We are mighty 12 ordinary Americans who did the next needed thing

McMahon draws in part on her bestsellingThe Small and the Mighty (2024) to pay tribute to undersung American heroes. Switching out Daniel Inouye and some other members of her original gallery for more generally recognizable achievers like Jim Thorpe and Roberto Clemente, McMahon skips conventional career overviews to focus on anecdotes illustrative of character, such as the way Clemente prioritized answering fan letters from children. But much of what made her adult title such a refreshing and enlightening read, such as rousing details of the colorful life and gruesome death of Gouverneur Morris, author of the Preamble to the Constitution, is gone. Condensed to a single spread sharing space with spot art and a portrait of a dignified figure with a distant gaze, each entry is so abbreviated that everyone comes off as one-, or at most two-dimensional; notwithstanding the support of a skimpy timeline at the end, readers will be left largely in the dark not only about significant biographical events, but also historical contexts, and though the roster is in fact diverse, racial identities aren't explored in any depth. Still, they will come away with eye-opening ideas about the kinds of large or small, public or private acts that might inspire them to rise up and do the "next needed thing" themselves when the moment arrives. Squeezed nearly dry of the original's juice but still offers a few squirts of inspiration. (bibliography, source notes)(Informational picture book/collective biography. 7-10) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.