Madam Speaker: Nancy Pelosi Calls the House to Order

A short, admiring biography, punctuated with quotations from Pelosi and accompanied by simple, stylized art.
The initial double-page spread shows little Nancy D'Alesandro stuffing envelopes for one of her father's political campaigns. (He served both in Congress and as Baltimore's mayor.) A framed family portrait-including Nancy's five older brothers-sits beneath a quotation in which she lists her family's allegiances to Catholicism, patriotism, Italian American pride, and the Democratic Party. The text is accessible and clever, as in its assertion that Nancy and her brothers "looked up" to portraits of past presidents and also "never looked down on those who needed a hand up." As the text reveals her passage from youth into adulthood, it suggests that Pelosi learned about leadership from her father and from nuns at her college prep school. Pelosi's own words add motherhood to her leadership training. This and other well-chosen quotations show her cleareyed understanding from an early age of gender-based power dynamics. The text follows her further education; her marriage and swift plunge into raising five children; her congressional work in support of LGBTQ+ rights and the Affordable Care Act; her record-breaking eight hours of speech to protect DACA recipients. The art includes mostly benevolent-looking people of varied racial presentations; the text barely suggests political discord but unabashedly highlights Pelosi's Democratic victories. It's possible that even children of Republicans will be inspired by the ending.
Overall, a solid choice for first-time biography readers.

This book will inspire young readers through its positive portrayal of American politics and of Pelosi as a strong woman leader.

Weatherford's picture book biography of groundbreaking stateswoman Nancy Pelosi recounts how her upbringing and family life informed her career priorities. The succinct narrative highlights Pelosi's childhood in a religious and political Italian American family (her mother wanted her to become a nun, "but I thought I might want to be a priest") and her rise from California Democratic Party chair to Speaker of the U.S. House, becoming "the first woman to be second in line to the presidency." Boxed quotations from Pelosi offer insight into her influences and motivations; one reveals how the busy mother of five "saw politics as an expansion of my role as a mom." Hsu's cartoon-style digital illustrations offer varying perspectives, depicting scenes ranging from a Catholic school classroom to the signing of the Affordable Care Act as seen from Pelosi's vantage. A bibliography and timeline conclude this favorable portrait of a glass-ceiling breaker. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)

Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Gr 1-4--As a child, Nancy Pelosi stuffed envelopes, handed out leaflets, and held the Bible as her father, Mayor Thomas D'Alesandro of Baltimore, was sworn into office. Additional childhood details are offered, including Pelosi's Catholic upbringing and education, as well as her political work while raising a family, her election to Congress, and 20 years later, her rise to become the first female Speaker of the House. Pelosi's advocacy and fight on behalf of children in poverty, gay rights, women, and the children of undocumented immigrants are all mentioned, as well as her work on the Affordable Care Act. Her determination and tenacity as a woman devoted to public service shine through, supported by abundant, relevant pull-quotes--one on nearly every spread. The book ends in 2018 with Pelosi taking the oath of Speaker of the House for the second time, and, surrounded by children, calling Congress to order. Hsu's stylized figures and use of color and detail add energy and a bit of humor (e.g., Pelosi dancing to rock 'n' roll as a teen). This work complements Elisa Boxer's A Seat at the Table, a biography that emphasizes Pelosi's struggle as a woman in politics, with fewer specifics on the causes Pelosi has championed. There is nary a mention of her equally powerful political detractors holding seats in Washington. VERDICT An engaging introduction to the most powerful woman in current American politics.--Daryl Grabarek, formerly at School Library Journal

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.