Thoughtfully conceived but not quite successful in the delivery.
A book showcasing a variety of human differences, told in singsong rhyme.
In his diversity-focused debut, social media personality Lowe uses repetitious verse to convey a range of differences, including personal qualities, social identities, physical traits, and individual preferences. Each set of attributes culminates in the same lines: “You may not know them / they may not be you, // but some people are, / and some people do.” Lowe and Hara cover an impressive array of experiences, uplifting adopted and single-parented kids, children with a variety of learning styles (and speeds), spiritual and secular youth, and a spectrum of disabled youth. However, not all of these identities are skillfully portrayed. Cartoony images by Instagram-famous illustrator Hara offer colorful but sometimes-hackneyed representations. For example, in a picture depicting wealthy and working-class kids, the “poor” child, hair uncombed, lies belly-down on grass, inexplicably grinning at a mouse. In another spread, a white transgender child with short hair and wearing tighty whities frowns into a full-length mirror. On the next page, the same kid beams at their new reflection, which features the child with longer hair; the accompanying text reads, “Some people don’t feel / quite right in their skin // some people want out / of the body they’re in.” The perpetuation of the common narrative that defines trans people by their dysphoria is disappointing.
Thoughtfully conceived but not quite successful in the delivery. (Picture book. 3-9)Pub Date: June 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-945448-30-0
Page Count: 30
Publisher: BQB Publishing
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.
A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.
Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
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
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