An important, empathetic, and well-told immigration story that strikes a hopeful note of resilience.
A well-researched, deeply affecting picture book examines deportation and its effects on communities and immigrant families.
Carmen, a young girl, and her mother were born in the United States, but her father, a magician, is from Mexico and doesn't have documentation to stay in the U.S. Mamá asks Carmen to keep the situation a secret—“I don't want people to look down on us”—but when word spreads at Carmen’s school, a collection is taken up to help her family pay for an immigration lawyer. Wisely, the book broadens the narrative scope to briefly acknowledge other family histories involving displacement—readers learn about Irish immigration, Syrian refugees, and enslaved Africans. Though the story never wallows in pain—even a visit to Papi's detention center is portrayed warmly as he declares “I'm not embarrassed. We’ve built a beautiful life”—it doesn't shy away from the realities of immigrant struggle, as evinced by the open ending. The comprehensive backmatter includes a glossary of Spanish terms used in the story, immigration data, a discussion guide for parents and educators, tips for cultural sensitivity when interacting with immigrant families, and more. Papi has straight hair and medium brown skin while Mamá and Carmen have comparatively darker skin and read as Afro-Latina. Background characters, one of whom uses a wheelchair, are diverse in age and skin tone. The simultaneously publishing Spanish edition is a solid translation and identical in content. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
An important, empathetic, and well-told immigration story that strikes a hopeful note of resilience. (glossary of immigration terms, illustrator’s note, further reading, Spanish edition) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: May 17, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-4338-3944-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Magination/American Psychological Association
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A flavorful call to action sure to spur young introverts.
In this latest slice in the Food Group series, Humble Pie learns to stand up to a busy friend who’s taking advantage of his pal’s hard work on the sidelines.
Jake the Cake and Humble Pie are good friends. Where Pie is content to toil in the background, Jake happily shines in the spotlight. Alert readers will notice that Pie’s always right there, too, getting A-pluses and skiing expertly just behind—while also doing the support work that keeps every school and social project humming. “Fact: Nobody notices pie when there’s cake nearby!” When the two friends pair up for a science project, things begin well. But when the overcommitted Jake makes excuse after excuse, showing up late or not at all, a panicked Pie realizes that they won’t finish in time. When Jake finally shows up on the night before the project’s due, Pie courageously confronts him. “And for once, I wasn’t going to sugarcoat it.” The friends talk it out and collaborate through the night for the project’s successful presentation in class the next day. John and Oswald’s winning recipe—plentiful puns and delightful visual jokes—has yielded another treat here. The narration does skew didactic as it wraps up: “There’s nothing wrong with having a tough conversation, asking for help, or making sure you’re being treated fairly.” But it’s all good fun, in service of some gentle lessons about social-emotional development.
A flavorful call to action sure to spur young introverts. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9780063469730
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.
The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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