An ideal guide for readers of any age to learn how to be an ally—“one way each of us can help make our world more fair.”
In Wind’s illustrated children’s book, a young girl named Eleanor draws on stories of her namesake, Eleanor Roosevelt, when she wants to be an ally to a nonbinary classmate.
At Eleanor’s school, girls and boys don’t play together at recess, and each group makes a point to exclude the other. Seeing that her nonbinary classmate, Star, is struggling with this situation, Eleanor thinks: “sometimes things are so unfair, I don’t know how to help.” When she asks her dads for help, they share anecdotes about first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and she wonders how she can be more like her. Star is visibly upset when Ms. Galton asks the boys and girls to divide themselves up the next day, but Eleanor remembers how her namesake sat in a folding chair in an aisle in a racially segregated auditorium, rather than choose a side. The youngster grabs her own chair and sits in the middle of the room: “The way my friends and I see it, if all of us are in the middle, then all of us belong.” Mangan’s full-color illustrations are simple but have a genuine sweetness, particularly in portraits of young Eleanor and her dads. The book offers questions for adults to spur discussion, and some are quite thought-provoking: “Share if there’s something you would like to do or try that maybe some people say is not okay because of your gender.” The last pages feature a wonderful graphic on how to be an ally to targets of unfairness, as well as sources for more information about Eleanor Roosevelt. Kids generally understand unfairness when they see it, but they (and many adults) often don’t know what to do in such situations. By pairing young Eleanor’s tale with stories of the activist first lady, youngsters may learn how to draw inspiration from the past to help others. (The illustrations feature a wide variety of skin tones among the students; two wear headscarves, and one wears a hearing aid.)
An ideal guide for readers of any age to learn how to be an ally—“one way each of us can help make our world more fair.”Pub Date: June 3, 2025
ISBN: 9781945369735
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Cardinal Rule Press
Review Posted Online: June 25, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Wins for compassion and for the refusal to let physical limitations hold one back.
With such short arms, how can Tiny T. Rex give a sad friend a hug?
Fleck goes for cute in the simple, minimally detailed illustrations, drawing the diminutive theropod with a chubby turquoise body and little nubs for limbs under a massive, squared-off head. Impelled by the sight of stegosaurian buddy Pointy looking glum, little Tiny sets out to attempt the seemingly impossible, a comforting hug. Having made the rounds seeking advice—the dino’s pea-green dad recommends math; purple, New Age aunt offers cucumber juice (“That is disgusting”); red mom tells him that it’s OK not to be able to hug (“You are tiny, but your heart is big!”), and blue and yellow older sibs suggest practice—Tiny takes up the last as the most immediately useful notion. Unfortunately, the “tree” the little reptile tries to hug turns out to be a pterodactyl’s leg. “Now I am falling,” Tiny notes in the consistently self-referential narrative. “I should not have let go.” Fortunately, Tiny lands on Pointy’s head, and the proclamation that though Rexes’ hugs may be tiny, “I will do my very best because you are my very best friend” proves just the mood-lightening ticket. “Thank you, Tiny. That was the biggest hug ever.” Young audiences always find the “clueless grown-ups” trope a knee-slapper, the overall tone never turns preachy, and Tiny’s instinctive kindness definitely puts him at (gentle) odds with the dinky dino star of Bob Shea’s Dinosaur Vs. series.
Wins for compassion and for the refusal to let physical limitations hold one back. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: March 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4521-7033-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 11, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Another quirky take on the series theme that it’s cool to be kind.
The cool beans again step up to do a timorous fellow legume a fava…this time at the pool.
Will a rash decision to tackle the multistory super-slide lead to another embarrassing watery fail for our shy protagonist? Nope, for up the stairs right behind comes a trio of cool beans, each a different type and color, all clad in nothing but dark shades. They make an offer: “It’s not as scary if you go with friends!” As the knobby nerd explains once the thrilling ride down is done, “They all realized that I just needed some encouragement and support.” Just to make sure that both cool and uncool readers get the message, the narrator lets us know that “there are plenty of kind folks who have my back. They’re always there when I need them.” The beany bonhomie doesn’t end at the bottom of the slide, with all gliding down to the shallow end of the pool (“3 INCHES. NO DIVING”) for a splashy finale. This latest early reader starring characters from John and Oswald’s immensely popular Food Group series will be a hit with fans. Fun accessories, such as a bean who rocks pink cat-eye frames, add some pizzazz to the chromatically and somatotypically varied cast.
Another quirky take on the series theme that it’s cool to be kind. (Easy reader. 5-7)Pub Date: March 26, 2024
ISBN: 9780063329560
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
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