  | Brave Volodymyr : the story of Volodymyr Zelensky and the fight for Ukraine Author: Marshall, Linda Elovitz | |
| Price: $24.48 | ||
Summary:
This picture book biography of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky touches on his childhood and Jewish upbringing while highlighting the importance of standing up for what one believes in, defending freedom at all costs, and maintaining hope in the face of war's atrocities.
| Illustrator: | Oliyko, Grasya |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (-) (08/15/23)
School Library Journal (-) (11/01/23)
Full Text Reviews:
School Library Journal - 11/01/2023 Gr 3–6—This glowing biography of Volodymyr Zelensky will introduce younger readers to the Ukrainian national leader, beginning with his early life, through his college days, career as an entertainer, and to his current role as president of Ukraine. In parallel, readers learn of political events in that country; for example, the election in 2004 that the author says, "was not fair" and the results "were filled with lies." Marshall also states that Ukraine applied for EU membership so "Ukrainians could live the way people in free European countries lived." Most elementary students will lack the background knowledge to understand or assess a great deal of the material discussed in the book; while its format is a picture book, it's going to be tough to find a target audience. The artwork doesn't really help either; mixed-media collages creatively insert the idea of the Ukrainian flag into the pages, but the cartoony nature and limited palette of the rest of the book is jarring. VERDICT This very topical biography of Zelensky may be a struggle for the picture book demographic.—Debbie Tanner - Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
