I thoroughly enjoyed reading about this talented and humble man who deserved to have his story told. The beautiful illustrations enhance the wonderful storytelling. Well done!

Really interesting story.
Just wish the book design was more engaging.

One of the best non-fiction picture books I've read this year. It's often hard to do biography justice in a picture book format. But I think this book does a great job. Certainly young readers will have many questions regarding Vivien's unfair treatment as an African American...but isn't that what we want a good non-fiction book to do? I know I will be sharing this book with my students!

Viven Thomas. VIVIEN THOMAS. Everyone should learn about Vivien Thomas in school - black excellence in a time of active suppression of talent and intelligence.
The story of Thomas and Blalock is incredible, and I'm so glad I have this book to give people who need to learn about it.

This book really deserves five stars; the reason I gave it only four is because of form. The doctors in the book are referred to as "Dr. Last Name", but the subject of the book is referred to by just his first name, Vivien. This feels demeaning, even though I realize that the usage is probably due to the fact of this being a children's book, and not an intentional slight. Perhaps I am a little too touchy about this. It is all too common to see women and minorities spoken of by first name only, even when they have a title; the formality of being addressed by last name is reserved for white men. But this book is about a black man who broke a race barrier and was denied acknowledgement for decades, so the convention of calling him Vivien rather than Thomas grates on me, even in this context.

This picture book biography honors a Black medical pioneer in a meaningful way, but it is very wordy and some of the medical explanations are difficult to understand.

Another marvelous picture book biography about a not very well-known medical pioneer, Vivien Thomas. Not well known because of his race, and the racial barriers that existed during his lifetime. His mentor, Dr. Alfred Blalock, and a pediatric cardiologist, Dr. Helen Taussig, got all the formal recognition and accolades as a result. Eventually, he was awarded appropriately for his work in a specific cardiac procedure to correct defects in infant hearts.

Hooks tells this story simply and elegantly, using terms that young readers will understand. The racial inequities Thomas experienced are not sugar coated. Colin Bootman's illustrations are perfect for the tone of this book, which is a rather calm journey through the rather scary world of pediatric cardiology.

NOTE: This review may appear on my library's social media book review channel in the future.

Very text-heavy, suitable for upper-elementary students. I had never heard of Vivien Thomas and enjoyed reading his story.

This is amazing. I am so happy I got to learn about Vivien. He had an amazing career and I'm sorry that he was not recognized for it sooner. I am glad he was acknowledged and he was able to impact so many great careers. We are very lucky to have had him! Read for Info Books for Youth for grad school.