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outcolder's review against another edition
5.0
Schomburg is one of my personal heroes, even if his classification system diverges sharply from library science principles, wink, wink. This beautiful, award-winning tribute to Harlem’s number one bibliomaniac also includes short portraits of some of the women and men of genius with African ancestry who Schomburg brought to the world’s attention. I would have loved more, especially the childhood in Puerto Rico and the activism during the Harlem Renaissance, but that’s part of the challenge with writing for 8 to 12 year-olds. One day, I will get to the Sinnette biography.
geekwayne's review
3.0
'Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library' by Carole Boston Weatherford with illustrations by Eric Velasquez is the true story of a man who wanted to make sure the history of his people was not lost to time.
Arturo Schomburg lived during the time of the Harlem Renaissance and was a scholar with a mission to correct history. He did this by acquiring books and documents and art showing the contributions of the African diaspora. His collection was eventually too big for his house, so it is now part of the New York Public Library.
This is a very text heavy book for a picture book. While I enjoyed reading about the people that Arturo discovered along the way, I feel like much of that had been vastly shortened and the focus kept of Schomburg. His story alone is so interesting that it should have carried the entire book. The illustrations are rich and beautiful.
I received a review copy of this ebook from Candlewick Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
Arturo Schomburg lived during the time of the Harlem Renaissance and was a scholar with a mission to correct history. He did this by acquiring books and documents and art showing the contributions of the African diaspora. His collection was eventually too big for his house, so it is now part of the New York Public Library.
This is a very text heavy book for a picture book. While I enjoyed reading about the people that Arturo discovered along the way, I feel like much of that had been vastly shortened and the focus kept of Schomburg. His story alone is so interesting that it should have carried the entire book. The illustrations are rich and beautiful.
I received a review copy of this ebook from Candlewick Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
carolineinthelibrary's review
3.0
An interesting picture book biography of Arturo (Arthur) Schomburg, a bibliophile and historian who I knew little about until reading this book. His story is inspiring and rich, but I thought this book in particular was a little too text heavy for the marketer audience. Even as an adult I had to take some breaks to get through this one. I think this would be better for a YA audience in its current format.
jaij7's review
5.0
Fantastic book. Schomburg is such an interesting character. Great biography for kids.
lattelibrarian's review
5.0
I'd never heard of Schomburg before, and I don't know why because he seems absolutely essential to black history in the United States. He compiled a huge, fantastic library that was all about black history from the more obvious bits to the things he happened upon in antique book stores. This book, in showing how Schomburg gained such inspiration from those before him, does an incredible job of showing us just who those people were. Most were people I'd never heard of myself, but some I'd known, but never knew they were black! For instance--did you know that Beethoven was a "mulatto"? I certainly didn't! And it really makes you wonder why you didn't (though I'm sure we all actually know why).
And on top of that, the illustrations are just gorgeous and realistic, and do a fantastic job of portraying so many different characters and histories. This is overall an incredibly strong book, one that I hope will be recognized in awards to come, by libraries and bookstores, and by readers ourselves.
Review cross-listed here!
And on top of that, the illustrations are just gorgeous and realistic, and do a fantastic job of portraying so many different characters and histories. This is overall an incredibly strong book, one that I hope will be recognized in awards to come, by libraries and bookstores, and by readers ourselves.
Review cross-listed here!
abellebooks's review
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
5.0
This book is beautiful from the pictures to the writing. As a child we learned about the same (very important) leaders within the community. As someone who loves learning, collecting, and understanding history, I wish I was introduced to Arturo Shomburg earlier. The beauty of learning and reading is that it is never too late! Highly recommend anyone pick up this book.
perazo's review
4.0
This was more informational than I thought it would be, but I did enjoy this story into Arturo Schomburg’s quest to collect and share stories about Black people throughout the previous century, especially great writers and artists.
kawarwick's review
4.0
Beautiful illustrations. Loved how the biography was told in verse. He was a man to admire.
kristi_starr35's review
5.0
Schomburg: The Man Who Built A Library is a biography of Arturo Schomburg, born in Puerto Rico, immigrated to America, ardent bibliophile, and collector of materials that showcased the contributions of men and women of African heritage from around the world. We read not only about Schomburg and how he grew his collection, but what he learned about famous men and women such as Phyllis Wheatley, Benjamin Banneker, Alexander Pushkin, and Toussaint Louverture.
Schomburg eventually sold his collection to the Carnegie Corporation, who donated it to the New York Public Library. He served as the curator of the NYPL's Division of Negro History, Literature, and Prints, renamed the Schomburg Collection for Negro History, Literature and Prints in 1940, two years after his death. The collection was designated a research library and renamed the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in 1972.
Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrator Eric Velasquez have created a book full of beautiful illustrations and rich historical content. As a child, Arturo Schomburg bristled at the injustice of being able to find information about historical and literary contributions of men and women of color. Weatherford brings to our attention names both familiar and new. Schomburg would have reveled in such a book.
Schomburg eventually sold his collection to the Carnegie Corporation, who donated it to the New York Public Library. He served as the curator of the NYPL's Division of Negro History, Literature, and Prints, renamed the Schomburg Collection for Negro History, Literature and Prints in 1940, two years after his death. The collection was designated a research library and renamed the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in 1972.
Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrator Eric Velasquez have created a book full of beautiful illustrations and rich historical content. As a child, Arturo Schomburg bristled at the injustice of being able to find information about historical and literary contributions of men and women of color. Weatherford brings to our attention names both familiar and new. Schomburg would have reveled in such a book.