In a companion to Amelia to Zora: Twenty-Six Women Who Changed the World (2005), this fine collective biography celebrates 26 famous men from the arts, the sciences, sports, and politics, with special emphasis on peacemakers, including Mohandas (Ghandi) and Nelson (Mandela). Each one-page celebration includes a brief, eloquent profile; a quote from the subject; and a mixed-media illustration (for Langston Hughes, a photo of the poet is set against the illustrators' dark, glowing rendering of a Harlem neighborhood). It is not clear why Chin-Lee uses given names rather than her subjects' more familiar surnames; however, the profiles are clearly, even eloquently written, and include just the right amount of detail and information about work and ethics for the target audience. Chin-Lee's rich diversity of subjects, from Diego (Rivera) and Greg (Louganis) to Octavio (Paz) and Vine (Deloria), makes a statement on its own. Of course, readers will want more, and the bibliography is a good place to begin research.

In a companion to Amelia to Zora (2005), Chin-Lee selects an alphabetical array of men for the same treatment -- a two or three paragraph biographical précis that includes a childhood incident, a description of important accomplishments and a pithy quote. Though such usual suspects as Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela are in the broadly international lineup, so are plenty of surprises (as you'd guess from the title), from filmmaker Akira Kurosawa and composer Zoltan Kodaly to Pashtun leader Badshah Abdul Ghaffa Khan, poet Octavio Paz, athlete Greg Louganis and bandleader Xavier Cugat Mingall. Using cut-paper shapes and paint, Halsey and Addy add stylized but generally recognizable figurative or symbolic portraits for each -- posing Frank Lloyd Wright against a glittering stained glass window, for instance, but substituting a cello for Yo Yo Ma, and dog and a bell for Ivan Petrovich Pavlov. Though most of these men are no longer active, or even living, and not all "changed the world" to quite the same degree, they're still worth knowing.

This companion volume to Chin-Lee's Amelia to Zora (Charlesbridge, 2005) has capsule biographies of 26 men -- some famous, some lesser-known -- representing ethnic diversity and a variety of professions. The entries, all one page, cover individuals as varies as Akira Kurosawa and Pelé. Each page includes brief biographical information and covers the subject's significant contributions in succinct, readable prose. A quote from each man is incorporated into the lovely mixed-media illustrations that grace every entry. Representing several categories of performing arts, writers and poets, architects, political leaders, doctors, and astronauts, the intriguing and informative text expands upon the general conception of what it means to be famous by focusing on what makes a difference in the world. The concluding bibliography leads readers to deeper works in both print and nonprint sources. A worthy purchase, both in informational and illustrative terms, this title provides a starting place for research on any of these figures as it demonstrates the importance of passion in work.