When a boy reads a book about birds, his imagination takes flight. Multicolored acrylic paintings on bright, spare backgrounds narrow the focus straight to the boy and his dreams of taking wing with some colorful feathered friends. When asked, the boy’s father explains that the boy can’t fly because he doesn’t have wings—he has arms and hands instead. More “why” questions follow, resulting in the boy being hugged, swung and tossed, until he soars through the air with the help of his father. The minimal, dialogue-only text works well, allowing readers to immerse themselves in the illustrations and perhaps add some description of their own. Sitting together in an armchair, the boy and his father then embark on a new reading selection about fish. Questions about fins seem sure to follow! An engaging and effective father-son story in which the main characters are black and race is not presented as an issue, this is a charming introduction to the worlds of books, birds and imagination, and an apt choice for parent-child reading. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: March 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-56145-430-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2009
An affirming, though lackluster, look at a loving queer family.
For his debut picture book, teacher and activist Chasten Buttigieg draws inspiration from life with husband Pete Buttigieg, former U.S. transportation secretary.
The big day has finally arrived! Rosie and Jojo have been counting down the days until Papa comes home from his work trip. With a little help from Daddy, they make “welcome home” signs to greet Papa at the airport, pick flowers from the garden, and bake a “seven-layer chocolate cake with purple and yellow frosting.” Much to Daddy’s bemusement, the kids gather all of Papa’s favorite things, including his robe and slippers and their adorable pooch, Butter, as they walk out the door to pick up Papa from his travels. The author offers an affectionate portrait of the everyday domestic life of a same-sex family unit. While many kids and adults will be pleased to see their experiences reflected on the page, both the choppy writing and the flat digital artwork are fairly bland. Characters display similarly excited facial expressions throughout, while the portrayal of the children borders on overly cutesy at times, with intentionally misspelled signs throughout the house (“Papa’s Very Spechull Garden. Please do not tutch”). Like the author’s actual children, Rosie and Jojo are brown-skinned, while Daddy and Papa present white.
An affirming, though lackluster, look at a loving queer family. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: May 20, 2025
ISBN: 9780593693988
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
A bedtime, daytime, anytime family story with a Black child at the center.
Here comes Kenny, a boy in perpetual motion.
In the first of four episodes, a Black boy named Kenny attempts to dress in different family members’ clothes while the patterned text unfolds as a series of questions and answers: “Can he wear these shoes?” the text asks as Kenny stands in a pair of purple pumps, answering its own question right away: “No, those are Mommy’s shoes.” When he finally gets dressed, the family walks Grandaddy to the bus with his suitcase. The second story tells of Kenny’s fear of the vacuum cleaner. Because it “roars like a lion” and eats off the floor, Kenny wonders if it might eat Kitty, his toy, or even him. In the third story, Kenny’s big sister gives him a lesson in soccer, a “no hands” sport (except for a high-five at the end). In the final story, although it’s Kenny’s bedtime, he isn’t tired…until he is. But there’s still time to snuggle up with Mommy for a story. Young readers who enjoyed Pinkney’s Puppy Truck (2019) will eagerly grow into reading these stories alone, but they also work well as participatory read-alouds because of the repetitive text. Solid, pastel-colored pages divide one vignette from another. With plenty of white space and colorful swirls depicting Kenny’s perpetual motion, Pinkney’s recognizable illustrations affirm the closeness of this Black family and paint an empathetic picture of one kid’s resistances, fears, and joys. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 25% of actual size.)
A bedtime, daytime, anytime family story with a Black child at the center. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Jan. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-073528-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2020
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