A much-needed window and mirror of immigrant experience for young readers.
In this loving tale of family migration and making home anew, young Roy’s embrace of Bob Marley gives him comfort on his first day of school after the family moves to Canada.
Roy’s family is beginning a new life in an unnamed Canadian town (probably Toronto), where, most briskly, Roy recognizes the supreme contradiction a Jamaican new to Canada experiences. “Leroy, the sun was shining bright, bright outside, but when I put my head out the window, my ears felt a little cold,” he explains in an email to his friend back home. After two unanswered emails, Roy is writing his third missive to his buddy, the titular Leroy. Roy and his father share a deep love of “one of the world’s greatest and most caring musicians,” Bob Marley, and his Irish-immigrant neighbor, Ms. Muir, offers him a signature button of Marley’s to wear on his first day of school. When Roy’s classmates welcome him with his favorite tune “One Love,” he looks down to realize that his button is missing. Will he find his button? Will Leroy ever respond to his email? These are the turnkey questions of this lighthearted tale. Sadu and Delinois neatly honor the cultural contributions made by the longtime community of Jamaicans that have settled in Canada, bridging the two worlds to make home anew.
A much-needed window and mirror of immigrant experience for young readers. (Picture book 4-7)Pub Date: May 16, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-55498-760-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Groundwood
Review Posted Online: Feb. 19, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2017
Making friends isn’t always this easy and convenient.
How do you make a new friend when an old one moves away?
Buddy (from Sorry, Grown-Ups, You Can’t Go to School, 2019, etc.) is feeling lonely. His best friend just moved across town. To make matters worse, there is a field trip coming up, and Buddy needs a bus partner. His sister, Lady, has some helpful advice for making a new pal: “You just need to find something you have in common.” Buddy loves the game Robo Chargers and karate. Surely there is someone else who does, too! Unfortunately, there isn’t. However, when a new student arrives (one day later) and asks everyone to call her Sunny instead of Alison, Buddy gets excited. No one uses his given name, either; they just call him Buddy. He secretly whispers his “real, official name” to Sunny at lunch—an indication that a true friendship is being formed. The rest of the story plods merrily along, all pieces falling exactly into place (she even likes Robo Chargers!), accompanied by Bowers’ digital art, a mix of spot art and full-bleed illustrations. Friendship-building can be an emotionally charged event in a child’s life—young readers will certainly see themselves in Buddy’s plight—but, alas, there is not much storytelling magic to be found. Buddy and his family are White, Sunny and Mr. Teacher are Black, and Buddy’s other classmates are racially diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Making friends isn’t always this easy and convenient. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: July 12, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-30709-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Another quirky take on the series theme that it’s cool to be kind.
The cool beans again step up to do a timorous fellow legume a fava…this time at the pool.
Will a rash decision to tackle the multistory super-slide lead to another embarrassing watery fail for our shy protagonist? Nope, for up the stairs right behind comes a trio of cool beans, each a different type and color, all clad in nothing but dark shades. They make an offer: “It’s not as scary if you go with friends!” As the knobby nerd explains once the thrilling ride down is done, “They all realized that I just needed some encouragement and support.” Just to make sure that both cool and uncool readers get the message, the narrator lets us know that “there are plenty of kind folks who have my back. They’re always there when I need them.” The beany bonhomie doesn’t end at the bottom of the slide, with all gliding down to the shallow end of the pool (“3 INCHES. NO DIVING”) for a splashy finale. This latest early reader starring characters from John and Oswald’s immensely popular Food Group series will be a hit with fans. Fun accessories, such as a bean who rocks pink cat-eye frames, add some pizzazz to the chromatically and somatotypically varied cast.
Another quirky take on the series theme that it’s cool to be kind. (Easy reader. 5-7)Pub Date: March 26, 2024
ISBN: 9780063329560
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
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