Sumptuous and immersive—perfect for encouraging kids to celebrate their own family connections.
Milestones in the life of a loving Black family.
A young boy explains that on special occasions, his family gathers outdoors around a big wooden table beneath the shade of a moss-draped tree. They honor Grandpa and Grandma “for the family they’ve built,” watch fireworks light up the sky, and come together for the wedding of the protagonist’s uncles, who “can finally say: I do.” Punctuated with the phrase “This is the table,” the text is elegant and reverent, though laced with appropriately childlike observations from the young narrator. “This is the table of love / Slobbery love, if you ask me,” the boy notes as Grandpa asks Grandma for a kiss. And after the protagonist’s younger sister is born, “This is the table of hope. / (And I hope someone gets a diaper change ASAP.)” Eady’s words often emphasize the connections between humans and the natural world around them, while Ladd’s deeply saturated mixed-media illustrations portray a lush, verdant Lowcountry summer and wring joy from simple yet meaningful moments. Somehow everyone ends up wearing icing from the wedding cake, and when a Lowcountry boil is on the menu, an overhead image depicts eager hands reaching across a newspaper-covered table for corn, crabs, and potatoes. Various skin tones and hairstyles show the diversity that can exist within a single Black family.
Sumptuous and immersive—perfect for encouraging kids to celebrate their own family connections. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780593480601
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
These reindeer games are a bit tired but, given the series’ popularity, should have a large, ready-made audience.
The How to Catch A… crew try for Comet.
Having already failed to nab a Halloween witch, the Easter Bunny, a turkey, a leprechaun, the Tooth Fairy, and over a dozen other iconic trophies in previous episodes of this bestselling series, one would think the racially diverse gaggle of children in Elkerton’s moonlit, wintry scenes would be flagging…but no, here they lay out snares ranging from a loop of garland to an igloo baited with reindeer moss to an enticing candy cane maze, all in hopes of snagging one of Santa’s reindeer while he’s busy delivering presents. Infused with pop culture–based Christmas cheer (“Now I’ve already seen the shelf with the elf”), Comet prances past the traps until it’s time to gather up the kids, most of whom look terrified, for a group snapshot with the other reindeer and then climb back into harness: “This was a great stop but a few million to go / Christmas Eve must continue with style!” Though festive, the verse feels trite and unlikely to entice youngsters. A sprinkling of “True Facts About Reindeer” (“They live in the tundra, where they have friends like the arctic bunny”) wrap up this celebration of the predatory spirit. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
These reindeer games are a bit tired but, given the series’ popularity, should have a large, ready-made audience. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2022
ISBN: 9781728276137
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.
A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.
Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
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