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THE PROMISE

Name: THE PROMISE
Author: Bridget Hodder
ISBN: 9781728460246

by Bridget Hodder & Fawzia Gilani-Williams ; illustrated by Cinzia Battistel ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 5, 2023

Tender and heart-rending.

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Two children find enduring friendship in a small village in Morocco.

Hassan, who is Muslim, attends school in the mosque, while Jacob, who is Jewish and whose family moved here from Spain years ago, learns from the rabbi in the synagogue. The boys love to spend time in Jacob’s family’s garden, splashing in the pool and dashing among the lush plants, and the two families share meals there each week. “A garden is a prayer,” Hassan’s father often says, to which Jacob’s father adds, “A garden is also a promise.” Hassan and Jacob know that promises must be kept and vow to care for the garden together. They paint the benches and nurture the plants, feeling pride and thanking Allah and HaShem. Then world events interfere. Danger to the Jews is looming (the historical note has context about World War II), and Jacob’s family must leave. With the saddest of goodbyes, Hassan vows that he will keep his promise to care for the garden. The friends finally meet again decades later in the still beautiful garden. The tale is told simply and gently, with deep understanding of the characters’ cultural backgrounds and the friendship that sustains them. Detailed, glowing, emotionally charged illustrations match the text and bring to life the Moroccan setting. The backmatter notes that the tale is based on a real event that had a less satisfying conclusion than the authors have chosen to provide young readers. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Tender and heart-rending. (Picture book. 5-9)

Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023

ISBN: 9781728460246

Page Count: 24

Publisher: Kar-Ben

Review Posted Online: June 21, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S HISTORICAL FICTION | CHILDREN'S RELIGIOUS FICTION

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THE BUTTON BOX
by Fawzia Gilani-Williams & Bridget Hodder ; illustrated by Harshad Marathe

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YAFFA AND FATIMA, SHALOM, SALAAM
adapted by Fawzia Gilani-Williams ; illustrated by Chiara Fedele

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NABEEL'S NEW PANTS
by Fawzia Gilani-Williams and illustrated by Proiti Roy

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LITTLE DAYMOND LEARNS TO EARN

by Daymond John ; illustrated by Nicole Miles ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 21, 2023

It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.

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How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!

John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)

Pub Date: March 21, 2023

ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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MAYA'S BIG QUESTION

From the Ambitious Girl series , Vol. 3

by Meena Harris ; illustrated by Marissa Valdez ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 3, 2026

Another empowering outing led by a dynamic young role model.

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The third title in the Ambitious Girl series finds young Maya wanting accomplished women to get their due.

On a school trip to Washington, D.C., brown-skinned, bubble-braided Maya is full of questions, among them “How many representatives are there?” and, while checking out the statues and monuments, “Where are all the women?” Maya’s teacher tells her that they’ve seen all the “popular” statues and monuments. Maya is as dogged (“But what about Eleanor Roosevelt? Or Mary McLeod Bethune?”) as her teacher is dismissive: “Those aren’t on my list.” (Maya’s teacher follows the same list every trip.) Back at home, Maya is newly awakened to the lack of female representation in her orbit—she notices that streets and “even her own school” are named for men. Is there anything she can do about this? Maya’s teacher’s cluelessness feels a bit implausible, more like a plot device to steer the story in the right direction, but Maya’s righteous indignation is believable, and her corresponding activism will energize readers. Valdez gets into the spirit of things with her invigorating digital art: Maya and her multiethnic classmates and neighbors are colorful dressers with smiling faces, which fosters a sense that wherever Maya goes, a warm and ebullient community is there for her.

Another empowering outing led by a dynamic young role model. (Picture book. 5-8)