Because of You, John Lewis

April 1, 2022
Grades K-3 Ten-year-old Tennessean Tybre Faw finds a hero in Congressman John Lewis, a civil rights icon nicknamed "Good Trouble," who worked closely with Martin Luther King Jr. As the anniversary of Bloody Sunday and the commemorative march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge approaches, Faw begs his grandmothers to drive him to Selma. There Lewis shakes Faw's hand and invites the boy to march with him, thus beginning a friendship. Pinkney's lyrical prose recounts the high points of Lewis' (and to some extent King's) life interspersed with details of Faw's interest in history and the particulars of his meetings with Lewis. She emphasizes Lewis' mentoring of Faw (and its parallels to King's mentoring of Lewis), ensuring continuity in the civil rights struggle. Brown's digitally enhanced watercolor-and-ink illustrations focus on the humans depicted, and several compositions reflect published photos of events. Equally strong are the settings (particularly Selma) and subtle details, such as Faw reading Lewis' graphic novel March: Book One (2016). Appended with generous back matter, this makes an inspiring addition to the civil rights canon.

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Starred review from July 1, 2022

Gr 1-5-Ten-year-old Tybre Faw wished to meet his hero Congressman John Lewis and shake his hand. Tybre Faw knew just about everything about Lewis, who championed voter's rights. When he was younger, Lewis would preach sermons to the chickens on his family's farm. Young John Lewis was as inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., just as Tybre Faw was inspired by Lewis. On a Sunday in 1965, peaceful protesters marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge for the right to vote, but sadly, before they were able to cross it, they were violently attacked and beaten by racists. Brown's illustrations accurately portray details of the attack and the subsequent injuries may seem upsetting to some readers. After reading so much about Lewis, Tybre Faw convinced his grandmothers to take a road trip from Johnson City, TN, to Selma, AL, where John Lewis made a once-a-year memorial march. He met John, shook his hand, and was even invited to walk by his side across the bridge. This book celebrates heroes and the uncanny ripple effect of being inspired by them. Carrying on the legacies of King and Lewis, Tybre Faw marched for causes he believed in such as school safety, human rights, and immigrant equality. This acts as a helpful reminder to kids that they're never too young to fight for what they believe in. The watercolor illustrations are a vivid and dramatic complement to this story of friendship, courage, and effecting change. Back matter includes a time line, photos, resources, and more. VERDICT This inspirational tale about friendship, courage, and good trouble is an essential purchase for all collections.-Myiesha Speight

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2022
What could have been a straightforward story of a boy meeting his idol becomes in Pinkney's (Martin Rising, rev. 3/18; Loretta Little Looks Back, rev. 11/20) skilled hands a tapestry of intertwined stories looking back to the past and forward to the future. Pinkney introduces Tybre Faw, who as a great admirer of civil rights icon John Lewis attends one of the annual marches across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, which leads to a life-changing meeting with Lewis. Interwoven is the parallel story of John Lewis, who as a young man wrote Dr. Martin Luther King a letter, which led to a life-changing meeting, a lifelong friendship, a life's work. And just as, after Dr. King's death, Lewis was left to "carry on Martin's dream for peace. / To stitch the seams / of his legacy," so "legacy's threads" will stitch in Faw's hopes and bright promise. Pinkney's free-verse text skillfully reinforces the connections between Faw and Lewis, using similar language to introduce them ("When you're a kid from / Johnson City, Tennessee...When you're a boy / in Troy, Alabama") or describe galvanizing incidents (Faw reading about Lewis's activism "lights his dream on fire"; Lewis hearing Dr. King's voice on the radio "lit a light in John's heart"). The telescoping nature of the narratives -- starting with Faw and looking back to Lewis and King and thence to "Harriet, Frederick, Sojourner, Du Bois" -- encourages young readers to acknowledge the shoulders of giants each generation stands on and to themselves work toward "a brighter tomorrow." Brown's (Birth of the Cool, rev. 5/19) watercolor and pen art is emotive and introspective, focusing on character and connection rather than on events or action. Appended with a lengthy author's note, a timeline of the life of Rep. John Lewis, photographs, and the text of the poem "Invictus" read by Tybre Faw at Lewis's funeral. Martha V. Parravano

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from May 1, 2022
A picture-book biography in verse highlighting the friendship between John Lewis and the young African American boy whom he inspired. In her signature expressive and soulful style, Pinkney introduces readers to young Tybre Faw, a boy from Tennessee who learns about Sen. Lewis from reading books. Inspired by Lewis' lifelong fight for justice and equal rights, Tybre convinces his grandparents to make a 4-hour drive from their home in Tennessee to Selma, Alabama, where every year Lewis conducts an annual pilgrimage across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in honor of his historic showdown, which helped usher in the Voting Rights Act. There, the two meet and a friendship is sparked. Woven into the narrative is the story of how Lewis, inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., went on to become a civil rights hero. With deep emotion, Pinkney captures the generational struggle for freedom and takes readers from Dr. King's radio speeches during the Jim Crow era to the Black Lives Matter movement of today. Brown's watercolor-and-quill pen illustrations are striking and larger than life, adding great depth and meaning to the verse. Backmatter includes a statement further describing the relationship between Lewis and Tybre, a timeline of Lewis' life, captioned photographs, and the poem "Invictus" by William Ernest Henley, which Tybre delivered at Lewis' funeral service. (This book was reviewed digitally.) This eloquent tribute is a must-read. (Picture-book biography. 6-10)

COPYRIGHT(2022) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2022
What could have been a straightforward story of a boy meeting his idol becomes in Pinkney's (Martin Rising, rev. 3/18; Loretta Little Looks Back, rev. 11/20) skilled hands a tapestry of intertwined stories looking back to the past and forward to the future. Pinkney introduces Tybre Faw, who as a great admirer of civil rights icon John Lewis attends one of the annual marches across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, which leads to a life-changing meeting with Lewis. Interwoven is the parallel story of John Lewis, who as a young man wrote Dr. Martin Luther King a letter, which led to a life-changing meeting, a lifelong friendship, a life's work. And just as, after Dr. King's death, Lewis was left to "carry on Martin's dream for peace. / To stitch the seams / of his legacy," so "legacy's threads" will stitch in Faw's hopes and bright promise. Pinkney's free-verse text skillfully reinforces the connections between Faw and Lewis, using similar language to introduce them ("When you're a kid from / Johnson City, Tennessee... When you're a boy / in Troy, Alabama") or describe galvanizing incidents (Faw reading about Lewis's activism "lights his dream on fire"; Lewis hearing Dr. King's voice on the radio "lit a light in John's heart"). The telescoping nature of the narratives -- starting with Faw and looking back to Lewis and King and thence to "Harriet, Frederick, Sojourner, Du Bois" -- encourages young readers to acknowledge the shoulders of giants each generation stands on and to themselves work toward "a brighter tomorrow." Brown's (Birth of the Cool, rev. 5/19) watercolor and pen art is emotive and introspective, focusing on character and connection rather than on events or action. Appended with a lengthy author's note, a timeline of the life of Rep. John Lewis, photographs, and the text of the poem "Invictus" read by Tybre Faw at Lewis's funeral.

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)