NY Times review, 10/25/20
AWARDS
What’s the Big Deal About Elections was named to the Garden State Book Award 2021 Nominees list
To The Moon won the 2019 Christopher Award in the Books for Young People category
To The Moon received the 2019 Mathical Award in the Grades 6-8 Category.
To The Moon won the Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
What's the Big Deal About First Ladies, (Philomel, 2017) and What's the Big Deal About Freedom (Philomel, 2017) were chosen for the International Literacy Association Children’s Choice Award list.
To The Moon won the 2019 Christopher Award in the Books for Young People category
To The Moon received the 2019 Mathical Award in the Grades 6-8 Category.
To The Moon won the Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
What's the Big Deal About First Ladies, (Philomel, 2017) and What's the Big Deal About Freedom (Philomel, 2017) were chosen for the International Literacy Association Children’s Choice Award list.
REVIEWS
The New York Times review of my What's the Big Deal About Elections chapter book called it "a very quick read with a concise narrator."
The New York Times called What's the Big Deal About Elections "obligatory reading for future informed citizens."
More Praise for What's the Big Deal About Elections:
"An informative introduction to the importance of voting, and a great choice for group reading choice before election season." --School Library Journal
"An empowering choice." --Kirkus Reviews
"This latest entry into the What's the Big Deal About . . . series is an upbeat discussion starter." --Booklist
The New York Times called What's the Big Deal About Elections "obligatory reading for future informed citizens."
More Praise for What's the Big Deal About Elections:
"An informative introduction to the importance of voting, and a great choice for group reading choice before election season." --School Library Journal
"An empowering choice." --Kirkus Reviews
"This latest entry into the What's the Big Deal About . . . series is an upbeat discussion starter." --Booklist
Take a look at some of the wonderful reviews for What's the Big Deal About Freedom:
“Americans describe their country as the “land of the free” every time they sing their national anthem, but how often do they take a step back and really think about what that phrase means? Starting with the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, this book considers how freedom has been expanded and restricted by governmental, racial, religious, and economic factors. Demonstrating that freedom in practice can be the framework that provides citizens with rights and protections, the author explains the significance of the Bill of Rights, then goes into more detail about slavery, labor laws, immigration policies, and voting expansion. Using a question-and-answer format, the conversational text incorporates sentence fragments and mimics an animated adult/child discussion. Carefully designed and well-executed watercolor and pencil illustrations spill over the pages, adding information, detail, and humor to the text. The images depict people of varying ethnicities, religious dress, and ages; a person using a wheelchair; same-sex couples; etc. Presenting so many topics necessarily leads to some simplification, but Shamir offers enough content to give readers a general idea and inspire them to investigate further. VERDICT An effective place for children to begin learning about the concept of freedom.” - School Library Journal
“Similar in style to What’s the Big Deal about First Ladies (2016), Shamir and Faulkner’s latest book takes on a broader, more abstract concept: freedom. The result is an attractive large-format volume offering generalities about history, even as it sometimes falls short on specifics and coherence. Loosely organized in a chronological question-and-answer framework, the books traces freedom-related events through American’s past, beginning with the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution and continuing with rights initially denied but later granted to large groups of individuals, such as enslaved people, Native Americans, women, children, workers, and African Americans living under Jim Crow laws. Interesting fact boxes supplement the main text, but the pace of change seems so quick that winning civil rights, voting rights, and a living wage may appear relatively easy to children with little prior knowledge of history. Bolstering the upbeat tone of the writing while emphasizing the racial and religious diversity of Americans, the lively watercolor-and-pencil illustrations are consistently engaging and occasionally endearing. A hopeful, idealistic portrayal of freedom in America.” — Booklist
“Shamir offers an investigation of the foundations of freedoms in the United States via its founding documents, as well as movements and individuals who had great impacts on shaping and reshaping those institutions…[Shamir] encourages readers to learn to exercise vigilance and foresight.” —Kirkus Reviews
“What’s the Big Deal About Freedom is a great gift for children from parents, aunts, uncles, godparents and friends. It also makes a terrific end of year treat for any teacher preparing for next year’s students.” - Shira Hirschman Weiss in HuffPo
“Americans describe their country as the “land of the free” every time they sing their national anthem, but how often do they take a step back and really think about what that phrase means? Starting with the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, this book considers how freedom has been expanded and restricted by governmental, racial, religious, and economic factors. Demonstrating that freedom in practice can be the framework that provides citizens with rights and protections, the author explains the significance of the Bill of Rights, then goes into more detail about slavery, labor laws, immigration policies, and voting expansion. Using a question-and-answer format, the conversational text incorporates sentence fragments and mimics an animated adult/child discussion. Carefully designed and well-executed watercolor and pencil illustrations spill over the pages, adding information, detail, and humor to the text. The images depict people of varying ethnicities, religious dress, and ages; a person using a wheelchair; same-sex couples; etc. Presenting so many topics necessarily leads to some simplification, but Shamir offers enough content to give readers a general idea and inspire them to investigate further. VERDICT An effective place for children to begin learning about the concept of freedom.” - School Library Journal
“Similar in style to What’s the Big Deal about First Ladies (2016), Shamir and Faulkner’s latest book takes on a broader, more abstract concept: freedom. The result is an attractive large-format volume offering generalities about history, even as it sometimes falls short on specifics and coherence. Loosely organized in a chronological question-and-answer framework, the books traces freedom-related events through American’s past, beginning with the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution and continuing with rights initially denied but later granted to large groups of individuals, such as enslaved people, Native Americans, women, children, workers, and African Americans living under Jim Crow laws. Interesting fact boxes supplement the main text, but the pace of change seems so quick that winning civil rights, voting rights, and a living wage may appear relatively easy to children with little prior knowledge of history. Bolstering the upbeat tone of the writing while emphasizing the racial and religious diversity of Americans, the lively watercolor-and-pencil illustrations are consistently engaging and occasionally endearing. A hopeful, idealistic portrayal of freedom in America.” — Booklist
“Shamir offers an investigation of the foundations of freedoms in the United States via its founding documents, as well as movements and individuals who had great impacts on shaping and reshaping those institutions…[Shamir] encourages readers to learn to exercise vigilance and foresight.” —Kirkus Reviews
“What’s the Big Deal About Freedom is a great gift for children from parents, aunts, uncles, godparents and friends. It also makes a terrific end of year treat for any teacher preparing for next year’s students.” - Shira Hirschman Weiss in HuffPo
Reviews for What's the Big Deal About First Ladies are in and they're great! Kirkus gave it a STARRED review.
“This title does an excellent job of highlighting the important roles that these women played throughout history….A delightful introduction to America’s first ladies for elementary U.S. history collections.” —School Library Journal
“Packed with interesting facts and illustrated with style, this upbeat overview of America’s First Ladies will entertain kids intrigued by history.” —Booklist
“An extraordinarily educational and inspirational collection of amazing true facts and short stories, What's the Big Deal About First Ladies is highly recommended especially for school and library nonfiction picturebook collections.” —Midwest Book Review
Read my op-ed about first ladies on time.com here!
“This title does an excellent job of highlighting the important roles that these women played throughout history….A delightful introduction to America’s first ladies for elementary U.S. history collections.” —School Library Journal
“Packed with interesting facts and illustrated with style, this upbeat overview of America’s First Ladies will entertain kids intrigued by history.” —Booklist
“An extraordinarily educational and inspirational collection of amazing true facts and short stories, What's the Big Deal About First Ladies is highly recommended especially for school and library nonfiction picturebook collections.” —Midwest Book Review
Read my op-ed about first ladies on time.com here!
KIRKUS STARRED REVIEW:
WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL ABOUT FIRST LADIES [STARRED REVIEW!]
Author: Ruby Shamir
Illustrator: Matt Faulkner
A gathering of spirited, intelligent women who accompanied—and, sometimes, shepherded—our country's presidents into the White House. A former staffer in the first lady's office at the White House, Shamir takes a thematic approach, adding specific anecdotes and instances to general observations. She adopts a question-and-answer format to show how "first ladies"—mostly wives but in at least 13 cases a daughter, niece, or other relative—defined their roles as both White House hostesses and presidential advisers while coping with new responsibilities, often leveraging their positions to promote women's rights or other causes. Answering the question "Do first ladies really make a difference," Shamir explores Martha Washington's efforts with veterans and Eleanor Roosevelt's outreach during the Great Depression and World War II, for instance. In Faulkner's collective portraits, many of these women, all recognizably depicted, gaze straight out at viewers with public smiles or private expressions of exasperation or amusement as they pose with spouses, politicians, animals, and children. Following notes about post-White House endeavors ("Hillary Clinton was the first first lady to be elected to the U.S. Senate"), review copies leave a blank page for a one-page post-election update. A breezy way to, as Abigail Adams urged, "remember the ladies." (list of presidents and first ladies, source notes) (Picture book/biography. 7-9)
School Library Journal Review:
SHAMIR, Ruby. What’s the Big Deal About First Ladies. illus. by Matt Faulkner. 32p. Philomel. Jan. 2017. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9780399547249.
K-Gr 3–Past and recent first ladies are brought to light in this informative picture book. Each spread is dedicated to a general question about the first ladies and their accomplishments or challenges. The main text answers and explains, for instance, the evolution of the role of the first lady, while smaller inserts provide specific examples or bits of trivia. (Lucy Hayes was nicknamed “Lemonade Lucy” because she didn’t serve alcohol at the White House. Frances Cleveland hosted special receptions for working women.) Watercolor and pencil illustrations are finely rendered, hinting at humor but nicely avoiding caricature. The text is friendly, chatty, and inviting and often addresses readers directly (“Close your eyes…imagine if one of your parents became president of the United States.”). This title does an excellent job of highlighting the important roles that these women played throughout history, whether it was enacting innovative initiatives (at home or abroad) or simply expanding the presence of women in U.S. culture. A chronological list of the presidents and the first ladies can be found in the back matter. A final page will be included with the 2016 election results. VERDICT A delightful introduction to America’s first ladies for elementary U.S. history collections.–Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI
SHAMIR, Ruby. What’s the Big Deal About First Ladies. illus. by Matt Faulkner. 32p. Philomel. Jan. 2017. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9780399547249.
K-Gr 3–Past and recent first ladies are brought to light in this informative picture book. Each spread is dedicated to a general question about the first ladies and their accomplishments or challenges. The main text answers and explains, for instance, the evolution of the role of the first lady, while smaller inserts provide specific examples or bits of trivia. (Lucy Hayes was nicknamed “Lemonade Lucy” because she didn’t serve alcohol at the White House. Frances Cleveland hosted special receptions for working women.) Watercolor and pencil illustrations are finely rendered, hinting at humor but nicely avoiding caricature. The text is friendly, chatty, and inviting and often addresses readers directly (“Close your eyes…imagine if one of your parents became president of the United States.”). This title does an excellent job of highlighting the important roles that these women played throughout history, whether it was enacting innovative initiatives (at home or abroad) or simply expanding the presence of women in U.S. culture. A chronological list of the presidents and the first ladies can be found in the back matter. A final page will be included with the 2016 election results. VERDICT A delightful introduction to America’s first ladies for elementary U.S. history collections.–Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI
BOOKLIST
What's the Big Deal about First Ladies.
Shamir, Ruby (Author) , Faulkner, Matt (Illustrator)
Jan 2017. 32 p. Philomel, hardcover, $17.99. (9780399547249). 352.23092.
Think you know your First Ladies? Think again, as this colorful book looks at their varied roles and experiences. Arranged thematically rather than chronologically, the text includes anecdotes from the women’s White House days, acknowledgments of their accomplishments, and information that gives broader social or historical context to their stories. The double-page spreads use a Q&A structure.
After discussing the basics, such as the nature of the First Lady’s job, Shamir answers questions such as, “But it’s cool to live in the White House, right?” and “Do First Ladies really make a difference?” Answers might take a single sentence or several paragraphs, surrounded by large, imaginative illustrations showing particular First Ladies in action. Created with watercolor and pencil, the artwork helps create the book’s buoyant atmosphere. Faulkner takes full advantage of the large pages with multiple images, some set off by white space, some imaginatively layered, and others grouping several First Ladies or events. Packed with interesting facts and illustrated with style, this upbeat overview of America’s First Ladies will entertain kids intrigued by history.
— Carolyn Phelan
What's the Big Deal about First Ladies.
Shamir, Ruby (Author) , Faulkner, Matt (Illustrator)
Jan 2017. 32 p. Philomel, hardcover, $17.99. (9780399547249). 352.23092.
Think you know your First Ladies? Think again, as this colorful book looks at their varied roles and experiences. Arranged thematically rather than chronologically, the text includes anecdotes from the women’s White House days, acknowledgments of their accomplishments, and information that gives broader social or historical context to their stories. The double-page spreads use a Q&A structure.
After discussing the basics, such as the nature of the First Lady’s job, Shamir answers questions such as, “But it’s cool to live in the White House, right?” and “Do First Ladies really make a difference?” Answers might take a single sentence or several paragraphs, surrounded by large, imaginative illustrations showing particular First Ladies in action. Created with watercolor and pencil, the artwork helps create the book’s buoyant atmosphere. Faulkner takes full advantage of the large pages with multiple images, some set off by white space, some imaginatively layered, and others grouping several First Ladies or events. Packed with interesting facts and illustrated with style, this upbeat overview of America’s First Ladies will entertain kids intrigued by history.
— Carolyn Phelan
Midwest Book Review
What's the Big Deal About First Ladies is a picturebook filled with amazing facts about the wives of Presidents of the United States, from Martha Washington to Michelle Obama, with a particular spotlight on the causes that each first lady worked to promote. First ladies served as hostesses, ambassadors, activists, educators, historians, and role-models; and their efforts to make the world a better place ranged from Mary Todd Lincoln's work to end slavery to Edith Wilson's decoding of secret messages from allied forces during World War I. An extraordinarily educational and inspirational collection of amazing true facts and short stories, What's the Big Deal About First Ladies is highly recommended especially for school and library nonfiction picturebook collections.
What's the Big Deal About First Ladies is a picturebook filled with amazing facts about the wives of Presidents of the United States, from Martha Washington to Michelle Obama, with a particular spotlight on the causes that each first lady worked to promote. First ladies served as hostesses, ambassadors, activists, educators, historians, and role-models; and their efforts to make the world a better place ranged from Mary Todd Lincoln's work to end slavery to Edith Wilson's decoding of secret messages from allied forces during World War I. An extraordinarily educational and inspirational collection of amazing true facts and short stories, What's the Big Deal About First Ladies is highly recommended especially for school and library nonfiction picturebook collections.