Iggie's cosmopolitan family is off to Tokyo and Winnie knew they'd sell to someone interesting—but her welcome to the Negro Garbers ('Detroit! Did you riot?') doesn't warm them and her championship of their cause isn't backed up by her parents: she's the bumbling, besieged liberal at age eleven. But not a girl to give up easily: to the kids at the playground she introduces the Garbers as Africans, to younger Tina Garber she insists that, sure there are black kids around—"just not today." Winnie's always hated "Little Miss Germ-Head" Clarice Landon and her busybody mother so it's no surprise that the latter circulates a petition advising the Garbers to move; what shocks Winnie is that her parents don't tell Mrs. Landon off. Her embarrassment with the Garbers—Herbie runs to hostile sarcasm, Glenn to constraint—is mitigated when the talk gets around to parents: both sets seem bent on "'protect(ing) the children from everything bad in the world.' Just close your eyes and it will go away." The kids' candor proves to be the nearest thing to a triumph on Grove Street: integration, such as it is, is a by-product of Mr. Garber's determination not to forsake a good job, the extremist Landons' departure, and the apathy of Winnie's parents—"Moving is just too much trouble." Occasionally forced (Mrs. Landon's crude tactics, Clarice's very name), loose though not slack—in fact evanescent except for the rueful truth.
Pub Date: April 13, 1970
ISBN: 0440440629
Page Count: 129
Publisher: Bradbury
Review Posted Online: Oct. 15, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1970
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Halloween is used merely as a backdrop; better holiday titles for young readers are available.
A ghost learns to appreciate his differences.
The little ghost protagonist of this title is unusual. He’s a quilt, not a lightweight sheet like his parents and friends. He dislikes being different despite his mom’s reassurance that his ancestors also had unconventional appearances. Halloween makes the little ghost happy, though. He decides to watch trick-or-treaters by draping over a porch chair—but lands on a porch rail instead. A mom accompanying her daughter picks him up, wraps him around her chilly daughter, and brings him home with them! The family likes his looks and comforting warmth, and the little ghost immediately feels better about himself. As soon as he’s able to, he flies out through the chimney and muses happily that this adventure happened only due to his being a quilt. This odd but gently told story conveys the importance of self-respect and acceptance of one’s uniqueness. The delivery of this positive message has something of a heavy-handed feel and is rushed besides. It also isn’t entirely logical: The protagonist could have been a different type of covering; a blanket, for instance, might have enjoyed an identical experience. The soft, pleasing illustrations’ palette of tans, grays, white, black, some touches of color, and, occasionally, white text against black backgrounds suggest isolation, such as the ghost feels about himself. Most humans, including the trick-or-treating mom and daughter, have beige skin. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-16.6-inch double-page spreads viewed at 66.2% of actual size.)
Halloween is used merely as a backdrop; better holiday titles for young readers are available. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-7352-6447-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for...
A gentle voice and familiar pitfalls characterize this tale of a boy navigating the risky road to responsibility.
Gavin is new to his neighborhood and Carver Elementary. He likes his new friend, Richard, and has a typically contentious relationship with his older sister, Danielle. When Gavin’s desire to impress Richard sets off a disastrous chain of events, the boy struggles to evade responsibility for his actions. “After all, it isn’t his fault that Danielle’s snow globe got broken. Sure, he shouldn’t have been in her room—but then, she shouldn’t be keeping candy in her room to tempt him. Anybody would be tempted. Anybody!” opines Gavin once he learns the punishment for his crime. While Gavin has a charming Everyboy quality, and his aversion to Aunt Myrtle’s yapping little dog rings true, little about Gavin distinguishes him from other trouble-prone protagonists. He is, regrettably, forgettable. Coretta Scott King Honor winner English (Francie, 1999) is a teacher whose storytelling usually benefits from her day job. Unfortunately, the pizzazz of classroom chaos is largely absent from this series opener.
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for subsequent volumes. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Dec. 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-547-97044-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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