The Picasso of paper engineering does it again.
Love bursts up in paper waves and swirls from every spread of this small, heartfelt keepsake.
In a spectacular 3-D valentine, Carter gives visual expression to an array of loving sentiments: “You are a burst of joy and…[eye] love you. / You are a gentle wave and…[eye] love you. / You are blossoms in the sky and…[eye] love you.” The two clauses of each sentence flank bright, intricate laceworks of color and abstract form, each with one or more hearts incorporated. All of the seven pop-ups are distinctly different in design and effect: geometric shapes dangle like musical notes from interlocked bars in one; the “gentle wave” is evoked by a line of long, thinly cut strips that do indeed sway gracefully as the spread opens, and four serrated edges of gearlike shapes create soft percussive rhythms as the pages to which they are attached move back and forth. The rebus-headed chorus that completes each sentence explodes into multiples around a final explosion of hearts.
The Picasso of paper engineering does it again. (Pop-up picture book. 5-adult)Pub Date: Dec. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4197-2734-4
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: Sept. 17, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2017
A beautiful, powerful reflection on a tragic history.
In spare verse, Lowry reflects on moments in her childhood, including the bombings of Pearl Harbor and Hiroshima.
When she was a child, Lowry played at Waikiki Beach with her grandmother while her father filmed. In the old home movie, the USS Arizona appears through the mist on the horizon. Looking back at her childhood in Hawaii and then Japan, Lowry reflects on the bombings that began and ended a war and how they affected and connected everyone involved. In Part 1, she shares the lives and actions of sailors at Pearl Harbor. Part 2 is stories of civilians in Hiroshima affected by the bombing. Part 3 presents her own experience as an American in Japan shortly after the war ended. The poems bring the haunting human scale of war to the forefront, like the Christmas cards a sailor sent days before he died or the 4-year-old who was buried with his red tricycle after Hiroshima. All the personal stories—of sailors, civilians, and Lowry herself—are grounding. There is heartbreak and hope, reminding readers to reflect on the past to create a more peaceful future. Lowry uses a variety of poetry styles, identifying some, such as triolet and haiku. Pak’s graphite illustrations are like still shots of history, adding to the emotion and somber feeling. He includes some sailors of color among the mostly white U.S. forces; Lowry is white.
A beautiful, powerful reflection on a tragic history. (author’s note, bibliography) (Memoir/poetry. 10-14)Pub Date: April 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-358-12940-0
Page Count: 80
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
PROFILES
Brilliantly executed; a tender yet unflinching look at students who often, tragically, slip between the cracks.
Sometimes people have more in common than we think.
Three middle schoolers from an economically depressed community share the narration in this exciting mix of prose, poetry, and comics. Visual cues introduce readers to sections narrated by Manny Fueyo via his composition notebook, which is filled with lyrics about his life; Calvin Johnson, who has a sketchbook full of drawings and comic strips; and Liam Miller, who writes his journal entries in a graph-ruled notebook. The three initially appear very different. Mexican American Manny is disengaged at school and would rather be at the skate park. Calvin, who appears Black, is an aspiring artist whose schoolwork suffers as he’s forced to care for his younger brothers due to his father’s grueling work schedule. And anxious, white-presenting Liam, an academically focused loner whose father is a janitor, is silently suffering cruel bullying. Through happenstance, the three cross paths when they land in detention, where they realize how much they share. Ogle masterfully juggles the three storylines, much to the benefit of readers looking for a story that exudes authenticity. Striving readers will meet three new friends; the story’s unique format allows for an easier read without sacrificing plot, character development, or gravitas, an equally welcome combination for advanced readers seeking depth and nuance.
Brilliantly executed; a tender yet unflinching look at students who often, tragically, slip between the cracks. (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2026
ISBN: 9781324124894
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Norton Young Readers
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2026
PERSPECTIVES
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