Dorothea Lange: The Photographer Who Found the Faces of the Depression

K-Gr 2--Dorothea Lange saw the human misery of the Depression and photographed it, helping to bring aid to those in need. Though polio left her with a limping gait, it did not keep this remarkable woman from making a difference in the world and using her insight to tell stories with her camera. The subjects she chose--sharecroppers in the South, migrant workers in the West, and, later, Japanese Americans in internment camps--faced poverty and injustice. In condensing her life for this simple picture book introduction for young readers and listeners, Weatherford and Green have sadly flattened it. Without background, the intended audience is unlikely to recognize how extraordinary Lange was, especially as a woman working professionally in her time, as an advocate for social justice, and as an artist. Swiftly summarizing events in smoothly written prose, the author ends with Lange's encounter with Florence Owens Thompson, the migrant mother of her iconic photograph. The digitally painted illustrations have a 1930s look, but the grayscale images of a few of Lange's famous photographs lack the emotion of the originals. (There are three small reproductions in the back matter.) VERDICT For a younger audience than that of Barb Rosenstock's Dorothea's Eyes: Dorothea Lange Photographs the Truth, this might provide a bridge but is not a necessary purchase.--Kathleen Isaacs, Children's Literature Specialist, Pasadena, MD

Dorothea Lange was always drawn to photography, but it wasn't until the Great Depression that she became inspired to tell human stories through her camera. Weatherford (Freedom in Congo Square) writes eloquently of Lange's creative drive and compassion: "Dorothea hit the road to show America to Americans. What others neglected or ignored, she noticed and preserved on film." Working in a thick, mossy style and a creamy color palette, newcomer Green shows Lange photographing impoverished Americans, including homeless men on Skid Row and Florence Owens Thompson, the subject of her famous image, Migrant Mother. Weatherford emphasizes how Lange was not only an artist driven to make art but an activist whose images generated awareness of suffering and injustice. Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Rubin Pfeffer, Rubin Pfeffer Content. (Feb.)

STARRED REVIEW! "Weatherford never talks down to her audience...using figurative language and rich vocabulary to tell her story...Green's debut as a picture-book illustrator is brilliant...A fine introduction to an important American artist."—Kirkus Reviews starred review