An endearing lesson in love, responsibility, and kindness.
A girl helps care for two fawns that find their way into the family’s yard in Scott’sillustrated memoir for children.
The young author was 6 years old in 2020 when Covid-19 hit her hometown of Mount Juliet, Tennessee. One day, her grandmother, known as Babi, spotted something out the window and called Scott and her mom over: “When I saw what Babi was showing us, it was like seeing two little shooting stars land right in front of me,” Scott writes. “It was so special! I saw two little wet furry brown creatures.” The creatures were fawns who’d been abandoned by their mother. The author’s parents first made sure that the mother wasn’t returning, then made phone calls to find a wildlife rehabilitator. The pandemic made it impossible to reach one of these rehabilitators, so the family researched how to care for the fawns themselves; Scott named them Amy and Andrew, helped feed them, and played with them. The fawns grew bigger, and finally, after two months, a wildlife rehabilitator called. The specialists weaned the fawns off human contact before releasing them into the wild. Scott was heartbroken, but knew that the family had done the right thing. The book concludes with tips on caring for wildlife responsibly and a series of photographs of the author with the fawns. Each chapter begins with a small, whimsical watercolor illustration by Karabach, which acts as a welcome lead-in to the text that follows. Scott organizes the story into digestible chapters, and each one tells a crucial part of the tale in just a few pages. The book’s balance of narrative, emotion, and educational information is well-executed. The story is engaging throughout, and the account of the joy and sadness felt by the author and her family is expressive and earnest. For example, when the fawns were taken away, Scott writes, “Mom stayed home because she could not watch the fawns go. She told us later that she sat at our piano and played Beethoven for forty minutes nonstop, crying.”
An endearing lesson in love, responsibility, and kindness.Pub Date: May 14, 2024
ISBN: 9798891097568
Page Count: 54
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Aug. 12, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A tighter focus would make this fascinating life story even more intriguing.
In this graphic memoir by sports journalist Shah, a ninth grader pursues his passion in the face of familial expectations pushing him toward a medical career, while also navigating the perils of high school social life.
It’s 1995, and Indian American Amar is desperate to meet the Chicago Bulls—Michael Jordan, in particular—when they stop by his Orlando, Florida, school. A lucky break leads him to his first sports interview, with Phil Jackson, and his tenacity takes him further, leading to multiple conversations with Shaquille O’Neal. But Amar’s luck in journalism doesn’t spill over to his relationship with his crush, blond Kasey Page (“like a mixture of Cameron Diaz, Tinkerbell, and heaven”), or his efforts to remain close with best friends Rohit and Cherian, who start spending more time with other classmates. The work relies on captions as much as plot developments to propel the story. It also follows a broad cast of characters—close and former friends, antagonists, supportive adults, and famous athletes—who appear in multiple storylines. The story accurately depicts the complexities of life as a young teen, though overlapping life challenges pull it in multiple directions, leaving some threads underexplored and hastily wrapped up. Doucet illustrates the characters using loose, disjointed outlines that give the artwork a sense of movement, and the colorful backgrounds use patterns and action lines to indicate a wide array of emotions.
A tighter focus would make this fascinating life story even more intriguing. (author’s note, photographs) (Graphic memoir. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 5, 2025
ISBN: 9781546110514
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
“In 1875 there were perhaps fifty million of them. Just twenty-five years later nearly every one of them was gone.” The author of many nonfiction books for young people (Bridges; Truck; Giants of the Highways, etc.) tells the story of the American bison, from prehistory, when Bison latifrons walked North America along with the dinosaurs, to the recent past when the Sioux and other plains Indians hunted the familiar bison. Robbins uses historic photographs, etchings, and paintings to show their sad history. To the Native Americans of the plains, the buffalo was central to their way of life. Arriving Europeans, however, hunted for sport, slaughtering thousands for their hides, or to clear the land for the railroad, or farmers. One telling photo shows a man atop a mountain of buffalo skulls. At the very last moment, enough individuals “came to their senses,” and worked to protect the remaining few. Thanks to their efforts, this animal is no longer endangered, but the author sounds a somber note as he concludes: “the millions are gone, and they will never come back.” A familiar story, well-told, and enhanced by the many well-chosen period photographs. (photo credits) (Nonfiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-689-83025-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2000
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