Tag: biography

Book reviews by Elizabeth, Book reviews by kids

Book review: Ajay Rane

Alphabet Soup
Image shows the cover of a children's book: Ajay Rane, Global Crusader for Women's health by Deb Fitzpatrick. The cover illustration shows a hand drawn illustration of Prof Ajay Rane standing in blue hospital scrubs with hands on his hips and a stethoscope around his neck. Ajay has brown skin, short dark hair and wears glasses. Around him are doodle style drawings of the symbol for woman, a pelvis from a skeleton, and a glowing light bulb.

REVIEWED BY ELIZABETH, 9, NSW

Ajay Rane: Global crusader for women’s health by Deb Fitzpatrick, Wild Dingo Press, ISBN 9781925893595

The publisher provided a review copy of this book.

‘Who is Ajay Rane and why should Australians know him?’ I hear you ask curiously. He is Dr Rane and he is an advocate for women’s health. He saves women’s lives by helping women who suffer from fistula after giving birth.

It all started with Ajay’s paternal grandmother. She told Murli, Ajay’s father, to remember the work he learnt at school. Murli tried his hardest and eventually became a doctor. Then he started a hospital in his home town. This is when Ajay comes into the story. Ajay followed his dad’s footsteps and became a doctor.  

One of Ajay’s patients made me cry. She was a nurse until she had a baby and she could not go to work because she had fistula after giving birth. Then her husband kicked her out of the family. What will happen to her now?

I love this extraordinary book because it takes us back to Ajay’s ancestry. I have learnt so much about Ajay Rane and his family, like when Ajay was younger he celebrated the Diwali Festival with his family. Another section that was funny was when Ajay’s brother went to the toilet in his grandmother’s place in India only to find a pig in the toilet pit.  

I rate this excellent book 10/10.

Take a look inside the book at the publisher’s website!

Read our 2022 interview with the author, Deb Fitzpatrick.

Elizabeth is a regular reviewer for Alphabet Soup. You can read more of her reviews here. To send us YOUR book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!

Book reviews by Elizabeth, Book reviews by kids

Book review: Veena Sahajwalla

Alphabet Soup

REVIEWED BY ELIZABETH, 9, NSW

Veena Sahajwalla: ‘Green’ engineer and recycling champion by Julianne Negri, Wild Dingo Press, ISBN 9781925893250

The publisher provided a review copy of this title.

Veena is an inspiring person to the next generation because she changed the world by inventing green steel. When Veena was little she just liked to ride on her dad’s scooter around Mumbai all the time. But she did not think that she would become the recycling champion in the future. 

From reading this book, I  learnt that Veena is a very diligent, persistent and resilient person. When she was in school she did extra work because she loved doing homework. She was the only girl in the class in her  university studies and she tried her best.

I rate this book 10/10 because this has even inspired me to be an engineer.

Veena Sahajwalla: ‘Green’ engineer and recycling champion is out now! Ask for it at your favourite bookshop or local library.

Elizabeth is a regular reviewer for Alphabet Soup. You can read more of her reviews here. To send us YOUR book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!

Book reviews by Anwen, Book reviews by kids

Book review: Fantastically Great Women Artists and their Stories

Alphabet Soup
Image shows the cover of a children's nonfiction book: Fantastically Great Women Artists and their Stories by Kate Pankhurst. The cover is predominantly red and shows drawings in a cartoon-like style of some of the women artists at work.

REVIEWED BY ANWEN, 8, WA

Fantastically Great Women Artists and their Stories by Kate Pankhurst, Bloomsbury, ISBN 9781526615343

The publisher provided a review copy of this book.

Fantastically Great Women Artists and their Stories is a non-fiction book. It is written by Kate Pankhurst and is about seven artists and one art collector. The artists in the book are Elisabeth Louise Vigee Le Brun, Frida Kahlo, Amrita Sher-Gill, Kathe Kollwitz, Dame Laura Knight, Emily Kame Kngwarreye and Faith Ringgold. The art collector is Peggy Guggenheim. She created one of the most important art collections in the world.

I learnt about the lives of these women. I knew a bit about Frida Kahlo already but I learnt more from this book. I found Kathe Kollwitz the most interesting of them all. At a time of war she showed parents and children grieving in her art works. The book made me feel sorrow and happiness. It made me feel inspired too.

The illustrations are detailed and show what the lives of the women were like. Although they have no colour they are spectacular.

I recommend this book for people who like doing art. It is good for people who are seven and over.

Anwen is a regular book reviewer for Alphabet Soup. You can read more of her reviews here. If YOU would like to send us a book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!

Book reviews by Elizabeth, Book reviews by kids

Book review: Creswell Eastman, the Man Who Saved a Million Brains

Alphabet Soup
The image shows the cover of a children's biography: Cresswell Eastman, the Man who Saved a Million Brains by Penny Tangey. The cover is predominantly orange and shows a hand drawn illustration of Cresswell Eastman in a white surgical coat, holding a microscope. He's surrounded by doodle style illustrations of a stethoscope, a needs and a glowing lightbulb.

REVIEWED BY ELIZABETH, 9, NSW

Creswell Eastman, the Man Who Saved a Million Brains by Penny Tangey, Wild Dingo Press, ISBN 9781925893526

The publisher provided a review copy of this book.

Creswell Eastman was the smartest child in the class. One day, Sister Francis asked Creswell to follow her in the hall. They walked through the senior school, into the classroom and he saw his older sister. He was tested to see if he was better at maths than anyone else. That afternoon a boy punched him for being better at maths. The next day at lunchtime his teacher, who was a nun, taught Creswell to defend himself. The following day the boy was waiting for Creswell. What would Cres do?

The thing I enjoyed the most about the book by Penny Tangey was learning how Creswell used medicine to help people. It is amazing that he saved so many people’s lives in Asia.

I recommend this book to 8 years old and up because it is wonderful and interesting. I rate this book 10 out of 10.

Read chapter one on the publisher’s website.

Elizabeth is a regular reviewer for Alphabet Soup. You can read more of her reviews here. To send us YOUR story, poem, artwork or book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!