Raintree Biographies introduces to the individuals whose lives and work changed the course of history. Accompanied by contemporary and vintage illustrations, stunning photographs, and first-person accounts, this handsome volume of biographies will leave readers inspired.
Gr 3-6-Cookie-cutter format aside, these books offer quick overviews of the lives of these American icons. Sidebars offer snippets of primary and background material, while the texts concentrate on the achievements and personalities of the subjects. Photos and artwork are well chosen, and the captions for the most part attribute the artist and time period. Boone is a more appropriate choice than James Daugherty's now-dated Newbery award-winning Daniel Boone (Viking, 1939; o.p.) in its acknowledgment of Boone's far-from-simple relationships with the Native Americans whom he encountered and fought as he made his way across the Cumberland. However, one must question the unfortunate choices in jacket art. Both covers feature striking but inaccurate paintings of their subjects. A caption in the Birchfield title admits that, "-Crazy Horse always dressed much more plainly than he is depicted here," and yet he appears in full-feather regalia in this portrait. Likewise, the coonskin cap on Boone's head is debunked as fanciful in Riehecky's title. These books are clearly designed as report fare, but students curious about these men should also find them interesting.-Sue Sherif, Alaska State Library, Anchorage Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
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