Publishers Weekly - Audio
Listeners should have a box of tissues handy for this brief audio production in which Meltzer presents 60 noteworthy individuals whom he upholds as heroes for his six-year-old daughter, Lila. Meltzer opens by announcing that he will be reading the book to Lila with her right there in the studio, so she chimes in to say hello (and makes a brief appearance later as well). What Meltzer lacks in skills as an actor he makes up for in passion as a father seeking to broaden his daughter’s world. Every mini-biography rings with his enthusiasm as he elucidates what he admires about figures such as Susan B. Anthony, Christopher Reeve, Julia Child, and Rosa Parks. There are a couple of emotional moments when he relates more personal heroes, like the ninth-grade teacher who first recognized his talent as a writer, or the passengers on United Flight 93 who refused to let hijackers crash their airplane into Washington, D.C.—where Lila’s mother had been on her way to work at the U.S. Capitol. The second disc contains a 67-page PDF with photos of every hero mentioned in the book and additional pages for printing and journaling about the listener’s own heroes. A Harper hardcover. (Apr.)
Library Journal
In this she-version companion piece to his 2010 release Heroes for My Son, thriller writer Meltzer offers profiles of such important and inspiring women as Marie Curie, Audrey Hepburn, and Amelia Earhart. The entries are one to two pages each and include a photograph, the hero’s profession, and a Meltzer-manufactured heading. (Anne Frank is listed as “Witness” and Judy Blume as “Truth Teller.”) The entries pique interest for further research, more than provide any real information (Sally Ride “saw an opportunity and grabbed it”). But libraries with Meltzer’s Son volume may want to acquire the companion.
VERDICT This book may provide ideas for biography reports, but it is ultimately more of a coffee-table book than a library resource.
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JANUARY 2014 - AudioFile
[Editors' Note: The following is a combined review of HEROES FOR MY DAUGHTER and HEROES FOR MY SON.]--The author of suspense novels, TV shows, and comic books offers two collections of heroes to guide the lives of boys (52 profiles) and girls (55 profiles). The snapshots give a thumbnail of each person and what traits or accomplishments made each one great. Though the profiles are brief enough to not challenge young attention spans, they offer enough information to inspire some curiosity. Throughout this production, Meltzer sounds like he’s talking to children, and there are brief segments when his own children respond to his questions, all of which may work for the targeted audience. T.W. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine
