Published by little bee books

Summary:  Walking around postwar Japan in the late 1940’s, Momofuko Ando was saddened to see hungry people waiting in long lines to get a bowl of soup with noodles…if they were lucky enough to have money and not to be eating grass and bark or scrounging through the trash.  He believed that peace was only possible if people had enough to eat, and set out to make a cheap, easy, and nutritious food. After many, many failed attempts, he learned to make noodles in chicken soup that could be cooked by adding boiling water. He and his family started a business making and selling ramen, a passion he continued to work on into his 90’s.  Includes an afterword with more information about Ando and the Nissin Foods company. 40 pages; grades K-5.

Pros:  This beautifully illustrated picture book demonstrates Momofuko Ando’s perseverance through many failed attempts to create a food that has helped millions in all kinds of conditions throughout the world.  

Cons:  I’ve never actually eaten ramen.

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Published by Carolrhoda Books

Summary:  Growing up in Oregon in the early 1900’s, George Fletcher was one of the only African-Americans in the town of Pendleton.  He spent a lot of time on the nearby Umatilla Indian Reservation, playing with the kids there and learning about horses. His riding skill led him to the rodeo, where he often experienced racism.  Sometimes black cowboys weren’t allowed to compete; other times they weren’t judged fairly against white competitors. This was demonstrated dramatically at the 1911 Pendleton Round-Up, the biggest rodeo in the Northwest.  George made it to the finals of the Saddle Bronc Championship, where he competed John Spain, a white rancher. It was clear to the audience that Fletcher did the best, but the judges chose Spain as the winner.  Sheriff Tillman Taylor grabbed George’s hat, cut it into pieces, then sold the pieces for $5.00 each, raising more money than the first prize saddle was worth. The audience declared George Fletcher the People’s Champion, parading him around the arena on their shoulders.  Includes a glossary of rodeo terms, additional information about and photos of George Fletcher, John Spain, and Tillman Taylor, and a bibliography. 40 pages; grades 2-5.

Pros:  Told with a Texas twang, this action-packed story brings to light a little-known but brave cowboy and his friends and supporters.

Cons:  Because little is known of George Fletcher, especially his early life, some of the details are more speculation than history (as described in the author’s note about the research).

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Published by Peachtree Publishing Company

Summary:  Carter Woodson grew up on a poor farm in Virginia, the son of two former slaves.  Although his father couldn’t read or write, he liked Carter to read the newspaper to him.  Later, working as a coal miner, he often met after work with friends for snacks and more newspaper reading.  After three years in the mines, Carter was able to continue his education, and eventually got a PhD in history from Harvard (the second African-American to do so, after W.E.B. Du Bois).  For the rest of his life he championed the cause of black history. In 1926, he started Negro History Week, choosing the second week of February to mark the birthdays of both Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.  Eventually that became Black History Month, still celebrated today during the month of February.  Includes author’s and illustrator’s notes; additional resources; a list of Black leaders pictured in the illustrations; and a timeline of Woodson’s life.  36 pages; grades K-4.

Pros:  An inspiring story of a little-known man whose influence continues today.  The list of leaders that are pictured in the book would make a good starting point for some research projects.

Cons:  Too bad this book wasn’t released on January 1, instead of February 1, to make it more available during Black History Month this year.

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Published by Albert Whitman and Company

Summary:  When Mary Fields heard about a job opening for a stagecoach driver to make deliveries to a school over the mountains, she was determined to get hired.  She lined up with forty cowboys to apply for the job, but the manager wasn’t interested in considering a black woman. Mary wouldn’t go away, though, and finally she got a chance what she could do.  The manager was so impressed by her skills with horses and driving that he hired her, and she became the first black female stagecoach driver in Cascade, Montana. Traveling with her trained eagle, she fought off thieves and wolves, and never lost a horse or package.  Mary held the job for eight years, into her seventies, and paved the way for other women to become mail deliverers. Includes an author’s note with additional information about Mary. 32 pages; grades K-4.

Pros:  A little-known story of a fearless and determined woman, told in a way that will be understandable and interesting to primary-grade kids.

Cons:  So little is known about Mary’s life that the author says some of the scenes and dialogue are made up, making this a cross between biography and historical fiction.

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Published by Apples and Honey Press

Summary:  The story opens as Regina Jonas is on her way to take an exam that will allow her to be a Jewish rabbi.  As she’s walking to the school, she thinks back on what has brought her to this day–a love of the Torah, a father who believed girls should learn Hebrew, years of going to synagogue every week and staying after the service to study with the rabbi.  When she arrives at school, though, she’s stopped from taking the exam by a teacher who tells her that girls can’t be rabbis and that she must give up her dream. For five years, Regina continues to teach and inspire Jews during what is becoming an increasingly dark time in Germany.  Finally, on December 26, 1935, she is allowed to take the exam and become the first woman rabbi in the world. An afterword tells of Regina’s brief career until her death in Auschwitz in 1944; there was not another woman rabbi until 1972, but now there are close to 1,000, including the author.  32 pages; grades 2-5.

Pros:  It’s an amazing story of a woman who refused to take no for an answer in pursuing her dream.  The text and illustrations do a nice job of incorporating the stories of a couple of other strong Jewish women (Miriam and Esther).

Cons:  Because this was published by a small press specializing in Judaism, it’s probably not going to fly under the radar for many librarians and other book buyers.

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