A gorgeously rendered, heartbreaking look at one family’s immigration experience.
Two Latine siblings set out on a journey north to the border between the United States and Mexico.
The older sister explains to the narrator that they are playing a game—to win, they must cross the line. They must keep moving, stay out of the clutches of the monsters, and avoid getting caught. The playful mood turns serious as the trip becomes perilous. The siblings rely on each other and persevere in order to reach their goal—a welcoming home on the other side. Clad in colorful masks to give them courage and speed, the siblings travel on foot, by bus, and by catching rides. The children are carried atop a freight train reminiscent of La Bestia, a dangerous network of northbound trains used for transportation by some migrants. Bright jewel tones—oranges, pinks, yellows, and more—used to depict the travelers’ masks and in landscape accents pop against the otherwise monochrome images, juxtaposing the sweetness of childhood with their grim journey. The motif of the imposing steel bars of the Mexico–U.S. border wall appears throughout in the strong parallel lines seen in train tracks, shadows, the wings of the ominous “monsters” stalking the travelers, and images of the wall itself. Yet the story is ultimately hopeful, gently providing probing insight into the lives of the youngest migrants. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A gorgeously rendered, heartbreaking look at one family’s immigration experience. (author’s note) (Picture book. 5-10)Pub Date: March 14, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-06-307316-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
PERSPECTIVES
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
A charming friendship story and great setup for future books.
Curious about the Big Wide World outside his Sasquatch community, Hugo makes a friend who is of it.
Sasquatch Hugo’s bedroom is inside a cave and possesses the charming feature of a small stream running through it that he can sail his little toy boat on. It’s cool, but he yearns to see the Big Wide World. When he asks his smart friend Gigi if a Sasquatch might become a sailor, she says it’s possible but would be difficult—the primary rule of their people is to not be seen by Humans. Then, in everyone’s favorite Hide and Go Sneak class, which is held outside, a Human appears; Hugo laughs at the sight, drawing Human attention in a taboo-breaking mistake. Shortly after, Hugo’s toy boat floats into the cave with a Human toy—soon, it’s facilitating a pen-pal–type relationship that’s derailed when Hugo confesses to being a Sasquatch and Human Boone, a budding cryptozoologist, doesn’t believe him. How Hugo and Boone resolve this misapprehension and become friends in a joint search for the Ogopogo concludes this series opener. Potter keeps the third-person narrative tightly focused on Hugo’s perspective, and the details she uses to flesh out the Sasquatch world are delightfully playful. Sala’s drawings depict a homey Sasquatch cavern community, Boone as a freckled, white boy, and Hugo as a hairily benevolent behemoth.
A charming friendship story and great setup for future books. (final art unseen) (Fantasy. 5-9)Pub Date: April 10, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4197-2859-4
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Dec. 10, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2018
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