Mo Willems

April 1, 2022

PreS-Gr 2-These six titles present brief introductions to the lives and works of famous children's authors. Readers learn that Charles Schulz created the comic strip "Peanuts," Dr. Seuss began drawing zoo animals at an early age, the themes of Jacqueline Woodson's books include race and class, Judy Blume's books introduced topics not explored at the time, Mo Willems has won six Emmy awards for Sesame Street, and R.L. Stine's first book was How to be Funny. Birth statistics are included, but the primary focus is on the famous works for which these authors are known. Because of the targeted age group, controversies are omitted; there is no reference to racism in Seuss's books or the censorship challenges to Blume's works. The narratives feature simple and direct sentences that neatly trace the writers' careers and creative output, and photographs of the subjects and their books are on every other page. Targeted readers will most appreciate the titles on Seuss, Willems, and Schulz. However, as they mostly likely have not been introduced to the works of Woodson, Blume, and Stine, readers are less likely to select those titles in browsing; Woodson's, Blume's and Stine's fans will prefer more comprehensive biographies. VERDICT The titles about authors who write and illustrate for young children will be appreciated, but selectors should choose more informative biographies on the others for older readers.

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.