It’s clear this book has a lot of love for the flag’s promise that “it’s okay to be your colorful, sparkly, glittery self,”...
A colorful tribute to Gilbert Baker and his rainbow flag.
Gilbert, “a little boy who was full of color and sparkle and glitter,” grew up “where everything was gray and dull and flat.” His grandmother’s clothing boutique supported his love for fashion, soon crushed by paternal disapproval. He could be “his colorful, sparkly, glittery self” only in San Francisco, moving there after his brief, disastrous military service. Surrounded by the city’s famed painted ladies, Gilbert rediscovers his passions, creating the rainbow flag after a conversation with Harvey Milk. The art is beautiful and bright, transitioning powerfully from a subdued Kansan landscape to a flamboyant Bay Area. Some textual shifts are jarring, as when Gilbert "received a letter that knocked every last bit of sparkle out of him” and is suddenly in uniform, with no explanation about the draft. Similarly, before the flag’s invention, “There was just one thing that continued to blemish their beautiful city. It was a symbol that, in Gilbert’s community, was a constant reminder of evil.” This confusing allusion to the pink triangle is explained only in the densely packed author’s note, and the word “gay” never appears in the story; readers must wait to learn about the rainbow’s direct connection to LGBTQ identities in the endnote.
It’s clear this book has a lot of love for the flag’s promise that “it’s okay to be your colorful, sparkly, glittery self,” but it elides a clear description of the communities it’s for. (Picture book/biography. 4-8)Pub Date: May 22, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4338-2902-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Magination/American Psychological Association
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2018
A supplemental rather than introductory book on the great artist.
Frida Kahlo’s strong affection for and identification with animals form the lens through which readers view her life and work in this picture-book biography.
Each two-page spread introduces one or more of her pets, comparing her characteristics to theirs and adding biographical details. Confusingly for young readers, the beginning pages reference pets she owned as an adult, yet the illustrations and events referred to come from earlier in her life. Bonito the parrot perches in a tree overlooking young Frida and her family in her childhood home and pops up again later, just before the first mention of Diego Rivera. Granizo, the fawn, another pet from her adult years, is pictured beside a young Frida and her father along with a description of “her life as a little girl.” The author’s note adds important details about Kahlo’s life and her significance as an artist, as well as recommending specific paintings that feature her beloved animals. Expressive acrylic paintings expertly evoke Kahlo’s style and color palette. While young animal lovers will identify with her attachment to her pets and may enjoy learning about the Aztec origins of her Xolo dogs and the meaning of turkeys in ancient Mexico, the book may be of most interest to those who already have an interest in Kahlo’s life.
A supplemental rather than introductory book on the great artist. (Picture book/biography. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7358-4269-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: NorthSouth
Review Posted Online: June 18, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Blandly inspirational fare made to evoke equally shrink-wrapped responses.
An NBA star pays tribute to the influence of his grandfather.
In the same vein as his Long Shot (2009), illustrated by Frank Morrison, this latest from Paul prioritizes values and character: “My granddad Papa Chilly had dreams that came true,” he writes, “so maybe if I listen and watch him, / mine will too.” So it is that the wide-eyed Black child in the simply drawn illustrations rises early to get to the playground hoops before anyone else, watches his elder working hard and respecting others, hears him cheering along with the rest of the family from the stands during games, and recalls in a prose afterword that his grandfather wasn’t one to lecture but taught by example. Paul mentions in both the text and the backmatter that Papa Chilly was the first African American to own a service station in North Carolina (his presumed dream) but not that he was killed in a robbery, which has the effect of keeping the overall tone positive and the instructional content one-dimensional. Figures in the pictures are mostly dark-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Blandly inspirational fare made to evoke equally shrink-wrapped responses. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Jan. 10, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-250-81003-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
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