A wordless, singing infusion of love and energy into a home.
In this wordless tale, a chosen family forms.
As a child washes breakfast dishes, their harried grandparent exits the kitchen directly into a general store, revealing that they live in rooms behind their shop. Upstairs, a rental apartment sits empty, rejected by prospective tenants, until a new couple looks past its grubby, run-down state. With elbow grease and enthusiasm, they fix peeling wallpaper, cracking plaster, and cabinets hanging off hinges. They also give the shop’s exterior a new coat of paint and share in running it, easing the grandparent’s workload and spirits. A new family of four is born. Leng uses unbordered panels, sometimes full-page, sometimes small and square, sometimes horizontal. Her ink-and-watercolor paintings are gentle and dreamy, with a real beating heart. Child and grandparent are White; the new family members are an interracial couple, one brown-skinned (long hair, billowy skirt), one Asian-presenting (short hair, jeans). A few carefully placed pride rainbows make queerness explicit: a barely noticeable rainbow belt; a rainbow hat, tiny in a distance shot; and, finally, an unmistakable (and unprecedented for this shop) rainbow flag hanging outside the business at the very end. Careful readers may deduce that the Asian tenant is a transgender man, signaled through an extremely subtle plot point. Poverty and the child’s early loneliness are subtle too, but warmth never is.
A wordless, singing infusion of love and energy into a home. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5362-0147-5
Page Count: 49
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2020
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PERSPECTIVES
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader!
Fun with friends makes for a great day.
Norbit, a salmon-colored worm with a pink kerchief, joyfully greets the day and everyone he encounters. “Hello, friends! It’s time for fun with the sun! Let’s play!” He and his menagerie of forest pals—including the sun, who grows limbs and descends from the sky—exuberantly engage in various forms of physical activity such as jumping, going down a slide, spinning around, and watching the clouds go by. Young readers will readily relate, as these are games that most children are familiar with. As day turns to night, Norbit says farewell to Sun and welcomes Moon with an invitation to continue the fun. Watkins has created a vivid world of movement and merriment. Her illustrations feature bright bursts of color that match the energy of the text, with most sentences ending in an exclamation point. The author/illustrator incorporates many elements that make for an ideal early-reading experience (despite the use of a contraction or two): art free from clutter, text consisting of words with only one or two syllables, and repetition and recurring bits, such as a continued game of hide-and-seek with Sun. Inspired by never-before-seen sketches from the Dr. Seuss Collection archives at the University of California San Diego, this is the first title for Seuss Studios, a new imprint for original stories from “emerging authors and illustrators” who “honor Seuss’s hallmark spirit of creativity and imagination.”
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader! (author's note) (Early reader. 5-8)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780593646212
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Seuss Studios
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Brotherly love and Black joy abound in this brilliantly told tribute to the ties that bind.
When Mom and Dad bring baby Rasheed home for the first time, it’s love at first sight for big brother Anthony.
As the boys grow, Anthony teaches his little sibling how to build a tower with blocks (and how to knock it down with a loud “WHOP!!!”), how to ride a bike, and even how to fly (through a well-timed leap from the swings). When thunder and lightning wake them both one night, Anthony assuages Rasheed’s fears with the book’s titular refrain: “I got you.” But one day Anthony goes for a bike ride with his friends, leaving Rasheed alone and hurt. That night, Anthony explains that while he may spend time with his peers, his bond with Rasheed is unbreakable. And as the book comes to a close, with Mom and Dad introducing the boys to their new little sibling, Anthony leaves Rasheed with perhaps the greatest lesson of all: how to be a supportive big brother himself. Narrated by Rasheed, Barnes’ text is elegant in its simplicity, loving yet never saccharine, and always emotionally honest. Using varied perspectives, Knight-Justice’s richly hued, collagelike digital illustrations combine a patchwork of textures and patterns, immersing readers in this affectionate Black family’s world. Greens and blues dominate the pages, bringing to life an idyllic suburban setting.
Brotherly love and Black joy abound in this brilliantly told tribute to the ties that bind. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 15, 2025
ISBN: 9780593111451
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
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