrainians, and the back note indicates her heart remains deeply rooted there. A timeline with brief notes allows readers to place a current lifetime into events that will always be a part of world history- The fall of the Soviet Union, the protests and revolution in Ukraine, and the invasion and ensuing war with Russia. What is most effectively threaded throughout is Zelensky's determination to adhere to the truth, and the Ukrainian people's pride of country and independence.

I hope you will take a look at this one, closely. Unconfirmed reports indicate that some larger retail outlets are reluctant to stock this book or provide promotion due to our own government's stance relative to Russia and Ukraine. I bought a copy and requested that my library carry it. I am posting this review because I admire the book as a quality picture book, but also to do my small part to support the truth. Will you join me? Tell people about it. Buy or donate a copy. Display it at your school or library. The truth matters, and silence is a slippery slope to dictatorship.

Shirley Chisholm Dared: A Biography Worth the Wait

  Recent years have seen shifts on publishing for children, including picture books. There has been a steady (though not yet strong enough) shift to stories of people from non-dominant American culture (AKA, White, mainstream, traditional). Among those, many are shining lights on powerful but rarely told stories. They are both overdue and appreciated. Some, though, are offering accessible and inspiring profiles of folks who were quite prominent during their lives, although their stories seldom landed in picture books. Too often, the reasons given for that suggested that the "market" for the stories was too narrow and sales would be minimal.

Baloney!

Anne Schwartz Books, 2021

Many outstanding leaders from the past are getting new coverage. Better late than never, I say. 

In this case, this picture book biography of Shirley Chisholm is seriously overdue, but the eventual product is well worth the wait. SHIRLEY CHISHOLM DARED: The Story of the First Black Congresswoman is written by Alicia D. Williams and illustrated by April Harrison. This is not the first picture book about Chisholm, but it is delightfully  personal and powerful and  kid-friendly. 

Opening in her brief early days in New York City, we quickly follow little Shirely to an extended stay with her maternal grandmother in Barbados. The recurring  descriptors Williams uses become evident immediately:

Daring. Rebellious. Persistent. Troublemaker.

That should catch your attention, right? The selected examples of these traits, in text and images, allow readers to smile along, sit a bit taller, and develop their admiration for this  little-girl-eventual-congresswoman.She saw herself as having a voice and a place and a role in her community and in the world at large. The sideways glances to outright objections of others made no difference to her. It's not surprising (and is very well presented on the page) that her youthful peers, authority figures, adult peers, and competitors for office were sometimes stunned by her intentions and actions and expressed that opinion openly. 

I can't help but imagine her thinking that the surest way to get her to accomplish something was to tell her she shouldn't. Or couldn't.

Shirley was a champion for justice, using her voice and platform on behalf of everyday people and the country she loved. Her voice still rings in my memory. If it is unknown to you, click this YOU TUBE link to learn more about her story, and hear that amazing voice. It is an eighteen minute segment, but if you don't have enough time, scroll through to find her speaking. In fact, I hope you will watch it all. 

This is a very welcome picture book biography that will continue to share her legacy with young readers long into the future.

The Power of Voice: Two Picture Book Models

Ask anyone who writes, or teaches writing, and you'll quickly hear that VOICE is the feature of literature that most often captures the attention of readers, editors, and agents. And yet, when speakers are asked to elaborate, their frequent response is "I know it when I read it." 

Well, that's not especially helpful, even if it is true. In my recent review of THE LONGEST LETSGOBOY, (HERE) it was the author's amazing interpretation of a dog's voice that gained my praise. That book  is a fiction offering that reveals important truths about life.

In nonfiction picture books, VOICE also resonates, often through the author's attitude, style, or point of view. That was particularly true in the recent post about THE WORLD'S MOST POINTLESS BOOK ABOUT ANIMALS (HERE). VOICE can capture attention and engage readers, even mentor them in their own approaches to writing with a distinctive voice that evokes   connections and emotions.

VOICE, though, can be quite literal. It can refer to the capacity of an individual to express their identity, their needs, their values. Sadly, in real life, VOICES from outside the mainstream are too easily ignored. These two titles celebrate (and inform us about) readers using those voices, including  children and underrepresented members of society.

Workman Publishing, 2021

HEAR MY VOICE/ESCUCHA MI VOZ : The Testimonies of Children Detained at the Southern Border of the United States is compiled by Warren Binford and illustrated by Michael Garcia Bochenek. As the title indicates, this resulted from a project meant to assure that at least some of the actual young people who have been/are being detained at our border could speak about the experience from their deeply personal and individual experiences. What's more, the book guarantees that their voices will be heard and will persist across time. As they should be.

With a brief introduction to explain the project, a few spreads indicate colorfully illustrated speakers offering their own names, then their individual homelands. The very natural next lines indicate the HOW and WHY of their journeys, with the accompanying emotional reactions along the way. With speakers ranging from tots to teens, depicted in various detention settings, the emerging questions and concerns are shockingly ordinary. Until they are not. Their simple statements reveal ways in which life in detention is dehumanizing and even terrifying, not to mention leaving them hungry, cold, tired, and even sick. These simply-stated facts combine with illustrations that are slightly comic-style, but with tones and perspectives that enhance understanding and connections of mind, body, and emotions. 

There is a center-switch design, allowing readers to enter the book from the English text or the Spanish text by flipping the book upside down to read again. The contributing voices are named and featured in the alternate-facing center spread, and the words are theirs. The compiling author opens the story (in both approaches) with a vow of truth that sounds very much like a declaration in court. These are the actual words (and voices) of the children (detainees) they interviewed for the project. 

HARPER (HCH), 2021

Next up is SHARICE'S BIG VOICE: A Native Kid Becomes a Congresswoman, co-authored by Sharice Davids with Nancy K. Mays. Narrated in Congresswoman Sharice Davids's first person voice, she reflects on the stages in her life that led to her current elected position. As a Native/indigenous woman she describes the powerful influence of witnessing her mother using her voice in conversation, especially with strangers. Sharice was a talker, too, enough so that it sometimes got her into trouble in school. Even so, her curiosity, her opinions, and her growing awareness of her Ho-Chunk heritage  revealed that their identity is PEOPLE OF THE BIG VOICE. (Learn more HERE).

While studtying in college she had many jobs that required her to problem solve, to listen, and to find resolutions. Those years included training in Jujitsu, Tae Kwon Do, Capoeira, and mixed martial arts, building confidence, her competitive spirit, and reinforcing her mother's example of hard work leading to success. She describes becoming a lawyer, serving Native communities, and eventually working in the White House. Throughout her law career she learned how laws are made and also how rarely those making the laws understand the impact they would have on ordinary people. The closing pages reveal her grassroots campaign to become a lawmaker, leading to her election to Congress where her big voice could speak on behalf of those forgotten people.

Back matter includes notes from the authors, as well as several pages of information about Ho-Chunk Nation. Throughout this simply-told account there are personal insights that will connect with kids (she HATES onions on pizza!). The illustrations by Ojibwe Woodland artist Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley use strong, earthy tones in high-contrast colors, emphasizing geometric shapes and other Native references with bold black lines in powerful postures and profiles throughout.

These distinctly different nonfiction offerings have many important things in common. Both provide intensely personal looks at the power of using voice to gain justice and to resolve problems. Both indicate that using voice does not always result in being heard. Both point out that whose voice is heard can all too often depend on the amount of power they have, or don't. And on the color of their skin.

And both are outstanding nominees for CYBILS AWARDS in elementary nonfiction. 

SHIRLEY CHISHOLM DARED: A Biography Worth the Wait

 Recent years have seen shifts on publishing for children, including picture books. There has been a steady (though not yet strong enough) shift to stories of people from non-dominant American culture (AKA, White, mainstream, traditional). Among those, many are shining lights on powerful but rarely told stories. They are both overdue and appreciated. Some, though, are offering accessible and inspiring profiles of folks who were quite prominent during their lives, although their stories seldom landed in picture books. Too often, the reasons given for that suggested that the "market" for the stories was too narrow and sales would be minimal.

Baloney!

Anne Schwartz Books, 2021

Many outstanding leaders from the past are getting new coverage. Better late than never, I say. 

In this case, this picture book biography of Shirley Chisholm is seriously overdue, but the eventual product is well worth the wait. SHIRLEY CHISHOLM DARED: The Story of the First Black Congresswoman is written by Alicia D. Williams and illustrated by April Harrison. This is not the first picture book about Chisholm, but it is delightfully  personal and powerful and  kid-friendly. 

Opening in her brief early days in New York City, we quickly follow little Shirely to an extended stay with her maternal grandmother in Barbados. The recurring  descriptors Williams uses become evident immediately:

Daring. Rebellious. Persistent. Troublemaker.

That should catch your attention, right? The selected examples of these traits, in text and images, allow readers to smile along, sit a bit taller, and develop their admiration for this  little-girl-eventual-congresswoman.She saw herself as having a voice and a place and a role in her community and in the world at large. The sideways glances to outright objections of others made no difference to her. It's not surprising (and is very well presented on the page) that her youthful peers, authority figures, adult peers, and competitors for office were sometimes stunned by her intentions and actions and expressed that opinion openly. 

I can't help but imagine her thinking that the surest way to get her to accomplish something was to tell her she shouldn't. Or couldn't.

Shirley was a champion for justice, using her voice and platform on behalf of everyday people and the country she loved. Her voice still rings in my memory. If it is unknown to you, click this YOU TUBE link to learn more about her story, and hear that amazing voice. It is an eighteen minute segment, but if you don't have enough time, scroll through to find her speaking. In fact, I hope you will watch it all. 

This is very welcome picture book biography that will continue to share her legacy with young readers long into the future.

Indigenous Peoples Day: Celebrate and Learn

Interior, Indian Community School. Franklin, WI

 I have the joy and privilege of living quite near THE INDIAN COMMUNITY SCHOOL in a metropolitan/suburban community in southeast Wisconsin. I've visited it several times and am friends with some who teach in that state-of-the-art building. It was designed and built to reflect  the authenticity and authority of the Native People who first established the school more than fifty years ago. 

Today, the second Monday in October, was officially named Indigenous Peoples Day by President Biden. Students at this Wisconsin school took on the challenge of gaining this designation locally (Milwaukee County) several years ago. Their real-world project involved research, documentation, persuasion, cultural integration, public speaking, and more.

Signing ceremony, October, 2019

All of that, including the "and more", resulted in Milwaukee County officially designating the day. They moved forward with their effort to the state level the following year, which was not immediately successful or officially established. 

In 2019, though, Governor Evers arranged to  sign the proclamation in person at their school, creating the first INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY in Wisconsin in 2019.

What is most impressive about these accomplishments is the motivation behind this effort. The students had been learning about indigenous people and their places in American history since the earliest days in school. Their mission was not only to express pride in their own identity and heritage, but to take steps to inform the broader community and to dispel myths and misconceptions about Native People and their history. 

Charlesbridge, 2021

WE ARE STILL HERE: Native American Truths Everyone Should Know is a nonfiction picture book that shares this mission. Written by Traci Sorell and illustrated by Frane Lessac, this important and appealing book opens onto a title page spread that invites the community to attend a school celebration of INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY. Readers travel trough the event by reading a brief introduction to who Native Nations are, then see a white board display of the topics-presentations the students have planned. which serves as a table of contents. 

Each expansive spread presents one of twelve historic topics, from Assimilation to Sovereign Resurgence. Each lays out facts in simple and objective statements, displayed within clearly illustrated scenes that help to clarify the content and fully respect the cultures of those portrayed. 

Each describes painful realities, but without an inflammatory or accusatory tone. (Back matter offers resources to learn more and to pursue verification of the content.) Each double spread concludes with text placed on the lower right page to assert the most significant truth of all: despite the injustices and mistreatments described, "WE ARE STILL HERE". Despite denial, displacement, and systemic destructive forces in legal and de facto practices, Indigenous People  continue to live, work, and survive in a society that has often tried to eliminate them. 

Joyful and contemporary images are included, in a style that is colorful, welcoming, and kid-friendly. Young readers will be drawn to the characters on the page, recognizing more similarities than differences. Consciously or unconsciously, the images allow readers to unpack any stereotypical assumptions or misunderstandings they might have about Native Americans in the past or present.

Back matter includes short paragraphs about other facts that should be noted. An annotated  timeline  begins in 1871 when the United States officially STOPPED  writing and honoring existing treaties, after which Indigenous people were subjected to the patterns and practices described in the book, and also became virtually invisible in American culture and curricula. A glossary, sources, and author's note extend the usefulness of this picture book from early elementary through upper grades (and adult!). 

This creative team has earned starred reviews and praise already, with awards likely Their previous collaboration, WE ARE THANKFUL: Ostaliheliga,  honors the language, culture, and heritage of Cherokee People, acknowledging and celebrating life in the past and in contemporary society. The author is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and both books are infused with joyful pride and honest details, both values that resonate in the illustrations. 

This new offering is a nominee in the elementary nonfiction category for 2021 Cybils Awards, and merits the attention, careful reading, and discussion that the subtitle states: Native American Truths That Everyone Should Know. Don't miss it!

VOICES that Inspire: What Would You Do With a Voice Like That?

Beachlane Books, 2018

In the current political climate, and even in past decades, "raising your voice" tends to suggest protests, demands, arguments. The ratio of strident voices to inspiring ones has become so disproportionate as to be overwhelming. That's why I am sincerely  excited to share a recent (and acclaimed) picture book: WHAT DO YOU DO WITH A VOICE LIKE THAT? The Story of Extraordinary Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, written by Chris Barton and illustrated by Ekua Holmes.
I've lived long enough to realize that a book about Barbara Jordan is now viewed as historic biography, though, in my mind and heart, she is a contemporary hero, one whose life ended far too early but whose voice will last forever. Her voice, "a voice like that" resonates throughout my life. That's not only because of the timbre and authority and eloquence of her voice, but because Jordan's choices of words to frame with that voice felt as if each syllable should be chiseled in granite.

It was hard for me to imagine any book that could do justice to the amazing Barbara Jordan, but this one does. As her name came up many times over many years, I've praised her messages and her voice often. Had she lived a more typical lifespan, in good health, I'm convinced she she would have been our first black and our first female president. 

That should give you a clear idea of the immeasurable esteem I have for her intellect, her values, and yes, her voice. I doubted any book, even such a glorious picture book as this, could elevate her remarkable life and impact to a heartfelt awareness in contemporary children (and the adults who read to and with them). This book does just that, or at least it opens the door to further research and appreciation.

It's been a while since we've had a female voice in the public venue that has so effectively  inspired, celebrated, guided, and challenged the public to become our better selves. Certainly, there has been none, in my opinion, that even begins to equal the voice and inspiration of Jordan. There may never be. But her voice resonates even more clearly now than it did during her life. 

Barton's author note reveals that he has worked on the text for this book since 2013. The hard work shows. From Jordan's childhood years through to her death from advancing multiple sclerosis and related complications at the age of 59, Barton reveals the personal and public perspectives and progress of a very private but dedicated woman whose voice helped to shape our nation. Barton's back matter provides a detailed timeline of Jordan's life, links to view and hear Jordan's historic commentary and challenges, and suggests important options for further research. His author note also reveals that Jordan's tombstone is inscribed on one side with the word TEACHER and on the other with the word PATRIOT. 

One thing I enjoyed most about this book was the reminder it provided for me to access digital recordings and simply LISTEN to that voice. The dramatic and interpretive illustrations paired with the spare but potent text to provide a near-to-real experience of walking with Jordan through her life. Her strength magnifies our own, just as it did during her life.