A contemplative, poignant rendering of everyday journeys.
A mass-transit vehicle conveys the life of a metropolis from dawn to dusk.
In this picture book, a subway train shares intimate stories while ferrying passengers around Seoul. Its mechanical, rhythmic, motion—“ba-dum, ba-dum”—echoes the city’s heartbeat, pulsating through a collective memory and quotidian history. Together, readers encounter myriad travelers and glimpse individual lives: Mr. Wanju rushing to and from work, yearning to be with his daughter; Granny returning from the sea with the morning’s catch to “cook a feast for [her] girls”; Lee Do-young, age 29, jobless, “not sure what’s next.” Watercolor washes establish figures and shapes at once suggestive and formalistic; artful lines and gradations detail features, facial expressions, and hairstyles, defining unique human beings amid a sea of anonymity. Jung Yu-seon—former “cry-baby, sleepy-head, scaredy-cat”—whirls between household chores and child care, maintaining a frenetic pace from which she takes respite in the subway’s “embrace.” As a witness, this anthropomorphized vehicle poetically parallels the cobbler Mr. Jae-sung, because they both can “tell so much about a person just from looking at their shoes” and “guess the paths they might have walked.” Reflective observations, along with the circuitous route, create dynamic tension against the train’s linear trajectory and the passage of time, prompting readers to pause—and perhaps ponder the fleeting encounters with “strangers you might never meet again.”
A contemplative, poignant rendering of everyday journeys. (Picture book. 5-9)Pub Date: Aug. 3, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-950354-65-8
Page Count: 52
Publisher: Scribble
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
Although commendable for its inspirational bent, this story flickers rather than shines.
A young Japanese American girl learns to believe in herself and take pride in her cultural heritage.
Keiko sometimes feels invisible and out of place. When overlooked by adults or treated unkindly by peers, she “remains steady like a tree” thanks to her family’s love. Watari highlights Keiko’s good qualities, such as her determination, strength, and kindness. Wu’s watercolor, ink, and digital artwork shows Keiko’s accomplishments, from averting a playground fight to teaching her peers about Japanese cultural traditions (such as the Obon festival) to winning over former bullies. We see her growth and journey from a child to an empowered adult, shining as both the president of the United States and a parent of her own child. Filled to the brim with affirmations, the narrative avoids difficult emotions except for one illustration showing Keiko with a frustrated look on her face as White ballet classmates taunt her from across the room. Unfortunately, the relentless positivity rings a bit hollow, and Keiko’s experiences and development are conveyed with little nuance. Although readers may enjoy searching each spread for symbols of the author’s heritage (origami cranes and Watari’s family crest), this one-note story falls short in a growing collection of confidence-boosting picture books for children. Background characters have a range of skin tones and body types. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Although commendable for its inspirational bent, this story flickers rather than shines. (author's note, glossary) (Picture book. 5-9)Pub Date: May 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5420-3153-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Two Lions
Review Posted Online: Feb. 25, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2022
How needed, how refreshing to see a black girl learn to appreciate herself—lovely and informative.
A little girl learns to love and care for her hair.
Mack, young and black, does not love her hair. As a result of teasing, she tries to hide it. But Mack does love her neighbor Miss Tillie. Miss Tillie’s house has been a safe space since Mack was a toddler. So, naturally, Mack seeks refuge in Miss Tillie after being bullied by a classmate who states as fact that “Mack’s hair is always a mess.” West Indian Miss Tillie gives Mack a glass of sorrel and listens as Mack tells her about the long-term mockery she’s endured about her hair. Though dark-skinned Mack’s mother also appears to be black, she doesn’t know how to care for her daughter’s hair, and Mack asks Miss Tillie for help. Miss Tillie teaches Mack that her hair is like a garden: “And like every good garden, it must be cared for, every day.” The folk art–style illustrations lend this story an anytime, anyplace quality that leaves readers free to focus on the content. Although the text placement and type may occasionally distract, the illustrations evoke emotion, and endpapers showing different hairstyles on black girls of varying hues are especially well-done.
How needed, how refreshing to see a black girl learn to appreciate herself—lovely and informative. (caring for black hair, recipes) (Picture book. 5-9)Pub Date: April 3, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-8075-0923-4
Page Count: 37
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
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