The House That Jane Built

Starred review from April 27, 2015
Vowing from an early age to improve the lives of the impoverished, Addams established a settlement home, Hull House, in Chicago in 1889, creating a community refuge. The desperation of the poor is evident in their anguished grimaces as they vie for spoiled food, while children’s joy as they play in Chicago’s first playground (thanks to Addams) is just as clear. In a moving portrayal of empathy and innovation in action, Stone and Brown convey both the significance of Addams’s contributions (“Today, every community center in America, in large part, has Jane Addams to thank”), as well as the physical transformations of those she helped. Ages 6–9. Author’s agent: Rosemary Stimola, Stimola Literary Studio.

September 1, 2015

K-Gr 2-This charming picture book details the life of social worker and activist Jane Addams. At a young age, Addams became aware that not all people had the advantages in life that she enjoyed, and she was determined to "find a way to fix the world." Because of the influence of her enlightened father, she went to college at a time when most women didn't. She graduated at the top of her class but was uncertain what to do next. While visiting London with friends, Addams saw poor people begging to buy rotten food at a market. Reminded of her early resolve to help the needy, she visited Toynbee Hall, a London settlement house that proposed that rich and poor live together, "settled in," so they could learn from one another. She returned home with a plan. Chicago in 1889 was home to many immigrants in search of a better life, but language barriers made it difficult to find decent jobs. Stone describes how Addams located a large house in a rough neighborhood and named it Hull House in honor of a benefactor. Addams's efforts transformed neighborhoods and lives, and by 1907 Hull House had grown into 13 community buildings. Rendered in watercolor with pen and ink, the illustrations, both full bleed and spot, beautifully evoke the time period and enhance the well-researched, accessible text. The author's note shares more of Addams's remarkable accomplishments. VERDICT A fine introduction to the first American female recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.-Sara-Jo Lupo Sites, George F. Johnson Memorial Library, Endicott, NY

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2015
Picture-book biographies often read like book reports, but Stone avoids the trappings, bypassing the list of accolades that her subject racked up (Addams was the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize) in favor of showing her in a strictly human light (regarding her famous generosity: One friend gave her new underwear with her initials just so Jane couldn't pass them on. But she did! ). Addams's path was determined when, at age six, she realized that her privilege was not universal. Inspired by a visit to London's Toynbee Hall, the adult Addams, with her friend Ellen Gates Starr, started a settlement house in Chicago in 1889 to help the vast immigrant population among the city's one million inhabitants; Hull House became a template for the modern community center. Although there's nothing here about Addams's personal life, Stone is deft with characterization: readers see the young Addams enjoying a childhood game with her stepbrother, and while no connection is articulated, this seems contiguous with her launching Chicago's first playground as an adult. An author's note offers supplemental information, including that the FBI kept a file on Addams and that some considered her the most dangerous woman in America. Addams's matter-of-fact noblesse oblige is captured in Brown's handsome watercolor and pen-and-ink illustrations, which are backed with a historical-children's-book's standard yellowish-sepia. But make no mistake: given today's headlines about income inequality, Addams's preoccupations are emphatically contemporary. nell beram

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)