As I said with my Lenny Henry review, I recently refound the Little People, Big Dreams series, with their new people or new to most children biography series. When I found Vanessa Nakate I said, “That name sounds familiar, who is she again?” Then I realized she was that Vanessa Nakate, the young woman who had her image cropped out of the photograph that included other climate change activists. This young woman knew that she was not just being cropped out of a photograph, but her continent was being cropped out of the discussion.
Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara is at it again as she shows how the oldest child of five became a world leader. We mostly follow Nakate during the protests they organized or partook in, but there is a bit of a lead up from when she was a child. The illustrations of Olivia Amoah are within the usual style of the Little People, Big Dreams, but there is a hint of their own creativity as well. The colors fit the tone and places we see, the images are simple, but give the details that are needed.
Perhaps my favorite parts of these books is the timeline at the end. That gives a slightly bigger picture and allows for the book to grow with the child. However, there was an area in this book, that felt out of place or at least, out of the blue (unfortunately sometimes that happens within this series). This is after Nakate graduated college, but the aunties were still looking for a husband to her/to marry her off. I think a little note about why this was important would have made for a smoother transition.
While I read this via an online reader copy, it is currently available.