A story of a girl, a cottage, and a family tradition that begs to be visited again and again.
Like a cottage quilt, rhythmic stanzas and vintage-style illustrations are stitched together with memories and love.
Lyrical, not-quite-rhyming text tells the simple yet touching story of a girl with brown skin and straight, black hair who visits a special blue cottage every summer with her interracial family. Shared activities (waterskiing, beach play, and cycling) and meals (pancakes) convey the closeness in this family. In the summer, the girl escapes the warm cottage to play on the beach; during torrential storms, she hides within the cottage walls, peering out at the high whitecaps. The cottage, serving as a secondary character, awaits the girl’s return each year, as well as the sights, sounds, and smells that accompany her visit. Alternating between vignettes and broad spreads, illustrations that recall the stylings of Virginia Lee Burton and Barbara Cooney have the texture and appearance of colored pencil. Muted earth tones dominate, and prints and patterns also adorn each thoughtfully composed spread, adding to the layered visual appeal of the book. Eventually the girl grows up and no longer visits, and the cottage falls into neglect, nearly disappearing into the surrounding vegetation. The book ends as it began, with a second multiracial generation returning to the little blue cottage, to restore its timeless splendor and build new memories.
A story of a girl, a cottage, and a family tradition that begs to be visited again and again. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: May 12, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-62414-923-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Page Street
Review Posted Online: March 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
When life gave her lemons, Ruby made lemonade. A sweet read—and lesson—for young readers.
Will this be the year Ruby gets to make and share a dish at the annual family reunion?
Once a year, Ruby’s African American family gets together for a reunion and soul food dinner. Every year her relatives prepare their signature dishes, and this year Ruby wants to make one, too. Affectionately nicknamed “Lil’ Bit” by relatives, Ruby doesn’t know what to make, and when Auntie Billie questions if she’s big enough to help in the kitchen, Ruby begins to have doubts, too. Nevertheless, fueled by her mother’s confidence that she will find her special something to make, Ruby approaches her family members in hopes that they will allow her to help them, but there’s no use, Ruby is just too small. Readers will feel Ruby’s discouragement even as their mouths begin to water at the meal her family is assembling. Finally, she ventures outside, where she notices a stand of lemon trees and she gets the bright idea to make a refreshing pitcher of lemonade—which is just what they all needed. This is a charming book that works well as a read-aloud, especially as a lap read with children who are gaining independence and want to do more than they are able. Ruby’s well-drawn expressions support the use of this book as a picture walk with very young readers. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
When life gave her lemons, Ruby made lemonade. A sweet read—and lesson—for young readers. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: May 18, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-301574-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2021
Sweet and accessible: Readers will savor Yoomi’s latest adventure.
When the little things start getting you down, look to Grandma for a pick-me-up.
It’s “Sunday Funday,” and Yoomi, the black-and-white cat protagonist of No Kimchi for Me! (2017) and Let’s Go to Taekwondo (2020), hurries downstairs, eager to watch her favorite show on TV. Unfortunately, she is greeted by her siblings, who inform her that her show is cancelled for the soccer playoffs. Still cheerful, she asks her father to start their Sunday ritual of making kimbap for breakfast—only to find a lack of ingredients means she needs to eat cereal instead. The spare and simple narrative describes the growing pile of frustrations, even when Dad takes her to Koreatown. Her favorite book of folktales has been checked out from the bookmobile. At the Korean market her favorite pastry-wrapped hotdog treat is sold out. When she tries tteokbokki (rice cake in a spicy sauce), she accidentally spills the red sauce all over her shirt. To top it all off, her grandma is not home. An exasperated Yoomi declares, “Today is not a Funday.” Happily, Grandma returns to bring a fresh perspective. Once again Kim explores universal experiences, in this case bad days, while highlighting the comforts and joys of Korean culture, her signature bright and colorful cartoons drawing attention to all the small, delectable details of Koreatown. A note about Koreatown and a recipe for kimbap follow.
Sweet and accessible: Readers will savor Yoomi’s latest adventure. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4447-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
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