12/13/2021

McDonnell, a former educator at Boston’s Rosie’s Place, the first women’s shelter in the U.S., spotlights Mary Jane “Kip” Tiernan (1926–2011), raised during the Great Depression by her grandmother, whose selflessness inspired Tiernan to care deeply about addressing housing insecurity. Interspersed with quotes, the book tracks Tiernan’s feats in brisk prose that uses outmoded language: “Just as her grandmother had helped people during the Depression, Kip was determined to help these homeless women.... Again and again, she heard this answer: homelessness isn’t a women’s problem.” Tiernan’s frustration with the lack of resources would eventually lead her to open Rosie’s Place in 1974, as well as help found many of Boston’s aid programs. Tentler-Krylov contributes fluid, atmospheric illustrations, rendered in watercolor and digital media, that portray figures of varying ability, age, skin tone, and size, underscoring Tiernan’s mission to help all in this compassionate narrative about the ambitious, accomplished social activist. Back matter includes more about Kip Tiernan and the Great Depression. Ages 7–10. (Mar.)

McDonnell’s straightforward and informative text incorporates well-chosen quotes that further demonstrate her subject’s iron-willed determination, questioning of the status quo (“Who decides who gets the condo and who gets the cardboard box?”), active listening, and deep empathy. . . Tentler-Krylov’s (Building Zaha, rev. 3/21) watercolor and digital illustrations, featuring soft colors and rounded edges, emit warmth and beautifully depict the healing power of human connection.

—The Horn Book (starred review)

Author Christine McDonnell, who has taught English to immigrants at Rosie’s Place, adeptly conveys the narrative arc of Tiernan’s life. . . . Victoria Tentler-Krylov’s atmospheric illustrations draw readers into Tiernan’s surroundings with immediacy and emotion. . . . This thoughtful book conveys a powerful, important message: 'When you listen to others, you show respect; you learn who they are and what they need.'


—BookPage (starred review)

At each stage of Kip’s journey, illustrations capture the mood. . . . A worthy social justice story about a compassionate woman who dedicated her life to helping others.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Tentler-Krylov contributes fluid, atmospheric illustrations, rendered in watercolor and digital media, that portray figures of varying ability, age, skin tone, and size, underscoring Tiernan’s mission to help all in this compassionate narrative about the ambitious, accomplished social activist.
—Publishers Weekly

05/27/2022

Gr 1–3—This exquisite retelling of the unsung hero, Kip Tiernan, begins when she is a young child growing up in the heart of the Great Depression. Tiernan's life of service begins in Granny's small kitchen where the older woman helps those in need, feeding men and giving away shoes and clothing. Following the death of her father, Tiernan is raised by this generous and giving grandmother. Tiernan grows up and leaves home, working in Boston aiding those in need. She makes her life's work to provide a space for women experiencing hardships, and she opens the first shelter for women only in 1974. McDonnell chronicles this journey in rich language; the illustrations convey an atmosphere of warmth, generosity, and respect. The first pictures during the Depression are deeper gray and brown, with an occasional splash of lighter colors. As Tiernan grows older and her work affects more people, the scenes introduce more and more vivid colors. Overall, this is a meaningful and resonant story of how one person can change the lives of so many others. VERDICT This is a must-have for biography collections on strong women.—Erin Olsen

★ 2022-04-27
Kip Tiernan “passed through a door and there [was] no turning back.” She was compelled to help homeless women.

Food is scarce for Granny’s large family, but she still feeds the strangers at her door during the Depression. Granddaughter Mary Jane, known as Kip, helps. Fast-forward to the 1960s. Kip, an adult, is moved by the social consciousness of the 1960s to work at Boston’s Warwick House, a shelter—for men. When she notices women disguising themselves as men to gain entrance, she campaigns to create a special shelter for them, one with flowers and music and where the residents are respected. Finally, in 1974, she turns an abandoned market into Rosie’s Place, the United States’ first shelter just for women. At each stage of Kip’s journey, illustrations capture the mood. The front endpapers, washes of gray and blue, lead into mostly gray scenes from the Depression, with spots of bright colors in Granny’s kitchen and on Kip’s dress. Splashes of color highlight scenes of the civil rights movement when Kip, as an adult, dedicates her life to helping end poverty, and the grays and colors mix as she struggles to create a sanctuary for Boston’s homeless women. Colorful washes grace illustrations of Rosie’s Place and the final endpapers. The book closes with extensive backmatter about Kip, the Depression, and causes of homelessness. Illustrations depict people of a broad range of ethnicities and ages. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A worthy social justice story about a compassionate woman who dedicated her life to helping others. (Picture-book biography. 8-12)