Walter Dean Myers

School Library Journal

Gr 4-7In Powell, Patrick-Wexler covers the influences of her subject's early life and points out the importance of skills and motivation in making an outstanding leader out of an average student. In Myers, she glowingly describes the man, his books, and why he wrote them. Both titles are characterized by simply composed declarative sentences, but the tone is lively and conversational. Quotes are used to give a feeling for the subjects' personalities. Useful for reluctant readers, these short biographies have large print and frequent photographs, many of them in full color. Melissa Banta's Colin Powell (Chelsea, 1994) is longer, with a more extensive chronology and glossary, and has many photographs, but none in color. It is better organized, and has a more scholarly tone.Phyllis Graves, Creekwood Middle School, Kingwood, TX