An adorable book about being true to yourself and the joys of family, especially cousins.
The cardinal rule of nicknames is that you cannot name yourself. Knowing this, a little girl is hopeful that this is the summer her cousins finally choose a nickname for her.
The main character, an African American girl with her hair in Fulani braids and gold beads, can count on three things every summer: Her seven cousins will arrive in the city when school lets out, they will watch The Wiz together, and before they leave they will give her an “amazing” birthday present. This summer, more than anything, she wants that present to be a nickname of her very own. She takes on the characteristics of each of her cousins in turn to see if their nicknames will fit her, and when they don’t, she worries that there may not be a name for her. On the last day of the visit, when her birthday present seems in danger of being lost, she finds a way to help and finally earns her nickname. Shanté effectively communicates the young narrator’s increasing anxiety as her birthday approaches, concluding statement after statement with worry. Morris’ illustrations complement this, the narrator’s expressive face and posture the visual embodiments of worry. Overall, they capture the closeness of this family, rendering their skin in many shades of brown and giving the cousins different hairstyles.
An adorable book about being true to yourself and the joys of family, especially cousins. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5132-6722-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: West Margin Press
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Heartening examples of paternal love.
Following up Girl Dad (2022), Williams and Davis present an affectionate tribute to the bond between fathers and sons.
As Williams describes how “boy dads” love and support their sons, images show Black fathers and sons fishing, watching movies, flying kites, playing football, and more. Davis’ illustrations are full of color and movement. The rhyming text has a cadence that matches the upbeat visuals and will appeal to emerging readers. While some moments hew closely to traditional ideas of masculinity and chivalry (the verse “It’s no easy task teaching a boy just how to be a man. / But boy dads raise fine gentlemen the very best they can” accompanies an image of a boy holding out a chair for a female-presenting child), the book also challenges stereotypes. In one scene, a boy and his father, clad in aprons, whip up a tasty concoction in the kitchen. In another, a father comforts his son, who’s teary-eyed after spilling a dish of mac and cheese: “Boy dad knows to be brave and strong / means sometimes you have to cry.” The love between fathers and sons shines through on each page; many men and boys of color will especially appreciate seeing their experiences reflected here. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Heartening examples of paternal love. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: May 16, 2023
ISBN: 9780063113640
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: April 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2023
Quirky, familiar fun for series devotees.
After Duncan finds his crayons gone—yet again—letters arrive, detailing their adventures in friendship.
Eleven crayons send missives from their chosen spots throughout Duncan’s home (and one from his classroom). Red enjoys the thrill of extinguishing “pretend fires” with Duncan’s toy firetruck. White, so often dismissed as invisible, finds a new calling subbing in for the missing queen on the black-and-white chessboard. “Now everyone ALWAYS SEES ME!…(Well, half the time!)” Pink’s living the dream as a pastry chef helming the Breezy Bake Oven, “baking everything from little cupcakes…to…OTHER little cupcakes!” Teal, who’s hitched a ride to school in Duncan’s backpack, meets the crayons in the boy’s desk and writes, “Guess what? I HAVE A TWIN! How come you never told me?” Duncan wants to see his crayons and “meet their new friends.” A culminating dinner party assembles the crayons and their many guests: a table tennis ball, dog biscuits, a well-loved teddy bear, and more. The premise—personified crayons, away and back again—is well-trammeled territory by now, after over a dozen books and spinoffs, and Jeffers once more delivers his signature cartooning and hand-lettering. Though the pages lack the laugh-out-loud sight gags and side-splittingly funny asides of previous outings, readers—especially fans of the crayons’ previous outings—will enjoy checking in on their pals.
Quirky, familiar fun for series devotees. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 3, 2025
ISBN: 9780593622360
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: March 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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