We made it to the W’s (and one Y)! I’m closing out the month with four more picture books about wildly varying historical figures with wildly varying illustration styles. Take your pick.

What To Do About Alice?: How Alice Roosevelt Broke the Rules, Charmed the World, and Drove Her Father Teddy Crazy! by Barbara Kerley, illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham (Scholastic, 2008)

This biographical picture book is not centered on any one accomplishment as many others are, but describes Alice Roosevelt’s (1884-1980) high spirits and hijinx, both as a child and as an adult. The writing is engaging and the illustrations are dynamic. The author’s note at the end provides more information (though in my library copy some of it was covered by the taped-down dust jacket!). Recommended for ages 8 to 10.

When Marian Sang: The True Recital of Marian Anderson by Pam Muñoz Ryan, illustrated by Brian Selznick (Scholastic, 2002)

African-American singer Marian Anderson (1897-1992) is famous for performing in front of the Lincoln Memorial in 1939. This picture book shows how she got there and how she continued to overcome prejudice to realize her dream of performing with the Metropolitan Opera. I love how the text incorporates hymns and spirituals. Selznick’s muted oversized illustrations are lovely. Detailed author’s and illustrators notes will interest those who want to know more about how the book was conceived and researched. Recommended resources, discography, and a timeline round out the extra content. Recommended for ages 8 to 12.

The World Is Not a Rectangle: A Portrait of Architect Zaha Hadid by Jeanette Winter (Beach Lane Books, 2017)

This is another biographical picture book from prolific author-illustrator Jeanette Winter, a genius at distilling someone’s life and accomplishments down to an interesting story for children, complete with simple, colourful illustrations. Here she shows how Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid was inspired by grasses, sand dunes, shells, stars, pebbles, and waves. Winter writes about the opposition Hadid overcame and depicts specific buildings she designed. At the end of the book you can see the names of the buildings and where they are located, including in the United Arab Emirates, China, Austria, Italy, and Cambodia. You’ll also find brief biographical information, a few quotes, and a list of the sources. Recommended for ages 5 to 8.

Yayoi Kusama Covered Everything in Dots and Wasn’t Sorry by Fausto Gilberti (Phaidon Press, 2020)

I might as well say right off that I’m skeptical of contemporary art! Yayoi Kusama (b. 1929) is a famous contemporary artist who is still living in Japan. This book is written in the first person, telling about the artist’s childhood dream of becoming famous, her move to the United States, where she lived in poverty until she met Georgia O’Keeffe and began selling paintings, and her return to Japan. There are examples of her art like covering clothes in dried pasta, painting people with dots (to protest the Vietnam War), making a dress that could be worn by twenty-five people at once, and covering pumpkins in polka dots. The primitive black and white illustrations seem appropriate to the subject matter. Biographical information is included at the end along with a photograph of an art installation called All the Eternal Love I Have for the Pumpkins. Recommended for ages 7 to 9.