A compelling and empathetic introduction to displacement and mutual aid.
In this debut picture book, a Palestinian American girl befriends a refugee from her father’s homeland.
Yasmeen doesn’t understand why she must help her father, an immigrant from Palestine, bring donations to the masjid for refugees on the weekend. At his insistence, they go to their mosque, where Yasmeen encounters a girl named Sumoud. They discover they have a lot in common, such as being big sisters and liking Taylor Swift. The conversation soon shifts to the hardships of living in a Palestinian refugee camp. Sumoud explains: “The tents at the camp didn’t protect us from the bad weather, and the water we drank wasn’t always clean, so we got sick a lot.” That night, Yasmeen dreams of what her life would have been like if Baba had never left Palestine, an image so terrifying that it spurs her into action. She not only leaps at the opportunity to return to the masjid the following weekend, but also plans to find ways to help kids like Sumoud adjust to their lives in new countries. This beautiful book bridges a gap between cultures that has seen little attention from the publishing world despite the scale and immediacy of the conflict it addresses. Abdulkarim thoughtfully introduces Sumoud’s world to readers through Yasmeen— as well as some basic Arabic vocabulary through asides in the corners of some pages. Alshalabi’s illustrations are full of muted natural tones that emphasize the text’s meditative nature.
A compelling and empathetic introduction to displacement and mutual aid.Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2024
ISBN: 9798991381918
Page Count: 28
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: April 7, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A flavorful call to action sure to spur young introverts.
In this latest slice in the Food Group series, Humble Pie learns to stand up to a busy friend who’s taking advantage of his pal’s hard work on the sidelines.
Jake the Cake and Humble Pie are good friends. Where Pie is content to toil in the background, Jake happily shines in the spotlight. Alert readers will notice that Pie’s always right there, too, getting A-pluses and skiing expertly just behind—while also doing the support work that keeps every school and social project humming. “Fact: Nobody notices pie when there’s cake nearby!” When the two friends pair up for a science project, things begin well. But when the overcommitted Jake makes excuse after excuse, showing up late or not at all, a panicked Pie realizes that they won’t finish in time. When Jake finally shows up on the night before the project’s due, Pie courageously confronts him. “And for once, I wasn’t going to sugarcoat it.” The friends talk it out and collaborate through the night for the project’s successful presentation in class the next day. John and Oswald’s winning recipe—plentiful puns and delightful visual jokes—has yielded another treat here. The narration does skew didactic as it wraps up: “There’s nothing wrong with having a tough conversation, asking for help, or making sure you’re being treated fairly.” But it’s all good fun, in service of some gentle lessons about social-emotional development.
A flavorful call to action sure to spur young introverts. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9780063469730
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
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