A well-illustrated book with an inspirational message for girls and young women of color.
In this upbeat picture book, an experienced mentor urges girls and young women of color to believe in themselves.
Sims has served as director of the Birmingham, Alabama, chapter of Team Focus, an organization that helps boys and young men find mentors, and in this stand-alone companion to Young King, Young King (2019), he offers advice to female readers who may need a bit of encouragement. “You must always believe in and love yourself, even when no one else does,” he says early on, and on the pages that follow, he gently promotes self-love and self-reliance. “The world will pull you in different directions,” he writes. “Trust yourself! You know what’s right and wrong.” Sims advises girls and young women to set goals and tap into their creativity: “Your actions and reactions will define you, not your intentions or thoughts.” Although self-sufficiency is an overarching theme, he recommends seeking help when needed from “Other Young Queens” and from God: “Trust God, talk to him, and include him in ALL of your plans.” He also encourages them not to lose hope when facing difficulties like loss, anger, or heartbreak. Befitting that cheerful tone, Mills’ illustrations show a happy, bright-eyed, dark-skinned girl in varied everyday situations: doing a yoga pose, speaking in a classroom, dreaming of a diploma. When the text says, “Your actions and reactions will define you, not your intentions or thoughts,” the art shows the girl holding the words “action” and “intent” in her open palms. A handful of images also depict boys, adults, or friends with varied skin tones. Some of the sentiments are familiar—“You can do, and you can be anything you want to be!”—but they bring worthy reminders that everyone could use from time to time. Williams, the author of This Isn’t It (2016), reinforces Sims’ messages in her foreword, which reminds adults that girls need to hear that “they are…beautiful, strong, needed, and absolutely not alone.”
A well-illustrated book with an inspirational message for girls and young women of color.Pub Date: July 7, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-79828-045-4
Page Count: 38
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: May 6, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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