NONFICTION

A Story Is to Share: How Ruth Krauss Found Another Way to Tell a Tale

by Carter Higgins (text) & illus. by Isabelle Arsenault
Abrams. Oct. 2022. 40p. Tr $19.99. ISBN 9781419749933.
COPY ISBN
K-Gr 3–While this picture book biography of children’s author Ruth Krauss attempts homage by using the writing style Krauss deployed in such classics as The Carrot Seed and A Hole is to Dig, the result falls short. Young readers will have difficulty connecting the abstract text to the life of Krauss, especially given how much time has passed since her books were published. The reference to The Carrot Seed at the end of the book is subtle, aimed at adults nostalgic for the book, and many of the obstacles and accomplishments of the author are not clearly mentioned in the story. Only the summary at the end of the book fully recounts Krauss’s life.
VERDICT Illustrations and text pay tribute to Krauss but leave young readers confused as to her story or even why she’s worthy of the honor.
Reviewed by Heidi Dechief , Oct 01, 2022

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