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NO ONE OWNS THE COLORS

Name: NO ONE OWNS THE COLORS
Author: Gianna Davy
ISBN: 978-1-951412-96-8

by Gianna Davy ; illustrated by Brenda Rodriguez ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 7, 2023

A less than successful effort to get readers rethinking assumptions about colors; look at a nice rainbow instead.

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A rhyming text about colors and genders.

“If pink is for girls,” this book begins, “then it’s also for squirrels, because no one owns the colors.” The following assertion, “They say blue is for boys? / Well that just annoys, / because no one owns the colors,” sets up 28 similar pages, explaining how colors ranging from chartreuse to mocha to fuchsia all exist in nature but not within strict human gender binaries. Children are provided with scripts for how to respond if anyone tries to convince them otherwise, but it’s cringe-inducing to imagine a young person responding to a bully with “Do ocean waves argue / with sky over blue? Do chameleons have / only one color to use? Does red avoid yellow / and try not to touch? Or do they unite to make / neon orange crush!” or with “The trees and the frogs / and the blue ocean spray, / they all share their colors, / the dark ones and light, / and so do the rainbows / that dress the sky bright.” The unceasingly chipper tone, faulty meter, and relentless march of colors make this an exhausting read-aloud and, if shared among children with no preconceived notions about colors and gender, might even introduce bias rather than remove it. Rodriguez’s illustrations center on a tan-skinned child; other characters are diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A less than successful effort to get readers rethinking assumptions about colors; look at a nice rainbow instead. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2023

ISBN: 978-1-951412-96-8

Page Count: 32

Publisher: The Collective Book Studio

Review Posted Online: Nov. 28, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
HOW DO I WONDER?
by Gianna Davy ; illustrated by Brenda Rodriguez

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HEDGEHOGS DON'T WEAR UNDERWEAR

by Marissa Valdez ; illustrated by Marissa Valdez ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2025

Sure to have little ones giggling.

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Jacques is a hedgehog with a big secret: “I wear real, bona fide underwear.”

Our narrator received a mysterious package one day; an illustration shows a pair of underwear tied to a balloon with a note “from the Universe” floating down into Jacques’ burrow. Hedgehogs don’t wear underwear, however. Will Jacques be shunned? Jacques worries but comes to a decision: “I have to wear them. When I do I feel special.” Determined, Jacques, who’s been invited to a party, makes a dramatic entrance, with undies in hand. Jacques’ declaration (“I WEAR UNDERWEAR”) is met with remarks of dismay, before another hedgehog opens up about similar fears and shows off a pair of cowboy boots. More hedgehogs introduce themselves with their own confessions. The story ends with Jacques unveiling a painting of the underwear in a gallery filled with hedgehogs wearing all sorts of attire. Though the book is simple in plot, characters, and setting, it wins in its balance of bathroom humor, dramatic storytelling, and celebrations of individual expression. French words are peppered throughout, adding to the fun without detracting from the story for those unfamiliar with the language. The cartoonish illustrations brim with fun; Valdez relies heavily on geometric shapes (triangle noses for the hedgehogs; huge circles for their eyes). Details such as speech bubbles and recurring turtle and snake characters contribute to the outlandish humor.

Sure to have little ones giggling. (Picture book. 3-5)

Pub Date: April 1, 2025

ISBN: 9781250814388

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press

Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
MAYA'S BIG QUESTION
by Meena Harris ; illustrated by Marissa Valdez

- BOOK REVIEW
WHO'S IN CHARGE?
by Stephanie Allain & Jenny Klion ; illustrated by Marissa Valdez

- BOOK REVIEW
HATTIE HARMONY: OPENING NIGHT
by Elizabeth Olsen & Robbie Arnett ; illustrated by Marissa Valdez

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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)