I Am Gandi & I Am Sacagawea by Brad Metlzer - Blog Tour

Happy Thursday Everyone! We've almost made it to the end of week. I hope everyone has had a fun, productive, and stress-free week so far. Today I'm a part of the blog tour through Penguin Young Readers showcasing two children's non-fiction books including I am Gandi and I am Sacagawea. Keep reading for more my thoughts and more information about the books.

Publication: October 3rd, 2017
# of Pages: N/A
Source: Copy from Publisher*

**All thoughts are my own and are by no means influenced by my access to a copy of this book.

As a young man in India, Gandhi saw firsthand how people were treated unfairly. Refusing to accept injustice, he came up with a brilliant way to fight back through quiet, peaceful protest. He took his methods with him from South Africa back to India, where he led a nonviolent revolution that freed his country from British rule. Through his calm, steady heroism, Gandhi changed everything for India and inspired civil rights movements all over the world, proving that the smallest of us can be the most powerful.

This friendly, fun biography series focuses on the traits that made our heroes great--the traits that kids can aspire to in order to live heroically themselves. Each book tells the story of one of America's icons in a lively, conversational way that works well for the youngest nonfiction readers and that always includes the hero's childhood influences. At the back are an excellent timeline and photos.

This was such a powerful book. I don't even think I know where to begin so I'll discuss it in sections. 

Artwork: The artwork was beautiful and rich in color. I never really took into consideration the idea of the artist using warm colors as the backdrop of this story, but it worked so well. I even appreciated the exaggeration of Ghandi on the cover. Eliopoulos stays with the concept/idea of keeping Ghandi small as the character states that in the beginning of the book. Overall, the artwork was amazing and definitely added to the overall feel of the story. 

Plot: This is a book that can be read by people of all ages. At first, I had an expectation that it would simply be fitting for a younger audience; however, as a young woman in her late 20's I found that I learned just as much as any young reader. Meltzer gives explicit details and information affiliated with Ghandi. I knew that Ghandi was the original creator of the concept of non-violence; however, I don't believe I realized to what extent he created the entire concept of non-violence and living a life that was based in simplicity. Even learning about the Salt Walk was new to me. It amazed me that something so small as a community of members walking to grab hand fulls of salt in protest of buying British salt could have such an amazing effect. I think that this is a book for all ages. If you've never experienced this book or haven't had the opportunity to pick it up I would definitely recommend it. Expect to learn a host of things related to Gandhi. 

Publication: October 3rd, 2017 

# of Pages: 40

Source: Copy from Publisher*

**All thoughts are my own and are by no means influenced by my access to a copy of this book. 

Sacagawea, the only Native American included in Lewis and Clark's historic expedition, joins the inspiring list of heroes whose stories are told in this New York Times Bestselling biography series.

Sacagawea was the only girl, and the only Native American, to join Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery, which explored the United States from the Mississippi River all the way to the Pacific Ocean in the early 1800s. As a translator, she helped the team communicate with members of the Shoshone tribe across the continent, carrying her child on her back the whole way. By the time the expedition arrived at the west coast, Sacagawea had proved that she truly was a trailblazer.

This friendly, fun biography series focuses on the traits that made our heroes great--the traits that kids can aspire to in order to live heroically themselves. Each book tells the story of one of America's icons in a lively, conversational way that works well for the youngest nonfiction readers and that always includes the hero's childhood influences. At the back are an excellent timeline and photos.

Another great edition to the Ordinary People Change the World series, I am Sacagawea gives great insight and details to the life of this young woman. What is most important about this book is its message. Young girls of all ages can be inspired by this book when they understand that a teenager who once was overlooked became one of the most well-known names in American history. She was courageous, fierce, kind, intelligent, and so much more. Even as an adult woman, it was great to read a story about another woman who brought about so much change when the world usually doubted her ability to accomplish anything outside of stereotypical duties. There is much to learn from this book in a historical and social sense. There were various aspects of the life of Sacagawea that I wasn't familiar with including the fact that she had a child so young and then had to take that child with her on the journey. I wasn't aware of the fact that she originally served as a translator and also a navigator. I also wasn't aware of the fact that she was able to reunite with her brother who became chief of their tribe. In addition to an excellent story, I found the artwork to be superb. It was nicely illustrated and it included enough text that it wasn't completely overwhelming. If you haven't checked out this book or any of the books in the series I would recommend getting them! They are AMAZING.  

Brad Meltzer is the New York Times bestselling author of Heroes for My Son, Heroes for My Daughter, and a number of suspense novels like The House of Secrets. He is also the host of the History Channel television shows Brad Meltzer's Decoded and Brad Meltzer's Lost History. He lives in Florida with his wife and their three children.

 

Christopher Eliopoulos began his illustration career at Marvel Comics, and has worked on thousands of comics, including Franklin Richards: Son of a Genius, Pet Avengers, Cow Boy, and Cosmic Commandos, all of which he wrote and illustrated. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and their identical twin sons.