This engaging holiday tale gives children—like the protagonist—a chance to investigate their own privilege.
In this picture book from the team of Cummings and Mosley (This Is Earth, 2019), a boy accidentally receives a letter for Santa and discovers the real Christmas spirit.
Nick Saint, a boy with brown skin and a flattop haircut, is mostly interested in playing video games. He’s frustrated when the postal carrier mistakenly delivers a letter addressed to Santa rather than his new video game. But the letter begins to show Nick a new world. One of his classmates, Cooper, has lost his home, and he asks Santa for a new job for his mother and a truck for his brother. Nick realizes that he has so much more than others: “Never did it cross Nick’s mind that every child in his school did not have a home or even, video games to play.” He tries to find a way to help Cooper, and although the solution comes a bit too easily, Nick’s transformation from a child concerned with material things to a kid who wants to help others rings true. Cummings’ heavy use of untagged dialogue may leave some readers puzzled, but the interactions between Nick and his mom are authentic, and his parents’ support is admirable. Mosley’s textured cartoon illustrations, which feature painterly backgrounds, ground the story beautifully.
This engaging holiday tale gives children—like the protagonist—a chance to investigate their own privilege.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 978-1-951218-20-1
Page Count: -
Publisher: Make A Way Media, LLC
Review Posted Online: Nov. 14, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
PROFILES
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
More gift book than storybook, this is a meaningful addition to nursery bookshelves
A young child explores the unlimited potential inherent in all humans.
“Have you ever wondered why you are here?” asks the second-person narration. There is no one like you. Maybe you’re here to make a difference with your uniqueness; maybe you will speak for those who can’t or use your gifts to shine a light into the darkness. The no-frills, unrhymed narrative encourages readers to follow their hearts and tap into their limitless potential to be anything and do anything. The precisely inked and colored artwork plays with perspective from the first double-page spread, in which the child contemplates a mountain (or maybe an iceberg) in their hands. Later, they stand on a ladder to place white spots on tall, red mushrooms. The oversized flora and fauna seem to symbolize the presumptively insurmountable, reinforcing the book’s message that anything is possible. This quiet read, with its sophisticated central question, encourages children to reach for their untapped potential while reminding them it won’t be easy—they will make messes and mistakes—but the magic within can help overcome falls and failures. It’s unlikely that members of the intended audience have begun to wonder about their life’s purpose, but this life-affirming mood piece has honorable intentions. The child, accompanied by an adorable piglet and sporting overalls and a bird-beaked cap made of leaves, presents white.
More gift book than storybook, this is a meaningful addition to nursery bookshelves . (Picture book. 2-8)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-946873-75-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: May 21, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2019
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