Mao Zedong

Children's Literature

There needs to be more books on China, since this huge communist nation is quickly becoming a dominant world power. Stewart's biography of Mao is a decent introduction to one of the world's most important leaders and the man responsible for the world's most populace nation becoming a communist state. Mao was a big man who led a big country. The author has visited China and has first-hand experience with that ancient culture. The publisher's format--the book resembles a long encyclopedia entry--does not allow the author to fully and artfully develop the subject. Despite this, there is plenty of information to whet readers' curiosity and to send some of them to books about China and other biographies on Mao. 2006, Twenty-First Century Books, Ages 6 to 12.
—Michael L. Cooper