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WHEN YOU'RE A BOY

Name: WHEN YOU'RE A BOY
Author: Blake Nuto
ISBN: 9781631639876

by Blake Nuto ; illustrated by Blake Nuto ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 18, 2025

An affirming inoculation against toxic masculinity.

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A child navigates the wilderness of boyhood.

In this poetic meditation on masculinity, an unnamed boy, who has medium-brown skin, along with his lighter-skinned, dark-haired father figure, wind their way past the ocean, through the woods, and up a mountain. The beautiful illustrations combine rough brush strokes and cute, simplistic faces with expertly captured light, color, and emotions. Meanwhile, the narrator, who may or may not be the boy depicted, uses natural similes to describe what is typically expected of boys—ferocity, strength, drive, violence, surety—as well as the softer, gentler things in life from which the narrator has learned to draw real power. The text does not inherently imply that those traditional masculine traits are always bad; after all, oceans, thunder, and mountains are just as much a part of nature as butterflies and flowers. Yet it expands the horizons of what it means to be powerful, including such things as patience, healing, and saying “sorry.” The first few sets of traits are more loosely connected, with the juxtaposition crystalizing as the book goes on, but overall the story reads smoothly, making its point succinctly and artfully. This is a great book to include in a child’s picture-book rotation, especially a young boy’s, and perhaps a jumping-off point for discussing the messages about masculinity that he may be receiving elsewhere.

An affirming inoculation against toxic masculinity. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Nov. 18, 2025

ISBN: 9781631639876

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Jolly Fish Press

Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
CHILD OF GALAXIES
by Blake Nuto ; illustrated by Charlotte Ager

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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
A PERFECT PLACE TO PLAY
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Jim Valeri

- 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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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.

Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)