The following unabridged reviews are made available under license from their respective rights holders and publishers. Reviews may be used for educational purposes consistent with the fair use doctrine in your jurisdiction, and may not be reproduced or repurposed without permission from the rights holders.

Note: This section may include reviews for related titles (e.g., same author, series, or related edition).

From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

As young children in the 1940s, twins Judy and Joyce do everything together, “two peas in a pod.” All that changes when Joyce starts school. Judy, who is nonverbal, and has what is now known as Down syndrome, is not allowed to attend. One morning Joyce wakes up to discover Judy has been taken to live at a special school. Joyce’s sadness spans years. She visits Judy occasionally as a child; more often as an adult, making sure friends, her husband, her children know her sister. Eventually, Judy, whom Joyce is surprised to learn is also deaf, comes to live with her in California. Joyce arranges for Judy to attend the Creative Growth Art Studio in her community. There, Judy spends months without seeming to engage, until the day she begins to create. From that point on, she doesn’t stop. “For years, Judy wraps and weaves, creating fantastic, cocoon-like shapes filled with color … When she leaves this world, my sister is celebrated as a great artist. Her fame still grows.” This story of outsider fiber artist Judy Scott is also a very personal account, from Joyce’s perspective, of two sisters, “two hearts forever entwined.” Occasional use of outdated terminology, such as “special needs,” doesn’t diminish the power of Judy’s art or the sisters’ stories. The marvelous mixed-media artwork explodes with texture and form in the later pages as Judy begins to create her own art. Notes include information about Judy’s art, Down syndrome, and messages from the author and illustrator. (Ages 7-11)

CCBC Choices 2022 © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2022. Used with permission.

From Horn Book

September 1, 2021
This poignant picture-book biography opens on an illustration of Joyce Scott and her twin sister Judith as children, snuggled in bed "like two spoons nesting in a drawer." Joyce and Judith do everything together until Judith, who has Down syndrome and is later also diagnosed as deaf, is sent away to an institution when the girls are seven years old. Judith spends thirty-five bleak years in the facility until Joyce brings her to California and enrolls her in a nonprofit art studio for adults with disabilities. There, Judith begins to create the astounding pieces, consisting of colorful fibers and found objects woven tightly together, which will bring her renown. The tender and evocative narration is written in the first person, present tense, which lends intimacy and immediacy to the story. Meanwhile, Sweet's illustrations evolve with the narrative, from sunny colored pencil for the girls' childhood to more subdued hues during Judith's institutionalization. Sweet (Caldecott honoree for A River of Words and The Right Word, rev. 11/14) then switches to her signature vibrant mixed media to represent Judith's later years and fiber art. Text and illustration join together beautifully to tell a story of art, resilience, and familial love. Appended with author and illustrator notes, a list of sources, further information about Down syndrome, and a timeline of disability rights. K Rachael Stein

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

From School Library Journal

July 1, 2021

Gr 2-4-This is the true story of twin sisters Joyce and Judy, who are inseparable, until Joyce goes to school and Judy can't because she has Down syndrome. Even after Judy is institutionalized, Joyce continues to be involved as much as she can with her. As an adult, Joyce becomes Judy's legal guardian and brings her home to live with her and her family. Joyce enrolls Judy in an art program that is designed to help her express herself. After some time in this school, an artist is born; after Judy dies of heart failure, her art and story continue to inspire people. This book is an amazing tribute to the determination and unshakeable bond of these siblings, who are white. The illustrations use lots of fiber art and other mixed media art in a way Judy would appreciate. Pictures with Judy and her sister are bright and colorful, while those of Judy's elementary school and other moments in time, not as happy, are darker. VERDICT For the art shelves or biography, this is a tale that teaches empathy; the coauthors and illustrator have recreated a loving world with harsh realities dancing around the melancholy edges.-Dorinda Brown, High Plains Community Schs., Polk, NE

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

From Horn Book

July 1, 2021
This poignant picture-book biography opens on an illustration of Joyce Scott and her twin sister Judith as children, snuggled in bed "like two spoons nesting in a drawer." Joyce and Judith do everything together until Judith, who has Down syndrome and is later also diagnosed as deaf, is sent away to an institution when the girls are seven years old. Judith spends thirty-five bleak years in the facility until Joyce brings her to California and enrolls her in a nonprofit art studio for adults with disabilities. There, Judith begins to create the astounding pieces, consisting of colorful fibers and found objects woven tightly together, which will bring her renown. The tender and evocative narration is written in the first person, present tense, which lends intimacy and immediacy to the story. Meanwhile, Sweet's illustrations evolve with the narrative, from sunny colored pencil for the girls' childhood to more subdued hues during Judith's institutionalization. Sweet (Caldecott honoree for A River of Words and The Right Word, rev. 11/14) then switches to her signature vibrant mixed media to represent Judith's later years and fiber art. Text and illustration join together beautifully to tell a story of art, resilience, and familial love. Appended with author and illustrator notes, a list of sources, further information about Down syndrome, and a timeline of disability rights.

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

From Booklist

June 1, 2021
Grades 1-3 Sweet brings her signature style of intricate collage compositions to this picture-book biography of Judith Scott, a fiber artist with Down syndrome. With assistance from Spengler, author Joyce Scott (Judith's twin sister) poetically describes her happy childhood with her sister, which turns to grief and dismay when, in 1950, their parents send Judith to an institution, where she ends up staying for decades. As adults, Joyce and Judith are finally reunited, and Judith finds a creative outlet at an organization giving people with disabilities a place to make art. Judith's sculptures, colorful bundles of found materials, eventually brought her world renown, though primarily after her death, a note the book somewhat abruptly ends on. Joyce emphasizes the importance of creative freedom, though there's a sadness here that children might have questions about. Sweet effectively uses color to evoke mood and incorporates homages to Judith's art in her eclectic, eye-catching compositions. Backmatter elaborates on Judith's life and art and includes a photo of one of her striking sculptures. An artful, deeply felt glimpse into the life of a lesser-known artist.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

From Kirkus

May 15, 2021
Scott reminisces about her twin sister, an artist with Down syndrome. Growing up, Joyce and Judy are "each other's world." When Joyce starts kindergarten, Judy is diagnosed with Down syndrome and a weak heart. Doctors say she won't get better, but Joyce knows her sister is "perfect just the way she is." To help her learn to speak, her parents send Judy to a special school, and Joyce's world is "replaced with the colors of gone." Judy lives in the grim institution until adulthood. Now her sister's guardian, Scott is stunned to discover that she has been deaf since childhood. Appalled she's been denied education, Scott enrolls her twin at an Oakland art studio for adults with disabilities. There, Judy Scott finds a passion: creating sculptures from fibers and found objects. For years, Judy Scott expresses herself through art...until, the day after she makes a small, black piece unlike her usual colorful work and gives her sister her magazine collection, she dies of heart failure in author Scott's arms. It's bittersweet that she's "celebrated as a great artist" after her death. Co-written with Spangler and Sweet, Scott's prose poetically conveys the sisters' strong bond; Sweet's nuanced, eye-catching illustrations mimic Judy Scott's eclectic artwork with vivid colors and bristling collages while depicting the sisters' love with soft hues. However, the focus, perhaps by necessity, is on the author's relationship with and feelings about her sister, throwing Judy Scott's isolated upbringing into sharp relief and rendering her story as disquieting as it is triumphant. The Scott sisters present White. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A sweet yet troubling account of sisterhood and the power of art. (timeline, photos, author's note, illustrator's note, sources, resources) (Picture book/biography. 4-6)

COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

From Publisher's Weekly

Starred review from May 3, 2021
Scott (Entwined, for adults) and Spangler (Beast) begin this powerful picture biography of Scott’s twin sister Judith (1943–2005) with a description of their early childhood. Joyce and Judy did everything together: “I don’t know if everything comes in twos, but it seems that way to me!” But when Joyce is ready to attend school, Judy, who has “what will come to be known as Down syndrome,” stays home. One morning, Joyce wakes up to find Judy gone, institutionalized by their parents. As an adult, Joyce brings her sister to live with her family and enrolls her in an art program, where Judy begins making intricate, colorful constructions with string, twigs, and found objects, word of which grows among buyers, critics, and museums. In delicate lines, illustrator Sweet (Alphamaniacs) commemorates the story’s most emotive moments—Joyce’s desolation, clutching twin stuffed bunnies, when Judy vanishes, and the whole-family embrace that enfolds Judy when she arrives to live with Joyce’s family. Told in an order that allows readers to appreciate Judy the way Joyce does, this book’s creators successfully render a personal story of love, nurture, and individual gifts. Back matter includes more information and photos of Judy’s fiber art. Ages 4–8. Authors’ agents: (for Scott) Stacey Glick, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret; (for Spangler) Mackenzie Brady Watson, Stuart Krichevsky.

From AudioFile Magazine

In this biographical look at artist Judith Scott told from her twin sister's point of view, young listeners are given a glimpse of the power of art. The story is told in short, spare poems, and author Joyce Scott's affection and reverence for her sister come through in her narration. Judith Scott was born with Down syndrome at a time when it was not understood. She spent most of her life in an institution until her twin, the author, was able to become her guardian. Joyce enrolled Judith in an art class, in which Judith began to thrive and express herself through her unique artwork. Judith's story encourages listeners to share their voices in whatever way they can. S.B.T. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine