An understated, empathetic approach to helping children handle their what-ifs.
A child frets about an upcoming celebration.
Henry’s birthday party is tomorrow, but the youngster’s been quiet and preoccupied all day. That night, Henry finally confides in older sibling Sam: What if Henry’s new best friend, Marty, doesn’t like the family’s dog, Ketchup? What if she turns up her nose at their grandmother’s confetti cake? What if the elevator in their building breaks down, and Marty has to take the stairs? And what if she judges them for living in a small apartment? Sam counters each of Henry’s concerns: What if Marty finds Ketchup adorable? What if she wants extra helpings of cake? What if she likes counting stairs the way Henry does and thinks their apartment is the coolest? Sam’s measured responses don’t dismiss Henry’s fears; instead, they balance the youngster’s anxieties with equally possible but hopeful outcomes. Comic book–like layouts make for dynamic page designs, allowing readers to linger on various moments. The illustrations themselves are unfortunately flat and murky; characters have off-puttingly blank eyes and bland faces. Scenes depicting Henry and Sam’s what-if scenarios, rendered in childlike scrawls, better convey their emotions and portray the extremes of each hypothetical scenario, ultimately showing kids how to take charge of their worries. Tan-skinned Henry and Sam appear to be biracial (their mother is brown-skinned, while their father presents East Asian); Marty is brown-skinned.
An understated, empathetic approach to helping children handle their what-ifs. (Picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: March 18, 2025
ISBN: 9781771476010
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Owlkids Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025
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
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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