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SOMETHING HAPPENED TO MY DAD

Name: SOMETHING HAPPENED TO MY DAD
Author: Ann Hazzard
ISBN: 978-1-4338-3944-3

A STORY ABOUT IMMIGRATION AND FAMILY SEPARATION

by Ann Hazzard and Vivianne Aponte Rivera ; illustrated by Gloria Félix ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 17, 2022

An important, empathetic, and well-told immigration story that strikes a hopeful note of resilience.

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
SOMETHING HAPPENED IN OUR PARK
by Ann Hazzard & Marianne Celano & Marietta Collins ; illustrated by Keith Henry Brown

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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THE BIG CHEESE

From the Food Group series

by Jory John ; illustrated by Pete Oswald ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 7, 2023

From curds to riches, from meltdown to uplift—this multicourse romp delivers.

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A winning wheel of cheddar with braggadocio to match narrates a tale of comeuppance and redemption.

From humble beginnings among kitchen curds living “quiet lives of pasteurization,” the Big Cheese longs to be the best and builds success and renown based on proven skills and dependable results: “I stuck to the things I was good at.” When newcomer Wedge moves to the village of Curds-on-Whey, the Cheese’s star status wobbles and falls. Turns out that quiet, modest Wedge is also multitalented. At the annual Cheese-cathlon, Wedge bests six-time winner Cheese in every event, from the footrace and chess to hat making and bread buttering. A disappointed Cheese throws a full-blown tantrum before arriving at a moment of truth: Self-calming, conscious breathing permits deep relief that losing—even badly—does not result in disaster. A debrief with Wedge “that wasn’t all about me” leads to further realizations: Losing builds empathy for others; obsession with winning obscures “the joy of participating.” The chastened cheddar learns to reserve bragging for lifting up friends, because anyone can be the Big Cheese. More didactic and less pun-rich than previous entries in the Food Group series, this outing nevertheless couples a cheerful refrain with pithy life lessons that hit home. Oswald’s detailed, comical illustrations continue to provide laughs, including a spot with Cheese onstage doing a “CHED” talk.

From curds to riches, from meltdown to uplift—this multicourse romp delivers. (Picture book. 4-8)