With more than 2.7 million American children experiencing the incarceration of a parent, this book is a necessary one.
The subtitle of this picture book says it all.
A racially and ethnically diverse sampling of children exemplify the grief and discomfort that come with losing a parent to incarceration. Lacey’s scared with one of her moms in jail; Rashid’s mom is in jail for the second time; both Juana’s mami and her papi are in prison, so she and her siblings are spread out among foster homes. Yen has hard questions only her mother can answer, so she mails them to her. Rafael must fend off intrusive questions from the other kids. In Birtha’s direct, sympathetic text and Kastelic’s muted pencil-and-watercolor illustrations, these children and more evince loneliness, anger, shame, and fear. Birtha gives them sympathetic adults, such as a coach who won’t let Jermaine’s teammates mock him and the teacher who listens to Atian, who’s been acting out. Tips on talking to children with incarcerated parents and further resources are included in the backmatter; these, combined with the direct, role-modeling text, make this book as valuable for adult readers as it is for children. The purposeful inclusion of a white child and an Asian-American child helps to dispel stereotypes, while the inclusion of African-American and Latino children reflects U.S. prison demographics. Class disparities are only hinted at; the children are not obviously well-to-do but all seem to inhabit reasonably comfortable settings.
With more than 2.7 million American children experiencing the incarceration of a parent, this book is a necessary one. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 7, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-8075-1275-3
Page Count: 37
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones.
Not even the arrival of autumn can cool down this impetuous squirrel.
Although Squirrel is skeptical about Bird’s vegetable patch (“Nothing is HAPPENING!”), Bird does produce five (count them) lovely pumpkins. Squirrel picks out a favorite: “The enormous orange one.” Bird hints that Squirrel might want to help out; Squirrel sets out to fetch some work gloves and returns to find only four pumpkins. The frequently distracted Squirrel notices more gourds disappearing and leaps to the conclusion that a thief is near. And where’s Bird?! Has Squirrel’s pal also been taken? Diligently detecting, Squirrel finds clues—peck marks, footprints, and more—and produces a sketch of the suspect. As readers will guess, each clue turns out to point to one of Squirrel and Bird’s friends. Turns out Bird was delivering pumpkins to their pals while saving the big one to give to “my very best friend,” Squirrel. But why does Squirrel haul it up a tree? “So the Pumpkin Thief can’t find it, of course!” A page of pumpkin facts provides the learning component common to all titles in this series. Once more, readers will enjoy the pleasure of prediction and repetition, Squirrel’s silly persistence, Bird’s generosity, and the vibrant color illustrations, balancing orange with green.
More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 28, 2026
ISBN: 9781464268076
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2026
Empowerment to children to be the change they wish to see in the world.
Be a “somebody” who makes a difference!
A Black child witnesses various transgressions over the course of a day. Noticing trash on the walk to the bus stop, the young narrator thinks, “Somebody should do something about that.” Two students push their way ahead of everyone else in order to get good seats on the school bus, prompting the child to muse, “Somebody should speak up about that.” Throughout the day, the child notices examples of bullying and unfairness. These seemingly minor infractions start mounting. Finally, when the protagonist’s teacher tells the students that it’s snack time, the narrator notices that some students don’t have anything to eat. Instead of wishing for a “somebody,” the perceptive pupil realizes, “I am Somebody” and shares food with the others. The epiphany doesn’t stop there. When the narrator arrives home and notices there are toys everywhere but Mom is on a work call, the child responds to Mom’s request for help by cleaning up the mess. Accompanied by simple yet expressive illustrations, this is a loving and much-needed story that encourages kids to make a difference; pair it with Joshunda Sanders’ I Can Write the World (2019), illustrated by Charly Palmer. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Empowerment to children to be the change they wish to see in the world. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: June 27, 2023
ISBN: 9780762480517
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Running Press Kids
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023
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