TIME FOR KENNY

Here comes Kenny, a boy in perpetual motion.

In the first of four episodes, a Black boy named Kenny attempts to dress in different family members’ clothes while the patterned text unfolds as a series of questions and answers: “Can he wear these shoes?” the text asks as Kenny stands in a pair of purple pumps, answering its own question right away: “No, those are Mommy’s shoes.” When he finally gets dressed, the family walks Grandaddy to the bus with his suitcase. The second story tells of Kenny’s fear of the vacuum cleaner. Because it “roars like a lion” and eats off the floor, Kenny wonders if it might eat Kitty, his toy, or even him. In the third story, Kenny’s big sister gives him a lesson in soccer, a “no hands” sport (except for a high-five at the end). In the final story, although it’s Kenny’s bedtime, he isn’t tired…until he is. But there’s still time to snuggle up with Mommy for a story. Young readers who enjoyed Pinkney’s Puppy Truck (2019) will eagerly grow into reading these stories alone, but they also work well as participatory read-alouds because of the repetitive text. Solid, pastel-colored pages divide one vignette from another. With plenty of white space and colorful swirls depicting Kenny’s perpetual motion, Pinkney’s recognizable illustrations affirm the closeness of this Black family and paint an empathetic picture of one kid’s resistances, fears, and joys. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 25% of actual size.)

A bedtime, daytime, anytime family story with a Black child at the center.