A visually rich and empowering read.
A youngster struggles with “jumbling, tumbling” letters but with perseverance masters reading.
Using a striking two-tone palette of denim blue cyanotype and matte scarlet set against creamy, dyslexia-friendly backgrounds, Rolfe focuses on a wispily illustrated child who desperately wants to finish reading a book. But the “wiggling, jiggling” letters aren’t cooperating. Brief, evocative phrases, with a strong emphasis on action verbs, demonstrate how overwhelming the little one finds the task. A potent series of pages depicts the protagonist glowering, howling in frustration, and ripping the book apart; the sequence ends with a stark white ripped page set against an oppressive red backdrop. As tears fall, so do letters, creating a mountain of blocky, hand-printed letters that stand between the child and the book. It’s a powerful visual metaphor for the dyslexic learning experience. Then—a breakthrough. Snatching an O from the pile and looking through it, the child glimpses “a world where anything…can be!” Letters transform into flowers and animals. The narrator is frank as chaos gradually turns to order: “I have so far to go. But letter by letter, [I’ll] find my own way.” A sturdy castle springs up, with the child lounging inside a letter O, reading at last. Youngsters, especially those with learning differences, will cheer the child’s accomplishment. A validating author’s note reminds readers of the many ways to learn. Aptly, the typeset is OpenDyslexic. The child has skin the color of the page.
A visually rich and empowering read. (author’s note) (Picture book. 5-10)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
ISBN: 9781536244557
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
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
The dynamic interaction between the characters invites readers to take risks, push boundaries, and have a little unscripted...
Reinvention is the name of the game for two blobs of clay.
A blue-eyed gray blob and a brown-eyed brown blob sit side by side, unsure as to what’s going to happen next. The gray anticipates an adventure, while the brown appears apprehensive. A pair of hands descends, and soon, amid a flurry of squishing and prodding and poking and sculpting, a handsome gray wolf and a stately brown owl emerge. The hands disappear, leaving the friends to their own devices. The owl is pleased, but the wolf convinces it that the best is yet to come. An ear pulled here and an extra eye placed there, and before you can shake a carving stick, a spurt of frenetic self-exploration—expressed as a tangled black scribble—reveals a succession of smug hybrid beasts. After all, the opportunity to become a “pig-e-phant” doesn’t come around every day. But the sound of approaching footsteps panics the pair of Picassos. How are they going to “fix [them]selves” on time? Soon a hippopotamus and peacock are staring bug-eyed at a returning pair of astonished hands. The creative naiveté of the “clay mates” is perfectly captured by Petty’s feisty, spot-on dialogue: “This was your idea…and it was a BAD one.” Eldridge’s endearing sculpted images are photographed against the stark white background of an artist’s work table to great effect.
The dynamic interaction between the characters invites readers to take risks, push boundaries, and have a little unscripted fun of their own . (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: June 20, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-316-30311-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2017
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