An affirming picture book that will inspire young readers of all abilities to appreciate all ways of seeing.
A young boy learns to love the unique way he sees things in Corey’s picture book.
Jaxon, a young white boy, loves colors. He especially loves “the purple sky, the orange grass, or the pink, sparkly sidewalks” that make up his world. When Jaxon starts third grade and is asked to draw a picture of his summer vacation, he is excited to share his colorful world. However, he is mocked mercilessly by his classmates for getting his “colors wrong.” Determined to “fix” his shortcomings, Jaxon begs his parents for special glasses designed to correct his color blindness. When they arrive and Jaxon tries them on, he’s excited to see colors like everyone else. However, he soon realizes something: Seeing the pale blue of the sky and the grey of the sidewalk instead of the purple and sparkly pink that he’s used to is kind of boring. Written by a fifth grader with color blindness, this picture book celebrates how differences can enrich life and how color blindness can be viewed as a unique perspective, akin to having “magic eyes,” that makes the world far more vibrant. Full-color, textured illustrations by Rodis enhance the experience, showcasing the colors Jaxon sees in stark contrast to the hues most other people perceive. Young readers will enjoy Jaxon’s story and find inspiration to embrace their own unique traits.
An affirming picture book that will inspire young readers of all abilities to appreciate all ways of seeing.Pub Date: July 15, 2025
ISBN: 9781637557969
Page Count: 38
Publisher: Mascot Kids
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
Visually accomplished but marred by stereotypical cultural depictions.
Ellis, known for her illustrations for Colin Meloy’s Wildwood series, here riffs on the concept of “home.”
Shifting among homes mundane and speculative, contemporary and not, Ellis begins and ends with views of her own home and a peek into her studio. She highlights palaces and mansions, but she also takes readers to animal homes and a certain famously folkloric shoe (whose iconic Old Woman manages a passel of multiethnic kids absorbed in daring games). One spread showcases “some folks” who “live on the road”; a band unloads its tour bus in front of a theater marquee. Ellis’ compelling ink and gouache paintings, in a palette of blue-grays, sepia and brick red, depict scenes ranging from mythical, underwater Atlantis to a distant moonscape. Another spread, depicting a garden and large building under connected, transparent domes, invites readers to wonder: “Who in the world lives here? / And why?” (Earth is seen as a distant blue marble.) Some of Ellis’ chosen depictions, oddly juxtaposed and stripped of any historical or cultural context due to the stylized design and spare text, become stereotypical. “Some homes are boats. / Some homes are wigwams.” A sailing ship’s crew seems poised to land near a trio of men clad in breechcloths—otherwise unidentified and unremarked upon.
Visually accomplished but marred by stereotypical cultural depictions. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6529-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2014
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