For kids who may have heard the letters used in movies or on TV, learning this code alphabet could turn into a game;...
Themed alphabet books are a dime a dozen, but this distinguishes itself by illustrating the NATO phonetic alphabet, officially named the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet.
Each letter is a one-word code universally used by those who cannot afford to be misunderstood, such as firefighters, police, and the military: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie. Each letter-code is given a double-page spread. The word appears on the verso in large, painted block capitals, and the image that illustrates it is on the recto. Many of the references and depictions are adult, even antique, in connotation. “Mike” is represented by a pair of boxing gloves (presumably for Mike Tyson), and the painting for “Oscar” is a woman in a fancy ball gown (Oscar de la Renta?). A black derby hat represents “Charlie” (Chaplin, one assumes); “Victor” appears opposite a gramophone, evidently standing for Victrola. The picture for “Sierra,” an aerial view of a mountain range, is visually confusing. The images are frequently witty, and their execution is painterly and accomplished, but if the intent is to help kids learn this phonetic alphabet, the choice of items for the illustrations seems too sophisticated.
For kids who may have heard the letters used in movies or on TV, learning this code alphabet could turn into a game; otherwise this is more an art book for adults than an alphabet book for children. (Picture book. 6 & up)Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-7852-4
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
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
Poignant, respectful, and historically accurate while pulsating with emotional turmoil, adventure, and suspense.
In the midst of political turmoil, how do you escape the only country that you’ve ever known and navigate a new life? Parallel stories of three different middle school–aged refugees—Josef from Nazi Germany in 1938, Isabel from 1994 Cuba, and Mahmoud from 2015 Aleppo—eventually intertwine for maximum impact.
Three countries, three time periods, three brave protagonists. Yet these three refugee odysseys have so much in common. Each traverses a landscape ruled by a dictator and must balance freedom, family, and responsibility. Each initially leaves by boat, struggles between visibility and invisibility, copes with repeated obstacles and heart-wrenching loss, and gains resilience in the process. Each third-person narrative offers an accessible look at migration under duress, in which the behavior of familiar adults changes unpredictably, strangers exploit the vulnerabilities of transients, and circumstances seem driven by random luck. Mahmoud eventually concludes that visibility is best: “See us….Hear us. Help us.” With this book, Gratz accomplishes a feat that is nothing short of brilliant, offering a skillfully wrought narrative laced with global and intergenerational reverberations that signal hope for the future. Excellent for older middle grade and above in classrooms, book groups, and/or communities looking to increase empathy for new and existing arrivals from afar.
Poignant, respectful, and historically accurate while pulsating with emotional turmoil, adventure, and suspense. (maps, author’s note) (Historical fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: July 25, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-545-88083-1
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2017
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