A Land of Big Dreamers: Voices of Courage in America
Inspiration is the central theme in this collective biography of 13 great Americans, from Thomas Jefferson and Elizabeth Cady Stanton to John F. Kennedy, Rosa Parks, and Barack Obama. Each double-page profile sets a powerful portrait across from a brief prose description of how each hero made a difference, and visual details add to the sense of the individual�s life work. On one spread, C�sar Ch�vez is shown with farm workers in the field, while on another, Rachel Carson sits at a microscope, a wilderness landscape visible in the background. Emma Lazarus is pictured, of course, with the Statue of Liberty, and Sitting Bull stands angry and sorrowful against the Sioux�s Black Hills. A personal quote on each spread further humanizes each hero. Many grade-schoolers will recognize these groundbreakers, but the stirring art and the mix of represented times, cultures, and crucial ongoing issues will spark discussion, and readers can use brief, appended biographies and source notes to continue their research. Grades 3-5. --Hazel Rochman