An affecting, gentle celebration of new marriage, a not unfamiliar, life-changing event for many young children.
A young girl learns how families can be remade in beautiful, welcoming new ways.
“Today is a big day.” Mama is marrying Alex, Cindy’s daddy, and she asks Ruby and Cindy to be flower girls. Cindy replies with an excited “Yes!” but Ruby’s whispered assent is a little less certain. After getting dressed and rehearsing with Granny, Ruby returns briefly to her Daddy Daniel’s house, where she lives most of the time, to pick up his wedding gift for Mama and Alex—and wonders what he must be feeling. Wedding preparations are well underway back at Mama’s house, and Ruby watches and thinks—about everything she doesn’t yet know about Alex, about Mama’s happy tears, about Granny’s wise words. “It’s time,” Mama announces, and step by step, Mama, Alex, Ruby, and Cindy become family. “Love can bloom in different ways.” Working in gouache, colored pencil, and pastel, Yuen has crafted softly expressive illustrations that empathically enhance the thoughtful words on the page—Ruby’s resonating concern for Daddy Daniel, Granny’s quiet support, Ruby’s flower-making memories with Alex, the clear sororal bond between Ruby and Cindy, the photos and pictures that capture the past and hint at wonderful new beginnings. All characters appear to be of East Asian ethnicity; a single wedding guest is cued white.
An affecting, gentle celebration of new marriage, a not unfamiliar, life-changing event for many young children. (Picture book. 5-9)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2026
ISBN: 9781836290476
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Lantana
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for...
A gentle voice and familiar pitfalls characterize this tale of a boy navigating the risky road to responsibility.
Gavin is new to his neighborhood and Carver Elementary. He likes his new friend, Richard, and has a typically contentious relationship with his older sister, Danielle. When Gavin’s desire to impress Richard sets off a disastrous chain of events, the boy struggles to evade responsibility for his actions. “After all, it isn’t his fault that Danielle’s snow globe got broken. Sure, he shouldn’t have been in her room—but then, she shouldn’t be keeping candy in her room to tempt him. Anybody would be tempted. Anybody!” opines Gavin once he learns the punishment for his crime. While Gavin has a charming Everyboy quality, and his aversion to Aunt Myrtle’s yapping little dog rings true, little about Gavin distinguishes him from other trouble-prone protagonists. He is, regrettably, forgettable. Coretta Scott King Honor winner English (Francie, 1999) is a teacher whose storytelling usually benefits from her day job. Unfortunately, the pizzazz of classroom chaos is largely absent from this series opener.
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for subsequent volumes. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Dec. 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-547-97044-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A strong second outing for Dillard and J.D.
Breakout kid barber J.D. embraces a summer of opportunity.
Readers met J.D. Jones just as he took his hometown of Meridian, Mississippi, by storm, winning himself community acclaim and a chair at the revered Hart and Sons barbershop in series opener J.D. and the Great Barber Battle(2021). What’s next for the haircut prodigy? School’s just getting out, and there’s so much life happening outside—if only one can escape home learning with the grandparents. J.D.’s sister, Vanessa, brings along multitalented mutual friend Jessyka to share an ambitious challenge: “Let’s start a YouTube channel!” Can they get millions of views and wow the whole world? They are already amazing at haircuts and hairstyles—all they need is to learn how to make a great YouTube video. The story models strategies for scripting short videos reflecting the templates of viral YouTube hair tutorials, inviting readers to not only see the journey of the characters, but maybe also practice these skills at home. This book is bound to educate all about some of the most storied and cherished traditions within the Black community. Bringing in Vanessa is a great touch to extend the series across gender, and hopefully she’ll get a chance to lead her own adventures. This book blends skill-building, entrepreneurship, and strong family values to give young Black children visions of what’s possible when they follow their passions and embrace their community.
A strong second outing for Dillard and J.D. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Aug. 3, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-11155-0
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Kokila
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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