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KAYLA

Name: KAYLA
Author: Deedee Cummings
ISBN: 978-1-95-121806-5

A MODERN-DAY PRINCESS

by Deedee Cummings illustrated by Charlene Mosley ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 19, 2021

This book’s illustrations may appeal to youngsters, but a lack of plot development weakens its message.

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Cummings showcases the importance of encouragement in a picture book about a working mother and her young daughter.

Each morning, Kayla’s mother asks her the same question: “What’s your plan today?” Her aim is to give her daughter a sense of direction, and thus foster her dreams. Kayla is normally asleep by the time her hardworking mother returns home; one evening, though, the girl gets permission to stay up late, as her mom has important news—and a special gift for Kayla. Cummings’ short work, which features Black characters, focuses on the importance of supporting the aspirations of women and girls, which is sure to resonate with adults. However, young readers may fail to understand crucial details of the story, such as the fact that the mother works long hours for her daughter’s benefit, so the surprise may not have sufficient impact. The book is also too brief to truly capture a sense of rising action. That said, Mosley’s dreamlike, pastel illustrations work well to establish a tone of fantasy and wonder on pages with an abundance of text. The book also helpfully uses various type sizes and background shading to emphasize specific words and phrases.

This book’s illustrations may appeal to youngsters, but a lack of plot development weakens its message.

Pub Date: May 19, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-95-121806-5

Page Count: 24

Publisher: Make A Way Media

Review Posted Online: June 5, 2024

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S HEALTH & DAILY LIVING | CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
IN THE NICK OF TIME TOO
by Deedee Cummings ; illustrated by Charlene Mosley

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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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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)