Joyful and affirming, Aidan’s story is the first of its kind among books for welcoming a new baby.
A transgender boy anticipates his new job as a big brother by helping his parents prepare for his baby sibling’s arrival.
Aidan “felt trapped” in his old name, clothes, and room before he told his parents “what he knew about himself.” Some girls never wore dresses, “but Aidan didn’t feel like any kind of girl” because he was “another kind of boy.” With his parents’ support, he embraces his identity and takes on a new, important role, becoming a big brother. More than anything, he wants the baby to feel loved and understood. This picture book sets a new standard of excellence in transgender representation by centering the feelings of Aidan, a biracial (black and South Asian) transgender boy. Juanita’s (Ta-Da!, 2018) digital illustrations have the look of ink and watercolor, and they bring the love in Aidan’s family to life. Bright, mixed patterns in Aidan’s clothes capture the vibrancy of his personality and his excitement to welcome a baby into the family. Lukoff (A Storytelling of Ravens, 2018) breaks away from binary language and stereotypical gender roles, highlighting within the text and in an author’s note that there is more than one way to be a person of any gender. The hopeful message at the end emphasizes love and the importance of staying open to learning.
Joyful and affirming, Aidan’s story is the first of its kind among books for welcoming a new baby. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: May 7, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-62014-837-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Lee & Low Books
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
A cozy story that will transport readers to faraway places.
All gifts are perfect when they come from the heart.
Rabbit goes on a “journey through a green and grand forest” in order to get a gift for his nana even though it is “not even a major hare holiday.” He travels very far in search of the perfect gift and encounters many new friends whom he asks for help. Each of them proffers Rabbit something they can easily make or acquire: The moon offers a “crescent smile,” a whale proposes a glass of water, and so on. Ultimately, Rabbit finds the perfect gift for Nana all on his own, and his nana absolutely adores it. Although the story is a bit predictable, it is amusing—readers will laugh at the anthropomorphic volcano’s explosion and Rabbit’s exhaustion from his journey, among other chucklesome scenes. Smith’s gesso, oil, and cold wax illustrations are exquisite and almost ethereal. The friendly, many-eyed creature referred to as a “stickler” is at once haunting and intriguing. The moon is Tim Burton–esque and seems to glow and pop off the page. Pleased with his choice of gift, Rabbit has the moon’s smile on his face. The predominance of full-bleed double-page spreads accentuates Rabbit’s long quest. The different font sizes, styles, and colors will aid emerging readers with diction when reading aloud but might prove difficult for those with dyslexia. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A cozy story that will transport readers to faraway places. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 12, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-43033-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House Studio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 24, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2022
Hopeful, if a little relentless.
On the way to school, a child lists all the qualities that differentiate a best friend from a friend.
When the narrator announces, “Today, I will find a best friend!” Mama is a little dubious. It’s just the first day of school, after all. This kid is confident it will happen “like that!” and proceeds to describe what makes a best friend. A regular friend may lend a crayon, but “a best friend lends you a brand-new, extra-sharp green crayon. Even if you’re drawing a tree with 3,811 green leaves.” Similarly, regular friends sit next to you at storytime, help you build block towers, and swing with you; best friends hold your hand if the story is scary, rebuild fallen towers with you, and push you on the swings. As the child, who, like Mama, presents White, continues the litany, the illustrations alternate between views of the child and Mama and the scenarios the child describes being played out at school, with a different member of the class occupying the best-friend role in each. These classmates are racially diverse; two wear glasses, and one uses a wheelchair. By the end, readers may be a little worn down by the level of self-sacrifice expected of this hypothetical best friend, but the child’s final statement that the “number one, guaranteed best way to spot a best friend” is “to be a best friend, too” promises reciprocity.
Hopeful, if a little relentless. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-17927-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Rodale Kids
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2021
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