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I AM, YO SOY

Name: I AM, YO SOY
Author: Gabriela Orozco Belt
ISBN: 9780063206656

by Gabriela Orozco Belt ; illustrated by Mirelle Ortega ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 25, 2025

Sweet and empowering.

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Orozco Belt pays tribute to the richness of the bicultural, bilingual experience.

Though the author starts off by addressing feelings of alienation—“Some days I feel like I am not from here, ni de aquí”—she emphasizes that identity isn’t a struggle but something worth celebrating. A variety of Latine children, who vary in skin tone, offer personal and unique perspectives, using food, sports, and holidays to render tangible a potentially complex and abstract concept. “I am football—gridiron, pigskin, touchdowns…And I am soccer—pass, shot, goal!” “I am ‘Happy Birthday to You.’ / Blow out the candles and make a wish…And I am ‘The Mornings.’ / Sung in the early morning, filled with joy.” National flags and references to specific customs—dancing bachata, observing Día de los Muertos—emphasize the diversity within Latine cultures. The book opens with a vibrant, contrasting palette, with hot hues set against cooler ones; Ortega maintains this color scheme while shifting to increasingly imaginative and expressive backdrops. Narrated in first person, with Spanish phrases sprinkled throughout (and color-coded translations for the English statements), it’s an engaging, easy-to-follow, and ultimately affirming work sure to leave readers smiling.

Sweet and empowering. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: March 25, 2025

ISBN: 9780063206656

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: June 13, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
ONLY FOR A LITTLE WHILE
by Gabriela Orozco Belt ; illustrated by Richy Sánchez Ayala

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WHY A DAUGHTER NEEDS A MOM

by Gregory R. Lange ; illustrated by Sydney Hanson ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2019

New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned.

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

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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)