Emotional, reassuring, and poetic—a journey of love to be cherished.
A cradle-to-grave exploration of the many types of love, translated from Spanish.
“What is the force that moves the world? I find that it is LOVE.” Love takes various forms; to explain them, an unseen narrator introduces readers to brand-new baby Anna, who enters the world “surrounded by unconditional love, cocooned in the deepest feelings of affection and protection.” As Anna grows, she discovers more forms of love. Her devoted dog, Milo, introduces her to “loyal love”; as she explores her passion for art, “inspirational love [shines] out of the canvas of her dreams.” Now an adult, Anna experiences “dedicated love” through her work as a doctor. “Deep love [reveals] itself in the kisses of the person who [makes] her heart race, and with whom she start[s] a family.” Eventually she grows old and dies, but “her everlasting love remain[s], glowing in the hearts of those with whom she had shared her life.” The end of Anna’s life is portrayed gently and abstractly; Expósito Escalona’s tone is reassuringly firm yet soft, matched by Baltasar’s tenderly realistic images. The use of higher-level vocabulary and mature topics—romantic love, aging—make this work more appropriate for older or more sophisticated readers; adults may want to use it to spark conversations on loss, mortality, and the power of love. Anna is pale-skinned; other characters vary in skin tone. Publishes simultaneously in Spanish.
Emotional, reassuring, and poetic—a journey of love to be cherished. (author’s note) (Picture book. 6-12)Pub Date: May 26, 2026
ISBN: 9788410438231
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Cuento de Luz
Review Posted Online: Dec. 26, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
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
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
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
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