A Pocketful of Goobers

School Library Journal

ea. vol: (Creative Minds Series). CIP. Carolrhoda. May 1986. PLB $8.95. Gr 3-6 Four biographies that are compact and well written. All of the books employ an upbeat style of writing combined with occasional humor. While each of the subjects came from environments which emphasized concerns other than those which eventually became their personal missions, children are shown the connection between early interests and preoccupations and later achievements. Matzeliger and Carver are depicted in situations indicative of the racial intolerance of the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. Mitchell shows young readers the inequities of racial prejudice and portrays vividly the courage that these men displayed in the pursuit of their work. The biographies have a good sense of setting and contain much factual information. Dialogue does appear in all four stories, but it does not detract from credibility and is not used to excess. Of the four biographies, readers may find the one about Matzeliger, inventor of the shoe-lasting machine, to be the most enlightening, since far less has been written about him, and consequently, less is known of him than of the other three men. Black-and-white illustrations complement and enhance the texts. Karen P. Smith, Yonkers Board of Education, N.Y.