An impressively realistic, heartfelt exploration of family dynamics and illuminating understanding.
A child gains poignant insight about family while making Chinese takeout deliveries.
“Baba and I—we navigate it together,” the young, East Asian–presenting narrator explains as father and child “shuttle cardboard trays full of takeout containers from [their] restaurant to the minivan.” While Baba drives, the child wields a notebook of addresses, a foldout map, and a red pen to ensure the orders reach their hungry clients. Despite compliments—“What a good kid you are”—the protagonist would rather be “a normal kid” instead of Baba’s helper. But it’s in the darkness that Baba divulges faraway stories of “empty stomachs and worried whispers,” of “find[ing] his way in a new country.” He confesses, “Before I had you, I would get so lost.” Returning safely to the restaurant means a warm family meal to share. In an author’s note, Leung describes the inspiration for the work: making food deliveries with her own father in the 1990s. Particularly resonant is her observation about the children of immigrants who must often become their parents’ translators, advocates, and navigators. In an illustrator’s note, Kang reveals her own family’s inspiration and how she uses weather—a dark downpour, its dissipation, parting clouds giving way to the shining moon—to affectingly reflect the shifting parent–child relationship. She creates her gorgeous, moody illustrations in gouache, crayon, colored pencil, and pastel. Mature themes concerning immigration, identity, and belonging suggest that older readers might especially appreciate this work.
An impressively realistic, heartfelt exploration of family dynamics and illuminating understanding. (Picture book. 4-10)Pub Date: March 10, 2026
ISBN: 9780593897690
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Anne Schwartz/Random
Review Posted Online: Nov. 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.
Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.
Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
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