An enticing invitation to conquer fears and leap into the water.
There’s watery fun to be had!
“Bloop. Dribble. Drip. Drizzle. Spray. Splish. SPLASH!” Reed, a rapping teacher whose music videos have gone viral, sets the stage vividly: We’re at the pool for a swimming class. Knight-Justice’s digital art depicts mostly brown-skinned swimmers diverse in hue, some clad in water-ready hijabs and polka-dotted swim caps, as well as an attentive lifeguard and coach, all with radiant smiles. A Black-presenting, curly-haired young boy, who narrates, leaps into action, ready for the coach’s drills: “KICK-KICK go my feet, my arms SAIL like a boat.” Later, a backyard pool party has the same fun vibes, but curiously, as our protagonist notes, “Everyone’s swimming…except for my dad.” Turns out Dad never learned to swim, and “he’s always been afraid to ask anyone for help.” But there’s an easy fix, because readers and characters alike already know of a perfect setting to learn. Father and son roll, glide, and float through the water together. Dad’s nerves start to melt away, though it takes time. Luckily, as this delightful picture book makes clear—with engaging rhymes!—time at the pool is guaranteed to be cool. Reed sensitively acknowledges the anxieties that swimming often provokes in readers young and old while also speaking to the joys of the water, underscored by Knight-Justice’s rich use of patterns.
An enticing invitation to conquer fears and leap into the water. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: June 16, 2026
ISBN: 9780316462068
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: April 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: yesterday
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New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned.
All the reasons why a daughter needs a mother.
Each spread features an adorable cartoon animal parent-child pair on the recto opposite a rhyming verse: “I’ll always support you in giving your all / in every endeavor, the big and the small, / and be there to catch you in case you should fall. / I hope you believe this is true.” A virtually identical book, Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, publishes simultaneously. Both address standing up for yourself and your values, laughing to ease troubles, being thankful, valuing friendship, persevering and dreaming big, being truthful, thinking through decisions, and being open to differences, among other topics. Though the sentiments/life lessons here and in the companion title are heartfelt and important, there are much better ways to deliver them. These books are likely to go right over children’s heads and developmental levels (especially with the rather advanced vocabulary); their parents are the more likely audience, and for them, the books provide some coaching in what kids need to hear. The two books are largely interchangeable, especially since there are so few references to mom or dad, but one spread in each book reverts to stereotype: Dad balances the two-wheeler, and mom helps with clothing and hair styles. Since the books are separate, it aids in customization for many families.
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned. (Picture book. 4-8, adult)Pub Date: May 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4926-6781-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
This warm family story is a splendid showcase for the combined talents of Medina, a Pura Belpré award winner, and Dominguez,...
Abuela is coming to stay with Mia and her parents. But how will they communicate if Mia speaks little Spanish and Abuela, little English? Could it be that a parrot named Mango is the solution?
The measured, evocative text describes how Mia’s español is not good enough to tell Abuela the things a grandmother should know. And Abuela’s English is too poquito to tell Mia all the stories a granddaughter wants to hear. Mia sets out to teach her Abuela English. A red feather Abuela has brought with her to remind her of a wild parrot that roosted in her mango trees back home gives Mia an idea. She and her mother buy a parrot they name Mango. And as Abuela and Mia teach Mango, and each other, to speak both Spanish and English, their “mouths [fill] with things to say.” The accompanying illustrations are charmingly executed in ink, gouache, and marker, “with a sprinkling of digital magic.” They depict a cheery urban neighborhood and a comfortable, small apartment. Readers from multigenerational immigrant families will recognize the all-too-familiar language barrier. They will also cheer for the warm and loving relationship between Abuela and Mia, which is evident in both text and illustrations even as the characters struggle to understand each other. A Spanish-language edition, Mango, Abuela, y yo, gracefully translated by Teresa Mlawer, publishes simultaneously.
This warm family story is a splendid showcase for the combined talents of Medina, a Pura Belpré award winner, and Dominguez, an honoree. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6900-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
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