Mae Jemison

School Library Journal

Gr 1-3-These volumes provide information about the featured women's lives and include both color and black-and-white photos. The print is large and easy to read, perfect for beginner readers. Jemison documents the life of the first African-American woman astronaut. The text is clear and easy to understand. Unfortunately, many of the photographs from Jemison's early life are pictures of large buildings that do not add anything to the text. In addition, the narrative ends in 1994, following her resignation from NASA. Cisneros traces the Mexican-American dancer from her childhood until her retirement from the San Francisco Ballet. On the whole, the volume is well crafted, except for the inclusion of a photograph of a building in Huntington Beach, CA, that is ambiguously identified. Spengler does a good job of presenting the facts of Per-n's life in a way that young readers can understand both her successes and controversies as a political figure. The text is engaging and includes both personal and official photographs. In general, these titles are good for reports and are adequate additions for both school and public libraries.-Melissa Christy Buron, Epps Island Elementary, Houston, TX Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.