A fitting celebration of the first pair of mountaineers to summit Everest.
Tenzing Norgay, who is ethnically Sherpa, grew up herding yaks in Nepal.
Edmund Hillary, a White man, grew up in New Zealand, where he helped care for his father’s bees. Norgay grew up in the shadow of Chomolungma, the mountain that English speakers call Mount Everest. Throughout his childhood, he climbed the nearby Himalayas, always dreaming of summiting the highest peak. Hillary was a dreamer too, a boy who walked barefoot to school in all weather, forever hoping for adventure. While Norgay’s family affectionately scoffed at his dreams, Hillary’s brother accompanied him on some of his earliest mountaineering expeditions in New Zealand. Hillary gained climbing practice when he served in New Zealand’s air force, then with his parents while vacationing in the Swiss Alps. Norgay, on the other hand, gained climbing practice accompanying the many tourists who visited Nepal and wanted to see the Himalayas. Although these two men led disparate, distant lives, their love of mountaineering brought them together in 1953, when they became the first team to ever climb to the top of Chomolungma. This lyrical, clear, and narratively sophisticated picture book alternates between the voices of Norgay on the left and Hillary on the right until they meet. Each sentence is beautifully crafted and a pleasure to read. Corr’s stylized, painterly illustrations burst with color and energy, wonderfully balancing the finely rendered text. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A fitting celebration of the first pair of mountaineers to summit Everest. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Oct. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-77306-266-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Groundwood
Review Posted Online: Aug. 10, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2021
A fresh, melodic take on family harmony.
Rock legends, husband-and-wife team, and proud grandparents Benatar and Giraldo present an upbeat ode to families.
A youngster with long blond hair confides conspiratorially, “This might come as a bit of a shock, // but my grandma and grandpa…ROCK!” The silver-haired duo—who resemble the co-authors—jam out in a practice space; Grandpa strums an electric guitar, while Grandma belts out a tune, microphone in hand. (All three are pale-skinned.) Jagged star strokes burst from the amps, reverberating across the page. As the young narrator sings the praises of these hip, artistically minded grandparents, the illustrations depict many varied, diverse families making music. One grandparent strums a ukulele, another prefers the drums, and an especially eclectic granny croons everything from lullabies to Led Zeppelin while cooking. There’s no wrong way to share joy with grandparents. Benatar and Giraldo acknowledge that you don’t have to be a musician to rock (“Anyone can rock! / It’s a state of mind, / like feeling happy or being kind”) as they speak to other passions and occupations (“They can be a plumber, a chef, a pilot, a teacher”). One spread showcases other names for grandparents, both colloquial and cultural, presented without disrupting the text’s rhythm. As expected, this pair lays down a steady beat with a smooth flow. Everett’s energetic art, with musical swooshes and swirls, buoys the text.
A fresh, melodic take on family harmony. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2025
ISBN: 9781728298023
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.
Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.
Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
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