A sweet and inspiring guide for young LGBTQIA+ allies.
A child learns about being an ally.
Joy can’t wait for big brother Noah to get home so they can bake cookies. But when Noah and his boyfriend, Miguel, arrive, their neighbor Jimmy and his friends bully them for being gay. Joy is upset but finds standing up to the bigger kids scary. That night, Mom explains what it means to be an ally and how Joy can make a difference. With help from Mom, Dad, and friends, Joy holds a bake sale to raise money for Noah and Miguel’s Teen Center; the cookies they bake incorporate the colors of the progress pride flag. When Jimmy shows up again to sneer (“Nobody wants your gross cookies and your gay flags!!”), Joy finally summons the courage to stand up to him. With smudgy, expressive artwork in a rainbow-hued palette and clear, simple sentences, this engaging book highlights the challenges of being an ally without downplaying the fear or uncertainty of speaking out against queerphobic bullies. Joy and Noah appear to be biracial; their mother presents Asian, while their father reads White. Miguel is brown-skinned; Jimmy is light-skinned. The diversity of the cast and a foreword from actor Vanessa Williams lend weight to the idea that everybody belongs, and though told from Joy’s perspective, the tale centers Noah’s and Miguel’s needs and feelings, driving home what it truly means to be an ally. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A sweet and inspiring guide for young LGBTQIA+ allies. (“note to grown up allies,” discussion questions) (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: May 18, 2023
ISBN: 9781839975264
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Review Posted Online: March 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
Safe to creep on by.
Carle’s famous caterpillar expresses its love.
In three sentences that stretch out over most of the book’s 32 pages, the (here, at least) not-so-ravenous larva first describes the object of its love, then describes how that loved one makes it feel before concluding, “That’s why… / I[heart]U.” There is little original in either visual or textual content, much of it mined from The Very Hungry Caterpillar. “You are… / …so sweet,” proclaims the caterpillar as it crawls through the hole it’s munched in a strawberry; “…the cherry on my cake,” it says as it perches on the familiar square of chocolate cake; “…the apple of my eye,” it announces as it emerges from an apple. Images familiar from other works join the smiling sun that shone down on the caterpillar as it delivers assurances that “you make… / …the sun shine brighter / …the stars sparkle,” and so on. The book is small, only 7 inches high and 5 ¾ inches across when closed—probably not coincidentally about the size of a greeting card. While generations of children have grown up with the ravenous caterpillar, this collection of Carle imagery and platitudinous sentiment has little of his classic’s charm. The melding of Carle’s caterpillar with Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE on the book’s cover, alas, draws further attention to its derivative nature.
Safe to creep on by. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Dec. 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-448-48932-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren.
In talk-show host Fallon and illustrator Ordóñez’s latest picture-book collaboration, an elderly pooch waxes rhapsodic about a life well lived.
Observing Papa sitting in his chair watching TV all day, a young pup says, “I’m starting to think…you don’t do ANYTHING.” So Papa proceeds to list his accomplishments, both big and small, mundane and profound. Some are just a result of being older and physically bigger (being tall enough to reach a high shelf and strong enough to open jars); others include winning a race and performing in a band when he was younger. Eventually, the pup realizes that while Papa may have slowed down in his old age, he’s led a full life. The most satisfying thing about Papa’s life now? Watching his grandchild take center stage: “I can say lots of thoughts / but I choose to be quiet. / I’d rather you discover things and then try it.” Fallon’s straightforward text is sweetly upbeat, though it occasionally lacks flow, forcing incongruous situations together to fit the rhyme scheme (“I cook and I mow, / and I once flew a plane. // I play newspaper puzzles because it’s good for my brain”). Featuring uncluttered, colorful backgrounds, Ordóñez’s child-friendly digital art at times takes on sepia tones, evoking the sense of looking back at old photos or memories. Though the creators tread familiar ground, the love between Papa and his little one is palpable.
A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 13, 2025
ISBN: 9781250393975
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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